Split (1)

train · 801k rows

text stringlengths 316 100k
Following India’s maiden Mars probe launch earlier in the month, last week saw the successful launch of the Martian Atmospheres and Volatiles Evolution mission, or MAVEN for short. With the second spacecraft this month now on its way to Mars, you could be forgiven for thinking we’ve forgotten that there is a number of other planets in our solar system. Due to arrive in orbit about the red planet in September 2014, MAVEN will be the first probe to explore the upper reaches of the Martian atmosphere. It will do this by taking a number of dives into the upper atmosphere, dipping to only 125 km about the Martian surface from its home orbit of 6,000 km. The hope is that to find clues to a possible warmer and wetter past. But with Opportunity still trundling along, Curiosity, the Mars Orbiter Mission, MAVEN, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Express, 2001 Mars Odyssey and the planned InSight, ExoMars and Mars 2020 rover missions, are we forgetting that there’s more to the solar system than Mars? Sure it is the most viable planet that we, the human race, could go and walk on but it’s probably not the best hope for the discovery of biological activity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive fan of any space mission, and every step we make in space is a “giant” leap for us down here on Earth. Every endeavour we have undertaken on Mars has thrown up yet more intrigue, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. But let’s not kid ourselves; it looks pretty dead up there. If we do find any biology on Mars, it going to be most interesting working out how it has hung on for billions of years (and try and get some survival tips). I admit “The Mars Overload” is a bit of misrepresentation, as we are currently exploring (or travelling to) pretty much every other planet in our solar system right now (with two notable exceptions). So what are they all up to? Mercury The Messenger craft is currently 3,400 days into its mission in orbit about Mercury, and has now imaged the whole surface of the Sun’s closest neighbour. It’s currently in a bit of a limbo, with it’s extended mission finishing in March this year. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington Venus Venus currently has the European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft in orbit and the Japanese mission Akatsuki hopefully en route. Venus Express has returned the strongest indications yet that Venus is geologically active, and if confirmed would be the first planets (other than our own Earth) to be discovered so. Akatsuki, which was planning to study Venus’ extreme climate, unfortunately failed to insert into Venutian orbit in 2010. But hope is not lost, and it is currently held in an elliptical orbit with plans to make another attempt into a closer orbit in 2015. The asteroid belt The asteroid belt is the museum of the solar system, and the Dawn mission has been the first to traverse it and focus on some of its biggest exhibits. Dawn’s first stop was orbiting about the asteroid Vesta, and has now left to journey to the largest body in the belt – Ceres – due to arrive in 2015. At Vesta, Dawn discovered this body’s large metallic core revealing it to be the “last of its kind” as a failed planet. NASA Jupiter Any mission to Jupiter has a lot to live up to, with the enduring data set that the Galileo spacecraft collected, coupled with its dramatic ending. The Juno mission is currently on its way, arriving in 2016 will concentrate on the gas giant’s poles and magnetic and gravity field. The hope that such a detailed mission will reveal more about our largest neighbours interior. On the cards is more of a successor of Galileo, the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission. But we’re playing the waiting game on this one – with arrival at Jupiter not anticipated to be before 2030. Saturn The most longstanding of current planetary missions is Cassini, launched in 1997. It’s currently in the second phase of its mission and has performed a Galileo-like job on Saturn, returning data on the planet, its rings and moons that will be mulled over for decades. Like Messenger, is waiting confirmation of its next extended mission, which will keep it running until 2017. There has been worrying news that cuts to NASA’s budget will force them to choose between extending Cassini or the Mars-roving Curiosity. A terrible choice by all accounts, but given the massive effort taken to get Cassini out there, I really hope that there is some way of keeping them both going. Pluto NASA New Horizons is going to be a science highlight of 2015 when it arrives at the far reaches of our solar system to study Pluto. Since it was launched in 2006 it has seen it’s primary target kicked out of the planet club, but promoted to be the “king” of the dwarf planets. New Horizons will pass Pluto and it’s companion Charon before heading deeper into the Kuiper belt. Being the first probe to explore this new class of planets in detail, it’s almost guaranteed to return some very exciting stuff. And the rest … Uranus and Neptune are the notable exceptions. These gassy icy giants still lie pretty much unexplored with humankind only waving hello in 1986 and 1989 with the respective fly-bys of the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The biggest difficulty in exploring these planets is that they are so far away that to reach them takes a spacecraft travelling at massive speeds – so fast that by the time they get there you need a massive amount of energy to kick them into orbit. With current technology missions to the outer fringes of the solar system, like New Horizons, are likely only to be fly-bys. So, contrary to what you might think from recent media coverage, there really is so much more planetary exploration going on than that focused on Mars. To undertake these feats we’ve had to overcome technological hurdles and travelled massive distances at outrageous speeds. I, for one, very much hope that we can continue to explore our solar system, Mars and beyond, at the same – or even faster – rate.
In Braavos, Arya is learning slowly and is regularly tested. She poses as an oyster seller and is assigned a specific task. In Meereen, Daenerys sits in judgment on Ser Jorah and Tyrion. While Jorah is again banished, Tyrion soon becomes her advisor. In Winterfell, Sansa learns something important from Theon. Roose Bolton meanwhile awaits Stannis' arrival but Ramsay disagrees with his approach.In King's Landing, Cersei learns from Qyburn that the High Sparrow has a strong case against her and recommends a way out for her. At Castle Black, Sam recovers from his wounds. Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane arrive at their destination north of the Wall. While some of them accept the offer of land in the south, many do not. Before they can leave however, the army of walkers arrive. Written by garykmcd
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's campaign came full circle Sunday evening, capping off the 78-day marathon in Vancouver, the same place he kicked off the campaign in early August. An incredibly hoarse sounding Trudeau spent much of his speech talking about his maternal grandfather, James Sinclair, who represented the North Vancouver riding Trudeau was speaking in as a Liberal MP. "I can trace my passion for [campaigning] right back to Grandpa," he said, as a few supporters waved dated Sinclair signs behind the stage. He repeated his familiar message about bringing real change and the need to campaign to the last minute to the large, energized crowd. Campaign organizers moved the venue at the last hour because of the size of the crowd. Trudeau made earlier stops Sunday in Surrey, B.C., Calgary and Edmonton. Trudeau, who has been drawing large crowds of supporters in the days leading up to Monday's vote, hopes the election will help the Liberals find their way out of the political wilderness in Alberta. The party hasn't had an MP in the province since Anne McLellan lost her Edmonton seat in 2006. Calgary, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's adopted hometown, has been even more unkind to his party — it hasn't elected a Liberal since 1968. That year, Pat Mahoney captured a seat amid Pierre Trudeau's majority mandate victory amid the so-called Trudeaumania. "I've been coming out to Alberta for years with a message that this place is important to me, that this place matters deeply," he said to supporters in Edmonton. "It's a message that I'm proud to deliver here with a big smile, as a Liberal, as a Trudeau, and as a Quebecer." A political gap has existed between Western Canada and Central Canada since the days of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. That sense of alienation harboured by the Prairie provinces was a major driver of Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's move into politics. The younger Trudeau, who's running for re-election in Montreal, addressed that national divide today. "You see, every part of this country matters. People in Quebec need to know that Alberta matters, that our country needs Alberta to succeed. But so, too, do Quebecers need to be reminded that our country needs them to engage too." Western resources, eastern votes Trudeau is mindful of some of the baggage his family name carries in this part of the country ever since his father created the National Energy Program in the 1980s. He said he first tried to ease some of the deep-rooted distrust Albertans have for Liberals when he visited Calgary a few years ago during his run for the Liberal leadership. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau makes pitch to Alberta voters addressing his father's legacy 1:39 "I was very clear ... in saying that it was an error to pit one part of the country against another with a program like my father's program," said Trudeau. The Liberal leader repeated his message during this visit to Calgary, where he headed after his earlier stop in Edmonton. "I will never use western resources to try and buy eastern votes," he said. "I am focused on bringing this country together and I believe that Albertans, like all Canadians, need a government that is focused on pulling people together." The Liberals have been riding high in the polls in the final weeks of the campaign. According to CBC's Poll Tracker, a number of polls suggest election day will go to the Grits, installing Trudeau as Canada's next prime minister. However, favourable polls today don't rule out the possibility that the Conservatives could eke out more seats tomorrow. Courting Quebec Trudeau also used his swing Sunday through Alberta to woo Quebecers who have yet to forgive his father for constitutional conflicts and his battles against Quebec nationalism. The Liberal leader urged Quebecers to once again become an active participant in the national fold. He called on them to support his team rather than a party likely to find itself warming the opposition benches. "I'm saying this from here, in Alberta, that Albertans like all Canadians need us Quebecers," Trudeau said in French during his Edmonton speech, which also drew a large crowd. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau is asked about his message on the Alberta-Quebec relationship 2:29 Trudeau's visits to ridings in Quebec during the campaign's final week attracted much smaller crowds than his stops in the Maritimes, Ontario, Manitoba and even Alberta. In Edmonton and Calgary, his rallies drew large, chanting throngs of supporters. Trudeau's speeches also aimed to resonate in a province that has been reeling from low oil prices, leading to mass layoffs in its once-thriving energy sector. "Our country needs Alberta to succeed," Trudeau said in Edmonton. "You deserve a government that doesn't take your votes for granted, or that assumes it will have your votes because of where you live, and a government that understands that the time to invest in Alberta is now, when people need help." Trudeau is flying back to Montreal overnight for election day.
Don't Risk It! Get a flu shot! Small steps and good choices about your health can make a big difference. The flu can cause fever, chills, and body aches resulting in missed days of work and school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the flu causes over 200,000 hospitalizations every year. The flu can be unpredictably serious and even deadly. Doctors recommend that all individuals 6 months and older get the flu vaccine each and every year. The flu vaccine wears off over the course of a year so it is important to get one during every flu season. Don’t delay. Get your flu shot today! Flu shots are usually available from your health care provider, drug stores and grocery stores. Flu vaccine is also available at the Health and Human Services Immunization Clinic located at 53 South French Broad Avenue in downtown Asheville. Parking is free. Anyone 6 months and older may receive a flu vaccine at this location, without an appointment, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8am – 5 pm. Please check in no later than 4:30 pm. The cost of the flu vaccine at the Immunization Clinic ranges from $40 - $65 depending on the type of flu vaccine received. We accept Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance and self-pay (cash, check, debit or credit card). Those with no insurance may qualify for free vaccine based on eligibility. Get A Flu Vaccine! Buncombe County Health & Human Services Immunization Clinic 53 South French Broad Avenue 828-250-5096 Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 Find other locations to get a flu shot CDC Seasonal flu site - More detailed flu information Printable Flu Posters
from Pavan’s answer: Please note that this approach will charge you the scan cost of the source table for the query as many times as you query it. from Pentium10 comments: So suppose I have several years of data, I need to prepare different query for each day and run all of it, and suppose I have 1000 days in history, I need to pay 1000 times the full query price from the source table? As we can see - the main problem here is on having full scan for each and every day. The rest is less of a problem and can be easily scripted out in any client of the choice So, below is to - How to partition table while avoid full table scan for each and every day? Below step-by-step shows the approach It is generic enough to extend/apply to anyone real use-case - meantime I am using bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.gsod2017 and I am limiting "exercise" to just 10 days to keep it readable Step 1 – Create Pivot table In this step we a) compress each row’s content into record/array and b) put them all into respective ”daily” column #standardSQL SELECT ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170101' THEN r END) AS day20170101, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170102' THEN r END) AS day20170102, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170103' THEN r END) AS day20170103, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170104' THEN r END) AS day20170104, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170105' THEN r END) AS day20170105, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170106' THEN r END) AS day20170106, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170107' THEN r END) AS day20170107, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170108' THEN r END) AS day20170108, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170109' THEN r END) AS day20170109, ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(CASE WHEN d = 'day20170110' THEN r END) AS day20170110 FROM ( SELECT d, r, ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY d) AS line FROM ( SELECT stn, CONCAT('day', year, mo, da) AS d, ARRAY_AGG(t) AS r FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.gsod2017` AS t GROUP BY stn, d ) ) GROUP BY line Run above query in Web UI with pivot_table (or whatever name is preferred) as a destination As we can see - here we will get table with 10 columns – one column for one day and schema of each column is a copy of schema of original table: Step 2 – Processing partitions one-by-one ONLY scanning respective column (no full table scan) – inserting into respective partition #standardSQL SELECT r.* FROM pivot_table, UNNEST(day20170101) AS r Run above query from Web UI with destination table named mytable$20160101 You can run same for next day #standardSQL SELECT r.* FROM pivot_table, UNNEST(day20170102) AS r Now you should have destination table as mytable$20160102 and so on You should be able to automate/script this step with any client of your choice There are many variations of how you can use above approach - it is up to your creativity Note: BigQuery allows up to 10000 columns in table, so 365 columns for respective days of one year is definitely not a problem here :o) Unless there is a limitation on how far back you can go with new partitions – I heard (but didn’t have chance to check yet) there is now no more than 90 days back Update Please note: Above version has a little extra logic of packing all aggregated cells into as least final number of rows as possible. ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY d) AS line and then GROUP BY line along with ARRAY_CONCAT_AGG(…) does this This works well when row size in your original table is not that big so final combined row size still will be within rows size limit that BigQuery has (which I believe is 10 MB as of now) If your source table already has row size close to that limit – use below adjusted version In this version – grouping is removed such that each row has only value for one column #standardSQL SELECT CASE WHEN d = 'day20170101' THEN r END AS day20170101, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170102' THEN r END AS day20170102, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170103' THEN r END AS day20170103, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170104' THEN r END AS day20170104, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170105' THEN r END AS day20170105, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170106' THEN r END AS day20170106, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170107' THEN r END AS day20170107, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170108' THEN r END AS day20170108, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170109' THEN r END AS day20170109, CASE WHEN d = 'day20170110' THEN r END AS day20170110 FROM ( SELECT stn, CONCAT('day', year, mo, da) AS d, ARRAY_AGG(t) AS r FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.gsod2017` AS t GROUP BY stn, d ) WHERE d BETWEEN 'day20170101' AND 'day20170110' As you can see now - pivot table (sparce_pivot_table) is sparse enough (same 21.5 MB but now 114,089 rows vs. 11,584 rows in pivot_table) so it has average row size of 190B vs 1.9KB in initial version. Which is obviously about 10 times less as per number of columns in the example. So before using this approach some math needs to be done to project/estimate what and how can be done! Still: each cell in pivot table is sort of JSON representation of whole row in original table. It is such as it holds not just values as it was for rows in original table but also has a schema in it As such it is quite verbose - thus the size of cell can be multiple times bigger than original size [which limits the usage of this approach ... unless you get even more creative :o) ... which is still plenty of areas here to apply :o) ]
THE US on Monday denied that its renewed interest in Uganda is a strategy to get hold of the newly found oil in the count. THE US on Monday denied that its renewed interest in Uganda is a strategy to get hold of the newly found oil in the count. THE US on Monday denied that its renewed interest in Uganda is a strategy to get hold of the newly found oil in the country. The US government has announced that it will deploy troops to help Uganda fight the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who are currently in the Central African Republic. Critics have said that the only reason that America seems to be coming up strongly to offer troops to help in fighting Kony when they did not when he was killing people here was because of the oil. But the Charge d’Affairs at the American embassy in Kampala, Virginia Blaser, said yesterday that the US has been helping Uganda with especially with the humanitarian situation in the North where Kony was killing people. She was addressing journalists at a press conference. “The US is deeply committed to supporting Uganda’s effort to eliminate the threat of LRA and providing humanitarian assistance to LRA affected regions,” Blazer said. “Since 2008, the LRA has been responsible for at least 2,400 attacks and over 3,400 abductions. According to the UN, there have been approximately 250 attacks attributed to the LRQA this year. She said that over the recent years, the Ugandan military has persevered through some of the most difficult terrain in the world and significantly reduced the LRA numbers and kept them from regrouping. She insisted that the US troops will assume an advisory, not a combat role. She said that the continued stay of the US troops is dependent on the continued cooperation of regional governments i8n fighting Kony. “The US military personnel will assume a supporting role to strengthen information-sharing and operational effectiveness against the LRA,” She said and added that the decision to do so was taken in 2009. She said that only a portion of the personnel will travel to the field locations, but also to advise and would only defend themselves if attacked. President Yoweri Museveni also told journalists on Sunday that American soldiers will not fight Kony, but will advise the Ugandan army. “We have American advisors not fighters so there are no American troops here,” Museveni said in answer to journalists’ queries at a press conference yesterday. According to an earlier message by US president Barrack Obama, the , US troops, could also deploy from Uganda into South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo. LRA rebels are accused of terrorizing, murdering, raping and kidnapping thousands of people in the four nations, and tens of thousands of people died in their 20-year war with security forces in northern Uganda. According to AFP, the president said a small group of troops deployed on Wednesday and that additional forces will deploy over the next month. Kony, is wanted by the International Criminal Court, over crimes against humanity appears to have dropped any national political agenda and in recent years his marauding troops have sown death and destruction in the region. The civil war effectively ended in 2006 when a peace process was launched, but Kony and his top commanders continue to commit atrocities in remote areas of neighboring countries.
Since the iPhones release, apple has restricted disk use of your iphone as well as what information can be exported to your computer from your iPhone. Ecamm network has created a program to work around these restrictions enabling you to export just about anything from any iPhone or iPod Touch onto your computer! For those of you who want complete access to your SMS, call log, voicemail, media files, and more; there is a program called PhoneView . This program is very simple to use yet very powerful. Once you plug your iPhone/ iPod Touch into your computer, launch PhoneView and your device will automatically be recognized. In PhoneView your information is sorted into two categories, DATA and MEDIA.Thecategory contains your contacts, notes, call log, messages, web info, and Voicemail as well as the Disk feature that allows you to store any files on your iPhone. Thecategory contains your music, videos, audiobooks, podcasts, ringtones, photos, and voice memos. From here you can simply browse your information and drag and drop the data right onto your desktop. You can also select your entire music library from yours or a friends iPhone or iPod Touch and click thebutton for easy sharing. PhoneView not only lets you export, but allows you to edit your contacts and import new notes. This program works exactly as advertised and is a must have for all users that want complete control over there iPhones Data and Media!
We may not see how solar impacts the utility grid. And it’s hard to tell just from those new solar panels popping up around town. But make no mistake: solar power is no longer an “alternative” idea and, for an increasing number of people, it’s a great industry to work in, with solar jobs a fast-growing part of the American economy. Solar became the top source of new electric-generating capacity in the United States in 2016, beating natural gas, wind, coal, oil and others, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The industry doubled in size in 2016, thanks to record-breaking growth in the utilities and more than a million residential installations. Many new solar jobs came with this increase. More than 9.5 gigawatts (GW) of new solar-driven electricity went online last year, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.1 That brings the country’s total installed solar capacity to 43.4 GW, enough to power 6.5 million American homes.2 Solar’s dramatic growth has also produced record numbers of new solar jobs. A new report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) found the solar workforce increased by 25 percent in 2016, to 260,077 employees.3 Related support and supply chain jobs nearly doubles that total to 705,000 jobs Americans hold in solar power, the DOE said. Can the U.S. sustain this boom in solar jobs? New Power Generation All the leading indicators look positive. For perspective, that’s more than double the number of new electrical generation jobs in the coal, gas and oil industries — combined. Astonishingly, more than 1 in 50 of all new U.S. jobs last year came from the solar industry, according to the new National Solar Jobs Census 2016.4 “With a near tripling of solar jobs since 2010, the solar industry is an American success story that has created hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs,” said Andrea Luecke, president and executive director of the Solar Foundation, which conducted the census. How did solar energy grow so rapidly, from exotic boutique industry to the hottest source of power generation and job-engine of the new clean-energy economy? Experts cite several factors: Falling Prices. The cost to install solar has declined more than 60 percent over the last 10 years, according to the SEIA. Manufacturing costs have also plunged. That’s allowed the industry to expand into new markets and deploy thousands of systems nationwide. The cost to install solar has declined more than 60 percent over the last 10 years, according to the SEIA. Manufacturing costs have also plunged. That’s allowed the industry to expand into new markets and deploy thousands of systems nationwide. Tax credits. The U.S. passed the Solar Investment Tax Credit in 2006. The measure is credited with providing industry stability, and enabling 60 percent compound annual growth. Many states have passed or are working on similar credits for business and residences. The U.S. passed the Solar Investment Tax Credit in 2006. The measure is credited with providing industry stability, and enabling 60 percent compound annual growth. Many states have passed or are working on similar credits for business and residences. Big investments by utility companies. Power companies remain the backbone of the U.S. solar industry. Continued shifts away from coal, along with the shuttering of aged nuclear plants, will help sustain record new solar investments in 2017. Power companies remain the backbone of the U.S. solar industry. Continued shifts away from coal, along with the shuttering of aged nuclear plants, will help sustain record new solar investments in 2017. Business adoption. Fortune 500 giants like General Motors, Walmart, Apple and Target have installed more than a combined one GW of solar capacity at nearly 2,000 locations nationwide. They’re seeking to lower their energy costs and increase their energy independence. These trends coincide with greater demand for skilled solar workers. The number of Americans who work for solar-related firms has doubled since 2010. More than 9,000 companies now employ a wide range of specialists. Solar sales and distribution is the fastest growing (25 percent annually) segment, followed by installation (13 percent) and manufacturing (7 percent), according to the Department of Energy. California claims 34 percent of all solar jobs, employing more than 100,000. But much future growth is expected in Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Texas, where solar-related employment jumped 127 percent from 2013 to 2016. And solar employs an increasingly diverse workforce, with 28 percent women, 17 percent Latino and 7 percent African American. Forecast: Sunny Skies Ahead New U.S. energy policy is still taking shape. But many experts predict solar capacity and job growth will continue to heat up. Key factors: expected upcoming retirement of 15 to 20 nuclear plants, and a predicted 60 percent drop in the price of solar storage batteries within five years. Efforts by Tesla to manufacture and sell more attractive solar roof tiles are expected to boost residential sales. One important key to continued success: Improving the reliability and lifespan of solar modules, especially back panels, said Thomas Schueneman, founder of the TDS Environmental Media Network. Due to cost pressures, untested, substandard materials are finding their way into the market, especially in Europe and China, he said.5 To combat the problem, DuPont recently urged the industry to adopt more rigorous testing of photovoltaic (PV) solar materials. The goal: Improve solar panel lifespan beyond 25 years, reduce failure rates, and ultimately build confidence in the burgeoning market. DuPont provides the photovoltaic solar industry with a wide range of products, including DuPont™ Tedlar® backsheet films and DuPont™ Solamet® metallization pastes. TDS’ Schueneman says he is confident that work by Dr. Alexander Bradley, principal investigator at DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions, will help eliminate the “inevitable” material challenges facing the hottest segment of the new energy economy and provide proven power and lasting value to consumers. --------------------------------------------- 1 https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=25172 2 http://www.seia.org/solarmeansbiz 3 http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/ 4 http://www.solarjobscensus.org/ 5 http://www.triplepundit.com/2016/10/heat-beat-dupont-calls-real-world-testing-pv-solar/
January 7th, 2016 (Asheville, NC) — Hi-Wire Brewing is set to release the newest beer in its Lager Seasonal Series, Enchanter Baltic Porter. The third installment in this series, this beer will hit shelves early 2106 in 6-packs and on draft. This robust Baltic Porter has a big, creamy mouthfeel and distinct chocolate notes. Deep mahogany in color and 8.5% ABV, Enchanter balances a traditionally sweeter style with the addition of American white oak spirals. Spirals were added late in the brewing process to add a hint of tannic dryness to the beer. “We added spirals that had a medium plus toast, similar to the toast of a brand new red wine barrel,” said Luke Holgate, Head Brewer at Hi-Wire Brewing. “The spirals not only add oak character and dry out the sweetness a bit, they also micro oxygenate the beer. The new barrel spirals were used as a nod to the way this beer was made when it was shipped across the Baltic Sea. Historically they were fermented and thrown into oak casks to make the journey. That oak character would have resulted in a drier, more drinkable beer.“ Baltic Porters are a lesser known style in the United States, as porters brewed with ale yeast, such as robust and brown porters, are more commonplace. Yet, there is a movement afoot that is causing a change in Americans’ drinking patterns and craft lagers are finding a resurgence in the States. “I think that there has been a shift in American’s perception of what craft beer is,” added Holgate. “Craft beer is continuing to appeal to a broader and broader base of drinkers who aren’t always looking for super high ABV, super bitter, super dark, super hoppy beers. Additionally, craft drinkers are becoming more educated and are broadening their perception that lagers are only light, low ABV beers. Enchanter finds a happy balance by being a bigger beer with a higher ABV but that doesn’t overwhelm the palate since it was allowed to lager for a long period. You can drink more than one pint of with dinner.” Each of Hi-Wire’s craft lagers are allowed to age for 8 to 10 weeks, resulting in clean and crisp beers that don’t sacrifice flavors for increased production. Lager yeast allows Enchanter to be robust and full-bodied while maintaining an approachable and balanced flavor that Hi-Wire has become known for. About Hi-Wire Brewing Located in Asheville, NC, Hi-Wire Brewing is known for producing approachable and balanced ales and lagers, most notably Hi-Wire Lager, Prime Time Session Pale Ale, Bed of Nails Brown, and Hi-Pitch IPA. They have two locations in Asheville; the 27,000 square foot Big Top Production Facility and Taproom located a half mile from the Biltmore Estate and the South Slope Specialty Brewery and Taproom located in the South Slope region of downtown. Hi-Wire was awarded the most medals at the 2014 NC Brewer’s Cup and was named Best New North Carolina Brewery of 2013 by RateBeer. Their award-winning beers can be found on draft and in bottles across North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. To learn more about the company, visit www.hiwirebrewing.com
Judy Chu, Mark Takano, Ted Liu, Grace Meng and over 40 Democrats join Congressman John Lewis' boycott Four Asian American Congressional Representatives and 40 other Democrats will boycott Donald Trump’s inauguration as the next President of the United States. The Democrats boycotting the inauguration, which takes place today 20 January, stand in solidarity with civil rights icon and Georgia congressman John Lewis, who Trump branded as “talk, talk, talk”, saying he should “finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities.” Amongst the 45 Democrats boycotting the traditional Presidential event are three East Asian Congressional Representatives. Judy Chu Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to the US Congress currently serves as the US Representative for California’s 27th congressional district. Chu has been serving Congress since 2009 and has an impressive political history, serving as Chair of the California Board of Equalization as well as on the Garvey Unified School District Board of Education, the Monetery Park City Council and the California State Assembly. Chu was appointed as Barack Obama’s Us Secretary of Labor in 2009, defeating Republican candidate Betty Tom Chu. The Congresswoman’s parents came from Xinhui, Guangdong, where they married in 1948. Chu grew up in Los Angeles near 62nd Street and Normandie Avenue. In a tweet, Chu declared she will not be attending Trump’s inauguration with the hashtag #StandWithJohnLewis. After much thought, I have decided to #StandWithJohnLewis and not attend the inauguration. — Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) January 15, 2017 Mark Takano Mark Takano has been serving as the United States Representative for California’s 41st congressional district since 2013. He became the first openly gay person of Asian heritage in Congress upon taking office. Prior to his position in Congress, Takano also served on the Riverside Community College Board of Trustees since 1990. Takano is of Japanese heritage. His grandparents immigrated to the United States, making him Sansei. Takano was born in Riverside, California in 1960. In a tweet, Takano said he will stand with John Lewis in not attending Trump’s inauguration. “All talk, no action.” I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration. pic.twitter.com/z8Q0wA9OPK — Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) January 14, 2017 Ted Lieu Ted Lieu has been representing California’s 33rd congressional district since 2015. A previous California State Senator, Lieu represented the 28th Senate District from February 2011 to November 2014. The Congressman was also a California state Assemblyman, representing the 53rd Assembly District between September 2005 to November 2010. Lieu was born in Taipei, Taiwan but grew up in Cleveland Ohio. Graduating from Stanford University in 1991 with a BS in Computer Science and an AB in Political Science, Lieu went on to graduate magna cum laude with a JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. Lieu also holds the rank of Colonel in the US Air Force Reserves and served on active duty for 4 years as a member of the JAG Corps. In his tweet, Lieu attached a link to a press release that detailed why he is choosing to boycott the inauguration. “For me, the personal decision not to attend Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis.” Mr. Lieu’s statement on why he won’t be attending the Inauguration of @realDonaldTrump READ HERE: https://t.co/tx94zqE4rp — Rep. Ted Lieu (@RepTedLieu) January 14, 2017 Grace Meng Grace Meng has been representing New York’s 6th congressional district in the New York City of Queens since 2013. From 2009-2013, Meng represented the 22nd assembly district in Flushing, Queens. She was the first Asian American to represent part of New York in Congress. Meng was born in Queens and is of Chinese heritage. She is the daughter of Assmeblyman Jimmy Meng who was elected in 2004 to New York’s 22nd assembly district, making him the first Asian American to be elected to the legislature in New York State history. However, Jimmy Meng was incarcerated for one month after pleading guilty to bribery charges so only served one term. In a tweet, Grace Meng wrote “I will not be attending the inauguration of @realDonaldTrump” and attatched her statement, in which she wrote, “I have heard from many constituents and I thought long and hard about this decision,” she noted. “I respect the office of the President and our nation’s peaceful transfer of power.” She added it is impossible to “tolerate attacks on women, minorities or a civil rights icon.” I will not be attending the inauguration of @realDonaldTrump. My statement: https://t.co/vsMyae6fMy — Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) January 18, 2017
This week, Congress is finally moving from talk to action on criminal justice reform. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act — which would reduce sentences of some current federal prisoners and allow future prisoners to get shorter sentences — has a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday, and on Thursday the committee will meet to consider amendments and vote on the bill. Criminal justice reform has been a bipartisan issue for nearly a decade, but even by that standard, the Senate bill has impressively broad support. Koch brothers–backed organizations support it (the Kochs have been very involved in the push for reform), but so do old-school tough-on-crime Republicans. President Obama has told the Senate he wants a bill on his desk by the end of this year, and the White House has strongly implied that it wouldn't mind if it were this one. Of course, there isn't much time between now and the end of the year. So the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act may not get passed at all — or it may move very quickly. Here's what you need to know. Why criminal justice reform is gaining momentum in Congress now The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act wasn't the first bipartisan criminal justice reform bill to be introduced this Congress, but it's the first one that's actually getting taken up by a committee. That's thanks to an important ally: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Grassley chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he's opposed past criminal justice reform bills — which has been enough to keep them from coming up for a vote in the full Senate. But the growing pressure for reform, both from advocates and within his own party, appears to have convinced him that he needed to do something. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, written by Grassley after months of negotiations with colleagues, is the result. This means the bill isn't just a compromise between Democrats and Republicans — it's a compromise between criminal justice reformers and at least one prominent skeptic. That means it's made some compromises on policy, but it's a very good sign for the bill's passage. Criminal justice reform has won support among members of both parties. What it hadn't been able to do until Grassley introduced his bill is show that the issue is so popular that even legislators who aren't exactly won over to the cause still feel the pressure to do something about the issue. That's how the bills that accelerated mass incarceration in the 1980s and 1990s got passed. And it's the only way bills could be passed to reverse them. The Senate bill wouldn't eliminate minimum sentences, but it would weaken them Half of all federal prisoners are drug offenders, and the most common criticism of the federal prison system in particular is that prison sentences for drugs are too long. Many sentences are set by congressionally mandated minimums, which don't allow judges to take the offender's circumstances into account. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is mostly targeted at these long drug sentences. And most of its provisions are designed to be limited to the most sympathetic drug offenders: low-level, nonviolent offenders without a criminal record. Importantly, in some cases, the bill clearly defines who should be included — and reduces punishments for some people who might not automatically count as "nonviolent" but haven't injured anyone. But in other cases, which "violent" or "serious" criminals are excluded is still up in the air — and could be up to prosecutors to decide. Chip away at mandatory minimums. Current law sets mandatory minimum sentences based on how much of the drug the offender possessed at the time of arrest, but add "enhancements" for other things. If someone has a gun on him while committing another crime, that adds time — sometimes years — to his sentence. And if you're a "career criminal" (a phrase that's defined so vaguely the Supreme Court struck down part of its definition in June), simply possessing a gun is a crime with a 15-year minimum sentence. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would reduce that to 10 years, and would cut down the minimum for multiple offenses of gun possession while trafficking drugs down from 25 years to 15. But it would make the minimums apply in more cases. The bill would allow judges to waive mandatory minimums entirely for some offenders with prior criminal records. Right now, judges can do so for first-time offenders. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would expand that authority to cases where prisoners face a 10-year prison term for a "low-level" drug offense. And the existing exceptions for people without serious criminal histories would be expanded. Judges would be able to use it for offenders who have committed more than one minor offense (or, in certain cases, offenders who'd served a longer term for one previous crime that still wasn't "serious"). Importantly, a lot of these changes are retroactive. The reductions to minimum sentences, for example, apply to people who are in prison now. Kill the federal three-strikes law. The 1994 crime bill signed by Bill Clinton (and written largely by current Vice President Joe Biden) created a federal "three-strikes law": If someone is convicted in federal court of a "serious violent felony" and already has two "serious" offenses on his record, he's automatically slapped with a mandatory life sentence. (This is especially harsh because there's no parole for federal prisoners.) Many of the states that enacted three-strikes laws during the 1980s and '90s have since gotten rid of them; the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would let the federal government follow suit and reduce the sentence to 25 years. Similarly, it would reduce the 20-year minimum sentence for a second offense to 15 years. And it would define exactly which prior offenses are supposed to count in triggering those minimums. Create new mandatory minimum sentences for domestic violence and "export control." Reports have predicted for months that any bill Grassley would sign on to would have to include new mandatory minimums as well as getting rid of some old ones. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would include new mandatory minimums for interstate domestic violence (since domestic violence is typically a state crime) and for "certain export control offenses." (The latter isn't defined in publicly-available materials yet, but it's rumored to mean selling weapons or defense materials to certain countries or terrorist groups). Neither of these is a terribly common crime, especially compared with drug convictions, but it's still a reminder that Congress isn't convinced that mandatory minimum sentences themselves are bad — just that the crimes that need to be punished have changed. It's important to note, though, that just because mandatory minimums have exacerbated racial disparities doesn't guarantee that this bill would fix them. The reason some liberals supported mandatory minimums to begin with back in the 1970s and early '80s is that it was supposed to counteract the racial bias of judges, who would give shorter sentences to white offenders. How much that would remain true today if judges were given more discretion just isn't yet clear. The bill would allow some current prisoners to shorten their sentences Allow many federal prisoners to reduce their sentences by participating in programming. The bill includes a version of the Corrections Act, which was introduced earlier this year by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX). Under Corrections, eligible prisoners would get slotted into risk categories based on how likely they were to commit another crime. Low- and medium-risk prisoners could get reduced sentences for every month they participated in prison programming (like education or a prison job) and maintained good behavior. This is another case where it's hard to tell whether the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would mitigate racial disparities or make them worse. The "risk assessment" tool the government would use to classify prisoners for potential time off could end up relying on "static factors" that prisoners can't change — and that often correlate with race or socioeconomic status. (The original Corrections Act required that the government only look at factors that were within prisoners' control to change, but no tool like that has been developed yet.) Reduce the crack/powder sentencing disparity for prisoners sentenced before 2010. Before 2010, someone convicted in federal court of possessing a certain amount of crack cocaine got the same mandatory minimum sentence as someone convicted of possessing 100 times that amount of powder cocaine — despite the fact that they're the same drug. Because crack cocaine is predominantly used by African Americans and powder is predominantly used by whites, that created a tremendous racial disparity. In 2010, Congress passed a law that reduced the 100-to-1 disparity to 18-to-1 for any future offenders — but didn't do anything to help the people who'd been sentenced under the old law. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would fix that, and allow the 6,500 or so people in prison for pre-2010 crack sentences to petition for shorter sentences under the new law. Create a compassionate release program for elderly and dying prisoners. A lot of prisons are struggling to take care of older prisoners — after all, there are more of them than ever before. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would create a way for prisoners who are over a certain age or terminally ill to petition to be released, rather than dying in prison. Allow some people sentenced to life as juveniles to apply for parole. Right now, no federal prisoner can apply for parole. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would reinstate parole for a very small group of people: people given federal life sentences when they were under 18, who've served 20 years of their sentences already. The bill includes a couple of senators' pet issues — but not others While the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act isn't exactly a comprehensive bill — there's nothing in here about policing, for example — it already includes some provisions that particular senators have been working on (and more might be added in markup). Limit the use of solitary confinement for juveniles. The UN has described solitary confinement as torture, and the frequency with which it's used in American prisons has come under increasing criticism. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act doesn't address solitary confinement for most prisoners, but does put restrictions on its use for prisoners under 18 — a particular pet issue of Sen. Cory Booker, who launched a campaign to end juvenile solitary confinement earlier this week. Require the federal government to compile every law that has a criminal penalty. There are a lot of laws and regulations that carry criminal penalties, and the federal government doesn't have them all in one place. That's particularly worrisome to business groups and conservatives, who are concerned about the use of criminal penalties for regulatory violations. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would require the federal government to put a list together. Notably, though, the bill doesn't include a reform particularly dear to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and to some conservative criminal justice reformers: keeping prosecutors from ringing up businesses on violations of obscure regulations by requiring them to show that a defendant intended to violate the law. There are similar bills in the House, but not a lot of time to pass them Grassley's support means a lot, to be sure, in terms of moving the bill through Congress. But there's not much time on the calendar in 2015, and Congress may be uninterested in taking up any major legislation in a presidential election year. Furthermore, Grassley hasn't promised that he'll work to keep it from getting amended to death in committee or on the floor. (It's easy to imagine, for example, an amendment to add the other bill the Senate Judiciary Committee is considering — which would create a new mandatory minimum for immigration offenses and greatly expand the prison population.) The House, meanwhile, has been going through its own process. In July, senior members of Congress from both parties introduced the SAFE Justice Act — a bill that would do even more than the Senate bill to cut sentences for new and current prisoners. But the bill that's been called the "counterpart" to the Senate bill is one introduced by the chair and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee last week. That bill is very similar to a section of the Senate bill, but it's much more limited: It only deals with cutting sentences for new prisoners. Goodlatte and Conyers are promising to introduce bills to cover other areas of criminal justice reform as well, but they haven't done so yet. Speaker John Boehner promised to bring reform to the floor this year, but he implied it was going to be one of the chamber's own bills. And whoever replaces Boehner is likely to be even less deferential to the Senate. So before reaching the president's desk, the Senate bill will have to be reconciled with one of the House bills: either the SAFE Justice Act, which goes too far for some establishment Republicans, or one (or more) of the House's narrower bills. Either one of those will be very tricky. As broad as support for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is, it's hardly going to be a slam dunk to get criminal justice reform passed in 2015.
Project Habakkuk or Habbakuk (a common misspelling) was a plan by the British during the Second World War to construct an aircraft carrier out of pykrete (a mixture of wood pulp and ice) for use against German U-boats in the mid-Atlantic, which were beyond the flight range of land-based planes at that time. The idea came from Geoffrey Pyke, who worked for Combined Operations Headquarters. After promising scale tests and the creation of a prototype on a lake in Alberta, Canada, the project was shelved due to rising costs, added requirements, and the availability of longer-range aircraft and escort carriers which closed the Mid-Atlantic gap the project was intended to address. History [ edit ] Initial concept [ edit ] Geoffrey Pyke was an old friend of J.D. Bernal and had been recommended to Lord Mountbatten, Chief of Combined Operations, by the Cabinet minister Leopold Amery. Pyke worked at Combined Operations Headquarters (COHQ) alongside Bernal and was regarded as a genius by Mountbatten.[1] Pyke conceived the idea of Habakkuk while he was in the United States organising the production of M29 Weasels for Project Plough, a scheme to assemble an elite unit for winter operations in Norway, Romania and the Italian Alps.[1] He had been considering the problem of how to protect seaborne landings and Atlantic convoys out of reach of aircraft cover. The problem was that steel and aluminium were in short supply, and were required for other purposes. Pyke decided that the answer was ice, which could be manufactured for only 1 percent of the energy needed to make an equivalent mass of steel. He proposed that an iceberg, natural or artificial, be levelled to provide a runway and hollowed out to shelter aircraft. From New York Pyke sent the proposal via diplomatic bag to COHQ, with a label forbidding anyone apart from Mountbatten from opening the package. Mountbatten in turn passed Pyke's proposal on to Churchill, who was enthusiastic about it.[2] Pyke was not the first to suggest a floating mid-ocean stopping point for aircraft, nor even the first to suggest that such a floating island could be made of ice. A German scientist, Dr Gerke von Waldenburg, had proposed the idea and carried out some preliminary experiments on Lake Zurich in 1930.[3] The idea was a recurring one: in 1940 an idea for an ice island was circulated around the Admiralty, but was treated as a joke by officers, including Nevil Shute, who circulated a memorandum that gathered ever more caustic comments. The document had to be retrieved just before it reached the First Sea Lord's inbox.[4] Code name and spelling [ edit ] The project's code name seems to have been consistently (mis)spelled Habbakuk in official documents at the time. This may in fact have been Pyke's own error, as at least one early document apparently written by him (though unsigned) spells it that way. (However, post-war publications by people concerned with the project, such as Perutz and Goodeve, all restore the proper spelling, with one "b" and three "k"s.) The name is a reference to the project's ambitious goal: "Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you." Habakkuk 1:5 David Lampe, in his book, Pyke, the Unknown Genius, states that the name was derived from Voltaire's Candide and was misspelled by his Canadian secretary. However, the word does not actually appear in that text,[5] so this is probably inaccurate. Pykrete [ edit ] A block of pykrete In early 1942 Pyke and Bernal called in Max Perutz to determine whether an icefloe large enough to withstand Atlantic conditions could be built up fast enough. Perutz pointed out that natural icebergs have too small a surface above water for an airstrip, and are prone to suddenly rolling over. The project would have been abandoned if it had not been for the invention of pykrete, a mixture of water and woodpulp that when frozen was stronger than plain ice, was slower-melting and would not sink. Developed by his government group and named after Pyke, It has been suggested that Pyke was inspired by Inuit sleds reinforced with moss.[6] This is probably apocryphal, as the material was originally described in a paper by Mark and Hohenstein[7] in Brooklyn.[2] Pykrete could be machined like wood and cast into shapes like metal, and when immersed in water formed an insulating shell of wet wood pulp on its surface that protected its interior from further melting. However, Perutz found a problem: ice flows slowly, in what is known as plastic flow, and his tests showed that a pykrete ship would slowly sag unless it was cooled to −16 °C (3 °F). To accomplish this the ship's surface would have to be protected by insulation, and it would need a refrigeration plant and a complicated system of ducts.[2] Perutz proceeded to conduct experiments on the viability of pykrete and its optimum composition in a secret location underneath Smithfield Meat Market in the City of London.[8][9] The research took place in a refrigerated meat locker behind a protective screen of frozen animal carcasses.[10] Scale model [ edit ] The decision was made to build a large-scale model at Jasper National Park in Canada to examine insulation and refrigeration techniques, and to see how pykrete would stand up to artillery and explosives. Large ice blocks were constructed at Lake Louise, Alberta, and a small prototype was constructed at Patricia Lake, Alberta, measuring only 60 by 30 feet (18 metres by 9 metres), weighing 1,000 tons and kept frozen by a one-horsepower motor.[10] The work was done by conscientious objectors who did alternative service of various kinds instead of military service. They were never told what they were building.[11] Bernal informed COHQ that the Canadians were building a 1,000-ton model, and that it was expected to take eight men fourteen days to build it. The Chief of Combined Operations (CCO) responded that Churchill had invited the Chiefs of Staff Committee to arrange for an order to be placed for one complete ship at once, with the highest priority, and that further ships were to be ordered immediately if it appeared that the scheme was certain of success. The Canadians were confident about constructing a vessel for 1944. The necessary materials were available to them in the form of 300,000 tons of wood pulp, 25,000 tons of fibreboard insulation, 35,000 tons of timber and 10,000 tons of steel. The cost was estimated at £700,000.[12] Meanwhile Perutz had determined via his experiments at Smithfield Market that the optimum structural properties were given by a mixture of 14 per cent wood pulp and 86 per cent water. He wrote to Pyke in early April 1943 and pointed out that if certain tests were not completed in May, there would be no chance of delivering a completed ship in 1944. By May the problem of cold flow had become serious and it was obvious that more steel reinforcement would be needed, as well as a more effective insulating skin around the vessel's hull. This caused the cost estimate to increase to £2.5 million. In addition, the Canadians had decided that it was impractical to attempt the project "this coming season". Bernal and Pyke were forced to conclude that no Habakkuk vessel would be ready in 1944.[12] Pyke was excluded from the planning for Habakkuk in an effort to secure American participation, a decision that Bernal supported. Pyke's earlier disagreements with American personnel on Project Plough, which had caused his removal from that project, were the main factor in this decision.[13] Naval architects and engineers continued to work on Habakkuk with Bernal and Perutz during the summer of 1943. The requirements for the vessel became more demanding: it had to have a range of 7,000 miles (11,000 km) and be able to withstand the largest waves recorded, and the Admiralty wanted it to be torpedo-proof, which meant that the hull had to be at least 40 ft (12 m) thick. The Fleet Air Arm decided that heavy bombers should be able to take off from it, which meant that the deck had to be 2,000 ft (610 m) long. Steering also raised problems; it was initially projected that the ship would be steered by varying the speed of the motors on either side, but the Royal Navy decided that a rudder was essential. However, the problem of mounting and controlling a rudder over 100 ft (30 m) high was never solved.[12] Variants [ edit ] Naval architects produced three alternative versions of Pyke's original concept, which were discussed at a meeting with the Chiefs of Staff in August 1943: Habakkuk I (soon discarded) would have been made of wood. Habakkuk II was closest to the COHQ model and would have been a very large, slow, self-propelled vessel made of pykrete with steel reinforcement. The size would have been a length of 1200 meters and a width of 180 meters. [14] Habakkuk III was a smaller, faster version of Habakkuk II. Air Chief Marshal Portal asked about potential bomb damage to Habakkuk III, and Bernal suggested that a certain amount of deck covering might be ripped off, but could be repaired by some kind of flexible matting. It would be more difficult to deal with bomb holes in the centre portion, though the roof over the aircraft hangars would be made proof against 1,000 kg bombs. Bernal considered that no one could say whether the larger Habakkuk II was a practical proposition until a large-scale model could be completed and tested in Canada in the spring of 1944. He had no doubts about the suitability of pykrete as a material, but said that constructional and navigational difficulties remained to be overcome.[12] The final design of Habakkuk II gave the bergship (as it was called) a displacement of 2.2 million tons. Steam turbogenerators were to supply 33,000 hp (25,000 kW) for 26 electric motors mounted in separate external nacelles (normal, internal ship engines would have generated too much heat for an ice craft). Its armament would have included 40 dual-barrelled 4.5" DP (dual-purpose) turrets and numerous light anti-aircraft guns, and it would have housed an airstrip and up to 150 twin-engined bombers or fighters.[2] Shooting incident [ edit ] According to some accounts, at the Quebec Conference in 1943 Lord Mountbatten brought a block of pykrete along to demonstrate its potential to the admirals and generals who accompanied Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mountbatten entered the project meeting with two blocks and placed them on the ground. One was a normal ice block and the other was pykrete. He then drew his service pistol and shot at the first block. It shattered and splintered. Next he fired at the pykrete to give an idea of the resistance of that kind of ice to projectiles. The bullet ricocheted off the block, grazing the trouser leg of Admiral Ernest King, and ended up in the wall. Sir Alan Brooke's diaries[15] support this account, telling how Mountbatten brought two blocks, one of ice and one of pykrete. After first shooting at the ice, with a warning to beware of splinters, Mountbatten said "I shall fire at the block on the right to show you the difference". Brooke reported that "the bullet rebounded out of the block and buzzed round our legs like an angry bee". Max Perutz gave an account of a similar incident in his book I Wish I Made You Angry Earlier. A demonstration of pykrete was given at Combined Operations Headquarters (COHQ) by a naval officer, Lieutenant Commander Douglas Grant, who was provided by Perutz with rods of ice and pykrete packed with dry ice in thermos flasks and large blocks of ice and pykrete. Grant demonstrated the comparative strength of ice and pykrete by firing bullets into both blocks: the ice shattered, but the bullet rebounded from the pykrete and hit the Chief of the Imperial Staff (Sir Alan Brooke) in the shoulder. Brooke was unhurt.[16] End of project [ edit ] By the time of the 1943 Quebec Conference the Habakkuk project had won the support of both Churchill and Mountbatten, and was assigned to the National Research Council of Canada because of the cold Canadian winters and Canadians' prior familiarity with ice physics. The small prototype built in 1944 on a lake near Jasper, Alberta, confirmed the researchers' forecast that the full-size vessel would cost more money and machinery than a whole fleet of conventional aircraft carriers. NRC President C.J. Mackenzie later said British promoters of Habakkuk were so intimidated by Prime Minister Churchill that they kept this information from him until the Canadian's next visit to Britain.[17] Mountbatten later listed several points:[citation needed] Demand for steel for other purposes was too great. Permission had been received from Portugal to use airfields in the Azores, which facilitated the hunting of U-boats in the Atlantic The introduction of long-range fuel tanks allowed British-based aircraft extra patrol time over the Atlantic The numbers of escort carriers were being increased. In addition, Mountbatten himself withdrew from the project. The final meeting of the Habakkuk board took place in December 1943. It was officially concluded that "The large Habbakuk II made of pykrete has been found to be impractical because of the enormous production resources required and technical difficulties involved." The use of ice had actually been falling out of favour before that, and other ideas for "floating islands" had been considered, such as welding Liberty Ships or landing craft together (Project TENTACLE).[18] It took three hot summers to completely melt the prototype constructed in Canada. Perutz wrote that he stayed in Washington D.C. while U.S. Navy engineers evaluated the viability of Habakkuk. He concluded: "The U.S. Navy finally decided that Habakkuk was a false prophet. One reason was [that] the enormous amount of steel needed for the refrigeration plant that was to freeze the pykrete was greater than that needed to build the entire carrier of steel, but the crucial argument was that the rapidly increasing range of land-based aircraft rendered floating islands unnecessary."[19] Criticism [ edit ] The Habakkuk design received criticism, notably from Sir Charles Goodeve, Assistant Controller of Research and Development for the Admiralty during the Second World War.[20] In an article published after the war Goodeve pointed out the large amount of wood pulp that would be required was enough to affect paper production significantly. He also claimed that each ship would require 40,000 tons of cork insulation, thousands of miles of steel tubing for brine circulation and four power stations, but that for all those resources (some of which could be used to manufacture conventional ships of more effective fighting power) Habakkuk would be capable of travelling at only six knots of speed. His article also contained extensive derisive comments about the properties of ice as used for ship construction. Recent recreations [ edit ] In the 15 April 2009 episode of the U.S. TV show MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage built a small boat out of a modified version of pykrete, using newspaper instead of wood pulp. They successfully piloted the boat in Alaskan waters at a speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) and inferred that it is possible to build a boat out of pykrete. They also concluded that pykrete lived up to its purported properties of being bullet-proof, stronger than ice and taking longer to melt than ice. However, they expressed doubt that an aircraft carrier made of pykrete could have survived for long. The conclusion was "Plausible, but ludicrous."[21] In September 2010 the BBC programme Bang Goes The Theory also attempted to recreate a pykrete boat. A hull using 5,000 kg of hemp fibre pykrete was frozen in a coldstore, then launched in Portsmouth Harbour for a planned trip across the Solent to Cowes. The hull immediately started to leak because of the holes that had been cut in its rear to mount an outboard motor.[22][23][24] See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ] Terrell, Edward (1958). Admiralty brief: the story of inventions that contributed to victory in the Battle of the Atlantic . Harrap. Battersby, Stephen (22 December 2012). "Shiver me timbers: The coolest warship ever made". New Scientist (2896). Further reading [ edit ]
M’Baye Niang got some bad news as he fractured a bone in his foot against Bayern Munich yesterday. The Audi Cup was a bad experience for Milan as they lost twice, conceding five goals and scoring none, while losing players to injuries. Montolivo today had to leave the pitch and be driven to the hospital with cervical trauma while Zapata and Niang got injured against Bayern Munich and already returned to Milano. Niang and Zapata underwent tests today and Sinisa Mihajlovic confirmed in the post-Spurs match press conference that “Niang has fractured his fifth metatarsal.” It’s the same injury that Stephan El Shaarawy (now a player of Monaco) was dealing with for the majority of the last season so it might be a while before the Frenchman returns. “AC Milan announces that during last night’s match against Bayern Munich, M’Baye Niang took a knock to his right foot and fractured the fifth metatarsal bone. Over the coming days, the club’s medical staff will decide the course of treatment for the French forward,” a statement on Milan’s website reads. Sky quickly reported that Milan could now try to sign a striker to replace Niang but it’s early to draw such conclusions. M’Baye had a positive pre-season and it remains to be seen when he’ll return.
Like some political version of Schrödinger's cat, Lib Dem MPs appear to be trapped in a Westminster box, while activists stand outside, wondering if the fight for civil liberties is alive or dead within. We don’t know – but worryingly, there’s currently a hell of a stench of dead something or other coming from that direction. Civil liberties are a touchstone issue for party members, lying at the core of why most joined the Lib Dems. And we’ve taken a hell of a battering. For example, this week our MPs voted against a set of proposed amendments in the Defamation Bill which would have made it harder for corporations to silence critics using the threat of libel. This despite the fact that it’s party policy and was proposed in the 2010 manifesto. Apparently, we’re on a promise that it can all get changed back again now it’s returned to the Lords. Although the initial reaction from the party doesn’t exactly fill, you with confidence. A Liberal Democrat spokesman said the party would be instructing their MPs to vote with the Government. 'Unfortunately we are in a Coalition and this was one of those areas where we could not get our Conservative colleagues to agree with us,' he said Nor does this excellent analysis of the situation from David Allen Green. And don’t forget all this is on the back of the Justice and Security Bill (secret courts, to you and me) debacle. Seven Lib Dem MPs rebelled over that Bill, fewer than the number who managed to show a bit of backbone during the rebellion over planning regulations this week. But what’s really keeping activists awake at night, the radioactive isotope that might release the Tory poison and kill the cat, is the new version of the Communications Data bill. You will recall, perhaps, that we were told last year, by a Lib Dem minister, no less - that : The proposals being considered would simply update the current rules – which allow the police in criminal investigations to find out who was contacted and when – to cover new forms of technology that didn’t even exist when the original laws were made, like Skype …and it was only when the party went stark raving bonkers that anyone in Westminster woke up and smelled the coffee. By December, we had moved on considerably, with Nick saying, "we cannot proceed with this bill and we have to go back to the drawng board", which is about as clear as you can get and in marked contrast to his original comments. But the grass roots party is angry, it’s worried and it’s very distrustful. You didn’t have to go through the last bill with a fine toothcomb to drive a coach and horses through its assault on civil liberties. This time , presumably, rather more care has been taken - so activists are primed and ready to take whatever is proposed in the next Queen’s Speech apart word by word, line by line. If the Westminster party thought the grass roots gave them a hard time on civil liberties before, just try and propose some legislation that does anything but roll back the state’s powers in this area. You haven’t seen anything yet. Richard Morris blogs at A View From Ham Common, which was named Best New Blog at the 2011 Lib Dem Conference
THE rules are about to change again for Qantas Frequent Flyers with passengers needing more points from February 20 to score a coveted cabin upgrade. The changes were flagged by Qantas in November, and mostly affect people buying the cheapest fares or those on sale. From Monday, frequent flyers will need up to 24,000 additional points to get a “Classic Upgrade Reward” on an international flight and about 2500 more for a domestic upgrade. The last change to upgrade rates on international fares was in 2005, and in 2014 on domestic fares. Qantas explained the increase as being “more reflective” of the value of the commercial fare Frequent Flyer members had paid. “Different fare types have different features with higher fares offering greater flexibility and the opportunity to earn more Qantas points and status credits,” said a Qantas spokeswoman. “When it comes to requesting upgrades on bookings it makes sense that more Qantas points would be required to upgrade cheaper fares.” Editor-in-chief of comparison website finder.com.au, Angus Kidman, said the move seemed to design to encourage travellers to buy higher yielding fares. “If you buy a flexi-fare you earn more points on a flight, and need fewer points to get an upgrade,” said Mr Kidman. “I do think some of the motivation (of Qantas) is to encourage people to think about the fare they’re buying and what it means to them.” He said even after the changes, using points for an upgrade was still the best way to maximise their value. “We calculated that 1000 points was worth $85 towards an upgrade, but if you spent the same number of points in the online store, they’d only be worth $5,” Mr Kidman said. “So it’s a no brainer, even with those tougher regulations. The number of points you need for upgrading from economy is still the best thing to do with your points.” The Qantas spokeswoman said since the last increase in points needed for an international upgrade, the airline had given Frequent Flyer members “more opportunities to earn points”. “We’ve expanded our number of Frequent Flyer partners while demand for upgrades has grown,” she said. Those facing the prospect of needing more points for an upgrade include people with Red e-Deal fares, Economy Saver to Premium Economy, Economy Saver and Economy Flex to Business, Premium Economy Sale to Business and Business Sale and Saver fares to First Class. “For me, the key thing is the rules have changed but upgrades are still the best option you can pick for your points,” Mr Kidman said. “It’s also a reminder that Frequent Flyer points are not money in your hand. They’re controlled by the airline with which you have them.” Originally published as The rising price of Qantas loyalty
Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army private who was convicted in 2013 of leaking sensitive government files to WikiLeaks, is reportedly facing new charges related to a suicide attempt last month. Chase Strangio, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), spoke with Manning on Thursday morning. She told Strangio that she was given a document detailing a list of charges related to her actions on June 5, when she attempted to end her own life. “She called me in tears this morning,” said Strangio, who represents Manning in the medical care case. A spokesperson for the U.S. Army at Fort Leavenworth did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Manning, who is transgender, was convicted under the Espionage Act in July 2013 and is currently serving the remainder of a 35-year prison sentence for leaking roughly three-quarters of a million classified files related to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last month, Manning attempted suicide while inside her prison cell at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Leavenworth, Kansas. She was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. U.S. Army officials refused to connect her lawyer’s calls for nearly a week following the incident, the details of which were apparently leaked to the press by an anonymous U.S. official. Nancy Hollander, an attorney for Manning, told the Daily Dot she was “shocked and outraged” by the leak of her client’s medical status. As reported by Manning over the phone, she is being investigated by the U.S. Army under a series of new charges, including “resisting the force cell move team;” “prohibited property;” and “conduct which threatens.” According to the ACLU, Manning could face punishment, if convicted, including indefinite solitary confinement, reclassification into maximum security, and an additional nine years in medium custody. A conviction may also negate any chances of parole. Approximately half of all suicides committed in U.S. prisons occur in solitary confinement. According to countless scholarly studies led by experts on the effects of stress on the human psyche, it is a form of punishment tantamount to torture. According to a 2014 United Nations report, some 80,000 people are subjected to excessive solitary confinement in the United States every day—despite the fact that it is prohibited and classified as cruel and inhuman by the U.N. Convention against Torture. A spokesperson for the 28-year-old Manning said she was “not receiving adequate psychological counseling, for either the gender dysphoria or the suicide attempt, and her course of treatment is constantly irregular and therefore less effective.” In a statement, Strangio said he is “deeply troubled” by the Army’s attempts to punish Manning for attempting to kill herself. “The government has long been aware of Chelsea’s distress associated with the denial of medical care related to her gender transition, and yet delayed and denied the treatment recognized as necessary,” he said. “Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain.” Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, a civil liberties and free speech nonprofit, called the government’s treatment of Manning “a travesty.” Last year, Greer’s group collected more than 100,000 signatures after the government threatened to put Manning in solitary confinement for possession of contraband and sweeping food onto the floor. The prohibited items reportedly included an expired tube of toothpaste and, among other reading materials, the July 2015 issue of Vanity Fair magazine, which featured Caitlyn Jenner on the cover. “Those in charge should know that the whole world is watching, and we won’t stand idly by while this administration continues to harass and abuse Chelsea Manning,” Greer said. The U.S. Army has a controversial history with regards to the criminalization of suicide. In 2007, 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, who was deployed to Iraq and worked in a detainee prison near Baghdad International Airport, shot herself in the abdomen after an apparent mental breakdown. An investigation by the Washington Post revealed that, despite a subsequent diagnosis of severe major depressive disorder likely triggered by Whiteside’s time in a warzone, Army prosecutors sought to imprison her for the rest of her life, filing among other charges, “intentional self-injury without intent to avoid service.” Whiteside attempted suicide again in 2008 by swallowing “dozens of psychotropic pills.” While the charges against Whiteside were eventually dropped, the U.S. military has convicted soldiers in the past for attempted and assisted suicide, according to a 1994 study by Dr. R. Gregory Lande, director of the psychiatry continuity service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland. For more information about suicide prevention or to speak with someone confidentially, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (U.S.) or Samaritans (U.K.).
Sometimes, we get so caught up in thinking that it’s all about “me” and how to attain “my” enlightenment – that we can lose touch of what’s happening to those around us, who may not be feeling so well. Ajahn Amaro recalls the night when his meditation was going gangbusters – he was really cranking it into high gear! And just when he thinks he’s about to get enlightened, this is what happens… We developed a tradition of having a winter retreat during the cold, dark months of January and February. About three weeks into one of these early retreats, I was working very diligently and was extremely focused on the meditation. I wasn’t talking to anyone or looking at anything. Every lunar quarter we would have an all-night meditation vigil. This was the full moon in January. I was really charged up and was convinced, “Okay, tonight’s the night.” It was a crystal clear evening in the middle of an English winter. There were brilliant stars in the sky, and the full moon was blazing brightly. I really had the juice going. We came to the evening sitting, did the chanting, listened to the Dharma talk, and so forth, and then, once those were over, the rest of the night was open—just walking and sitting meditation, as one chose. So, I’m sitting there with a very bright and clear mind and this thought keeps floating in, “Any minute now, any second now.” We all know that one: “Left a bit, right a bit, okay, now relax a bit, straighten up a bit, looking good, okay, hold steady, don’t do anything, all right, all right.” It’s very familiar terrain to everyone, I’m sure. This was going on for hours. My mind was getting more and more energized, brighter and brighter, cutting through defilements and obscurations left and right. The clues were getting more and more prolific, like: “Something big is about to happen.” At about two in the morning, noises began to filter into my consciousness: thump, thump, thump, rumble, rumble, rumble, doors opening and closing, heavy footsteps in the hallway. I thought, “Shoes in the hallway? Who’s wearing shoes in the hallway?” Thump, thump. “What’s going on out there?” As you can tell, there was a little interference to my enlightenment program. But I decided just to ignore it, telling myself, “It’s only a noise [humming]. Just me and the moon humming our way to nibbana.” Even though I tried my best to ignore the noise, I then noticed there was a presence in front of me. I opened my eyes. One of the monks was leaning down and saying, “Um, could you come outside for a moment?” And my first thought was, “What do you mean, ‘come outside’? This is my big night. I’m busy.” I resisted the impulse to act out my thoughts, left the room, and found policemen in the hall. “Police? What’s going on here?” What had transpired was that one of the novices, a very erratic young man called Robert, had got himself into some trouble. All the meditation during the winter retreat, coupled with never having done that kind of concentrated practice before, could send many people to the wrong side of the border. Young Robert not only had gone over the border but had traveled many miles. He also had emptied the petty cash box before leaving. Down at the local pub, Robert had bought everybody drinks and was discoursing to the entire assembly. Because he was in a slightly crazy but hyperlucid state, he also found he now could read people’s minds. He was eyeballing people in the pub and saying, “You’re doing this and you’re thinking that; I know what you’re up to.” So people were seriously freaking out. Remember, this was England, and English village life really isn’t ready for shaven-headed young men in white coming into the sanctity of the local pub, offering gifts, and revealing people’s inner secrets. The English really are not very good at revealing secrets in the best of times. But to have someone behave so strangely and to divulge people’s thoughts was distinctly unacceptable. So they called the law. The police, with equally great English common sense and compassion, understood this fellow was a little bit off and brought him back to the monastery. By then he really had lost it. He started raving and ranting, saying he wanted to kill himself. The monk standing above me said: “Robert’s in deep trouble. He’s in a very weird state and wants to throw himself in the lake. Can you go help him? You’re the only one who can do it.” This was true. Because I was one of the most junior members of the Sangha, like him, I had been quite close to this novice and was one of the few people in the community who could relate to him at all. At the time, Robert was living in a kuti in the forest. Most of the community lived either in the main house or at the nuns’ cottage, and the kuti in the forest was about a half-hour walk away. Part of my mind was going, “But, but, but, look, this is my big enlightenment night.” And so my first impulse was to say, “Not tonight.” But then something in me said, “Don’t be stupid, go, you have no choice.” So they loaded me up with thermoses of hot chocolate, candies, and other allowable goodies that monastics can have at that hour, and I went charging up to the woods. To cut a long story short, I spent the next three hours or so in his company drinking tea and cocoa and trying to talk him down. I let him talk and talk and talk and talk and talk. Finally he exhausted himself, and around dawn he wanted to sleep. I realized he was okay and knew he was not going to do anything stupid. So I left him and set off back to the house. I was charging down the hill when I suddenly thought, “What’s the hurry? Why am I racing?” I slowed down and slowed down and finally I just stopped and looked up. There was the full moon setting on the other side of the lake. And then all of the voices that had been going on in my mind during the first part of the night started coming back to me: “Any minute now. This is my big night. I’m really going places.” And it also came to me that, throughout that entire scenario, I hadn’t for one second thought about anyone but me—me and my enlightenment program, me awakening, me getting liberated. I realized I hadn’t had a vestige of concern for practicing for anyone else’s benefit. I felt about this small. [Holds finger and thumb a quarter inch apart.] How could I have been so incredibly stupid? Just through having been in the presence of one suffering being, I could now see how my attention while meditating had shrunk so much that all other beings had been completely shut out. What started with a good intention—wanting to develop spiritually and be liberated, which seemed like the finest thing anyone could do with a life—had narrowed, narrowed, and narrowed until it became a matter of me winning the big prize. The incredibly shallow motivation of my practice was revealed. I wondered, “What was all that effort really for?” It then struck me deeply how important the altruistic principle is. For even though one might be doing a lot of inner work and developing very good qualities and skillful means, that kind of neglect of others undermines the true purpose of our practice. Other beings aren’t just a token reference. Our community used to chant the “Sharing of Blessings” every day, and it was only after this incident that I realized, “Oh, real people really suffering. Oh, right, real people . . . oh.” Having been so close to Robert when my mind was in a very alert and sensitive state, this notion of practicing for the benefit of all beings really sank in. From that time on, I started paying a lot more attention to the whole element of altruism and to consciously bringing in a concern for other beings. This wasn’t just a concept. I really internalized it. At that time, many of the Mahayana teachings started to make considerably more sense to me. I saw how that narrowing emphasis on enlightenment for the individual had become one of the driving spirits behind what I was doing. Through that “personal enlightenment” perspective, the mind naturally starts to drift towards a neglect of the greater picture. p75-79 Small Boat, Great Mountain by Amaro Bhikkhu Advertisements
DIY Protein Bars If you’re fed up with spending an excessive amount of money for glorified candy bars in the health food store, this is the book for you! Even if you are not a professional in the kitchen area, you’ll be able to feel like one using these great Do-It-Yourself protein bar recipes. The book teaches you: Protein bars with only a few ingredients, so they are FAST Protein bars you thought you might never make yourself – but you’ll be able to! Bake and NO bake recipes From tasty chocolate and peanut butter flavors to granola and pumpkin cheesecake, there are so many flavors here that it’s going to take you awhile to test them all! With our recipes, you can make DIY protein bars that you can tinker with and discover so many new favourites. You will never have to eat the same flavor protein bar twice for a LONG time using the variety this book offers.
Image caption The Act of Union joined England and Scotland in a federal embrace European leaders who think closer integration will fix the euro crisis rarely use the word "federalism", but why not, if that is what they mean? Is this form of political alliance really so embarrassing? August is becoming Groundhog Month. Just like last August and the one before that, the eurozone crisis has been ruining the holiday plans of Europe's leaders. Greece is asking for more time to pay off its debts and the bond markets are in attack mode. But between last August and this one, a new wrinkle has appeared in the story. A long-term solution to the crisis is being theorised - a more closely integrated Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been pounding home the idea in speeches for months. "We need to further develop the European Union's structure - that does not mean less Europe, that means more Europe," she told a conference of her Christian Democratic Party late last year. Germany's representative on the board of the European Central Bank, Joerg Asmussen, has gone further, calling for the "sharing of national sovereignty" over the critical areas of tax and budgets, and a parliament with real power to oversee these things. What Merkel and Asmussen mean, but for some reason step back from saying, is that the way to save the euro is to create a federal Europe. An entire and perfect union will be the solid foundation of lasting peace - it will secure your religion, liberty, and property Queen Anne, Letter to Scottish Parliament Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher presciently understood that was the only way to make the euro work. In October 1990 she told Parliament "economic and monetary union is really the backdoor to a federal Europe and we totally and utterly reject that". But whatever people think of the idea of a federal Europe, there is an awful lot of federalism about - in Europe and elsewhere. Germany is a federal republic, after all, and federalism has a long and rather glorious history - particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world. John Locke first used the term theoretically in 1690 in the Two Treatises of Government, to describe how governments enter into alliances with one another. The great political philosopher called it "federative" power. Although, Locke writes, he doesn't really care what term is used to describe the process. A decade and a half later, the theory had a real-world application. A political union between England and Scotland was being negotiated to provide a Protestant bulwark against Catholic France. In 1706 Scottish and English negotiators reached an agreement on unifying the island of Britain into a single state and it was up to the Scottish and English Parliaments to ratify Acts of Union. Image caption The European flag has 12 stars - but no stripes Many in Scotland did not want to give up their sovereignty. So Queen Anne, the monarch of both countries, wrote the Scottish Parliament a letter. "An entire and perfect union will be the solid foundation of lasting peace: It will secure your religion, liberty, and property; remove the animosities amongst yourselves, and the jealousies and differences betwixt our two kingdoms. It must increase your strength, riches, and trade; and by this union the whole island, being joined in affection and free from all apprehensions of different interest, will be enabled to resist all its enemies." The Acts of Union were passed in 1707 and they provide a template for what federalism means in practice - people give up authority over some things and keep control over others. The Act of Union secured the Hanoverian succession, there would be no Stuart return to the English throne. So the Scots - or, the Scottish leadership - gave up something. But they got some things back: Scottish business interests were compensated for losses in the New World and given open access to trade in English colonies. The Scots kept their own legal and educational systems because… the English really didn't care. Find out more The F-Word: A History of Federalism airs on Radio 4, on Monday 27 August at 20:00 BST Listen afterwards via iPlayer It's an arrangement that has worked pretty well, up to the present moment. We'll see how well it still works in 2014 when a promised referendum on Scottish independence takes place. Exactly 80 years after the Act of Union, 13 of Britain's former colonies in North America were facing big problems and trying to figure out how, in the words of Queen Anne, to form a more "perfect union". "The United States, whatever it was, was bankrupt," says Pauline Maier, Kenan Professor of History at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This was of great concern to George Washington because, as he said, the United States was not a respectable nation, because a respectable nation paid its debts." Federalist papers - number six "A man must be far gone in Utopian speculations who can seriously doubt that, if these States should either be wholly disunited, or only united in partial confederacies, the subdivisions into which they might be thrown would have frequent and violent contests with each other" Alexander Hamilton The problem among the 13 newly independent entities was not a million miles from the problem facing the 17 countries of the eurozone - how much sovereignty should they give up to a central government? When the Revolutionary War ended in 1781, the states operated under an agreement called the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. This clearly wasn't working so in 1787, a new constitutional convention was called. It was, in Maier's view, taken over by federalists, who pushed through a more centralising constitution than most might have wanted. The ratification process was fraught. In order to persuade the people of New York to approve the document, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay wrote a series of newspaper editorials making the case for a more federal arrangement of the 13. Image caption The earliest known American flag has 13 stars representing the colonies In another foreshadowing of the current situation in the eurozone, they especially argued for centralising the country's financial apparatus and giving oversight of it to the national congress rather than individual state legislatures. These editorials are called the Federalist Papers and remain set texts in American universities. There are Anti-Federalist papers, as well. However, history is written by the winners and so they are much less well-known. Growing up in America, when it came time to learn about the Constitution it was almost as if a choir of angels was humming in the background as we learned about Hamilton and Madison. The Constitution is holy writ to many in the US, which is why the arguments about it today are so vehement. But in essence it defines a form of federalism that worked at that moment. The authors of the Federalist Papers knew that historical circumstances change and argued that only time would correct the mistakes contained in the Constitution. Federalism is not a dogma, like Marxism. It is a form of governance in which states give up something to gain greater security in the future. It is flexibility in the face of human fallibility. You will know the leaders of Europe are taking serious steps towards resolving the crisis long-term when they start using the F-word openly - making the arguments for and against a more "federal" Europe, in terms European citizens can understand. Michael Goldfarb's programme, The F-Word: A History of Federalism airs on Radio 4, on Monday 27 August at 20:00 BST and then is available on iPlayer for one week
According to Deadline Hollywood, Brian d'Arcy James will be joining the Broadway company of Hamilton as King George, the role he originated but never got to play on Broadway due to conflicts with SOMETHING ROTTEN. James has not announced a start date, but he is committed to returning to the role. James was awarded the 2016 SAG Award, Critics Choice Award, Gotham Award and the Independent Spirit's Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble for his portrayal of Matt Carroll, one of the four critical members of the Boston Globe's Spotlight team opposite Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Mc Adams in the 2016 Best Picture Oscar winning film "Spotlight." He is a celebrated stage actor who has received three TONY nominations for his work on Broadway: Nick Bottom in the currently running hit musical "Something Rotten," "Shrek in Shrek the Musical" and Sidney Falco in "Sweet Smell of Success." In 2015 he also originated the role of King George in Lyn Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" at New York's Public Theater. Additional Broadway credits include: the role of Banquo opposite Ethan Hawke in the Lincoln Center production of "Macbeth," starring alongside Laura Linney, Christina Ricci and Eric Bogosian in the hit play "Time Stands Still" and starring in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Next to Normal." Television fans know him most noticeably for his roles on NBC's "Smash," Showtime's "The Big C" and the Award-winning HBO movie "Game Change." He also appeared in the 2015 film "Sisters" with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. He has multiple projects in the works including Netflix's new TV show, "13 Reasons Why," and the feature films "Felt," "Molly's Game," "Song of Back and Neck," "1922" and "Trouble." HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and helped shape the very foundations of the America we know today. The score blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway - the story of America then, as told by America now. Source Related Articles More Hot Stories For You
Although financing arrangements are not complete, the agreement would likely cover deliveries and services over nearly a decade at a cost of more than $17 billion. (© Jim Young / Reuters/Reuters) Iran is set to unveil terms of a multibillion-dollar deal to purchase about 100 commercial passenger planes from Boeing in what would be the biggest sale of U.S. goods to Iran since the easing of economic sanctions last October, a person familiar with the deal said. Although financing arrangements are not complete, the historic agreement is likely to cover deliveries and services over nearly a decade at a cost of more than $17 billion. Word of an agreement emerged first from Iran’s state news agency, which reported that Iran’s minister of roads and urban planning, Abbas Ahmad Akhundi, told reporters that the purchase would be similar in scope to a $27 billion accord to buy 118 planes from France-based Airbus Group. He said the government would provide details “within upcoming days.” A Boeing executive said in an email reviewed by The Washington Post that a deal would be finalized “shortly” and a formal announcement was “likely tomorrow,” meaning Wednesday. Boeing still needs approval and a license from the Treasury Department. But the sale would not have been possible before the easing of sanctions that took place under what is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), adopted after an accord limiting Iran’s nuclear program. “This would be the first time a U.S. aviation company was having a discussion with Iranian purchasers of civilian airliners since the early ’70s,” said Richard Nephew, a sanctions expert who was on the State Department team negotiating with Iran and who now works at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “Based on my experiences in negotiations, the Iranians were clear that they liked Boeings and liked Airbuses and wanted a bit of both.” Financing negotiations are expected to continue over conventional terms as well as unusual political risks and disputes, including possible Iranian violations of the nuclear accord or a “snapback” of sanctions by the United States and its allies. The anti-American rhetoric common in Tehran and election-year politics in the United States make this a sensitive time for this type of business deal. Neither Boeing, which held an early round of talks with Iranian airline officials during a visit to Iran in April, nor the Obama administration would confirm the specifics. People familiar with the terms spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been formally announced. “We have been engaged in discussions with Iranian airlines approved by the [U.S. government] about potential purchases of Boeing commercial passenger airplanes and services,” the company said in an email. “We do not discuss details of ongoing conversations we are having with customers, and our standard practice is to let customers announce any agreements that are reached.” A White House official said that “we are not going to stand in the way of permissible business under the JCPOA, and we will continue to meet our commitments, as long as Iran continues to meet their nuclear-related commitments.” Akhundi said that Iran hoped to become a major hub in the Middle East, adding that Iran’s fleet of passenger jets should include 400 mid-range and 100 short-range planes, requiring an investment of about $50 billion, according to the Mehr News Agency, an Iranian organization. In the months since striking the nuclear deal, Iran has had trouble sealing deals with international companies, which have been wary of political instability, tensions over Syria, and tough commercial terms offered by prospective Iranian partners. Iran has complained that the U.S. government is slowing down trade agreements. “The U.S. has effectively removed sanctions only on paper, and the European companies would fear any opening of trade with Iran lest the U.S. would punish them in the name of violating sanctions,” Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said at a news conference in Oslo on Tuesday. He said that “the Iranian people await to see the impacts of removal of sanctions in practice.” Zarif added that he planned to talk to Secretary of State John F. Kerry. Opponents of the Iran nuclear deal were critical. Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that if Boeing concluded a sale to Iran it would pose “a massive sanctions, money-laundering and corruption risk for Boeing and the banks doing the deal because of ongoing concerns that the American equipment will be used to ferry Revolutionary Guard troops, weapons and money to the Assad government as well as to other terrorist groups.” He was referring to the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Others suggested the agreement could open the door to more deals. “The Boeing deal, if it goes through, will embolden other American businesses to seek commercial ties with Iran,” said Karim Sadjadpour, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “If Boeing can sell airplanes to Iran, which could be used to transport arms to bad actors like Bashar Assad and Hezbollah, why shouldn’t Procter & Gamble be allowed to sell detergent to Iranians, or Nike be allowed to sell sneakers? Many American businesses are watching to see what happens.” But Nephew said the Boeing deal was just the sort of thing American negotiators had in mind. “This deal would be in line with what we expected when we negotiated the deal,” he said, “and it is what the Iranians were expecting when they paid in nuclear dollars for the sanctions relief they got.”
How to make vanilla extract One thing I use a lot of in this house is vanilla. Since I bake zucchini bread every week, that’s already a tablespoon per week…plus most of the cookies and other goodies I bake also use vanilla. Throw in French toast from time to time and other breakfast goodies and that’s even more vanilla. And strangely enough, here in Germany you can only get vanilla sugar. Which is ok…but just not quite the same. So although our friends and family have been fantastic about sending and bringing vanilla to us all the time, I have always wanted to learn how to make vanilla extract. I knew it was simple…but I never imagined it was this simple. What I found really fantastic when I was learning how to make vanilla extract is that you can just keep using the vanilla beans over and over again. Just pour out 80% of the finished vanilla extract into another jar and leave the other 20% behind in the original jar with the beans and vanilla pieces. Add more vodka to fill the jar up again, let it sit for about four weeks, and you’ll have a whole new batch of vanilla. I’ve heard this also works with rum but I’d think the rum contributes more of its own flavor…if you’ve ever tried it with rum, please let us know how it turned out. When you make vanilla extract, don’t worry about using expensive vodka. Some say the finished product will have less of a vodka aroma if you use the really good stuff, but I think that in most cases you won’t notice the vodka-ness once you’re using the extract and have it combined with other ingredients. And although the vodka smell will be really strong when you start, after your extract has been steeping for two months, you’ll mostly just smell vanilla which grows each day longer that it sits. So if you’re in no rush to use the extract and still have a strong vodka smell, just let the vanilla extract sit a bit longer. If you’ve cut open vanilla beans to harvest the vanilla out of them for another recipe, you can even use those beans to make vanilla extract. That means a whole lot of extract from something you were fully prepared to throw away. Or if you prefer, you can also stuff the beans down into a jar of sugar and make your own vanilla infused sugar. Put it in coffee or use it for baking just like you would vanilla extract. So I ordered about 2 dozen vanilla beans online for under 10 euros and decided to finally get started on a batch of vanilla extract at the beginning of April. A day or so later it already looked like this. After shaking you could really see all the vanilla particles floating around. After two weeks, the vodka had taken on a nice caramel color and I knew we were making good progress. Not quite two months have passed (the usual amount of time you should let the extract sit), but I just couldn’t wait any longer…and my other vanilla stockpiles had been depleted. The vodka smell is nearly gone and I couldn’t taste any alcohol at all when I used it for zucchini bread. So far I haven’t used it in too many other things but I’m not sure I will ever buy vanilla again now that I know how incredibly simple it is to make your own vanilla extract. You’ll notice that the color doesn’t appear all that different versus a month ago although if you don’t have the jar close to a light source, it really has gotten quite dark. Here’s the quick and easy recipe to make your own vanilla extract. If you’re wondering what in the world you would do with all that vanilla, why not start putting it aside for a rainy day — or give it to friends with other baking ingredients or homemade gifts in a nice basket? They probably won’t have a clue how easy it was for you to make and will be really impressed with your self-sufficiency skills! How to Make Vanilla Extract Ingredients 6 vanilla beans 2 cups vodka Directions
Editor’s Note: The Islamic State and al-Qaeda are often, correctly, portrayed as bitter rivals: They compete for recruits and money, and in Syria their forces have repeatedly turned their guns on each other. Yet the line is blurrier when it comes to international terrorism. Prachi Vyas of GWU's Program on Extremism examines an array of American jihadists and describes how many Islamic State enthusiasts are inspired by al-Qaeda ideologues. *** In late June 2015, 18-year-old Akram Musleh arrived at Chicago O'Hare Airport, obtained a boarding pass, and went to the international terminal. Before he could board his flight to Turkey—a common thoroughfare for individuals attempting to join the self-proclaimed Islamic State—U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials pulled Musleh aside for questioning. He explained to officials that he was going to Turkey to marry his fiancée, but FBI agents found no record of friends or family in the region. What they did find, however, was a journal in his baggage filled with quotations from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Abdullah Azzam, Anwar al-Awlaki, and Osama bin Laden. In theory, one would expect Islamic State leaders guiding the group’s development—living and dead—to be glorified, even immortalized, by sympathizers of the self-proclaimed Caliphate. As the group itself contends, its ideological underpinnings derive legitimacy from a strand of zealous religiosity that departs from their predecessor, al-Qaeda, in both ideology and methodology. The ideological strain that compels Islamic State sympathizers to act in furtherance of the group’s objective is a fluid one, infused with ideas and philosophies long established by al-Qaeda leaders of the past. In practice, however, emerging evidence refutes the logic in such thinking, painting a more nuanced portrait in which Islamic State ideologues share the stage with al-Qaeda. Take the aforementioned Musleh case, for example. Though he identified with the Islamic State, Musleh carried around a journal in which he had copied down excerpts of sermons and lectures given by three prominent ideological leaders of al-Qaeda: Awlaki, bin Laden, and Azzam. The ideological strain that compels Islamic State sympathizers to act in furtherance of the group’s objective is a fluid one, infused with ideas and philosophies long established by al-Qaeda leaders of the past. On Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram (a messaging app), references to Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric and senior official in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula killed in 2011, are commonplace in the feeds of known and alleged Islamic State sympathizers. Adnan Farah, part of the 10-person network of Islamic State sympathizers in Minneapolis, posted pictures of Awlaki to his Facebook page. Abdi Nur, another member of the Minneapolis cluster who left for Syria and remains at large, quoted Awlaki on social media well before leaving the United States to join the Islamic State. One of the most deadly examples of this remains the December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. The attackers, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, were a married couple who, Bruce Riedel notes, “marinated in extremist ideology” long before pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, back when Farook was deeply immersed in Awlaki’s teachings. Although the shooting, which killed 14 people and injured 22 others, is widely viewed as Islamic State-inspired, the federal indictment sheds light on an al-Qaeda-enamored Farook, who listened to Awlaki’s sermons, read his writings in al-Qaeda’s magazine, and carefully studied the al-Qaeda “playbook” while planning an attack. Another space where this phenomenon clearly manifests is in the court documents of individuals in the United States charged in connection to the Islamic State. In the Program on Extremism’s database of U.S.-based Islamic State-related offenses, 42 cases between March 2014 and April 2017 referenced at least one ideologue belonging to either the Islamic State or al-Qaeda. Upon closer examination, these documents divulge a surprising degree of overlap between the two groups. Specifically, ideologues belonging to both are mentioned—even idolized—and, in the most vexing of cases, their respective ideas meshed together by an Islamic State-aligned, al-Qaeda-inspired individual. In examining the criminal complaints, affidavits, indictments, and search warrants in these 42 cases, it becomes apparent that studying the personal effects documented in these records—items like CDs, journals, pictures saved to computers—can help counter-extremism researchers fill the gaps in understanding an individual’s radicalization process. In this context, they show the continued relevance of al-Qaeda, despite the Islamic State’s ideological divergence. Take, for instance, 31-year-old Dayne Atani Christian, who was arrested in July 2016 on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State. Evidence from the criminal complaint and affidavit show that Christian was attempting to radicalize another individual by encouraging him to watch Awlaki’s lectures and sermons. During a discussion with his co-defendant around the time of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Christian used a sermon praising bin Laden to justify the attack; quoting the sermon, Christian proclaimed it was a time of “war with the kuffar [non-believers],” and as such, the deaths of the club-goers was simply “blood for blood.” Perhaps the Islamic State, aware of its commonalities with al-Qaeda, is happily borrowing from its predecessor’s prestige to buttress the credibility of its own agenda. Many of al-Qaeda’s leaders have the benefit of their martyr-status legacies, which may afford them a rose-colored appeal and better visibility with aspiring American jihadists. While it isn’t shocking that the Islamic State relies on al-Qaeda figureheads and their propaganda in order to mobilize its own sympathizers, it is important for evidence of this trend to come to light to better understand the Islamic State’s ideology and recruitment strategy. Perhaps the Islamic State, aware of its commonalities with al-Qaeda, is happily borrowing from its predecessor’s prestige to buttress the credibility of its own agenda. References to the aforementioned six leaders containing a distinct ideological undertone occurred a total of 61 times. Of those references, 59 percent belonged to al-Qaeda and 41 percent to the Islamic State. From CDs and journals to social-media posts and text messages, the majority of the 42 individuals reference al-Qaeda ideologues—Anwar al-Awlaki, Osama bin Laden, and Abdullah Azzam. In a purely numerical sense, mentions of Islamic State ideologues—in this case Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi—trailed those of al-Qaeda. The vast majority of al-Qaeda references were in alignment with Islamic State ideology, particularly in matters of justifying attacks on the West, what constitutes a kuffar and various methods for killing them, and the duty of Muslims to partake in jihad. Given the schism between the two groups, the alignment was at times tenuous and clearly forged in order to suit the individual’s frame of reference. Mufid Elfgeeh, 32, came under FBI scrutiny when he tried to recruit and send two individuals (who were cooperating with the FBI) to Syria in order to fight alongside the Islamic State. According to the affidavit, Elfgeeh opined to the individuals that the Islamic State was above the need to take credit for attacks, despite the fact that the group frequently claims attacks in the absence of any corroborating evidence. Elfgeeh further elaborated that Osama bin Laden himself said that the Islamic State “is the only group who takes action based on truth without consideration for recognition,” a swaggering mischaracterization of the Islamic State’s record. Thirty-four percent of references involved Awlaki, owing mainly to YouTube videos of his sermons and CDs of his lectures—two mediums through which jihadi ideology has been articulated and disseminated with ease. Awlaki was a highly charismatic Islamic preacher, and his enduring popularity can be at least partially attributed to his dual accessibility: His arsenal of English-language videos are still easily accessible in virtual circulation, but perhaps more importantly, Awlaki was able to make religious doctrine digestible for Westerners who understood Islam only on a surface level. As Jarret Brachman and Alix Levine point out, Awlaki seamlessly repackaged al-Qaeda’s message using “colloquial Western references” and “folksy stylizing,” transforming it into something his followers could individually recognize and replicate. On the other hand, just 28 percent of ideological references within the cases pertained to Baghdadi, the globally recognized leader of the Islamic State—and those instances predominantly occurred when an individual had pledged bay’ah (an oath of allegiance) to the Islamic State. Ideology does not play a role in bay’ah; it is merely a reflex that accompanies membership in the group, and requires only a binding subscription to the “prophetic methodology” put out by the Islamic State’s official press and pronouncements, not a careful dissection of Baghdadi’s own Salafi-jihadi musings. Arafat Nagi, a 44-year-old New Yorker, exemplifies this trend. Nagi accounted for the highest number of references made to Baghdadi (six), but notably, not one bore any substantive relevance to Islamic State ideology, suggesting a shallow ideological grounding at best. Four were tweets praising Baghdadi, one was a bay’ah to him, and the sixth was Nagi expressing his desire to meet Baghdadi if he made it to Syria. According to a media report, Nagi engaged in verbal altercations about his jihadi beliefs, a topic on which he was effusive, but it is difficult to determine the extent to which such views are rooted in his admiration for bin Laden as opposed to Baghdadi. In fact, the former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden came in third behind Awlaki and Baghdadi, garnering 20 percent of mentions. Adnani, the spokesperson and chief propagandist of IS until his death last August, trailed after him with 11 percent of mentions. In last place were Azzam (5 percent) and Zarqawi (2 percent), the respective ideological forefathers of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Of course, a survey of 42 individuals does not represent a large sample of Islamic State sympathizers, but a smaller scale does not render the phenomenon irrelevant. Evidence shows that sympathizers in the United States still revisit the teachings and philosophies espoused by al-Qaeda leaders as a touchstone in their trajectory toward radicalization. With so much of the national-security spotlight on countering the Islamic State, it is important to note that jihadists in the United States have shown a tendency to simplify their ideological consumption by fusing the most accessible aspects of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. In the case of these 42 individuals, the majority pursued ideological inspiration in the teachings of Awlaki, and in al-Qaeda as a whole. Reconfiguring counter-narratives to specifically address al-Qaeda propaganda—such as targeting Awlaki’s popular The Hereafter Series, or the group’s English-language magazine Inspire—could be an effective countermeasure. With so much of the national-security spotlight on countering the Islamic State, it is important to note that jihadists in the United States have shown a tendency to simplify their ideological consumption by fusing the most accessible aspects of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. In the digital arena, policymakers and organizations focused on counterterrorism should place increasing pressure on Internet companies like Google, which announced in 2016 that it would not censor search results for Awlaki’s name, to reconsider its censorship policies. They should also urge YouTube to revisit what truly constitutes “content that incites violence” and follow through on its promise (made back in 2010) to remove some of Awlaki’s videos. In both instances, policymakers and academics can point to sound, credible research linking exposure to online extremist content to the larger radicalization trajectory. The Islamic State owes much of its appeal among sympathizers to its stringent adherence to, and entrenched ideological grounding in a range of Islamic texts and treatises that the Islamic State has dubbed the “prophetic methodology.” But when those serving in an Islamic State leadership role are not the only ones providing ideological guidance to the thousands of followers the group has recruited, a potential Achilles heel emerges. Islamic State sympathizers will naturally retreat to al-Qaeda in the event that the former dwindles; as U.S. intelligence officials observed to the Washington Post, radicalized individuals will often ascribe loyalty based on the “most ascendant brand” among extremist groups, rather than measured ideological preference. As such, the latent threat from al-Qaeda, even in the era of the Islamic State, must be addressed head-on. Actively undermining al-Qaeda in conjunction with the Islamic State may prove to be quite damaging to the latter’s recruitment strategies. In a climate in which the Islamic State has been struggling to stanch increasing losses of territory, foreign fighters, and funding, it is crucial that policymakers, law-enforcement officials, and academics exploit this trend to erode the Islamic State’s allure among U.S.-based sympathizers.
As a consequence of the Eurozone crisis, racism is on the rise, in the same way that the 1929 crisis inspired anti-Semitism. But this time the scapegoats are Muslims, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu told a Brussels audience on Thursday (15 January). Davuto?lu, who came to Brussels to meet with Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, first addressed a conference organised by Friends of Europe, a Brussels think tank. The former Turkish foreign minister, who took over as Prime Minister when Recep Tayyip Erdo?an was elected President last August, spoke of geopolitics, and didn’t miss any opportunity to criticise the EU for keeping its distance from Turkey, and for not listening to Ankara’s advice. One important message was that the EU, and the West in general, had missed the opportunity provided by the Arab revolutions. The West didn’t mobilise, as it did for Eastern Europe, after the end of the Cold War, Davuto?lu argued. More concretely, he blamed the West for not having supported the “moderate young generation” in Syria, the result being that terrorists filled the vacuum. He also criticised EU ministers’ handling of the situation in Egypt and the Middle East. “After the coup d’état in Egypt, I had discussions with EU ministers. I was telling them, please, help democracy and don’t accept a military coup d’état against an elected President. They were explaining to me that Egypt was a special case and it needed time for democracy. […] Time means ten years, twenty years, one century? Nobody knows,” he said. “If we had financed young democracies in the Middle East, it would have been less expensive than fighting terror today […] Unfortunately, the EU in particular became an observer how these states will fail. And now we have meetings (on) not how to support democracies, but how to defend ourselves against terrorist attacks which came out because of this crisis”, Davuto?lu said. He also related his visit to Germany in 2012, when Davuto?lu said he visited all the relatives of the victims of the racist murders by a neo-Nazi gang called the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which took place between 2000 and 2007. Eight Turks, a Greek, and a German policewoman were killed in towns across Germany in that period. >> Read: Xenophobic murder trial begins in Germany He criticised the way the German police had handled the case and, explaining that they tried to accuse the relatives of the Turkish victims, instead of trying to unveil the Neo-Nazi plot. “This is the challenge, like in Paris,” he said, referring to the terrorist attacks in the French capital from last week. ‘I want to see the same solidarity when a mosque is burnt’ “Whenever there is terrorism, whoever and for whichever reason, we will be there, I will be there,” he said, adding that he wanted to see the same solidarity when a mosque is burnt in the centre of Berlin, and in other places. In the last two years, 94 mosques have been attacked in Germany, Davuto?lu said. The Turkish Prime Minister also said that when he was in Paris last Sunday, at the Republican march against terrorism, a leader asked him “How we Europeans should act to approach Turks.” “Nobody can tell me ‘we Europeans’ and ‘you Turks’ […] But we are part of European history. And we are part of contemporary Europe. There are 45 million Muslims living in Europe and more than 6 million Turks. […] We have to have an inclusive European identity. But if you have a Holy Roman- German- Christian type of understanding, then Europe has ended, sorry,” Davuto?lu said. Focusing on Germany, he said that in the same way as after the 1929 crisis, the Nazis scapegoated Jews, now, for Pegida, the German anti-immigration movement, the scapegoats are Muslims. Davuto?lu argued that Europeans, including Turkey, should unite with a vision about the future of the continent. “If we don’t provide the same level of economic wealth for this diversified European identity, then there will be confrontation,” he said, before pleading in favour of Turkey’s buoyant economy that would help the EU exit from recession. “There cannot be sustainable development without political stability,” Davuto?lu said. The Turkish Prime Minister made ironic remarks about the lack of political stability in EU countries, saying that at a NATO meeting in his previous capacity as foreign minister, he was the only to have been in office for four full years. Another country which he didn’t name had changed seven ministers in the meantime, and some others six or five. He also quipped about some governments in Europe being governed by coalitions consisting of both the centre-left and the centre-right. “What will happen if Syriza comes to power in the next election [in Greece]? Or in some countries, ultra-nationalist groups can block parliament? Even in the European Parliament, these trends are increasing,” he said. ‘Turkey’s border is border of Europe’ Davuto?lu spoke at length about the considerable effort of his country to host refugees from Syria and Iraq. He said that the country now had more than 2 million refugees from these countries. Turkey has spent $5 billion only for the refugee camps, he said. “I’m proud of the attitude and culture of my nation [in hosting the refugees]. If it was in Europe, I would be asking how many anti-Syrian, anti-foreigner, anti-this or that, would have happened, if two million people would have come to any European country,” he asked. “I’m not exaggerating. We have more Albanians in Turkey than in Albania. More Bosnians in Turkey than in Bosnia. More Abkhazians, definitely, than in Abkhazia. Almost equal [number] of Georgians, and you know, all the Kurds and others. We are a small Caucasia, a small Middle East,” Davuto?lu said. Regarding the stalled Turkish accession talks, Davuto?lu said that his country could open and very soon close most of the chapters. He made no mention of the reasons for which a number of EU countries have blocked the talks, and never once mentioned Cyprus. Asked about the Russian plans to build an offshore pipeline to Turkey in order to bypass Ukraine for supplies further West, he said that his country welcomed any new gas pipelines, but that Ankara didn’t see such a move as an alternative, and that he hoped that Ukraine would remain a transit country for Russian gas. Davuto?lu quipped that he saw it “strange” that the EU didn’t open the energy chapter with Turkey.
Twitter removed the blue check mark that signals a user's authenticity from the account of Milo Yiannopoulos, a writer for Breitbart whose tweets about women’s issues have made him a symbol of the battle over noxious speech online. But if Twitter's intent was to make him less visible, its plan may have backfired. Yiannopoulos is probably one of Twitter’s least favorite users. He has become a mouthpiece for the so-called Gamergate movement, whose attacks on women have played a key role in turning online harassment into a major issue for Silicon Valley companies. Yiannopoulos expresses views that are widely seen as sexist or racist, and is a regular picker of Twitter fights. His tweets aren’t singularly objectionable, say his critics, but because of his prominence they serve to identify targets for dozens of other Twitter users to take aim at for abuse. In Twitter terms, this phenomenon is known as dogpiling. Soraya Chemaly, a feminist activist who has pushed Twitter to deal with harassment on its platform, describes this as a form of incitement that didn’t exist before social media. “The systems aren’t built for that kind of amplification,” she said. Twitter has declined to talk about Yiannopoulos, so it’s not clear exactly what he said to inspire the crackdown. It’s also a mystery why the company chose to remove his verified status rather than freeze or delete his account altogether. The verified status, indicated by a blue check mark, is Twitter has declined to talk about Yiannopoulos, so it’s not clear exactly what he said to inspire the crackdown. It’s also a mystery why the company chose to remove his verified status rather than freeze or delete his account altogether. The verified status, indicated by a blue check mark, is used to signal to Twitter users that accounts purporting to be those of prominent people are legitimate. The company says it can revoke status for people who violate its terms of service. The effectiveness of using de-verification as punishment is debatable. Twitter’s platform “Although it looks petty and meaningless and it’s designed to belittle, discredit and marginalize, it has significant business implications — for where I, as a brand, spend ad dollars,” he said in an e-mail. The effectiveness of using de-verification as punishment is debatable. Twitter’s platform favors its verified uses in different ways . Yiannopoulos says not having verified status will reduce his reach by making him less likely to show up in search and keeping him from corresponding with some prominent people, who can set their accounts to only see messages from other verified users. He is threatening to leave Twitter altogether because of the move.“Although it looks petty and meaningless and it’s designed to belittle, discredit and marginalize, it has significant business implications — for where I, as a brand, spend ad dollars,” he said in an e-mail. At the same time, Yiannopoulos is reveling in the attention. His audience is largely comprised of people seeking evidence of liberal bias in American institutions. Yiannopoulos has taken to the platform itself to bemoan such purported bias while pointing out how much attention it has brought him and mocking the company’s stock performance. For now this looks like a lose-lose for Twitter. It's brought on all the negative attention of censorship while also increasing the prominence of someone it thinks is behaving inappropriately. Chemaly says the company is putting itself into a difficult situation, especially because it hasn’t explained what Yiannopoulos did wrong. As a guide for other people who are near the threshold the company is trying to set, the move against Yiannopoulos is useless. “It doesn’t really send a clear message to anyone about what the standards are. It’s not a reproducible or predictable decision,” she said. The flap illustrates how hard it is for a private company to serve as the de facto arbiter of worldwide free speech. Brianna Wu, a game developer who has been one of the more prominent targets of Gamergate, praised the company for sending what she described as a warning to Yiannopoulos. “I have empathy for Twitter, because as a large media platform they don’t want the appearance that they are censoring anyone,” she said. “I think it’s in Twitter’s best interests not to make all these changes overnight.” Wu argues that Twitter deserves more credit than it generally gets for combating harassment, although she describes the company’s efforts as inconsistent. For the last year, her company -- Giant Spacekat -- has complained to Twitter numerous times about harassment, and has been tracking the company’s responses. Under former Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo, Wu saw a steady improvement in response rates. These fell off significantly when Jack Dorsey returned to the helm last year. Wu says this is probably due to the layoffs that took place around the same time. She says the company has begun to improve its response times again, although it's still slower than it was when Costolo left. Twitter and Yiannopoulos are now in a standoff of sorts. After warning him, Twitter has to be more sensitive to any further provocations. “Twitter is probably waiting now for me to really lose it and say something awful (by their imaginary standards) so they can ban me,” Yiannopoulos said. “But they must know it will have to be a HORRIFIC statement — of the sort I simply don’t make.” Yiannopoulos seems poised to walk right up whatever line Twitter is setting, even though he doesn't know exactly where it is. In doing so, he's essentially daring the company to move further. Now that it has started a fight with one of its most combative users, Twitter has raised the stakes for coming up with an endgame.
This article is about types of sex act. For other uses, see Crime against nature (disambiguation) The crime against nature or unnatural act has historically been a legal term in English-speaking states identifying forms of sexual behavior not considered natural or decent and are legally punishable offenses.[1] Sexual practices that have historically been considered to be "crimes against nature" include anal sex[2] and bestiality.[3] History and terminology [ edit ] For much of modern history, a "crime against nature" was understood by courts to be synonymous to "buggery", and to include anal sex (copulation per anum) and bestiality.[2][3] Early court decisions agreed that fellatio (copulation per os) was not included, though mainly because that practice was virtually unknown when the common-law definition was established (it remained so rare that first attempted fellatio prosecutions under the "crime against nature" statute date to 1817 in England and 1893 in the United States.[4]) Likewise, sexual activities between two women were not covered. Over time, particularly starting in the early 20th century, some jurisdictions started enacting statutes or developing precedents the extended the scope of the crime to include fellatio and, sometimes, other sexual activities. The term crime against nature is closely related to, and was often used interchangeably with, the term sodomy. (This varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Sometimes the two terms were understood to be synonymous; sometimes sodomy was limited to sexual activities between two humans;[5] and sometimes sodomy was taken to include anal sex or bestiality, whereas crime against nature also included fellatio.[6]) Until the early 19th century, courts were divided on whether the act needed to be completed (to result in ejaculation) in order to be a punishable offense. This question was deemed sufficiently important that, in 1828, English law was explicitly amended to specify that proof of ejaculation was not necessary for convictions for buggery and rape.[7] The crime was not limited to same-sex activities, and, in case of an act between two adults, both participants were guilty, regardless of consent. Attempted or completed act of sodomy, committed by a husband against his wife, was grounds for divorce in common law.[7] Historically, the offense was usually referred to by its longer name, the detestable and abominable (or abominable and detestable, or, sometimes, infamous) crime against nature, committed with mankind or beast. This phrase originates in Buggery Act 1533, with words "crime against nature" substituted for "vice of buggery" in the original, and it was present in one of these forms in criminal codes of most U.S. states. Specific acts included under this heading were typically deemed too detestable to list them explicitly, resulting in a number of vagueness-based legal challenges to corresponding statutes. One of the most recent, and one of the rare successful challenges, is the 1971 Florida case of Franklin v. State. On the other hand, just 7 years prior, a similar challenge (Perkins v. State[8]) failed in North Carolina. (In Perkins, the Court wrote that, if this were a new statute, it would have been "obviously unconstitutional for vagueness", but, since this was a statute whose history was traceable back to the reign of Henry VIII, it accumulated a number of judicial interpretations, and, backed with these interpretations, it was not unconstitutionally vague.) Penalties for this offense varied greatly over time and between jurisdictions. Crime against nature remained punishable by death or life imprisonment both in the UK and in many U.S. states well into the 19th century. Liberalization of sexual morals led to reduction of penalties or decriminalization of the offense during the second half of the 20th century, so that, by 2003, it was no longer a punishable offense in 36 out of 50 U.S. states, and was only punishable by a fine in some of the remaining 14. (See Sodomy laws in the United States for details.) Current use [ edit ] Currently, the term crime against nature is still used in the statutes of the following American states. However, these laws are unconstitutional to enforce for sexual conduct between consenting adults in light of Lawrence v. Texas (2003). The crime against nature statutes are however still used to criminalize sexual conduct involving minors, incest, public sex, prostitution and bestiality. Repeal and unconstitutionality [ edit ] Except for the above nine states, all other states in the United States have repealed their "crimes against nature" laws. Furthermore, in 2003, in Lawrence v. Texas, the US Supreme Court held that nonremunerative sex between consenting adults in private was protected by the Constitution and could not be criminalized under "crimes against nature" laws. Thus, fellatio, cunnilingus and homosexual sex can no longer fall within the scope of such laws. Similar laws [ edit ] See also Sodomy laws. Section 377A of the Singapore Penal Code prohibits any form of male to male sexual conduct. Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code (since 1860) prohibits all sexual acts against human nature . The portion criminalising consensual sex in private between adults was stuck down by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. . The portion criminalising consensual sex in private between adults was stuck down by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. Paragraph 175 in the imperial penal code of the German Empire See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]
LOTS of uncomfortable questions. How do we know? There's already the big question mark about what He was up to during those "missing years" - between when He was the Kid who wandered off away from His parents and was later found deep in discussion with a group of Temple elders, and when He emerged as a public figure at approximately age 30. Where'd He go during those mystery years? What did He do? Who'd He go hang out with and/or study with? Who did He meet? What did He learn from those encounters? When I saw the Scorsese film "The Last Temptation of Christ," I was almost literally thunderstruck. What a revelation! This was like the ultimate "what if". That movie theorized about a Jesus who took a wife, fathered children, had a family and a long and fulfilling life after that. The idea was - while He was dying on the Cross, Satan came to Him and offered Him relief, and He took it. "What if I could make all this go away for You and You wouldn't suffer or die here in pain and public humiliation? You wouldn't be The Savior Who paid the ultimate price to save all the rest of us. But You wouldn't have to die so horribly like this, and You'd have a happy, peaceful, and deeply satisfying life, and You could still preach and all that." And He took it, and lived to a ripe old age with lots of children and grandchildren around Him and a loving wife and all those other good, but earthly, mortal things. And by doing so, He thereby realized that He couldn't be our Savior if He chose that easier, more pleasant option. So He ultimately rejected Satan's tempting offer, even after being given the chance to taste it. There was a HUGE public outcry from hardline Christians who just hated the movie and protested it and made a big stink out of it. I thought it was one of the most magnificent movies EVER. Because it really pointed out, in the clearest and most glaring terms, the magnitude of The Sacrifice. It gave you an idea of what Jesus gave up, that He certainly could have had, if He'd chosen the less painful path. What if He'd gotten married? What if Mary Magdalene was His girlfriend, or lover, or wife? What if He had several girlfriends (remember Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus)? What if He'd been sexually active? After all, weren't we all taught that the whole point of His coming down to earth was to live as one of us? He wasn't sent down in some fiery chariot with a lot of winged horses and angels with trumpets announcing His arrival. And He didn't reign from some sort of fabulous palace with everybody waiting on Him and bowing to Him as some sort of earthly king. He was born in a barn. Started His life homeless. Didn't have that much after that, so we're told. And He certainly wasn't a property owner. He pretty much went through life with just the clothes on His back, and the generosity and hospitality of friends and followers, as we're taught. As a mother, I often find myself imagining my own "what if's" about Christ. Did He have siblings? Why wouldn't He, since the whole premise of Him living as one of us meant the possibility of brothers and sisters. There was no birth control back then, after all. Did He have a pet? Did He fight with His friends and siblings? Did He catch cold? Have to skip school? Forget His homework? What did He have for toys? Did He have a favorite? Did He always need to sleep with a teddy bear or some such thing? What did He do for recreation? What did He like to eat? What was the favorite treat His mom would make for Him? What food did He find yucky? Did He ever fall down and skin His knees and have to go to whatever medical services there might have been back then? Did He ever break His arm or leg? Did He break stuff around the house - His mother's favorite flower vase, a stool His dad made in the carpenter's shop? Did He make mischief like most kids do? Did He have a messy room? What was His favorite subject in school? What was His worst subject? He was presumably here to live as one of us, so why wouldn't He have the same kinds of experiences as the rest of us do? Indeed - what if He was gay? As you point out, kag, He DID hang around with a bunch of dudes. And Mary Magdalene was supposedly in there a lot, too, but we just don't know. Besides, the Gospel of Mary was omitted when later church elders decided to figure out, once and for all, what books of the Bible were to be retained and which were to be dismissed. But what little we know of it is that she was evidently regarded as His favorite, and the guys all resented her for it. But we'll never know. We sure won't ever know from a woman's viewpoint. Even His mother's story - what there is of it - was told by men. One thing on which I don't necessarily agree with you, kag. I don't think it's silly at all. Why SHOULDN'T we be curious about Him and the life He led - particularly all those parts that weren't documented? I think it's totally reasonable and healthy - and I suspect it would only enhance the love and reverence we feel toward Him, and help us relate to Him all the more fully. We're taught that He came down to this plane to live as one of us and to share the fullness of our reality. So why wouldn't it be His reality as well?
We have seen guys like Jameson Taillon Tyler Anderson and Zach Eflin make their MLB debuts in recent weeks, with varying results. Taillon has been inconsistent over three starts, but showed flashes of greatness and the ability to throw strikes. Reed struck out 9 in his debut, but allowed two home runs while Mengden has done a nice job, despite earning two losses. Anderson has been great for the Rockies , lasting 12 innings over two starts, with 10 strikeouts and just one walk issued. Eflin struggled in his debut against the Blue Jays , as they hit three home runs off the Phillies prospect and he failed to get out of the third inning. He looked much better in his second start against the Diamondbacks.Here are the top 25 pitchers down in the Minor Leagues, using fantasy baseball scoring. With injuries to pitchers starting to pile up and the trade deadline right around the corner, it's a good idea to get used to hearing some of these names!Stats via MILB.com Innings Pitched - 7.5ptsStrikeouts Pitched - 2ptsHits Allowed - (2.5)ptsHome Runs Allowed - (12.5)ptsWalks Allowed - (3)ptsHit Batsmen - (3)pts
As a person who advocates for the elimination of the coercively funded state and the supremacy of property rights, I often find myself involved in arguments over the need for inspection and regulation of food and drug products. Typically one of the first things I’m told to read is Upton Sinclair’s muckraking novel “The Jungle,” which supposedly exposes the terrible conditions of food processing plants prior to the imposition of federal inspections. In this article, I will explain why the entire novel is a pure work of fiction. The truth of the matter is that the large corporate meat packers had been lobbying for federal inspection mandates decades prior to Sinclair’s novel. There were several reasons why the large producers, like Cudahy, Armour and Swift, wanted federally mandated inspections. The major reasons were: 1. Government inspections added a large fixed operating cost to producers due to the administrative overhead. While this may sound counter-intuitive, this effectively serves as a large barrier to entry into the meat packing business. The smaller packers do not have the economy of scale to be able to absorb this fixed cost so they end up being run out of business by the large producers because the small guys necessarily need to raise the price of their meat higher to account for the additional fixed compliance costs. 2. The Europeans at the time had begun barring meat imports to protect their own meat producers profits under the guise of preventing “diseased meat” from being imported. So the Europeans were requiring that imported meats undergo an inspection process. Thus, the US meat packers had to have their meat inspected anyways by private inspectors if they wanted to be able to export their meat. By lobbying the US government to inspect their meat, the US large meat packers could pass some of the cost of this inspection process, that had to happen anyways, on to the tax payers. This served to socialize some of the inspection costs for the large US meat exporters, while simultaneously driving up the fixed compliance costs for smaller producers. Since the smaller producers did not generally engage in export, they didn’t bother to have their meat inspected – thus, the smaller producers were able to compete with large producers in local markets. By forcing all meat packers to undergo inspection, the government basically ran the small meat packing operations out of business. 3. The inspection seal effectively serves as a fantastic marketing gimmick. It provides a false sense of security to US consumers and legitimizes the meat processed as being approved by the US government. Jonathan Ogden Armour, President of Armour and Company, one of the largest meat packing corporations in America, wrote the following in a March 1906 Saturday Evening Post article: “To attempt to evade government inspection with beef from a purely commercial viewpoint is suicidal. No packer can do an interstate or export business without government inspection. Self-interest forces him to make use of it. Self-interest likewise demands he shall not receive meats or byproducts from any small packer either for export or other use unless that small packer is also official (under government inspection.) This government inspection thus becomes an important adjunct of the packers business from two view points. It puts the stamp of legitimacy and honesty upon the packers product, and so is to him a necessity, and to the public as an assurance against diseased meats.” It may surprise you, but Sinclair actually called the proposed regulation scheme a racket.[1] Sinclair was more concerned about the working conditions in the plants, not the quality of the food. Since Sinclair was a socialist, his goal was to nationalize the whole market, not regulate it. However, his fictional account of the meat packing industry was used by the meat packing industry itself to have the regulation scheme they had been lobbying for finally rammed through. “The Jungle” is a pure work of fiction. It has absolutely no basis in reality. A 1906 report by the Bureau of Animal Industry refuted Sinclair’s severest allegations, characterizing them as “intentionally misleading and false,” “willful and deliberate misrepresentations of fact,” and “utter absurdity.” Quoting Mr. Crumpacker on Sinclair’s allegations of diseased meats, “the chief inspector said there was not a single animal that went into the slaughterhouses that was not inspected before it went on foot; and if one was diseased, had a lumpy jaw, or appeared to be out of condition, he was separated, and then a skilled veterinarian made a thorough examination of that animal after the rest had been passed; and then they had inspection on the inside.” A little bit of common sense also works to refute the notion that federally mandate inspections can somehow keep food safer. For starters, market forces will quickly drive meat packers out of business if they attempt to sell diseased meats! Would you buy meat from a company that had a reputation for making people sick? Of course not! Food producers have an extremely strong market based incentive to ensure they only sell high quality food. Further, a quick look at current food poisoning statistics shows that even with mandated inspections, problem foods still end up making the public sick. This isn’t a problem that inspections can solve, it is something that the market has to come up with solutions for. In fact, it could be argued that mandated inspections may actually contribute to the problem, because inspections provide a legal defense against injury lawsuits. Private food producers may take more steps to solve the problem of food borne illnesses if they didn’t have the inspection defense to fall back on. In summary, inspections don’t make you any safer, but they do drive up the cost of your food and serve to cartelize food production markets by driving up fixed costs. Eliminating the FDA would allow smaller producers to once again enter the market, potentially saving people billions per year in food costs, while at the same time potentially making our food safer due to market competition. update 10/13/2016: set link to the correct lecture: [1] The American Economy and the End of Laissez-Faire: 1870 to World War II , Friday, January 15, 2010 by Murray N. Rothbard (comments on meat packing start at time 46:00). Listen to Dr. Tom Woods discuss the lies promoted by Upton Sinclair’s book here. If you really want some solid revisionist American history of this era, listen to the entire Rothbard lecture series. It’s still the best American history lecture series I’ve ever listened to. There will be parts that completely blow your mind and will have you yelling at your computer screen. Here’s a great example of how modern day regulations are used to drive small farmers out of business. There are MANY more case reports similar to this one, just search YouTube:
Portugal Introduces New Online Gambling Tax by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels 08 July 2015 Portugal's controversial new online gambling tax came into force at the end of June, prompting a number of online gaming providers to exit the country. Under the new regime, the gross revenues of companies providing online gambling services will be subject to a 15 percent tax if their annual income is less than EUR5m (USD5.48m). In the case of companies with annual gross revenues exceeding EUR5m, the tax rate will be higher, up to a maximum of 30 percent. A 15 percent rate will apply to income from ring games exclusively among players. Online sports betting companies will be required to pay a levy of about eight percent, and as high as 16 percent, on betting revenue. A number of online gambling companies, including William Hill and PKR, have withdrawn from the Portuguese market on account of the new tax.
Powers over abortion were devolved to Holyrood as part of the 2016 Scotland Act. Support: Abortion remains illegal in NI (file pic). Brian Lawless / PA Archive /PA Images Women from Northern Ireland are to be offered free abortions on the NHS in Scotland. The Scottish Government confirmed the measure on Tuesday and said "details will be set out shortly how that can be achieved". Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland without exceptional circumstances, with hundreds of women thought to be charged by the NHS each year to travel elsewhere in the UK for surgery. Last week the UK Government backed funding for women from Northern Ireland to access free abortions in England, while Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones did the same on Tuesday. New powers over abortion were devolved to Holyrood as part of the 2016 Scotland Act and Nicola Sturgeon said she would look into giving Northern Ireland women access to NHS abortions in Scotland without prohibitive costs. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The First Minister has already made clear that the Scottish Government would look into the provision of abortion in Scotland to women from Northern Ireland. "The Scottish Government's view is that abortion should be part of standard healthcare for all women, and available free from stigma. "The Scottish Government believes that a woman from Northern Ireland, in Scotland, should be able to access an abortion for free on the same basis as women in Scotland and we will set out shortly how that can be achieved." The issue was originally raised by the Scottish Greens at First Minister's Questions last year. Green MSP Alison Johnstone said: "I'm pleased the Scottish Government agrees with Greens that the stress and costs that women in Northern Ireland face are unacceptable. "Scotland has a chance to provide much-needed support. This is about trusting women to decide what is best for them."
If you use Twitter, you are no doubt familiar with the hashtag, #firstworldproblems. It's used to convey a sense of ironic perspective as in "Ever since getting my iPhone 4S, I keep trying to talk to my iPad. #firstworldproblems." The hashtag says, "Your/my problem may be annoying, but there are much worse things happening in the world." Phrased this way, I should like it. It builds a useful sense that one's problems are not the only significant things in the world. I've probably even used it, and I've certainly thought it. But, for inchoate reasons, I have come to dislike it when people tweet #firstworldproblems. I could not identify what irked me about it, but there was something. Then I ran across novelist Teju Cole's analysis of #firstworldproblems. It strikes me as a significant and nuanced critique. Here's what he had to say, strung together from 11 tweets. I don't like this expression "First World problems." It is false and it is condescending. Yes, Nigerians struggle with floods or infant mortality. But these same Nigerians also deal with mundane and seemingly luxurious hassles. Connectivity issues on your BlackBerry, cost of car repair, how to sync your iPad, what brand of noodles to buy: Third World problems. All the silly stuff of life doesn't disappear just because you're black and live in a poorer country. People in the richer nations need a more robust sense of the lives being lived in the darker nations. Here's a First World problem: the inability to see that others are as fully complex and as keen on technology and pleasure as you are. One event that illustrated the gap between the Africa of conjecture and the real Africa was the BlackBerry outage of a few weeks ago. Who would have thought Research In Motion's technical issues would cause so much annoyance and inconvenience in a place like Lagos? But of course it did, because people don't wake up with "poor African" pasted on their foreheads. They live as citizens of the modern world. None of this is to deny the existence of social stratification and elite structures here. There are lifestyles of the rich and famous, sure. But the interesting thing about modern technology is how socially mobile it is--quite literally. Everyone in Lagos has a phone. There's a lot to chew over in there. Cole's perspective as someone who has moved between the US and Nigeria (he now splits time between Brooklyn and Lagos) lets him demonstrate where people in both places connect. Even if that point of connection is not between the depths of their souls, but the phones in their hands. If you like the way Cole thinks, check out his book Open City, which I bought yesterday and am working through. The first 50 pages are deep, serious, and smart. Image: A delegate at a Nigerian mobile communications trade show, which I'm sure was as stultifying as similar ones in Reno. Reuters.
Several new places have all opened up, but are they any good? This week, I thought I’d try something a little different: a few mini-reviews of some of the (surprisingly many) new restaurants which have been opening all over New Haven. I’ve written reviews in the past, but I thought a shorter form mini-review may be more informative and let’s face it, how much can you really say about one Pho place. So let’s try this out and if it’s terrible and you hate it, we’ll never try again. Amoy’s Brings Cajun Flavor to South Orange Street I have no idea how New Haven went so long without any Cajun or Creole food and now, with Queen Zuri, we suddenly have two, but have no doubts in your mind: Amoy’s is the superior restaurant. Tucked into this little street between Thali and Hunan House, Amoy’s transports a little bit of New Orleans straight to the Ninth Square. Done up with purple walls and jazz pianists all over the wall, this place oozes Nola. Luckily, it has the food chops to back it up. They started us with some sweet cornbread, warm right out of the oven and holy cow I think I saw an angel ascend to the Heavens cause that stuff is good. Absolutely worth the sticky hands. I ordered the Shrimp Po’ Boy, which came out exactly as I imagine a Po’ Boy should (and no I’m not comfortable saying that word out loud). Just the right amount of mayo, tomato, and perfectly fried shrimp on a soft, doughy roll. It isn’t fancy. But it will hit the spot. My friend got the Jambalaya, which had a nice kick to it, and some great, deep flavors. The service was a little slow given we were quite literally the only people in the restaurant, but as the waiter (owner?) ambled over, I had to remind myself, this is a Southern thing. They just move slow. It’s not their fault, they don’t have that impatient New England blood in their veins. They weren’t serving alcohol when I went, so it was BYOB, but that may change if/when they get a liquor license. Grade: B+ Yay: Shrimp Po’ Boy, Jambalaya, Awesome Sweet Cornbread Meh: Slowish service, lack of music in empty restaurant ‘Authentic’ Western Chinese Cuisine Debuts at Hunan House Reading about the owner of Hunan House, she wanted to bring “authentic” Hunan cuisine (I wouldn’t have any idea if it was or wasn’t) to New Haven, given the dearth of legitimate Chinese restaurants around. When you walk in, it will remind you of… just about every other Chinese restaurant you’ve been to, including its previous tenant, Royal Palace (RIP awesome crab rangoon). White walls. A few decorations. It’s sparse. I called ahead and found out they didn’t have their liquor license so we brought a bottle of wine (nobody else got the memo, sorry jerks!). They brought us wine glasses and we glossed over the immense menu. While it may have authentic dishes, it also has… I mean, just about everything. There’s probably a hamburger on there somewhere. I was torn so we asked the waiter what her favorite seafood dishes were, and we got them: the Fish in Hot Chili Sauce and the Salt and Pepper Prawns. Now, I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to eat prawn before, but it should come with some kind of manual. It turns out you basically just peel them open, coating your fingers in a nice prawn/salt dust, and then bam, you eat them. It’s not a good look on a date, if you were wondering. Meanwhile, the Fish in Hot Chili Sauce, which is exactly what it sounds like, was actually pretty out of this world. Just the right amount of spice, and it just had this robust, deep flavor to it. We were both pretty enamored by it. For some reason, when it came time to pay, the folks at Hunan House totally forgot we were there, even though everyone else had left, but hey, we had wine, so whatever! Grade: A- Yay: Fish in Chili Sauce Most Literal Dish Ever, BYOB Meh: Prawns are hard to eat, they don’t like taking your money Pho Ketkeo Brings Another Pho Option to New Haven If you haven’t noticed Pho Ketkeo yet, don’t blame yourself. It’s tucked away in the monstrosity that is the Temple Street Garage, past K2, in an unassuming little area that looks like it could be a laundromat. That’s because the lighting is terrible. It’s basically like eating at a laundromat. I think they also are BYOB/no liquor license, but I didn’t ask. The ambiance is… a little stark, let’s say. But you’re not here for ambiance, you’re here for Pho (pronounce it “Fuh” you heathen). While not quite Mechanoodle quality (what is?!), the Pho here is actually quite excellent. And unlike Mecha, they actually have more than one vegetarian option, which I really appreciate. They also provide some chili oil on the side, with a warning that it’s very hot. I will repeat the warning: It’s very hot. I don’t know if my companion was impressed by how much I was sweating while eating my pho due to the deranged amount of chili oil put in there, but… I’m pretty sure she was. Cause who wouldn’t be? Grade: B Yay: Solid vegetarian options, all the heat you can handle Meh: Eating in a laundromat is definitely a kind of ambiance Also, I kind of missed a chance to do a review of Mechanoodle, but let’s just say it: It’s awesome. If you haven’t been, go. It’s fantastic. So what should I write about next week? Like this: Like Loading... Related [FBW]
January — March 2016 Spec Market Scorecard Jason Scoggins Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 11, 2016 Damn, Hollywood. This isn’t exactly how we’d hoped to reboot the Scoggins Report. In a perfect world there’d be a couple dozen or so spec sales to discuss by this point in the Spring Selling Season, not to mention a handful of seven figure deals pointing to a renewed interest in original material all over town, and screenwriting careers getting jumpstarted left and right. This is not a perfect world. By a lot. As is our way, we found a sliver of a silver lining and pointed it out at the end of the introduction of the Scorecard. But we’d be the first to say we’re whistling in the dark. Keep the faith, Hollywood. And click anywhere in the box below to view and/or download the PDF.
Telltale: We have yet to tackle a romantic comedy The adventure game studio on its role as the HBO of interactive entertainment Christopher Dring Publisher Friday 13th October 2017 Share this article Share Companies in this article Telltale Games In July this year, Telltale decided to hold its own online conference. It was a 13-minute video that revealed new seasons for its Batman, The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us adventure games. It was a clear sign of a company becoming more comfortable in its role as the industry leader in interactive story telling. Last year, when speaking to creative communications boss Job Stauffer, I put to him that Telltale now has fans of the studio's entire output, and he disagreed. He said there were fans of Batman, or The Walking Dead, or Minecraft, or Game of Thrones, but the crossover wasn't high. With its "summer update" video, the firm is clearly keen to change that. "We took a queue from Nintendo. Now that we have so many fans, coming from all directions" "We took a queue from Nintendo," explains Stauffer. "Now that we have so many fans, coming from all directions; whether they're fans of Batman or Borderlands but never heard of Wolf Among Us, or fans of Guardians [of the Galaxy] but just not really into Walking Dead yet. "It's interesting to have all these fans from all these universes coming together at one point. So if we have our own sort of Nintendo Direct-style summer update, it is exciting because these fans get to hear about everything else that they aren't really aware of. These games are in the Telltale language and the Telltale format, so it is familiar to them immediately... That's something that we pride ourselves in. We have this common format and we are also available on every platform." Telltale's level of output also allows it to do these video roundups. It currently has three projects scheduled to roll into 2018, with unannounced projects also in the works. And that's not discussing it's current commitment to supporting new platforms. Telltale is already one of the key supporters for Switch, and is planning to bring many - if not all - of its games to Nintendo's new console. "For us, making games that play the same on console as they do on mobile and iPad, and having a console that is the seamless transition between both, is perfect for us," Stauffer adds. "Minecraft Story Mode is our first game on Switch, but definitely not our last. We're looking at Batman and at Guardians, and more Minecraft. And probably a couple more. No dates at this point, but we love the platform." Then there's its publishing division. Last year, Telltale published and commissioned a number of new projects, including The Fun Pimps' 7 Days To Die, and although there's currently nothing on the schedule, publishing is still part of its ongoing operations. "The 7 Days To Die publishing project is one of our most successful ventures we've had at Telltale," Stauffer explains. "We just released a big update this past summer on console. Working with that developer, and looking at that universe, has nothing to do with what Telltale does. It's not story-driven, it's not really in our language... it is something very different. "And yet, there are things we can be doing with 7 Days going forward. Maybe we could look at different ways of integrating story into that universe, which our internal teams can help with. There are things we could do with that franchise that's more Telltale-like. "On top of the stuff we've already announced for 2018, there will be more partner publishing projects throughout the rest of next year. Multiple titles coming from Telltale Publishing that look nothing like a Telltale game, play nothing like a Telltale game, but are games that Telltale love to play." There's a risk this feature turns into a 'list of things Telltale is doing'. On top of publishing games, and Switch, and special videos, the firm is doing new IP ("It is still front of mind, but it is not on the front-facing calendar for 2018"), and it's concluding The Walking Dead ("We wanted fans to know that we're not going to go indefinitely, until you're tired of it and loses its meaning"). "There are so many different genres of storytelling that are underrepresented in games" It has decided to bring back The Wolf Among Us ("Without the fan demand, without that positivity, it might not have happened. It certainly wouldn't be out this coming year.") And there's tinkering going on with VR ("We think it represents a fundamentally different way of experiencing what you might think of as Telltale content"), and experiments involving crowd-play using Microsoft's Mixer platform ("It has become this unique massively multiplayer story experience"). The fact is that Telltale is constantly doing stuff; it's surprising it managed to keep the summer update video to just 13 minutes. "We are constantly shipping episodes and content," continues Stauffer. "We are always working. We don't do what other studios do. People look at us and say 'there's AAA and then there's Telltale', but frankly I think we are the AAA of episodic. In AAA you think about going to work on a game for three years and ship it in the fall. We are not built like that. Our DNA is to be more like a TV studio. We are an interactive HBO or an interactive Netflix." Indeed, Telltale doesn't look at genre like other developers. It doesn't consider its games adventure titles, but rather 'horror' or 'family' or 'fantasy'... the sort of definitions used to describe films. When we asked if there's anything Telltale isn't doing (but would like to), it's that genre list Stauffer immediately looked at. "So we have the neo-noir of The Wolf Among Us, apocalyptic drama of The Walking Dead, family adventure comedy of Minecraft, superhero action in Batman, epic fantasy with Game of Thrones," he says. "We have yet to really tackle a romantic comedy, something on the lighter side. Or even an adult drama, something like The Big Chill. "There are so many different genres of storytelling that are underrepresented in games, and there's a lot of space that we have yet to tackle at Telltale. That's not to say that it's coming up next, but there are definitely genres like that that we would like to cross off the list someday. And there's always audiences for them, as well." "The very nature of how we release our series could have changed by 2018" Yet one of the fundamental things that we'll see from Telltale going forward is the change in how its games are played. The studio suffers the same issue that many developers face when creating iterative titles - the notion that its games are 'all the same'. Games like FIFA or the LEGO titles are updated and improved gradually over time, and changes are not always noticed by players. Stauffer tells us that the 2018 line-up, including The Walking Dead Season 4 and The Wolf Among Us Season 2, will offer a change in the format that has made the studio famous - and not just in how the games are played. "It's on our agenda for the next year to push our format forward with bigger, bolder changes than you're used to," he tells us. "You will see that evolve over the next few projects. We're committed to that. It's exciting to really have so many passionate creatives in the studio right now, thinking about how to push Telltale forward. And we have these three incredible franchises to evolve the format with." He concludes: "There's nothing we can talk about yet, but it will be iterative. So you might see changes between episodes in current seasons. By the end of 2018, the format of a Telltale game could look fundamentally different from what it does now, even going down to how we release stuff. "Right now we release five episodes at a time, piece-by-piece every four or six weeks. The very nature of how we release our series could have changed by 2018. The release structure of these two projects [Wolf Among Us and Walking Dead] could be very different to what we have for Batman. "I can't commit to anything right now, but from format playability to release structure and cadence, we expect to see changes in all areas by the end of 2018."
" " The Last Children of the Inchoroi. art by Jason Deem The unnatural world undulates with monstrous deception. Every familiar face may well prove a clever mask for some unspeakable horror. The world of Eärwa, detailed in R. Scott Bakker's excellent "Second Apocalypse" saga, is no exception to the rule.* The Unholy Consult An ancient enemy still threatens the medieval civilizations of Eärwa: a dreaded cabal of alien Inchoroi and fallen sorcerers who employ a host of devious tactics to cripple the world and secure it as their own safe harbor against damnation. While they readily employ sorcery, they also make use of the Tekne, an ancient and largely forgotten science that enables the manufacture of flesh. While hordes of Sranc and lumbering Bashrags serve as the foot soldiers in their war, the Consult developed an ever more subtle weapons race for their covert operations: the skin spy. Anatomy of a Skin Spy Engineered as the perfect undercover agent, skin spies boast the perfect anatomy for espionage and assassination. " " (Art by Jason Deem) For starters, their bodies are cartilaginous, meaning their skeletons are composed entirely of cartilage much like a shark or ray. This enables the skin spy to alter height and body shape as needed to mimic most human forms. Also like a shark, they boast inhuman speed and strength -- a factor that makes most skin spy discoveries a deadly affair. Yet cephalopods provide the best natural-world counterpart to the skin spy. Not only do they alter the size and shape of their cartilaginous bodies, they also utilize millions of specialized pigment cells called chromatophores to adjust skin color. We can only assume the so-called "last children of the Inchori" feature the same cells to mimic a victim's pigmentation. " " (Photo by Jeff Rotman/Getty) Furthermore, as the illustrations reveal, the face of a skin spy is actually a complex array of webbed tentacles overlaying a cartilaginous skull. This system allows the reproduction of any human face -- and not as a mere lifeless mask but a fully expressive countenance. Even the micro expressions of human communication are present. It's a deceptive feat reminiscent of the mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus), which can contort its body color, size and texture to mimic such diverse species as lion fish, sea snakes, sting rays, sea anemones and jellyfish. Like the skin spy, the mimic octopus also assumes the behavior and movement of its target, in addition to mere appearance. Luckily, the mimic octopus only wants to appear venomous to would-be predators and has little interesting in furthering the return of the No-God Mog-Pharau. Let's watch it in action: * These are fantastic books if you're looking for thought-provoking dark fantasy. Buy the first book in the saga right here, and if you've read without paying for them, consider earning a little e-karma. Monster of the Week is a - you guessed it - regular look at the denizens is of our monster-haunted world. Sometimes we'll focus on the cultural aspects, but mostly we'll look at the possible science behind a creature of myth, movie or legend. Be sure to explore the Monster Gallery as well as the Monster Science video series.
Sickened South African Mine Workers Seek Justice in Courts South African gold miners (Gianluigi Guercia / AFP / Getty Images) South Africa’s mining industry has been plastered across international headlines in recent days following the massacre of 34 protesting platinum mine workers in Marikana. This week, thousands of striking workers marched to protest the assault on labor rights and economic security by both the police and corporations. But while the media’s gaze has fixed on roiling unrest at Lonmin, the more insidious crisis of safety conditions in the mines remains mostly buried below the surface. Over the years, perhaps hundreds of thousands of workers have been gradually sickened or killed by an epidemic that has largely gone ignored by the industry and the post-Apartheid government. But now, some workers are resisting injustice in the mines by going to court, with a group of lawsuits alleging that three gold mining companies sickened many employees with toxic exposures that are tied to “varying degrees of silicosis"--a disease that causes chronic breathing problems--as well as tuberculosis and lung cancer. The legal claims, which target AngloGold Ashanti (formerly Anglo American), Harmony Gold Mining Company, and Gold Fields, have been advanced by a recent landmark ruling by the South African Constitutional Court. The decision affirms that injured workers have the right to sue employers for occupational health-related damages. The principle behind the litigation, according to Richard Lewis, an attorney with Hausfield LLP who is assisting the South African counsel, is that that the country’s mining regulations, some stretching back decades, as well as common law and the constitution, "impose a duty on the employer to provide safe and healthy working conditions.” Lewis notes the decision is “uniquely” progressive, even compared to the legal framework in richer industrialized countries like the United States, because the recent court decision effectively offers an alternative to the traditional workers’ compensation system, which is known for woefully inadequate payments to sick workers--and for discrimination against black claimants. "Usually one's claim against an employer is limited to the workers' compensation system,” Lewis says. “You can't go to court in the civil common law system and sue for damages. But here... in South Africa the miners do have that right, to go beyond the compensation system and into the common law courts." (In the United States, injured workers often face dysfunctional state workers’ compensation bureaucracies that tend to get ensnared by severe budget pressures.) Even when workers aren’t being mowed down by police, death is never far from South Africa’s mines; workers have been routinely exposed to toxins with appallingly minimal physical protection. In a Reuters investigation published in March, a mine worker interviewed in Lesotho, who had worked for Gold Fields for more than three decades before being laid off in 2008, explained the do-it-yourself safety protocol: “The only safety gear they gave us was gloves,” said 55-year-old Tele Nchaka... “We didn’t have masks. To stop the dust, we just had old T-shirts that we used to make wet.” The impact of the gold miner litigation could be massive: According to Hausfeld, “between 320,000 and 500,000 black southern African gold miners have contracted silicosis and other occupational lung diseases in prior decades. The highest recorded rates of TB in the world have been found in the gold mines of South Africa and the disease figures have remained unconscionably high for decades.” The next step for the current plaintiffs is to press forward with certification as a legal “class” and move toward a trial. The structure of the litigation leaves the door open for more workers to join the suit down the line, and some experts anticipate an explosion of claims due to the size of the workforce, the widespread presence of migrant workers from countries like Botswana and Malawi, and the prevalence of silicosis. As with many other countries, including the United States, the health threats plaguing mine workers aren't so much a product of lax laws; regulatory conditions have somewhat improved in recent years. The problem, says Lewis, is systemic failure of enforcement: There is no lack of knowledge on how to prevent occupational lung disease. [It’s] not so much that the laws are weak, but that they're not enforced. And so in reality they become weak and the workers don't get the protection they deserve and that they need. And I think that's true around the world. This is the tragic subtext to many of these mine safety crises--from the chokehold of black lung in Appalachia to the Chinese mine explosions that regularly bury workers alive. The laws on the books aren't applied on the ground, and workers are generally left at the mercy of the regulatory bodies that lack the staff and institutional capacity to hold employers accountable or prevent future hazards. The claimant at the head of the compensation lawsuit that led to the breakthrough ruling, Thembekile Mankayi, died just before the court issued its decision in March 2011, as a result of respiratory illness attributed to his work at an underground mine near Johannesburg. Mankayi had toiled for Anglogold from 1979 to 1995, but although his career spanned through the fall of Apartheid, his body ultimately expired before he could see justice served in a democratic South Africa. But some redemption may be on the horizon for many others sickened by the mines if the legal system finally provides them fair compensation. Under a neoliberal economic regime, South Africa’s mines remain haunted by the ghosts of Apartheid. But at least for some of the workers whose bodies bear the scars of that history, justice is no longer so far out of reach.
Stephen Harper has one more shot at a majority. He must be salivating at the chance to radically restructure the role of government in Canada. But winning over voters usually requires new campaign promises. Harper does not want to expand government programs for regular folks: his endgame is to downsize what we expect our government to do for us. How can Harper win a majority without promising much to address the needs of Canadians? The Harper spin machine is counting on Canadian's fear of the federal deficit to manage this tricky problem. Since the 1990s Canadians have been persuaded that federal budget deficits, and rising federal debt, are the end of the world as we know it. Actually, it is not nearly as cataclysmic as deficit doomsayers would have you believe. The government's projected deficit for the 2010/2011 fiscal year is $45.4 billion. It looks like a big number, but deficits should be judged by how big they are relative to the economy (gross domestic product). A billion-dollar deficit is a much bigger problem for a tiny poor country than for an economic superpower. The International Monetary Fund recently compared deficit/GDP across countries. The IMF projects that Canada's 2011 deficit will be 4.7 per cent of GDP. The USA comes in at 10.8 per cent. Advanced countries as a group average 7.1 per cent. Not that we should be blasé about deficits: deficits add to federal debt, and the interest payments on the debt are paid out of tax dollars (although with interest rates low, this is not the problem it was in the 1980s). Even so, at this point the deficit is not the monster that is coming to eat your children. It is obvious that Harper is not too upset when it comes to the deficit. Despite his claims to be a fiscal conservative, he cannot give away money fast enough in corporate tax cuts or military spending. Parliament can't even get a straight answer out of him about the price tag of his anti-crime campaign or his F35 fighter jets. I guess that standards of fiscal accountability and transparency only apply when Stephen says they should. Harper wants to spend freely on his political agenda, while having an excuse for refusing to implement the sorts of government programs that would make a real difference for Canadians who are struggling after the latest economic downturn. Better yet, he wants to portray his refusal to help Canadians in need as a virtue. To deflate Canadians' expectations about what the government should do for us, the Harper spin-machine is relying on some pretty intense political theatre concerning the deficit. Harper wrings his hands about the government's fiscal position any time that Canadians might want action on issues like job creation, poverty, healthcare or the environment. The sell-job is that Harper is such a prudent economic manager that he couldn't possibly give in to pressure to jeopardize the country's finances, much as he might feel our pain. Of course, the Harperites must work overtime to avoid explaining how much cash is hemorrhaging from the Treasury to pay for their pet projects. This strategy is calibrated to play on our economic anxieties. After all, the deficit does look like a scary number, particular to Canadians who are squeezed by their personal indebtedness. But even though you are struggling to make ends meet, the Harper team would have you think that you are being down-right unpatriotic to expect the government to do something for you while there is a federal deficit. Valiant Stephen Harper must say no to Canadians for our own good. The PR campaign to exalt Harper as a good manager of the economy is adopting strategy straight from Ronald Reagan's playbook. The Conservatives recent feel-good ads are shockingly reminiscent of Reagan's 1984 "Morning in America" campaign: similar soothing instrumental music and warm-and-fuzzy camera shots of our fearless leader/good daddy benevolently watching out for the common good. Like Reagan's ads, these images are calculated to lull us into the feeling that we can relax with Harper at the economic helm. Never mind that Harper, like Reagan, is claiming to be a fiscal conservative while racking up deficits on military spending, prisons and tax cuts. And once he gets the reigns of real power, Harper (and Reagan before him) will invoke fear about the deficit to justify slashing spending on programs that actually help those who are struggling in a tough economy. The Reagan strategy became so influential in conservative circles that it had a name: "starve the beast." The small government lobby recognizes that it is politically unpopular to trash popular government programs (i.e. "the beast"), so it has to attack them indirectly by starving the government of funds. Deficits provide the perfect political justification for getting out the axe. Once we all become deficit-phobic, the electorate can be more easily persuaded to diminish their expectations about what government ought to do for us. Of course, Harper will need to get a firm hand on power before he uses the pretext of concern over the deficit to really slash government spending. Expect him to be mysterious about just how he plans to fulfill his plans to eliminate the deficit after the next election is over. He will do everything possible to appear moderate until he has his majority. The upcoming budget is Harper's chance to proclaim his credentials as a prudent economic steward. After all, what's a few billion dollars here or there on some fighter jets or prisons! While he is convincing us that he is someone we can trust with the purse strings, he will probably even announce his intention to pursue some positive-sounding measures just to show us he really is a swell guy. Just give him his majority, and good stuff will be coming down the road sometime. If Harper was such a principled economic manager, he would start with some fiscal transparency. Just how much are your pet projects going to cost, Mr. Harper? And just how are you planning to balance the budget in the future? Canadians deserve plausible answers to these basic questions. We need a mature debate about the deficit, debt and the merits of tax cuts versus other uses of government fiscal capacity. This debate cannot happen amidst infantilizing fear-mongering about the deficit. As long as the deficit morphs into the monster that silences all rationale conversation about federal finances, our deficit phobia will be exploited to the advantage of Harper's political agenda. Economist Ellen Russell is a research associate with the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives. Her column comes out monthly in rabble.ca.
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake has struck off the northeastern coast of Japan almost exactly one year after a devastating tsunami killed thousands. The most recent quake was at a depth of some 10 km. Japan’s nuclear facilities are reportedly unscathed. A tsunami warning was issued for the coastal Aomori and Iwate prefectures as well as the central and eastern Hokkaido coast. Authorities advised area residents to evacuate to higher ground. According to the NHK TV channel two waves measuring 20 and 10 cm respectively reached the Japanese coast. The tsunami alert was later canceled. Another strong earthquake, measuring at a 6.1 magnitude, has hit the Tokyo region just hours after a 6.8 offshore tremor. Wednesday’s tremor came just days after Japan marked the anniversary of the March 11, 2011 disaster. At the time, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the strongest seismic event to ever hit the country, triggered a massive tsunami. The giant wave killed 15,900 and smashed the Fukushima nuclear power plant, causing the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Video Jamal Joseph is a writer, director, producer, Oscar nominee and professor at New York's Columbia University. But he started out as one of the youngest leaders of the Black Panther Party, the militant African-American group the FBI once declared to be the greatest threat to America. The party emerged in the late 1960s during a tumultuous period marked by race riots and civil unrest. It challenged the lack of black representation in police forces in most major US cities. But there were also numerous violent confrontations over several years that left police officers and Panthers dead. Hundreds of members of the party were arrested. Joseph first went to jail for his political activities at the age of sixteen and spent a total of nine and half years in prison after helping fugitives flee the United States. Earning two degrees while behind bars, Joseph dedicated himself to youth work and the arts after his release and has now written about his personal journey in the book Panther Baby: A Life of Rebellion and Reinvention. Video produced by Michael Maher for the BBC.
Editor’s note: The following story is based on data attributed to Rantic, a viral marketing firm with a history of sketchy behavior. In retrospect, we should not have published it. While our experience with political Facebook posts suggests, anecdotally, that the thrust of the story is correct, we cannot confirm the authenticity of the study. It may be hard to resist airing political grievances or appealing to voters on social media during a US presidential race as heated as this one. But no one wants to hear about your politics, least of all on Facebook. Those long rants about how Trump is a bully and a buffoon, Hillary is a crook, and conspiring against Bernie Sanders has doomed America forever aren’t changing voters’ minds, a new study found. A staggering 94% of Republicans, 92% of Democrats, and 85% of independents on Facebook say they have never been swayed by a political post, according to Rantic, a firm that sells social media followers. The firm surveyed 10,000 Facebook users who self-identified as Republicans, Democrats, or independents, Wired reported. (Editor’s note: Our efforts to reach Rantic before publication were unsuccessful, and Wired has since retracted its story.) The only thing those opinionated election posts are doing is damaging your friendships. Nearly one-third of Facebook users surveyed said social media is not an appropriate forum for political discussions. And respondents from each political affiliation admitted they’ve un-friended people on Facebook because of their political posts. Even more users surveyed said they’ve judged others based on their political views. That doesn’t bode well for those who have turned Facebook into their personal political pulpits. With politics dominating social media in the lead up to the election, online efforts to avoid politics altogether have also sprung up. Facebook groups are advocating keeping politics off Facebook and tools are being used to rid news feeds of unwelcome political posts. National law enforcement officials also reportedly warned at least one man on Facebook to be careful about what he says on social media. Still, many Facebook users can’t seem to resist putting their politics out there for all to judge. About a third of users surveyed said they have voiced political views on the social network.
A man who shouted obscenities at the Munich killer as he carried out his rampage has said that he would have shot the killer if he’d had a gun. Instead he was forced to lob an empty beer bottle in an attempt to stall him. Thomas Salbey became an internet sensation after footage of him hurling abuse at the perpetrator, Ali Sonboly, from the balcony of his fifth floor apartment was posted on Twitter. But speaking to the MailOnline, Salbey says he’d have much rather fired bullets than harsh words at Sonboly. “All I had was a beer bottle to throw at him. If I had a gun I would have shot him. I’d have shot him in the head,” Mr. Salbey said. Describing the events of last Friday, he explained: “I was drinking a beer after work when I heard the shots, first at McDonald’s. Bam bam bam – that’s how it sounded. “This was just below our house. At first I thought it was a Kalashnikov he was firing. Then I looked down from the balcony and saw him running along the glass tunnel. “As he reloaded his gun I got my beer bottle and threw it at him. It broke on the glass, but I don’t think he heard it.” Mr Salbey then began shouting at Sonboly, who aimed several shots in his direction in retaliation. “At the time I was not sure if they were real of they were blanks. I now know they were for real. “I hit the floor immediately, but I did see that he appeared to have gone quiet on the parking deck. By this time the police had arrived in front of the shopping centre. “They didn’t know where he was, so I called over to them – ‘He’s there, up on the car park roof’. I wasn’t afraid. “This should not have happened. I don’t know how he got a gun,” Mr. Salbey concluded. Questions are being raised as to how Sonboly was able to access the semiautomatic Glock 17 despite Germany having some of the most restrictive gun laws in Europe. Gaining a firearm in Germany normally means passing a series of background checks, including mental health checks, and being able to prove safe handling and storage of both the weapon and ammunition, all of which takes several months – and all of which Sonboly bypassed. But considering the wave of attacks seen in France and Germany over the last two weeks, others are starting to question whether European police, or even citizens, should be armed as a deterrent to those who illegally access weapons. In another attack in Germany this week, a machete wielding Syrian who killed a pregnant woman and injured two others was only prevented from harming others thanks to the quick thinking of a passing motorist who mowed him down with their car. Unfortunately its time to arm most police. Saddens me but I think we are there. — PeterC (@Bhikkubodhi) July 22, 2016 Time to arm French civilians if they’re smart. https://t.co/hc4AnJTMxO — ETAC Solutions (@MartinCartermc3) July 15, 2016 The question has been raised before. Three years ago after the attack by an Islamic terrorist on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, which saw 67 killed over a period of hours, the Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald Noble, called for a debate on relaxing gun laws. “Societies have to think about how they’re going to approach the problem,” Mr. Noble said. “One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order to get into the soft target you’re going to have to pass through extraordinary security. “Ask yourself: If that was Denver Colorado, if that was Texas, would those guys have been able to spend hours, days, shooting people randomly?” Mr. Noble said, referring to American pro-gun states. “What I’m saying is it makes police around the world question their views on gun control. It makes citizens question their views on gun control. You have to ask yourself, ‘Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an evolving threat of terrorism?’ This is something that has to be discussed.” So far the response from the European Commission has been to seek to introduce ever tighter gun control laws. Following the Charlie Hebdo attack in January 2015, the Commission set about drawing up the European Union’s most draconian gun laws to date, threatening to ban all semi-automatic weapons and even confiscating historical firearms from collectors. In response, more than 330,000 European citizens signed a petition arguing that terrorism cannot be stopped “by restricting legal gun ownership”. Although the proposals were watered down by MEPs, who felt that they represented not a response to terrorism but an attempt to curb legitimate use of firearms, the legislation was approved by the European Parliament, just one day before the Nice attack which claimed 84 lives. The draft directive will now pass to the Council.
With Linkin Park's upcoming sixth studio album still months away from release – as of now, it's slotted for late June – guitarist Brad Delson isn't going to let all the cats out of the bag on what we can expect. But one thing's for sure, he says: Guitar solo fans will get more than their money's worth. "There’s a lot of guitar solos on the album!" he says with a laugh. "And this is from someone who was quoted early on as saying I hated them." He catches himself and then clarifies: "Not that I hated them as a listener; I just don’t want to play any; I shirked guitar solos. Early on, I felt as though the songs we were making aesthetically didn’t want them. This new batch of songs, to me, always want solos. I feel like every song has one." Earlier this month, fans were treated to an electrifying Delson wah solo at the end of the group's hardcore-tinged epic, Guilty All The Same. Featuring a compelling guest spot by rapper Rakim, it's a boldly original and wildly entertaining track, which, according to Delson, serves as "a battle cry for the record as a whole.” Delson (who is co-producing with rapper and multi-instrumentalist Mike Shinoda) talked to MusicRadar recently about how the new record is coming together. I'm curious why you decided to release Guilty All The Same So early. “We wanted to get music out sooner than later. The timing just felt right with this song. We finished two songs relatively early in the process, and Guilty All The Same seems to inform the spirit of the record. For us, it’s the perfect lead offering to set the tone for the album as a whole.” On Living Things, the guitars were punchier overall than on previous records. From what you're saying, you're ratcheting up the guitars even more now – and not just when it comes to solos. “Yeah, there's way, way more guitar. Living Things certainly had a balance and energy, and it brought together the sounds of a lot of our different chapters in a new way. This record is really a musical experiment and creative endeavor unto itself. I’ve heard people say about Guilty All the Same, ‘Oh, it sounds like their older stuff,’ ‘cause it’s really heavy. But it’s not really like anything we’ve done, either. The heaviness of the track, and of what you’ll hear on other songs on the album, comes from a raw, visceral place, but it sounds distinctly its own as far as our musical history. “I thought this was kind of funny: Mike actually described it almost a prequel to Hybrid Theory. There’s a lot of records that were influential to us – some hardcore stuff, some heavy, punk-oriented stuff – and that spirit is there. It’s like the record we might have made had we not made Hybrid Theory. It definitely goes down a different path, and it is guitar driven – that’s not an accident." Now, how planned out is this? Did the band actually sit down and discuss a direction for the album, or were you kind of surprised to see where you were headed after you started working on it? “A little of both, but I would say that it was much more intentional and conceptual. Per the latter, Mike demoed some stuff and has said that when he listened to it, he didn’t like it and threw it all out. One of the reasons for that – and I’m paraphrasing him, in this case – was that he felt the demos were derivative of the music he likes to listen to, but they didn’t fill a void. “In scanning the landscape of new music, I think the void in what we heard is what motivated us to make the kind of record we’ve made. That’s sort of been the premise even when we started as a band. There’s a particular sound or a combination of things we’re not hearing. Sure, you could say, ‘A lot of groups are combining hip-hop elements and rock elements,’ but there was a very specific sound we were making and were hearing, and nobody else was doing it in that way."
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: Former Alaska senator and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Gravel is holding a news conference in New York City today to call for a new independent investigation into 9/11. Gravel will be speaking on behalf of the NYC 9/11 Ballot Initiative Campaign, a grassroots group seeking to place an initiative on the ballot of the November 6th general election allowing registered New York City voters to create a new commission to investigate 9/11. The group is looking to appoint between nine and fifteen commissioners on the panel to conduct the investigation. Some of the people who have reportedly already agreed to serve as commissioners include Lori Van Auken, a 9/11 widow, one of the so-called “Jersey Girls”; Lincoln Chafee, the former Republican senator from Rhode Island; Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, a pastor in Detroit, Michigan; as well as former Democratic Senator Mike Gravel, who joins us here today. He has published three books this year: Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change, The Kingmakers: How the Media Threatens Our Security and Our Democracy and A Political Odyssey. His book Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change has a forward by Ralph Nader. He’ll be joining us on the show later in the week. Welcome to Democracy Now! , Senator Gravel. MIKE GRAVEL: Amy, thank you for having me. But before we launch into the mission of my appearance, I want to comment on this young man you just had on. I’ve got to tell you, the military is in for deep trouble. That this kid felt he wasn’t very educated, wasn’t good student, I mean, I’ve — he’s beautifully articulate. Let me tell you one thing. We lose —- we forget history. The First World War ended because hundreds of thousands of people walked off the battlefield. If we’re going to end this war and the strength of the military-industrial complex, it’s through courageous young men like this walking away from the stupidity and the immorality of our political leaders who lead us on fools’ errands of violence and war. And so, I want to applaud what this kid is talking about and his experience. And boy, now that is Courage with a capital C. And I just wanted to articulate that for you. AMY GOODMAN: Didn’t you lead the initiative to end the draft in Vietnam? MIKE GRAVEL: Oh, yes. Well, I’m very proud. It’s one of my accomplishments. I forced it. I forced the end of it. And that -— AMY GOODMAN: How? MIKE GRAVEL: Well, it was a five-month filibuster that Mansfield made possible without anybody realizing it. AMY GOODMAN: Senator Michael Mansfield. MIKE GRAVEL: Yes, who was the Majority Leader at the time. So he bought into it, and I didn’t even realize what he was doing. He set up a two-track system on legislation. So I started in May, and then by — and, of course, you were there when Ellsberg, myself and West, at the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalists, had a rollicking good time talking about this whole history, and you moderated it. And I can’t tell you how, as long as I live, I’ll never forget what a wonderful time we had piecing this together what happened. AMY GOODMAN: Well, that, I was asking you about ending the draft. You’re talking about the publication of the Pentagon Papers. MIKE GRAVEL: That’s right, but I got the Papers because I was filibustering the draft. [inaudible] AMY GOODMAN: So you went on the floor of the Senate… MIKE GRAVEL: And tried to filibuster. I failed it, because I was too nice to the staff, and so I had to use another device, which was to — and I was a freshman. So I was chairman of Buildings and Grounds, so I used the precedent, you won’t believe, House Un-American Activities Committee, where I could call at a moment’s notice a hearing and, as a result of that, turned around and got testimony from a Congressman Dowd from New York, Upper New York, who came and testified, and he wanted a federal —- AMY GOODMAN: You mean you called an emergency hearing -— just to be clear, you called this man, what was it, out of bed? And you said, “You know that building you’ve been asking for? If you come and testify right now about why you need this building, we will commence the hearing.” That enabled you to hold the hearing. MIKE GRAVEL: That’s right. And we held a hearing. And then, when he said — he said, “I want a federal building,” I says, “Well, I’d love to give you a federal building, but we don’t have the money, and the reason why we don’t have the money is because we’re in Southeast Asia. Now, let me tell you how we got into Southeast Asia.” And I started to read the Pentagon Papers. That’s how — and then I started sobbing after an hour of reading. I’m dyslexic, so I read terribly. AMY GOODMAN: You had gotten those Papers from the Washington Post? MIKE GRAVEL: Well, from Ben Bagdikian, who had gotten them from Dan Ellsberg, and the Post didn’t know that Ben had an extra copy. So Ellsberg had pushed Ben, because Ellsberg was very concerned that he couldn’t get the Papers out. AMY GOODMAN: That the Times wouldn’t publish them. MIKE GRAVEL: That’s right, and nor would the Post any further, because of the injunction. And so, as it happened, I released the Papers about six, seven, eight hours before the Supreme Court rendered its decision, and their decision was moot, because the world had the Papers as a result of what I did that night. AMY GOODMAN: And you ultimately had them published by Beacon Press. MIKE GRAVEL: Right, courageous Beacon Press, not just Beacon Press. Courageous Beacon Press, because nobody would touch it. Nobody would touch it, because they were at risk. And poor Beacon Press really suffered from government harassment. And as it turned out, I and Dr. Rotberg could have been prosecuted, but then, by that time, Watergate had been exposed, and they weren’t going to charge a religion or a sitting senator. And so, Dan Ellsberg and I never served a day in jail. And the three people within the Justice Department that came after us, they all went to jail. There’s some justice someplace. AMY GOODMAN: They were…? They were…? MIKE GRAVEL: They were the Attorney General Mitchell, Mardian, and the other guy I keep forgetting who his name is. AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, the Pentagon Papers were the 7,000 pages of secret history of US involvement in Vietnam that Ellsberg had taken out of a safe. MIKE GRAVEL: Totally. It’s nothing — nothing but history, nothing but history. This stuff should have never been classified, never have been classified. And what I operated on — I’m a layperson — is just very simple: if it’s important for the Secretary of Defense to know how we got into this mess, it’s important for the American people to know how we got into this mess. And this is the same situation we have with Iraq. How did we get there? And now, this segues us into this commission here in New York. I view this very, very serious. I don’t see the body politic having the guts to go out and make a new — a real new investigation, because the way politicians act, whether it’s Democrat or Republican, “Oh, we’ll investigate a little bit, but let’s not go too deeply, because we’ve got to cover their backside, because they’ll cover our backside,” and it’s too political in nature. And so, with the commission that we’re talking about 9/11 here in New York City, now that’s a commission that’s going to be a real commission. And that commission now can make a true investigation as to what happened on 9/11, but not just 9/11, because the war is tied with that. And so, this will give us an opportunity to vertically go into all the backup to this data and have subpoena powers to have people testify. Now, if a person perjures themself here with the New York commission, it’s perjury, so it’s a crime. And so, maybe, maybe this will give us an opportunity to have justice, and we can begin subpoenaing the President of the United States — at that time, he’ll be the former president — and the Vice President and go on down into the boughs of the intelligence and a whole host of areas to get to the truth. We don’t know the truth. AMY GOODMAN: And how advanced is this ballot initiative? MIKE GRAVEL: Well, it’s very serious right now, because there’s windows. When you do an initiative, there’s a window that you have to comport to. And so, they need upwards of 50,000 signatures to be real safe, and they’ve only got 10,000 signatures. And so, they’ve got about four weeks left. AMY GOODMAN: They have to all be New Yorkers? MIKE GRAVEL: Yes. Oh, yeah, they do. And I can’t even — I was going to try to go out and collect signatures, but legally I can’t. So I’m going to be part of a press conference, and I’ve done several initiatives myself as a sitting senator. And as you know, with my efforts with the National Initiative, I believe in this concept. What the government can’t do, the people can do through the initiative process. And so, we’ve got to get those signatures in the next forty — thirty, forty days, and it’s going to depend on people hearing my voice, hearing you, because you’ve spoken about this before and the importance of this. And so, there’s a telephone number I want to give: (646) 537-1755. That’s (646) 537-1755. And that’s a hotline. And today, at St. Mark’s Church, that’s at Second Avenue and 10th Street —- AMY GOODMAN: Here in New York City. MIKE GRAVEL: Here in New York City. If people will come there, we’re going to have a get-together at 7:30. It’s going to be a reception. There will be some light refreshments, and then we’ll be talking about this. Sign the guest book. Give us your address. And then what you can do is log on to our website, and that website will permit you to download a petition, and then you’ll be able to circulate the petition. But it’s key to call this phone number. AMY GOODMAN: Mike Gravel, did you ever raise this, for example, in the debates that you were able to participate in? MIKE GRAVEL: About the commission? Not this particular commission, because I was -— keep in mind, I was shut out in September of ’07 after I had challenged the Democratic Party and Hillary, particularly, on the Lieberman 2 resolution which gave George Bush the power to invade Iran, which is still a threat that looms over our heads. I was with Ramsey Clark over the weekend, and Ramsey joins me in feeling very, very frightened over the possibility that George Bush may go crazy again and do something significant between now and the term. Remember when Sarkozy asked him, “Well, Mr. President, you’ve did a — you know, you’ve done a fine term of office.” He said, “I’m not done yet!” Well, by “not done,” what’s he got in his mind? What more could he do? AMY GOODMAN: Senator Gravel, when you say we don’t know the truth about 9/11, what do you mean? MIKE GRAVEL: Government — 90 percent of what the government does is held secret. It’s a whole cult. And that’s the thing that is really strangling our democracy, that we just don’t know what’s going on. And so, you need to rip off the scab and see the wound of what the government is damaging. And so, it’s a cult. And I don’t know how I can phrase it. I’ve written about the subject. When I was — here, best example I can give you. When I was twenty-three years old, I was in a communications intelligence service. I was an agitant of the communications intelligence service, and I was a top-secret control officer. I was twenty-three years old. Now, I’m forty-two years old, I’m a United States senator, and I could not go in and take notes and read the Pentagon Papers, because they were under guard in the Senate. Now, does it get any stupider than that? And that — and I didn’t even go in. When that was — Nixon sent them to the House, sent them to the Senate, and no staff could read it or senator could read it, couldn’t even take notes. I mean, we are so steeped in this. And when you hear — and keep this in mind, Amy, any member of the Congress could release any secret about the government’s activities right today, because the court case, the Supreme Court ruled in my case 5-4 that a senator, under — or a House member, under the speech and debate clause of the Constitution of the United States, could not be held accountable. I was talking to Congressman Moran, and he had made the statement, “Well, you know, George Bush is about to do something in Iran.” I said, “My god! Say something about it. They can’t touch you.” AMY GOODMAN: Jim Moran of Virginia. MIKE GRAVEL: Of Virginia, and who’s a tough hombre. AMY GOODMAN: Do you believe there’s another set of Pentagon Papers around 9/11 and Iraq? MIKE GRAVEL: There’s no question about it, but how do you get your hands on it? If some — see, not every — there’s not that many Ellsbergs around. We’ve got Sibel Edmonds and others who — what people learn, and Ellsberg knew this walking into it, he was trying to find somebody in Congress. George McGovern wouldn’t do it, Fulbright wouldn’t do it. He needed the umbrage, the legal status of a member of Congress doing it. He didn’t know I was alive until the Times wouldn’t act or the Post wouldn’t act. Then, all of a sudden, there’s this freshman who’s out there filibustering the draft. And so he called me up, “Would you release?” “Of course, I’d release it.” And I don’t know — people say, “Oh, you’re so courageous.” I’m not courageous; this is just the way I’m made. And that’s the reason why I admire this young kid, this Chiroux, that you just had on. This is what makes a difference in society, when people step up at any level of life. AMY GOODMAN: You ran for the Democratic nomination for president. MIKE GRAVEL: Yes, right. AMY GOODMAN: But then, you just lost the —- MIKE GRAVEL: Libertarian. AMY GOODMAN: —- Libertarian nomination for president to Bob Barr. MIKE GRAVEL: Right, yeah. AMY GOODMAN: Why did you run there? MIKE GRAVEL: As a Libertarian? Well, very simple. The Libertarian is not a war party. The Democratic Party is a war party. The Republican Party is a war party. My god, you’ve got to look around. The Green Party is not a war party. The Libertarians are not a war party. And I fancy myself very much — when people would say, “Well, Gravel is a misfit. He was a maverick,” what does that mean? It means that I didn’t fit into the Democratic Party. Now, there’s a lot of things that I like about what they do, but there’s a lot more things that I like about what the Libertarians — I believe in freedom. AMY GOODMAN: Who are you endorsing for president? MIKE GRAVEL: Well, I’m keeping my mouth shut. I’m going to vote, obviously, for the lesser of evils, but I’m not going to do it —- AMY GOODMAN: We’ll have Ralph Nader on next week, Independent candidate for president. What do you think of his run? MIKE GRAVEL: Well, I like Ralph -— AMY GOODMAN: This week. We’ll have him on this week. MIKE GRAVEL: Yeah, and I like Ralph. Ralph and I are good friends, as you can tell. He wrote the —- AMY GOODMAN: Forward to your book. MIKE GRAVEL: He wrote the foreword to my book, but he never talked to me about running for president. He was my competitor until I got out of the race. Now I’ve got out of his way. But no, Ralph is a great, great American. There’s no question about it. His chances of becoming a president -— but it’s a good place to put a protest vote if you want to put it. And so, we’ll see what happens. But we need people to articulate the alternative. I’ve not given up. I’m going to give an account of myself the rest of my life on all these issues. AMY GOODMAN: What do you think of another Democratic candidate, Dennis Kucinich, you were on the debate floor with, introducing these articles of impeachment against President Bush? MIKE GRAVEL: I think — and, of course, Ramsey Clark is leading that battle outside of the Congress. I think it’s important, because it sets the stage. It creates an appetite for people. But it’s not going anywhere. And I really resent the identity politics that we have today. You know, you’ve got to have a woman be our president or a black person president. That’s fine. But I — very candidly, I was very excited when Nancy Pelosi became the Speaker, but I — reflecting on it, I don’t know of any woman in Congress, by and large, who is that much different from any male member of Congress. Oh, there are some that are courageous, but a lot of them are just normal. And Nancy Pelosi is no different than any male Speaker that I’ve seen in my career. And so, she’s the one that took the impeachment deal off the table. That’s a tragic mistake. And I know why they did it: they’re playing politics. Now, from my point of view, impeachment is not what George Bush deserves. He deserves to be prosecuted. He and Cheney need to go to the Hague and stand in the dock like they had Milosevic and others. What they did was criminal. 4,000 Americans have died as a result of their fraud on the American people and —- AMY GOODMAN: Do you support Vincent Bugliosi, the Charles Manson prosecutor, who got him behind bars, his call for -— we had him on on Friday. He’s written the book The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. MIKE GRAVEL: Oh, there’s no question about it. In fact, I have great regrets over the fact that we never put Richard Nixon in jail. I mean, everybody around him went to jail, and he got off and rehabilitated himself. The sooner we put a president or a vice president or a secretary in jail for crimes that they commit against humanity, the sooner leaders will shape up. AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to have to leave it there. Senator Mike Gravel, I want to thank you very much for being with us, former Democratic senator from Alaska who served two terms and ran for president of the United States this past year.
A team, on an International Student Volunteers expedition had gathered in Costa Rica to help cut paths in the woodland. After completing their work, they posed for a photograph, only to be gatecrashed by the inquisitive creature. Manuel Ramirez, 44, an anthropologist and tour guide for the group, said: "There was a big group of us helping cut paths in the jungle. I thought it would be nice to take a group shot. "As I looked through the camera lens I could see something creeping in to the frame. "When I realised it was a baby sloth I clicked the button as fast as I could, not that he was going anywhere fast " He added: "I thought it was too good a picture opportunity and so rather than move I just took the picture with him in it. "It has become a bit of a talking point for everyone. None of us will ever forget the trip, especially when we look back at this picture. "I'm glad we saw the sloth that day as he made us laugh when we were very tired. "Now we can share this moment with all our friends." The photo is a prime candidate for a "meme" of its own on the internet. In 2009, a squirrel who popped up to become the star of a holiday photo in Canada, and went on to feature in numerous famous photographs including the Beatles Seargent Pepper album cover and England winning the World Cup in 1966.
For some time, I have been reading essays declaring Occupy dead. They all point to the failure of the movement, since the repression of the encampments, to mount sustained, visible protest. One of Alexander Cockburn’s last columns was devoted to this theme. More recently, Tom Frank has weighed in with a similar argument. Often times these writers believe Occupy failed because of some flaw that may constitute a pet peeve in general–for Cockburn, it was too wedded to anarchist practices. For Frank, it was weighed down by academic jargon. For others, it failed to take the electoral arena seriously. And on and on. At the same time, there are writers who affirm that Occupy lives. They point to Occupy Sandy, or struggles against evictions, or the rebellious spirit newly apparent in parts of the working class, as epitomized by the CTU and Walmart strikes of 2012 and the support remnants of Occupy lent to these struggles. Is it possible to reconcile these two competing perspectives? Can a movement die, and continue to live? It reminds me of a cultural moment in my youth. Around 1985, you would see, in various bohemian haunts of the US, young people with buttons or painted jackets declaring “punk’s not dead.” I always thought that slogan was an example of “the affirmation is the negation.” In other words, nobody would say it if punk was actually alive and well. Born in Detroit and New York City, punk became genuinely explosive in the hands of the Sex Pistols in London. They wrecked the queen’s jubilee, denounced their own record label, and raged against the dead-end of late cold war culture. Rock had provided the soundtrack to youth rebellion in the sixties, but this was rock as rebellion, a practically unprecedented dadaist gesture in pop culture territory. When The Clash wedded punk sounds to more conventional left politics, the force of the punk gesture was already dissipating. There was another wave, “hardcore punk,” based in Los Angeles, which sonically made the Sex Pistols sound quaint, but its cultural impact was greatly reduced. By 1983, punk was dead. Or was it? Throughout the eighties, many of the best bands of the American underground, something of a refuge from the wretchedness of Reaganism, were punks (the Minutemen, Husker Du). Around 1991, it finally blew up commercially in the US, as Nirvana’s Nevermind sold millions. Punk didn’t overthrow pop music in its entirety, as the Sex Pistols seemed to hope. But it did several valuable things. It legitimized a do-it-yourself culture that has resonated for decades. And, crucially, it overthrew, or at least provided an enduring counterpoint to, the “love is all you need” hippie idiocy, simultaneously anti-human in its antagonism to real human attitudes and emotions like anger and hatred and creepy in its legitimization of “free hugs” molesters and worse. Whenever people have to get out the anger burning inside them, they turn to the time-tested format of punk. Well into the 90s, riot grrls made excellent use of punk. In fact, just last year, Pussy Riot proved the time-tested gestures still carry a punch. What can this little excursion into punk history tell us about Occupy? Sometimes things blow up very quickly, unleashing utopian dreams. The Sex Pistols raised hopes the faux rebellion served up by the music and other cultural industries can be laid to rest once and for all, for example. But the world is more intractable than that. Nevertheless, even if they are not able to change everything, such blow ups may deliver enduring forms and practices which can be powerfully reused. Occupy Wall Street was precisely such a blow up. I have been around activist milieus since the late eighties, and this was the first time I witnessed a movement that actually seemed intent on profoundly changing the US. The new left of the sixties had such intentions, but it was exhausted by the mid seventies. If you want, you might claim it had an afterlife in Jesse Jackson’s primary runs in 1984 and ‘88, but those ultimately failed to halt the Democrats’ drift to the right. And there was no real follow-up to that. Occupy quickly spread to over a thousand cities, and for a time held the nation rapt. And in a shocking departure for American social movement practice, it pointed the finger squarely at the ruling class, even if its term, “the 1%,” was not literally an accurate description. By contrast, both the global justice movement and the Nader campaign of 2000 seemed overhyped, limited in their impact, and timid in their denunciations of “corporations”. Occupy encampments were already starting to suffer exhaustion when they were swept off the streets by the police after about two months, without having changed much of anything about the US. It wasn’t obvious at the time that this would be a devastating blow to the movement. Movements have been known to meet in union halls, community centers and many other places. You don’t actually need a camp out to have a movement. And yet Occupy did go into a tailspin. Everywhere, it seemed, the general assemblies could not hold themselves together without the camps. Some of them managed to keep going or restart themselves, but with none of the elan and unpredictability that dominated the first couple of months. The sense that the movement was growing and growing, that a call for a radically different sort of politics had truly touched a nerve, that “we are unstoppable” has utterly receded. And yet, much like punk, I think it has left a legacy that will long be with us, to be reinterpreted, reworked, and revitalized as activists see fit. Some of the aspects of that legacy include a willingness to take chances when others are not, pressing the boundaries of permissible protest, creating space for people to bring their whatever skills they can offer, using general assemblies to open up control of a movement to all, and connecting problems by identifying enemies rather than treating each issue as disconnected and posing its own solution. Ask yourself how many unions, community groups, or left parties are doing any, let alone all of the above. Even if all the remaining Occupy groups disappeared tomorrow–and they won’t–some mix of these approaches is likely to resurface. Energy could be better spent trying to figure out how to better institutionalize these practices the next time, rather than dreaming of a return to approaches that, when presented with the kindling of a devastating economic crisis and a president who raised hopes and delivered little, utterly failed to light the spark. Steven Sherman is a sociologist who lives in Brooklyn, New York.
TALLAHASSEE — Florida taxpayers paid nearly $153,000 for renovations to the reception area outside of Gov. Rick Scott’s office. State officials say the changes, which include placing bulletproof material in the reception desk, were prompted by security concerns. But the changes also included putting in new carpet in the waiting area. And they included placing Scott’s Office of Open Government behind a locked door that is accessible by employees only. That’s the office that is supposed to respond to public records requests. Maggie Mickler, a spokeswoman for the Department of Management Services, said the renovations were ordered after the head of DMS requested a security review by law enforcement. She said one of the biggest changes was moving a desk to improve visibility and the line of sight. Mickler said the carpet that was removed during construction was 13 years old.
Bill Karwin’s answer is spot on. But let’s add a little bit of specificity to the experience. Here’s mine. When I was about 5 years old, I desperately wanted to learn how to program a computer. At first, I was experimenting with a BBC Micro, and learned how to do the traditional thing everyone does with a computer - that is: 10 PRINT “HELLO SIMON!” 20 GOTO 10 … although depending on the computer you might do something differently. You got all that info from a book like this, that came with the computer - in my case, it was my primary (aka elementary) school’s computer: http://bbc.nvg.org/doc/BBCUserGu... It’s a little impenetrable at roughly age 5 (or 6… it was a fair while back, and my sense of time from then is fuzzy). So you ask your friend Alex’s dad for help - because you want to write a program that yells like Tarzan on the screen when you press space - but doesn’t do anything until you press space, and you don’t know how to do it. He helps. But for the most part, you go back to playing educational games for a minute - but still trying to work your way through the manual. Then, if you’re lucky, one of the auxiliary staff at the school (a guy called Fred who lives a couple of streets away, is a beekeeper, and who works at the local university in the Computer Science department) notices that you’re really amazingly absolutely fascinated by this stuff, and figures… ‘What the hell… I’ll give him a helping hand.’ And he gives you a copy of this book, which starts you down a path that many kids in the early 1980s took: computer-programming.pdf It’s one of a series, and today you can find them all here: Computer and coding books from Usborne (scroll to the bottom). A couple of years later, you’ll end up with a copy of this one: machine-code-for-beginners.pdf … but it’ll remain mostly impenetrable until you’re about 14, but you keep bashing at it from about age 10–14 and making slow progress until something clicks. (Note to self: Programming in machine code without an assembler sucks - because you have to convert all the instructions to decimal values by hand, and it’s a slow and laborious process. But you’re also a teenager on a mission, so you do it anyway, until your Dad finally buys you an assembler once you know what one is). Meanwhile, you beg your Dad for a computer. You have your eyes set on a TRS-80, but instead (because that’s expensive), your Mum & Dad save up for the better part of a year, and your Dad buys you a ZX81 as a kit, with a real keyboard kit, a 16KB rampack and a tapedeck to load stuff from, as well as a tiny black & white TV to use as a display. The ZX81 comes with a great user manual. Some might say iconic: http://zxnext.narod.ru/manuals/Z... Your Dad also provides you with a couple of games to play (including 3D Monster Maze). You make slow progress, but you’re also playing with the BBC Micro at school. Wind forward a little. The Commodore 16 comes out in 1984. You’re 9. Your Mum & Dad save up for the better part of a year and get one, along with a color television to go along with it. (It comes with its own tapedeck, and a built in real keyboard). And this user manual: Commodore 16 User Manual It’s pretty comprehensive. And, by this point, you’ve been programming simple BASIC programs for a bit. So you dive straight in. Beforehand, in the run up to Christmas, every night your Dad has been unpacking the computer, setting it up on the dining room table, and working through the other book: An Introduction To Basic Part 1 (1984)(Commodore)[a] : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive … which has exercises in, and space to put answers. He studiously works through every problem in the book, and answers every question in pencil. Then, before he goes to bed, he packs it away, and hides it. Right before Christmas, he erases all of his answers from the workbook, and wraps it. He does this so that if you ever get stuck, he can get you unstuck. You only realize that he did this much later, when you’re about 23 years old. Until then, you thought it was a used computer - which is fine, your family is large (there are 3 other kids), and your family is poor. (You’re just glad for the computer). Eventually the penny dropped and you realize what he did, and you start to tear up every time you tell someone about it, because he just got upgraded in your mind from Superman to fucking Batman. This is your Dad, with your youngest brother, a few years after he went through that user manual: … helping him with his homework. Meanwhile, you have a shiny new Commodore 16 to play with - just like your best friend Andy. Relatives buy you books of 50 programs to type in - little simple BASIC games, and things like that. (You take one of these programs - a dice game called “Crown and Anchor”, make a few tiny changes, and try to sell it to Gremlin Graphics, sending them a tape. They politely decline, but it’s on fantastic looking letterhead, so you’re okay with it). Your Uncle starts to get into computers, and buys a subscription to INPUT magazine. This next part’s hazy, but I think I got one too - or I borrowed my Uncle’s. INPUT magazine was some next-level shit. It came out every week. You collected them into binders. And it covered how to program pretty much every popular home computer in the UK. (And there were tons back then - over 30, all completely different). INPUT magazine looks like this: You can find every issue scanned in here: Free Texts : Download & Streaming : Internet Archive … and it has things like this in it: Each icon is for a different computer. The orange S? That’s Sinclair Spectrum BASIC. The weird black icon below? That’s the BBC Micro (the icon is an Acorn, the company that made it). After that is the Dragon and Tandy computer, which shared the same BASIC. There’s more. This keeps you going for a few years. Then your Commodore 16 dies - because you were using it on the bed, and the power supply was under the duvet cover. And it melted. You are 10 years old, and you are computer-less. Your elementary school headmistress takes pity on you, and gives you her husband’s old ZX81 home computer - just like the one you started on - as a gift so that you can keep going. Your teachers were awesome - most of the time, in elementary/primary school, they just let you skip lessons. You’d already exhausted the school library, and started going to the local library down the street during school hours to get more books to read. You spend a fair amount of time in the staff room on the school computer. They don’t mind. They’re watching you take to this like you’ve tied yourself to a solid rocket booster, the countdown is running, and they’ve retreated a bit to a minimum safe distance. Your Uncle gets a Sinclair Spectrum. You program an itinerary tracking system for him, which saves out his daily agenda to tape. (It’s not great, but it works). When you’re about 10 or 11 years old, you start going to the city center on the bus every weekend by yourself, to visit the Manchester City Centre library - which has a huge Computer books section. One of the books you borrow is the Apple Lisa Human Computer Interaction guidelines. You read it from cover to cover, and it sparks an interest in user interaction that persists to this day - and gives you a leg up over a lot of other programmers when it comes to UX. Eventually, you end up with a ZX Spectrum 128K+2. Books start flying off the shelves at this point. Every weekend you come home with more. Books on computer hardware. Books on all flavors of computer programming. Books on everything you can get your hands on. Ocean Software is quite literally just around the corner. So at some point you go to their reception to see if you can get a job there when you’re old enough. When you’re about 13, you end up at some point getting a copy of the Zaks book: http://www.z80.info/zip/zaks_boo... Eventually, you get a SAM Coupe. It also comes with a BASIC manual. You learn it quickly - after all, you’re an old hand at many flavors of BASIC now. And a little assembly language. And LOGO. At this point, you start getting even more books. Books on electronics. Pocket Electronics Guides. Books on computer architecture, CPU architecture. You’ve not even heard of Knuth yet, and you’re not sure what an algorithm is, but you do know what’s slow, and what’s fast, and how to muscle through for the most part. At this point you’re 17. You’re already well known in the home computer community for the SAM Coupe, and have been for a couple of years. You write a ton of stuff in assembly language, work on ports of Prince of Persia (a tiny bit) and Lemmings (more!) and other games that come out on the system. You keep shipping stuff… over 120 programs by the time you’re done. You start writing for FRED Disk Magazine, Enceladus, SCPDU. Your Sinclair magazine notices, and they’re looking for someone who can answer their users’ technical questions and write a monthly column for them to teach others how to program and answer their thorny questions. You’re published around the world, and are known as an expert on that system. You’re 18… and then you go to college. Thank this guy: I do, every chance I get. (That’s my daughter in my arms). So that’s how you do it. Read books - everything you can get your hands on. Don’t stop trying. Ask questions when you’re stuck. Learn from others’ programs. Even a child can do it.
DAMASCUS, Syria — Islamic State group jihadists in Syria are trying to retake positions they lost in previous fighting in the Yarmouk refugee camp in southern Damascus, a Palestinian official said on Tuesday. “There is intermittent fighting between Palestinian factions and IS and Al-Nusra Front which are trying to retake positions in the center of Yarmouk,” Khaled Abdel Majid, head of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front which is close to Syria’s regime, told AFP. When jihadists from the two groups entered Yarmouk on April 1, they took 60 percent of the camp before pulling back into around 40 percent. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up They currently have a presence in the south near the Damascus district of Al-Hajar al-Aswad. Abdel Majid said Palestinian groups control 40 percent of the camp, in its north, and that some 20 percent makes up the front line. He said Syrian regime aircraft have bombarded Al-Hajar al-Aswad, which is jihadist-held. A security source in Damascus said only that in Yarmouk the fighting “stops and then starts again.” Chris Gunness, the spokesman for UNRWA, the United Nations refugee agency for Palestinians, expressed alarm at the reports of fighting. “UNRWA calls for an end to all actions and hostilities that endanger the security and lives of Palestinian and Syrian civilians in Yarmouk, who endure — and continue to suffer — extreme humanitarian conditions,” he said. Before the Syria conflict erupted in 2011, Yarmouk was home to 160,000 people, both Palestinian and Syrian. UNRWA says that just 18,000 still live there. “There must be active compliance with the obligation to respect and protect civilians in Yarmouk, including by allowing unhindered humanitarian access,” Gunness said.
Find An Event Create Your Event Help Certifiable Derby Training TXRD Thunderdome Austin, TX Share this event: Get Tickets There are no active dates for this event. We are sorry! Camp has reached maximum capacity. Not Available Event Certifiable Derby Training The TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls are hosting the Certifiable Derby Training Camp April 26th - 28th. Banked track, flat track, and offskates classes will be offered at the TXRD Thunderdome in Austin, TX! Coaches for the camp are Psychobabble, DeRanged, and Helen Wheels from Team Bionic. On-skates classes will cover: Blocking: Skills covered include booty blocking, leaning, basic hits, timing of more advanced blocking. Jamming: Learn how to see holes and to make your own, to juke around deadly jammer hunters, and most importantly, how to stay out of the penalty box. Pack Dynamics: Strategies & techniques for improving your packwork. Stride Mechanics: Using the track and power stride to go farther faster and reduce your energy expenditure. Basic skating skills and general derby knowledge required. Camp will reach maximum capacity so purchase your tickets now! Exact Thunderdome location will be provided after registration is complete. Check-in will be Friday, April 26th at 6pm. Location TXRD Thunderdome (View) United Drive Austin, TX 78758 United States United DriveAustin, TX 78758United States Categories None Minimum Age: 18 Kid Friendly: No Dog Friendly: No Non-Smoking: Yes! Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! Contact Owner: TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls On BPT Since: Feb 28, 2012 Cora Zone info@txrd.com... www.certifiablederbytraini... Ask a question... Ask!
From the 1950s until today, Russia’s dangerous Atlantic submarine force has represented the technological pacing threat for the U.S. Navy in the undersea domain. However, this trend is slowly changing. It will be the waters of the Pacific, not the Atlantic, where the U.S. Navy will be most sorely tested. In his 2016 posture hearing, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris noted that Chinese, Russian, and North Korean submarines constitute 150 of 200 submarines currently in the Pacific. Numbers only tell part of an increasingly ominous story. The trajectory of submarine investments made by these nations — and ten other Asia-Pacific countries — will create a far more dangerous undersea domain in the Asia-Pacific by 2030. Developing the policies and frameworks that will enable effective shaping of this environment must be started before the crisis hits. The recent unanimous award by the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea and China’s vocal and active rejection of the legitimacy of the decision bolsters the need for many countries in the region to have a credible submarine deterrent force. Not surprisingly, countries throughout the region have been working for some time to bolster their submarine forces and others are considering establishing such capabilities. Both trends are captured in figure one below, tracing current and 2030 expected total diesel (SSK) and nuclear (SSN) submarine fleet numbers. Countries in Asia are seeking credible deterrence forces as their confidence wanes regarding the peacefulness of China’s rise and the reliability of U.S. commitment to preserve stability. Submarine Missions Submarines can be used to defend a nation’s territory and to project power abroad. Most nations in maritime Asia are acquiring submarines for their sea denial capabilities to credibly deter larger, more militarily capable adversaries. Submarine warfare is inherently asymmetric, imposing potentially large costs on any potential adversary. The mere threat of submarine activity can dramatically affect an adversary’s planning considerations. In peacetime, submarine forces accomplish these goals by monitoring the naval activities of other countries, protecting their country’s sea lines of communication, and, for a small number of nations, providing a sea-based nuclear deterrent. A well-equipped submarine force operated by a highly trained crew provides an exceptionally capable and flexible platform for these many missions. Geography in the Asia-Pacific The maritime geography of the Asia-Pacific — and its centrality to the U.S. and global economy — has powerful implications for how submarines can be employed throughout the region. The first island chain, running from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines, forms a natural barrier that China fears may “bottle up” its naval forces. Similarly, the relatively small number of approaches through the islands provides China’s increasingly capable missile force a relatively small number of aim-points should it seek to counter foreign countries’ navies. Key chokepoints such as the Malacca, Lombok, and Sunda Straits further complicate access to the region (Figure 2, below). Submarine forces are also affected — in some instances, dramatically — by the varied undersea geography (technically, bathymetry) of maritime Asia. The region includes shallow seas such as the Yellow and East China Seas, extremely deep areas such as the Philippine Sea, and complex littoral seas with characteristics of both. Nuclear-powered submarines reign supreme in deep, open waters but fare worse in the congested shallow waters throughout Southeast Asia. Here, smaller diesel-electric vessels can use the varied undersea topography to their advantage. The shallow waters of Asia’s littoral zones combined with regional chokepoints increase a submarine’s inherent sea denial capability. Platform + People = Capabilities More than almost any other naval asset, submarines require complex and regular maintenance and a highly trained crew to realize the platform’s potential. Submarines spend most of their lives in a high-corrosion, high-pressure environment and rely on exquisitely maintained equipment to ensure silent running. Many nations in the Asia-Pacific are acquiring relatively advanced foreign submarines because they lack a robust indigenous shipbuilding capability. This does not bode well for the longevity of their submarine capability without relying heavily on foreign contractor support. For example, the French firm DCNS now provides comprehensive support to Malaysia in the wake of crippling domestic maintenance challenges after its procurement of two Scorpene submarines built by the firm. In addition to maintenance issues, building a force of highly trained submariners is challenging for small navies. More than basic bureaucratic and training infrastructure, small navies will find it almost impossible to create a proficient submariner corps. Navies with only one or two operational submarines will have to compensate for less underway experience to develop the necessary skills in both enlisted personnel and officers. Schoolhouse and training pipeline shortfalls are not unique to Asian nations but nonetheless will have to be overcome by nations across the region. Without a highly trained crew, advanced submarines are unlikely to be effective. Current and Future Submarine Capabilities Despite the long build times and complex operational requirements, Asian countries are expected to acquire over 100 submarines by 2030. In many cases, old submarines will be retired and replaced with newer, more capable vessels. Other countries are looking to either establish a new submarine force or expand their fleet. These decisions, especially taken in aggregate, suggest that the nations of the Asia-Pacific do not believe that the security and stability of their region remains on a positive trajectory. Looking to the future, an increase in the number of submarines will not necessarily equate to cutting-edge submarine capabilities nor will it necessarily give nations the capabilities they seek. Most SSKs lack the speed necessary to conduct aircraft carrier escort missions and lack the endurance to operate in the vast expanses of the Pacific or Indian Oceans. To understand the future role and impact of attack submarines in the Asia-Pacific, one must examine the current and future submarine forces in the region. (Ballistic missile submarines — SSBNs and SSBs — are important for deterrence and second-strike nuclear capability but are beyond the scope of this article.) China, Russia, and North Korea The Chinese attack submarine fleet comprises 58 attack submarines of 6 different classes: four diesel-electric (SSK) submarine classes — the Type 035, Kilo, Type 039 and 039A classes (Ming, Kilo, Song, Yuan, respectively) — as well as two nuclear attack submarine (SSN) classes, the type 091 and 093 classes (Han and Shang, respectively). The table below provides additional information about the number and types of vessels in each class. Of China’s current fleet of attack submarines, between 12 and 20 are unlikely to be operationally effective against a technologically advanced foe because of their age and questionable quality —namely the Ming and Han classes, early Kilo class, and possibly early models of the Song class. As a result, China’s current fleet of submarines likely includes between 38 and 46 modern attack submarines. The vast majority are conventionally powered. The most recent Yuan-class are believed to be outfitted with air independent power (AIP) systems, to incorporate quieting technology from Project 636 Kilo-class submarines, and to be capable of launching anti-ship cruise missiles. In addition, China appears to be improving its ability to produce SSNs with the Type 093 Shang class SSN. Two are currently in service, with an additional three vessels awaiting commissioning. China is expected to construct and commission around 32 additional submarines over the next fifteen years, including improved Shang-class SSNs and a long-rumored third-generation SSN, the Type 095. Based on open-source information and our analysis, we believe that China will field a modern submarine force of approximately 60 SSKs and SSNs by 2030, with the majority of these being advanced conventional submarines with AIP. With appropriate crew training, these will represent a highly capable submarine force that provides longer submerged endurances and increased acoustic performance, particularly within the first island chain and in the South China Sea. In addition to concerns about China’s submarine investments, Admiral Harris expressed his concerns about Russian and North Korean submarine fleets. The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence identifies 22 submarines in Russia’s Pacific fleet. Of these, it is likely that only one to two SSBNs, three to five SSNs/SSGNs, and five SSKs are operational. Analysts believe that Russia has prioritized its Pacific fleet, but it is unclear if this prioritization will continue in light of increased tensions in Eastern Europe and budgetary shortfalls. By comparison, Pyongyang currently claims approximately 70 submarines, none of which should be considered modern nor will its capability or capacity likely improve in the future. However, as is seen in the 2010 sinking of the South Korean navy ship Cheonan, North Korea’s rudimentary submarines can nonetheless be lethal in the Korean littorals. India and ASEAN countries New Delhi currently fields a fleet of 14 operational submarines, predominantly Sindhughosh (Kilo) and Shishumar class SSKs (Type 209). Built under contract with the Soviet Union/Russia and Germany, respectively, this fleet is approaching the end of its life. Over the next two decades, India plans to build an additional five to eight Kalvari class SSKs, French Scorpene SSKs built under a technology transfer agreement. The lead ship was launched several years behind schedule in May 2016. The Kalvari will be complemented by the first Indian-designed and built nuclear submarine, the 6,000-ton Arihant SSBN, making India the sixth country operate a SSBN. This indigenous SSBN will likely serve as a technology testbed for a future indigenous SSN. Vietnam is one of two ASEAN nations with a significant undersea warfighting capability. With five vessels currently in service, the Vietnamese Navy is in the final stages of acquiring its sixth Project 636 Kilo-class submarine from Russia. These vessels provide a powerful deterrent signal in the congested and contested South China Sea. Singapore is the other ASEAN nation proficient in submarine warfare. It operates four Swedish built submarines of the Archer and Challenger classes. Despite their relative age, the vessels are regularly upgraded and overhauled. Singapore plans to acquire two 2,000-ton Type 218SG submarines to replace the older Challenger-class vessels. Most other Southeast Asian nations face challenges keeping their respective submarine programs on a steady developmental trajectory due to technological, political, and/or fiscal reasons. Indonesia has flirted with sourcing from multiple countries — France, Russia, and South Korea — as it eyes an expansion of its fleet from two to 12 SSKs. Efforts in Malaysia to increase its submarine fleet have been plagued by corrupt politics and poor manufacturing. As a result, the first Scorpene delivered has experienced a chronic maintenance shortfall. Thailand and Pakistan have negotiated deals with Beijing for modified export versions of the Yuan class Type 039A. For Thailand, this would be the first time it has acquired submarine capabilities, and it remains unclear the extent to which either nation could effectively operate such vessels. Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan Australia operates a fleet of six Collins class vessels but has faced considerable recruitment and availability issues. Canberra announced that it will replace its aging Collins class vessels with 12 Shortfin Barracudas, an AIP submarine, in an ambitious $38.5 billion program that combines the French firm DCNS with local Australian industry. The first vessel will be commissioned in the 2030s and outfitted with U.S. combat systems and, potentially, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The Barracuda fleet is expected to stay in service through 2070. While Tokyo may have lost the bid to supply Australia with its future fleet, Japan continues to invest in its own force, operating 18 SSKs split between the older Oyashio class and the more recent Soryu class. The Maritime Self-Defense Force plans to add another four Soryus and establish a sixth submarine division at Yokosuka. In South Korea, the Republic of Korea Navy operates 14 German-designed SSKs/SSPs, the most recent of which are equipped with AIP systems. Plans call for an additional nine 3,000- to 4,000-ton vessels to be commissioned beginning in the mid-2020s and potentially equipped with a short-range ballistic missile system. Even Taiwan has plans to swap its vintage Dutch Zwaardvis and U.S. Tench and Balao class vessels for four to eight indigenously procured submarines, a plan that may be more symbolic than feasible given a stagnant defense budget and dearth of technological expertise. Even as countries in the Asia-Pacific are investing to recapitalize or to grow their submarine forces as a deterrent capability in uncertain times, the United States, long the pre-eminent naval power in the region, is now facing 14 years of declining numbers in its submarine force. The planned attack submarine force shrinks from 53 boats today to 41 boats in 2028 before slowly returning to the current level of 51 submarines in 2046. Current investments in advanced technologies such as UUVs may offset the reduction to some degree. Some of this cutting edge technology resides in the private sector. As a result, the barriers to access (through purchase or theft) the technology are lower than for the traditional “crown jewels” of the U.S. nuclear submarine enterprise. The time it takes other countries — allies or adversaries — to approach, gain, or exceed parity with the United States will likely be reduced. However, due to the complexity of underwater operations and systems this shrinking delta is less pronounced here than in other domains. Policy Implications For the United States and countries throughout the Asia-Pacific, submarines represent an important signal of national intent — to deter and, if necessary, to compel other actors from taking undesirable actions. The growth of submarine fleets throughout the region is a signal that regional states are hedging against a more competitive future environment. Even as Washington renews its focus on Russia’s submarine force, significant advances in China’s submarine force and declining numbers in the U.S. fleet will be the greatest complicating factors for U.S. Navy planners and policymakers. Further, advances in technology have resulted in submarines that are increasingly multi-mission. Attack submarines are now tasked with far more than shadowing an adversary’s ballistic missile submarines or surface fleet. Modern U.S. SSNs are increasingly used for intelligence collection, special forces activities, crisis response, and conventional deterrence. The compression of many missions into a shrinking number of platforms will result in a complex set of operational and political signaling tradeoffs for both military commanders and political leadership. The competition between the U.S. regional combatant commanders in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East for these important assets will only become more intense with time. Short of significant breakthroughs in UUVs — including with their command and control, endurance, and survivability — there will be no easy fixes to this shortfall. Increased partnership, especially with highly capable allies such as the United States has in Japan and Australia, could contribute to an effort to buy down risk. However, any risk mitigation will not occur in a way consistent with Pentagon parameters, therefore necessitating a new line of thinking from those responsible for oversight of the Defense Department’s planning process. The Navy should not assume that increased shipbuilding budgets alone will solve the coming shortfall. Rising personnel costs and broad downward pressure on end-strength (the total number of personnel in the force) will make recruiting and maintaining the personnel necessary to crew and maintain additional submarines more difficult, even if additional shipbuilding dollars become available. Similarly, the emergence of even extremely capable UUVs is unlikely to offset the diminished number of U.S. submarines in the near to mid-term, given the complexity of fielding such new and complex platforms in sufficient numbers. The naval investments in the Asia–Pacific, especially in submarines, are setting the stage for a dangerous future both on and below the waves. The growing number of countries operating submarines will create an increasingly contested and congested undersea domain. Without changes to the current trajectory of U.S. investments, four broad trends will erode U.S. dominance in this domain. First, more submarines operated by more countries will increase the operational risk of an undersea incident with unclear escalation dynamics. Second, the relatively rapid spread of advanced diesel submarines is directly challenging U.S. undersea supremacy. Nations do not need to achieve overmatch as the Soviet Navy once sought. Instead, they seek only local dominance as enabled and enhanced by undersea geography. Third, falling numbers of U.S. submarines (and consequently, submariners) will decrease U.S. opportunity to engage with and shape the direction of submarine forces globally, and especially in the Asia-Pacific where submarine forces are still nascent. Fourth, the decreasing size of the U.S. submarine fleet will hinder the creation of a theater anti-submarine warfare framework that links multi-national capabilities together to meet shared challenges. Each of these areas requires greater examination — and in public, not just Navy, channels. Given the trajectory of future submarine capabilities in the Asia-Pacific and an initial understanding of the generation of capabilities, now is the time to undertake a rigorous analysis of the challenges facing the U.S. Navy in the undersea domain and how these challenges can be addressed through investments and partnerships. John Schaus is a fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he focuses on Asia security challenges. Lauren Dickey is a PhD candidate in War Studies at King’s College London and the National University of Singapore. Andrew Metrick is a research associate in the International Security Program at CSIS. Note on sourcing: Tables used in this article have been compiled drawing on data from a number of sources including: U.S. Navy documents; “The PLA Navy: New Capabilities and Missions for the 21st Century” by the Office of Naval Intelligence; published reports by U.S. government analysts; The Military Balance by the International Institute of Strategic Studies; open source articles from regional press and think tanks; authors’ analysis of historical submarine acquisition patterns in the U.S., Russia/U.S.S.R., and China; and authors’ analysis of submarine shipbuilding infrastructure in the United States and China.
Posted September 21, 2011 by liveoakblues in Uncategorized. 2 Comments So anyway, I hadn’t been out on the water in weeks because, you see, it’s a tad dry here, and by dry I mean drier than I have ever seen it–so dry, in fact, that the Newnan’s canoes are exposed again (reference for the locals). If I want to do some paddling in actual water, I have to go out to either coast and I just don’t have the time right now. Nevertheless, that did not stop me (nor the hapless motorboat who put in just ahead of me) from giving it a shot right at the main dock at Newnan’s. Long story short, I was poling through mud the whole time, as was the motorboat. “You scoutin’?” he asked, thereby keeping intact my streak for getting questioned about kayaking simply to kayak. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m scouting for some water.” Thus began our 30-minute discussion on how dry the lake was. What else were we going to do? Well, we also talked about our mutually admired gator-hunting show, “Swamp People.” In the process, I felt something hop out of the water and down my back. Rather than jump in the water (never a good idea on Newnan’s) to investigate, I let it ride and found the poor l’il fella on your right, much the worse for the long trip back to shore under my prodigious buttocks. He, too, thought he could find water where it wasn’t. Advertisements
The new $2.1 billion light rail line 12 kms long will extend from Circular Quay along George Street through Surry Hills to Kingsford and Randwick and is due to be finished in 2019. The document appears to be preparing passengers for tough times ahead: "We are already starting to experience congestion at levels approaching the worst among developed countries. Sydney is more congested than New York – even though we only have half their population." It shows traffic travelling towards the CBD has slowed by 20 per cent over the past two years. "Over the next 20 years demand will grow by 30 per cent, leaving the city in gridlock," the document states. "We cannot simply add more buses to already congested streets." The guide's comparison stating Sydney congestion is worse than New York came from the Mercer Livability Index. The congestion rating is given as a percentage and is the extra time a journey would take compared to free flowing traffic. Sydney has a congestion rating of 34 per cent, while New York, which has a congestion rating of 26 per cent. Bus drivers on the front line fear they may have to endure abuse from passengers trying to cope with the changes, with one predicting that implementing the changes would be "a nightmare". Gary Way, president of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, said he hasn't ruled out industrial action "if it doesn't work". "We hope the plans all come together but with such radical changes no one really knows whether it will succeed," he said. "I am not going to pretend I know how Sydney is going to work without George Street because it is mind-boggling. If it quickly becomes evident that it is unworkable the bus drivers won't put up with it. We are not a punching bag. We will be saying, 'Fix it', or they will have to face industrial issues. We are not frightened to take action." Bus drivers are also concerned about congestion at new terminuses at Gresham Street near Bridge Street with only one bus shelter and at King Street Wharf. They also fear the right turn from York Street into Erskine Street could become even more of a bottleneck than it is now. A public relations campaign will start on Monday to help people plan their trip into the city before the changes start. Co-ordinator general CBD for Transport for NSW Marg Prendergast was upfront about the impact of the bus changes saying there will be "winners and losers". "We expect the first few weeks to be difficult because we need to bed it down. Our motto is 'monitor and adjust'." New bus lanes, trimming of kerbs and changes to signals to give buses priority would significantly improve the flow of buses, she said. "There will be locations where there could be some bus bunching. We are worried about the terminuses, particularly the new terminuses. But ultimately once we bed it down it is going to provide better reliability because the buses will come, drop on the edges and just leave the city because they are coming in on the outskirts. She said once George Street is removed that is 25 per cent of north-south capacity gone. "What we are investing in to actually break the whole cycle of the city being clogged is investing in light rail which will provide a really good intra-CBD option that's much cleaner, quieter and turn up and go every four minutes. "The bus drivers have got a critical job. We are going to be sending out a really strong message, give them a break. This is the biggest change in bus operations in 30 years. We are not shying away from the fact that the first four weeks could be difficult but just treat the bus drivers with some room and respect." Key issues passengers face include: • About 330 of more than 700 buses (45 per cent) entering core CBD in the morning peak hour will be removed to reduce congestion • New routes on Elizabeth, Castlereagh, Park, Druitt, Clarence and York streets • Routes terminating outside the city close to other public transport options • Most to experience timetable changes and some a change to bus route or number Congestion by numbers: An extra 1.6 million living and working in Sydney by 2031 Trips to and from the CBD from 630,000 today to 775,000 by 2031 Trips within CBD 1.26 million today to 1.7 million in 2031 10,000 extra jobs in the CBD over next 20 years Between 8am-9am on weekdays 1000 buses enter CBD Over next 20 years demand to grow by 30 per cent Source: State Transit. NEW YORK, NEW YORK Population: New York City 8,406,000 (Sydney 3,908,000) Subway commuters: in 2014 average weekday subway commuters were 5.6 million, the highest since 1949. New York City Subway opened 1904. Full fare for both bus and subway is $2.75 Half fare (children, students, etc) is $1.35 Subway lines 24; Bus routes 233 Big yellow taxis in NY: 13,437 Find out more about changes: Call 131 500, Download new timetable: mysydney.nsw.gov.au/news/new-cbd-bus-network See new bus routes at mysydney.nsw.gov.au/bus#bustool. App: Commuter NSW helps with trip planning.
HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Chinese metal fabricators are starting to feel the pinch from a slowdown in U.S. export orders, indicating that internal demand from the Asian giant may not be able to sustain the metals price boom. Labourers work at an iron and steel plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 13, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer Auto part makers to tube manufacturers in China are reporting lackluster order books going into the second half of the year. Together with efforts by Beijing to curb economic expansion, analysts fear that industrial commodities will be hit by a double whammy — a U.S. recession and moderating growth in Asia. “It’s pretty obvious that if the external economy doesn’t perform — i.e. the United States — then the internal economy is also going to suffer badly,” said Jonathan Barratt, managing director of Commodity Broking Services. Many analysts had said earlier this year that China was experiencing a temporary slowdown in demand brought on by record metal prices, bad weather and the Lunar New year holidays, and domestic consumption will pick up again. But Barratt added: “It looks like we are heading towards a nightmare stagflation scenario and the crescendo could come around the Beijing Olympics.” China is the world’s largest copper consumer, using an estimated 4.5 million tonnes of the metal a year, or about a quarter of global production. A large part of that is used domestically as China develops its power infrastructure, but a lot also gets exported, contained in products from tubes and power cables to air-conditioners. However, the country’s copper imports fell 5 percent in February from the previous month, customs data earlier this week showed, and could slow even further in coming months. An official at copper wire maker Tai-I Copper, a subsidiary of Tai-I International (1808.HK), said the firm was worried about lower export orders in the second half of this year, following a flat performance in the first two quarters from a year earlier. But a purchasing manager at Golden Dragon, a major copper tube producer in China, said the company’s exports, which run at 6,000 tonnes a month, half of which go to the United States, had not so far been affected by the slower pace in the U.S. economy. “The big issue is whether this stable situation can continue in the second half?” he said. Copper prices, up by a third this year to a record $8,820 a tonne last week MCU3, have scared off Chinese consumers, leading to a doubling of stocks in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange since early February. INFLATION CONCERNS Adding to fabricators’ concerns is soaring domestic inflation — running at an 11-year high — and likely government attempts to cool rising prices, forcing analysts to trim growth forecasts. Beijing plans to cut economic growth to 8 percent this year from 11.4 in 2007 which is also likely to weigh on consumption. “If you are looking for China to take up the slack, you are asking a lot, especially as China wants to put on the brakes,” said analyst William Adams at BaseMetals.com. “China and Asia are going through an industrial revolution and that is bullish, but we may be cooling off from a hot bull trend to a warm trend. Overall, China will remain strong but not as a strong as we have become used to.” For the aluminum industry, the effect of the problems in the United States are already being felt. Fabricators in Guangdong, an industrial heartland, say they have seen a 50 percent cut in orders for aluminum products ranging from window frames to computer and car parts from U.S. customers. “The whole industry knows that U.S. orders in the second quarter have fallen by a half from a year ago,” a manager at a aluminum product plant in Nanhai city said. Some U.S. buyers had also asked for longer payment times in the first quarter or delayed deliveries, making many fabricators in Guangdong cautious about taking new orders, he said. And it’s not just analysts and exporters who are getting worried about the health of the world’s largest economy. Insurance premiums for shipments from China to the United States, to cover in case a buyer defaults, have risen to 1 percent now from about 0.75 percent in December, as underwriters price in growing risk, exporters said. Premiums for Europe at about half this level are stable, they said.
What’s with Melo’s arm sleeves? He looks like a jester; like literally that’s the costume a jester would wear to court to please the king a thousand years ago. Who’s the king then? Maybe James Dolan the minstrel?Reggie Miller was talking about how Chandler has to match up on Roy Hibbert all night and what a tough job that is. Wasn’t Chandler the DPOY last year? Why isn’t Hibbert having to match up on him? Has Hibbert won a championship? Does Hibbert have the most powerful bald-head to beard transition out of any man in the association? I don’t think so.David West, David West, David West. I don’t understand why they don’t let him post up more. He seems to score at like 60% if he gets a touch in the post, with Hibbert out there too to crash for second chance buckets, I feel like he’s underserved in this offense.Sir Lance-Stephsen is awesome to watch. His body is always moving, always fluid compared to a lot of the tightly-muscled guys out there, like George Hill, who always seems a little uncomfortable dribbling the ball to me. Lance seems constantly out of control like they just let a Whirling Dervisher on the court and told him to see if he could spin his way to the hoop.Oh great, another Blake Griffin Kia commercial. I used to love these. I still love Blake and don’t fault my super-famous and slightly less-fit doppelganger for making his $$$ while he can, but this campaign is at the point of diminishing returns now where every poorly done Blake-face cropping onto the body of some young mixed-race child only makes me vow ever harder to never buy a Kia. The bodies I don’t think can move too much to hide the lines where the face is grafted on and either Blake is trying to be consistent with his acting and not move his neck much either or Blake Griffin is just a super stiff dude, no matter what age.OK enough with guys being stiff or loose…:sThey just said Tyson Chandler lost ten pounds to the flu in a week. I want that flu. True story, work in an office full of women and somebody said they thought they had a tapeworm and then, like whack-a-moles, everybody popped out of their office one at a time and said, “Who’s got a tapeworm? I want a tapeworm!” “I had a stomach flu last year and lost 3 pounds, it was great!”JR Smith has just checked in. I call him 30/100. I know he’s had a great year and put up record numbers and is the sixth man and certainly in Woodson’s iso-heavy offense he’s an integral part BUT in my mind he’s excellent 30% of the time and a liability most of the rest. 30/100, 30 percent of the time you get 100%.Paul George made a pull up to stop a 7-0 run by the Knicks, he’s a quiet superstar, I’d love to see him getting going early in this game.Back onto JR though, and I’m putting him in the same group as Kobe, where you just wonder, if they played like they were Jimmy Butler on the Bulls let’s say, just played hard on defense and took open shots when they found them in the rhythm of the game instead of forcing them all one on one, how much better would they be? How much more would their team get in rhythm and when they were double teamed late in the game, exhausted from chucking up 30 shots after 1000 dribbles, 500 crossovers and 100 stepbacks?Frank Vogel looks like one of those really good History teachers you get once in a high school career, who might be in the Army Reserves and actually a weekend Civil War re-enactor. He’s the kind of guy that can get kids who never cared about the revolution to make 3-corner hats and find the open man late in the shot-clock.Remember when I said Melo looked like a jester? OK Spike just one-upped him. But in this Game of Thrones recasting, Spike is the old washed up jester who’s being replaced by Melo. Spike has more passion but Melo amuses Dolan the Minstrel with greater ease due to his physical gifts for tumbling and prattfalls.JR. Smith makes a wide open three, no gesture, jogs backwards on defense. No showmanship, just playing, that’s a good sign for the Knicks.I always wonder why in the NBA they don’t hit the roll man more often on a screen and roll, in my one season as a champion on 2K12 with Ricardo Nixon (The Brazillian Richard Nixon) I used to hit Chandler all the time on the roll and he was a great finisher. Don’t these guys do research?Speaking of that season, where’s Amare? Did he already punch a fire extinguisher this year in anticipation of a disappointing finish to the off season? Did he mix up his schedule and have to go train with Hakeem early this year.Ooo ooo! Reggie Miller’s mic turned on early watching Overtime online. (I’m at work doing this) and he said he wanted to talk about Lance Stevenson ball watching leading to a JR Smith open look. That’s code for, Lance was checking out dudes at the club so JR swooped in and snatched up Lance’s female date. Happens more than you’d think in the NBA, these guys are all so burnt out on top-shelf women they sometimes find themselves more intrigued by men’s fashion than women’s passion. Lance apparently has the moves like Jagger.George Hill has to be the stiffest starting point guard in the NBA.I just realized that J Kidd and Chandler represent a big part of the Mavs championship team two years ago. If they don’t win this whole thing it will forever answer the question, who’s better, Melo or Dirk.I can’t tell who wants to win this game yet. It’s 27 to 20 and both teams seem to be feeling each other out still. Nobody is angry. Nobody is hyped up, everyone is thinking a lot about how they’re going to play the game and nobody is out there just playing. It’s like making love to your wife on a Wednesday night and worrying if you forgot to send that last email off at work.Oh great, here’s that stupid Red Headed reporter I hate talking to Frank Vogel. I don’t know why, she seems nice enough but I get the sense that there’s a guy out there who grew up as her best friend, when she wasn’t that good looking and sort of nerdy and he always had a crush on her and they were about to get engaged when she get the call from TNT that they’d seen her tape and wanted her to try out for the big leagues. She broke that fictional guys heart to pursue her career and now she occasionally hooks up with really fit trainers and slick looking PR guys because she has to keep a line up between work and pleasure. Maybe one time she made out with Delonte West though.Tyler Hansbourgough made a nice pass at the top of the three-point line. I love when a big comes out to do that where everyone knows he has no intention of shooting and he’s going to make the heck out of the pass to another wing player and then come up for a screen or drop down into the post. It’s like a ballet recital where a frumpy kid with a tiny bulge in his spandex pants is inexplicably able to kick almost high enough to be talented.DJ Augustine is going one on one against J Kidd and he loses the ball. DJ, that dude has like 15 years on you and you can’t take him off the dribble? Didn’t you used to start? Oh it was for the Bobcats? Never mind. Carry on.Shumpert is clearly mad I haven’t mentioned him yet. His hair is the freshest and he just jammed it home in transition. We get it Shump, you’re the youngest guy on the team. You have a sense of fashion and you’re physically gifted. You’re not fooling me though, I saw that spoken word poem you did about your grandmother and it moved me. You are a warrior with a sensitive heart. That’s why you’re so good at defense, you’ve spent a lifetime defending a soft core from a cruel world. I’m the same way. JK LOLz!!!Copeland is in now. He reminds me of Lenny from of Mice and Men. I don’t know if he’s a stupid man-brute or not, he’s just so quiet and big I feel like all the time outs with him and Woody go like, “You’ve got to play better defense Cope!” “And then I can tend them rabbits coach?” “That’s right.” “ And I can pet them as hard as I want?” “That’s right Cope.”David West is non-stop talking trash to Kenyon Martin throughout an entire possession. A lot of times its more fun to watch the off-ball action than the one on one stuff…hearing myself write I think I’m pretty anti- one-on-one. I like team work! An effective basketball team is like the X-Men, each person has a super power but none are powerful enough to defeat the enemy on their own so they learn to work together!It’s 41 to 34 in favor of the Knicks but that lead doesn’t seem safe, the Knicks are playing as well as I’ve seen them and they are only up by 7. Also the Pacers look terrible, lots of turnovers and a general lack of understanding as to what they want to do on offense.I turn over my shoulder because one of those female coworkers I mentioned earlier asked “Oh is that the Lakers game?” And then told me after I chewed her out, “Well if I had something about fashion up on my computer and you go it wrong and I jumped down your throat how would you feel?” “I would care as much as Amare Stoudemire is playing in this series.” I told her.I come back and now the Knicks are up 11. 11 is a great lead in an NBA playoff game going in at the half. BUT you can’t rest on that. Just in a hypothetical world where coaches can tell their players how much to go up by and they do it, I’d always tell my guys, 11 is good at the half but we want 20 going into the fourth or they’re coming back.Did Melo changes sleeves? They seem less now. Am I John Candy in Delirious?Chandler with the steel on Hibbert which he takes coast to coast for the dunk!Ok almost, Felton came over for the double team and forced Hibbert to call a time out. Still testing this theory, maybe I can’t force it, maybe I have to let it come to me in the rhythm of the piece. I have not yet spelled rhythm correctly, I’m going to type rhythm two more times so I don’t keep spelling rhythm incorrectly. I’m a 29 year old with a college education who works as a secretary, I should be able to spell rhythm correctly.Shump falls asleep and George comes in for the easy dunk on the inbounds pass. Jr Smith on HIbbert in the post but JR does a good job and forces the ball out to George.Ok Here comes the Pacers run I expected. They’ve weathered the initial hype storm of the Knicks feeling like “We must defend this house!” That’s why I love NBA games, they’re marathons not sprints. The emotional journey of the first part of the half is over and now we’re watching the same game but it’s a new story. There are always four quarters, but there are many more act breaks in an NBA game.Hibbert just did the big guy dribble hand off at the top of the 3-line and got called for a foul because he kept moving into a screen after the pass. Should have done a Hansborough and just planted his feet, put on a stern and earnest facial expression, caught the ball on one side, turned 180 degrees and passed it to the other side. Only once the ball is out of your hands do you move again.JR with a long buzzer beater. End of the first half. Knicks up by 5. At this point I predict the Pacers will win this game by 7.SECOND HALFI turn the game back on with a minute left in the third having had to do some actual work. Knicks up 69 – 64. Apparently the Pacers took the lead for a time because the Knicks have just gone on a 7 to 1 run. Felton got the steal and tossed it off the backboard to K-Mart who did his best Undertaker impression, jumping as high as he can and then selling the move with a lot of yelling and stares.David West at the free throw line. He only has 13 points so far, they need him to score 25 to win tonight. It’s just a feeling.JR decides to take the ball to the hole after going 3 of 12. He does a good job of throwing his body around enough to draw contact and get a favorable call.Shot of Amare drawing on a tiny whiteboard before the break between quarters. I bet he’s working on a new fashion design. Something with a very subtle plaid that goes well with bow-ties.Quinton Richardson is joking with Melo in a team huddle, where neither of them is paying attention to Woody. Clearly Melo doesn’t need to because he’ll just do what he wants and Richardson won’t play. I wonder what the dynamic is like on a team with a superstar, do guys try to befriend him to get invited out to the cooler parties? Is Knuckle Head trying to get a plus-one to Lala's MTV Grind House?Prigioni comes in and all I can think about is a gif I saw of him on reddit refusing to shoot a wide-open layup. Every time he touches the ball now I hear a voice in the back of my head go “Will he shoot?” Every time he does I get a little ASMR tingle in my spine.Holy shit, Delirious theory is back on. Prigioni just pulled up for a 3 and buried it!Chandler blocks Hansborough after he’s already fouled by K-Mart, that’s like the tag-team exchange in a WWE match where you get a free kick on the guy before your buddy has to leave the ring.Hibbert is walking to the sidelines looking pisssssed. Not pissed at anyone in general put pissed at life. Maybe he needs to talk to JR about how to deal with higher powers. “Why did you make me so big and rich if I can’t block all the balls?”These Crown Life commercials confuse me. I don’t know who this host is. He keeps talking about his career in all the spots and saying people are inspiring to him and then consequently they say they are inspired by him. Is that because he won a contest to host the crown life spots? I’m proud of people who win contests too. It’s the most American thing one can do.J Kidd is dominating the DJ Augustine battle tonight without having to score. He’s owning him on defense and making smart passes on Offense. See young bloods, you don’t always have to get buckets. If I were Vogel, I would cut this up and show DJ all his possessions against Kidd tonight and tell him, in a race, you would destroy that guy, in a vertical competition, in a shooting competition you’d be competitive, so why is he owning you all night????George Hill just missed the most open three of the night. Does not bode well. Melo returns the favor by nailing a three on the other end and doing his patented three finger had tap. I do the same thing when I go #2 in the work toilet. Richardson is there to give him a five before anyone else. He’s talking to him and nodding. I think he’s saying, “see I told you to make a three, that’s one more than a two!”Melo tries to reverse on Hibbert under the rim but misses. Oh look who’s there, it’s Chandler with the put back over Hibbert. Seems like he’s doing ok with that matchup.Melo wants to end this so he’s just going to keep shooting now. Pulls up for a quick and contested mid-range two. He misses but on the other end he gets the steal.J Kidd misses an open corner three but David West doesn’t do anything to box out. JR easily gets the rebound. David West then does nothing but pretend to almost possibly double Melo in the post. He backs away when its clear to everyone that Melo is going to shoot and literally stands still and watches Melo make George Hill look like the stiffest player on the court. Oh Melo gets an and one. David West you’re making me look bad. Maybe you’re bitter you didn’t get those touches earlier.I’m just watching David West now. He watches Hibbert drive and then helps him up off the ground. He looks like I do in a pickup game when I know my team is losing and I'm already tired.After Melo hits the second of back to back threes, putting the Knicks up 90 to 66 in the fourth David West, like a boss, walks back to the huddle calming his team down. There is still time he’s saying. Let’s just do us for a minute.Guess what song they’re playing out of the time out, “You’ve got the moves like Jagger.” Lance are listening? They’re calling for you.The Pacers seem like they are throwing in the towel early…hey! Reggie just said that line as I was typing it.Chandler finishes! Off a Prigioni pass out of an open shot no less. Themes themes, the musical fruit!And now the benches have emptied. My prediction was wrong, the Knicks have handily taken this one. Good for them. I love to be wrong.Hansborough shoots a free throw and I notice his little brother, Chota-Hansborough (that’s Pakistani for little) is out there too. They are totes adorbs.Novak is in despite his back spasms. I have back spasms and they pretty much have kept me from playing since October. I feel for you Novak.Q-rich still got that stroke!!! Drilled a corner three.Shumpert just danced like an old lady with a towel over his shoulder. That’s it. I’ve lost that loving feeling for this game. Good job Knicks. Pacers, better get it together because apparently a three day turnaround plays right into the hands of the old-ass Knicks.
The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page. The result was keep. Nakon 03:24, 20 February 2015 (UTC) This article has been deleted ten times for spamming, lack of notability or both. Its history shows an array of dubious practices including removal of CSD tags and editing from multiple accounts each with a handful of edits. An editor with no edits other than to my talk page has challenged my speedy, and it's two years since the last AFD so I'm bringing it here for the spam/notability to be debated. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:20, 12 February 2015 (UTC) Comment On verifiability, I personally believe that Monstercat is suitable for Wikipedia — although it may not have as recently as a year ago. Huffington Post and Billboard have written articles specifically about Monstercat, and The Verge has written one that discusses the label in more than passing (albeit the main subject is Twitch). On "spamming"... I haven't been watching this page's history, but Monstercat does have an unusually wide (and young) fanbase for a record label, and it wouldn't surprise me if a few of their fans were just a bit too eager to get the label onto Wikipedia. In my opinion, that doesn't warrant deleting the page — at worst, it could perhaps benefit from semi-protection until notability has been unambiguously established. I would be very surprised if the label itself were responsible for any substantial activity on the page. Fraxtil (talk) 01:51, 14 February 2015 (UTC) -*Keep - Basically agreeing with @Fraxtil:. I think semi-protection would be better worth it. TheMeaningOfBlah (talk) 13:22, 15 February 2015 (UTC)- ...and I just created the talk page for the article, again. TheMeaningOfBlah (talk) 13:24, 15 February 2015 (UTC) ┌─────────────────────────┘ I also just added a lot of sources to back up about half of the albums. I'm planning on adding more later tonight, so I've changed to a Strong Keep. TheMeaningOfBlah (talk) 22:47, 15 February 2015 (UTC) Keep, and protect as needed from spammers, per arguments are above. I'm very glad this article wasn't speedy deleted, naughty IPs or not. It doesn't even look too bad as is, just needs some basic cleanup. Earflaps (talk) 18:29, 16 February 2015 (UTC) ┌─────────────────────────┘ Keep, this article has absolutely NO reason to be deleted. I don't see how it's breaking any of Wikipedia's guidelines. It might need some cleanup, but that's pretty much it. --Prism2001 (talk) 07:20, 18 February 2015 (UTC)
Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was subjected to "a pattern of harassment" that included racial slurs and vicious sexual taunts about his mother and sister by three teammates, according to a report released Friday by NFL investigator Ted Wells. The 144-page report said Richie Incognito, who was suspended by the team in November, and fellow offensive linemen John Jerry and Mike Pouncey harassed Martin. Another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer also routinely came under attack, the investigation found. Neither was named in the report. Martin's agent, Kenneth Zuckerman, said his client feels "vindicated" by the report and plans to resume his football career. "He feels a great sense of relief," Zuckerman said. "Jonathan Martin is a great man, and he's only shown me that he is very honest since the day I met him. He loves football and is eager to get back on the field, regardless of what team he plays for." Incognito's attorney, Mark Schamel, released a statement saying Wells' report was "replete with errors" and said Martin "was never bullied by Richie Incognito or any member of the Dolphins' offensive line." Wells said his inquiry found Martin was taunted and ridiculed almost daily. After Martin left the team in October, Incognito boasted about "breaking Jmart" in a notebook the linemen used to tally fines and bonuses among themselves. When the investigation began, Incognito asked another player to destroy the book, but investigators obtained it. Incognito took to Twitter on Friday afternoon. Pleeeeease Stop The Hate. Happy Valentines Day :) - Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 14, 2014 The other harassed player was "subjected to homophobic name-calling and improper physical touching," while the assistant trainer, who was born in Japan, was subjected to racial slurs. "It was not difficult to conclude that the assistant trainer and Player A were harassed, but the questions raised in Martin's case were more complex, nuanced and difficult," the report said. In the case of Player A, the report said, Dolphins offensive line coach Jim Turner "was aware of the running 'joke' that Player A was gay, and on at least one occasion, he participated in the taunting." "Around Christmas 2012, Coach Turner gave the offensive linemen gift bags that included a variety of stocking stuffers. The gifts included inflatable female dolls for all of the offensive linemen except Player A, who received a male 'blow-up' doll," the report said. "According to Incognito, Player A was a 'good kid' who 'took it well' and never told his teammates to stop. In Incognito's eyes, jokes about Player A's sexuality were all harmless fun."
Latest Stories U.S. general says no military threat on southern border Under pointed questioning from senators, the top U.S. general for homeland defense said Tuesday that he sees no military threat coming from the southern border with Mexico, but his focus in on "very real" threats from China and Russia in the north. New poll shows independent Presidential candidate hurts Democrat A new Christopher Newport University Wason Center poll of 1001 likely voters around the nation shows an independent candidate on the 2020 Presidential ballot hurts a Democratic candidate worse than President Trump. U.S.-North Korea roller coaster ties add to summit uncertainty Redefining success, President Donald Trump headed to his second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, determined to tamp down expectations that he'll achieve big strides toward denuclearization. Fenwick confident of winning statue court case Former Charlottesville City Councilor Bob Fenwick is confident he won't be held personally responsible for his vote to move the downtown Confederate statues -- but has no idea how the court will rule about the actual statues
Excavations in Somerset have revealed a gruesome glimpse of Iron-Age Britain. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of a massacre involving hundreds, if not thousands of people, with some of the slaughtered bodies being stripped of their flesh or chopped up. Human remains unearthed from an ancient site near Yeovil have cut marks, often in multiple rows, and occurring at the ends of important joints. “It is as if they were trying to separate pieces of the body”, according to Dr Marcus Brittain, the Cambridge archaeologist and head of a major excavation of Britain’s largest Iron-Age hill fort, Ham Hill. Defleshing signs have been found on other Iron-Age human remains, but the scale of the evidence at this site is particularly dramatic, he said. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. Ham Hill is so vast – the size of 123 football pitches surrounded by Iron-Age ramparts – that only a small part has so far been excavated. It is clear from the remains discovered that there are “hundreds, if not thousands of bodies” buried in the site, Dr Brittain told The Independent. “It’s unusual to find this number of bodies on any site, let alone from the Iron Age.” They are thought to date from the 1st or 2nd century AD, although the site had been occupied for thousands of years. Hill forts generally date from the first millennium BC to the Roman Conquest and are rarely excavated because they are protected ancient monuments. However, the Ham Hill site contains one of the most important stone materials in southern England, used in the conservation of historic buildings in the region. So, special permission was granted to extend the Ham Hill stone quarry on condition that it funded an important archaeological investigation by the universities of Cambridge and Cardiff. Its picturesque setting in “green and pleasant lands” jars with the number of human remains found, Dr Brittain said. “It could not be more different to the hill fort’s modern serenity of picnics and dog-walkers.” The massacre remains unexplained, but it occurred around the start of the Roman invasion. Evidence of Roman military equipment – large ballista bolts – has been found among the bodies. The bolts are heavy and sharp, like arrowheads – “but a hell of a lot bigger,” Dr Brittain said. “They would have been fired by catapult.” One theory is that the Romans executed people in policing and keeping order between indigenous tribes, but it’s unlikely that they did the defleshing because the gruesome practice is rarely associated with them. Defleshing was linked to Iron Age Britons who often put polished skulls in doorways. Christopher Evans, director of the Cambridge Archaeology Unit, said that the excavations raised more questions than answers. Further inside the hill fort’s interior, evidence of domestic life from earlier phases of its occupation was found, at a time when people lived in wood and daub houses. Apart from Iron-Age and Roman pottery, the finds include ritualistic burials – arrangements of human skulls as well as bodies tossed into a pit, left exposed and gnawed by animals. Many of the bodies are predominantly women. “It is weird, there is no doubt,” Dr Brittain said. There will be a site open day on Saturday. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe now
Volkswagen plans to use virtual reality to develop real-world cars. The automaker is using VR to allow staff at offices in different countries to communicate in what it hopes will be a more efficient manner. While phones, email, instant messaging, and videoconferencing make setting up a meeting between staff in different countries easy, VW believes virtual reality will take things to a new level. Following a test phase, the automaker announced implementation of VR for vehicle development at the Digility conference in Cologne, Germany. Virtual reality will make it easier for employees to share ideas, Volkswagen believes. The tech could, for example, allow employees at its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, and its logistics offices in the Czech Republic to hold a virtual meeting and feel like they're in the same room, a company press release said. In theory, the advantage of VR over more conventional methods of communication is its ability to simulate physical objects. Ford and BMW have experimented with using virtual reality to let staff examine 3D digital renderings of a car before committing to the time-consuming process of building a real-world clay mockup. VW is so committed to virtual reality that, in concert with the startup Innoactive, it has created its own "Digital Reality Hub." It allows all software and hardware the company plans to use to communicate across one platform, giving all employees equal access to any projects uploaded to the VR realm. Volkswagen uses HTC Vive headsets, which are a popular choice with other companies. Volkswagen will roll out virtual reality across its various car brands, and it will be interesting to see whether the technology makes a positive impact. VR is a hot topic both within the automotive industry and beyond, but it may be too early to say whether it really is the next big thing in tech, or just a fad.
GENEVA (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition has intensified air strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, possibly trapping civilians and hampering a humanitarian operation to import vital food and fuel supplies, the United Nations said on Friday. Earlier this week, Yemeni government forces backed by Gulf Arab troops recaptured control of the Red Sea city of al-Mokha in a push that paved the way for an advance on Hodeidah, the country’s main port city. “Civilians were trapped and targeted during the al-Mokha fighting,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein said in a statement. “There are real fears that the situation will repeat itself in the port of Hodeidah where air strikes are already intensifying.” He said possible war crimes had been documented with “alarming frequency” since the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels backed by Iran erupted almost two years ago. A U.N. statement expressed concerns civilians in al-Mokha had been deliberately targeted by the rebel-linked gunmen during the battle for control of the port. “Credible reports indicate that Houthi-affiliated snipers shot at families attempting to flee their homes in Houthi-controled areas,” the statement said. As the fighting shifted along the coast, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that civilians were already caught up in the fighting in Hodeidah, as well as in the towns of Taiz and Dhubab. The aid agency pressed called for civilians to be allowed to leave for safer areas, and called for the wounded to be given access to medical care, in line with international law. “We stand ready to deliver much needed aid to the civilian population,” said Robert Mardini, ICRC regional director for the Near and Middle East. Across Yemen, some 12 million people, roughly half the population, face the threat of famine and conditions are worsening, the United Nations warned on Wednesday as it appealed for $2.1 billion to fund food and other life-saving aid. Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, said the destruction of five cranes in Hodeidah port had forced dozens of vessels to line up offshore. “We’re trying to bring in four new mobile cranes to support the Hodeidah port, to try to ease the congestion there. That’s something that we’re in negotiation with Riyadh right now,” McGoldrick said.
By Hillary Lake, KATU News and KATU.com Staff The Harney County fire chief resigned Wednesday because he says he no longer trusts the local government. Chris Briels stood next Ammon Bundy, the leader of an armed group that has taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, and announced he had turned in his resignation to county Judge Steve Grasty. Briels accused the Bureau of Land Management of land grabbing and supports the effort to hand over the land to ranchers, but he also feels betrayed by Grasty and other members of the county government, a first sign of fracture among local leaders. Briels said Grasty confronted him when he questioned why some undercover FBI agents were at the county armory. He said Grasty told him to back off. Briels is a member of the Community Committee for Public Safety, which is a local group that's expressed interest in taking over for the Bundy protesters to work to reclaim local rancher's land rights when and if they leave. Briels, who has lived in Harney County since 1978, said his heart is hurt. "I've been told by Steve to distance myself from this committee of public safety. I've been told that we don't know what we're doing. I've been told that my life is in danger. I've been told all kinds of things. I will not be told what to do," he said. "I have my own mind, and I will use my own mind, not somebody else's." Briels was fire chief for the city of Burns since 1984. He retired and became the Harney County fire chief in 2010. The Bundy occupation of the wildlife refuge started Jan. 2 after a community protest to support two local ranchers who were sent back to federal prison for setting fire to public land next to their own land, and to support land rights for ranchers across the country. Bundy has maintained he wants a peaceful occupation of the refuge. Briels also said Wednesday he wants no violence to come out of the situation. Laura Cleland, a spokeswoman for the Association of Oregon Counties, said Grasty told her Briels' resignation goes before the county court - the equivalent of a county commission - for approval later this month. Its next meeting is Jan. 20. A public meeting for the county safety committee is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. The location of the meeting is still to be determined. Take Action: Sign up at Underground Newz Sign up at Forum (updates, direct actions, boycotts, sabotage-tactics, hacktivism) and be a part of change, today.
A good Marine is being put through the wringer -- with his career now hanging in the balance -- for mistakenly sending a threat warning from an unclassified email account, according to supporters. The 2012 warning from Jason Brezler, a Marine Corps reservist and New York City firefighter, told his fellow Marines that a senior Afghan police official was a security risk, including allegations that he sexually abused minors on U.S. bases in Afghanistan. One of the Afghan official's assistants and purported victims, days later, opened fire and killed three U.S. Marines. But Brezler's supporters say his career is now in jeopardy because of political correctness and a genuine fear that revealing the facts of his case will expose the underbelly of U.S. policy in Afghanistan. "Brezler's immediate chain-of-command here in the U.S. did not recommend punitive action, and the Marine command in Afghanistan called for the relevant document in Brezler's case to be declassified, because there is no information in the document which, if released, would damage national security," Kevin Carroll, whose firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is representing Brezler pro bono, told Fox News. Brezler now faces a board of inquiry as early as next month where he could be forced from the Marine Corps -- what amounts to an "other than honorable" separation -- for sending the warning from a Yahoo, rather than a classified, account even though Brezler admitted the error to his own supervisors. Last summer, Brezler received an urgent request for information from his fellow Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. They wanted background information about a senior Afghan police official, Sarwar Jan, who was routinely allowed on base as part of the U.S. strategy to train local security forces before the 2014 withdrawal. Brezler immediately responded with information about Jan's derogatory background, including the allegations of sexual abuse. There is no evidence immediate action was taken, and days later, one of Jan's assistants allegedly opened fire on the Marines. In September, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., wrote to the Defense Department inspector general that Brezler "suspected Jan had committed sex crimes against juveniles at U.S. Department of Defense facilities in Afghanistan. On August 10, 2012 one of Jan's subordinates and sex-crime victims killed three U.S. Marines, including my constituent Lance Corporal Greg Buckley, Jr." Buckley, along with Staff Sgt. Scott Dickinson and Cpl. Richard Rivera, were all murdered at Forward Operating Base Delhi after the alleged shooter, a teenage boy who worked for Sarwar Jan as an "assistant," opened fire on the men while they worked out at the gym. Another Marine, Staff Sgt. Cody Rhode, was shot five times and survived. In a July letter to Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, King said Jan was believed to be a security risk, and Brezler was only trying to save lives. It is "unfair for Maj. Brezler's good-faith effort to warn his fellow Marines, of what sadly proved to be mortal danger, to derail his reserve career. The Marines and the (New York City) Fire Department need more good men such as Maj. Brezler, not less," King wrote. The congressman, who also sits on the Homeland Security and Intelligence committees, said the report about Brezler's actions from March 12, 2013 "contains several administrative irregularities." Among Brezler's supporters are Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer and Bing West, former assistant secretary of Defense, who wrote the Board of Inquiry in September, that "Brezler is an unvarnished leader. His unwavering quality comes through to other Marines and to the people and government officials in other lands. As Marines, we exist not to occupy space in cubicles. We're expeditionary. What counts is what we do in the field." Another supporter, New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano, also wrote a letter of support. "I have met thousands of dedicated members, and Jason represents the top tier of our ranks in character, ability, dedication and leadership," he wrote. Francis Piccoli, a spokesman at the Marine Corps Forces Reserve headquarters in New Orleans, told Fox News: "Due to the impending Board of Inquiry for Maj. Brezler, it is inappropriate for me to address this issue at this time other than stating that pursuant to a NCIS investigation that substantiated the mishandling of classified information, Maj Brezler has been ordered to show cause for retention in the U.S. Marine Corps before a Board of Inquiry." A critical editorial was published this week by the Marine Corps Times, calling for a serious rethinking of the Brezler case. It said: "Brezler's treatment sends the message that in the Marine Corps there's no room for honest mistakes. That's a dangerous precedent to set ... In his quest to recenter the Corps and 'hit the reset button on accountability,' Gen. Jim Amos has said that the new law of the land does not mean 'zero defects.' ... Brezler's case is an opportunity for the Corps to act on Amos' intent -- and do the right thing."
Thugs attack two transvestites... who turn out to be cage fighters wearing fancy dress Two thugs who attacked what they thought were a pair of transvestites picked on the wrong men - when their intended victims turned out to be cage fighters on a night out in fancy dress. Dean Gardener, 19, and Jason Fender, 22, singled out the two men walking along a street in wigs, short skirts and high heels. Bare-chested Gardener was caught on CCTV confronting one of the men in a pink wig, black skirt and boob tube - then seen swinging a punch, a court heard. Taunts: Dean Gardener, 19, and Jason Fender, 22, are punched to the ground after attacking two cross-dressing cage fighters But the other cage fighter, wearing a sparkling black dress and matching long wig, sprang to his friend's help, delivering two lightning-quick punches to the two stunned yobs. The cage fighters were then seen teetering away in their high heels, stopping only to pick up a clutch bag they dropped during the melee. Gardener and Fender were left dazed and seen staggering to their feet after their failed attack. Knockout: One of the cross dressers casually feels for his clutch bag before walking away CCTV cameras followed the pair as they weaved along The Kingsway in Swansea, South Wales, before being arrested by police. Mark Davies, defending, said: 'You know it cannot have been a good night when you get into a fight with two cross-dressing men. 'Unfortunately they were extremely drunk. Dazed: The two cage fighters teeter off on their high heels as their two attackers struggle to get to their feet
A Louisiana grand jury indicted two marshals on second-degree murder charges for allegedly fatally shooting a 6-year-old autistic boy who was sitting in the passenger seat of his father’s vehicle during a police chase, PEOPLE confirms. Marksville, Louisiana, city marshals Derrick Stafford, 32, and Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, allegedly opened fire on a car driven by Jeremy Mardis’ father, Christopher Few, during an incident that began when Few allegedly fled the marshals who were trying to serve him a warrant. The cops allegedly fired at least 18 rounds between them, according to multiple reports, killing Mardis and injuring Few, who subsequently spent a week in the hospital. Stafford and Greenhouse were arrested in early November after an investigation by the Louisiana State Police. “Today’s indictments will allow the State to move forward in the process of seeking justice for Jeremy Mardis and to hold accountable those who are responsible for his death, Louisiana Attorney General James D. “Buddy” Caldwell said in a statement. • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Cathy Mardis, Jeremy’s grandmother, told reporters outside the courthouse, “It’s been pure hell. I can’t explain what it’s like to bury your 6-year-old grandchild.” After the arrests of Stafford and Greenhouse, Louisiana State Police superintendent Col. Michael Edmonson told reporters that body camera footage helped lead to the arrests. He did not reveal what was on the footage, but he said, “I can tell you, as a father, it was one of the most disturbing things I’ve witnessed.” A state police spokesperson tells PEOPLE a gag order has been issued by a judge and that the state police will not give out further information. Stafford and Caldwell were accused earlier this year in a civil rights lawsuit of using excessive force on a man at an Independence Day event, PEOPLE confirms. Greenhouse is currently free on bail and Stafford is being held at the Rapides Parish Jail in lieu of $1 million bail, according to The Advocate. According to Caldwell’s statement, second-degree murder is punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
The Flyers are going into the 2015 NHL Entry draft with a bevy of picks after some solid trades made by GM Ron Hextall. After (unsurprisingly) losing out in the draft lottery, the Flyers sit at #7 overall which is their highest selection since 2007 where they selected James Van Riemsdyk.The past two drafts we have seen the Flyers stock pile defensive prospects like Samuel Morin, Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim, and Mark Friedman, which leaves our prospect pool at the forward position rather thin. The common consensus amongst Flyers fans is to draft one of the many talented wingers in this draft with our #7 overall pick. While I agree that forward is our biggest need in terms of prospects, the Flyers would be wise to pick another talented defenseman with our selection unless Mitch Marner falls to #7. Let's take a look at some of the defenseman who could be available for the Flyers at #7 overall: Noah Hanifin Noah Hanifin from Boston College is widely regarded as the premier defenseman going into this draft and will not likely make it to the Flyers at #7, but every year there is a surprising slide on draft day and if he were to fall to the Flyers, it would be a steal. Noah Hanifin weighs in at 203 pounds and is 6'3" tall, which is a great build for today's NHL. The left-handed D-man, who compares himself to Drew Doughty, shined in his first year at Boston College tallying 23 points in 28 games with a +/- of 12. He also made a good impression at the World Juniors this year, despite the team's lackluster finish. According to scouts, Hanifin possesses a silky smooth stride, is smart with the puck, and is solid in all ends. He isn't overly flashy or phenomenal in the offensive end but is very dependable. The only knock against Hanifin from a Flyers point of view is that he is a Left-Handed defenseman and the Flyers are more in need of a Right-Handed defenseman. That being said, Hanifin's talent and skill set would be far too great to pass up based on handiness. Ivan Provorov Unlike Noah Hanifin, it is very probable that Ivan Provorov will be available at the #7 spot. The skilled Russian is widely believed to be the most NHL ready of the vast coup of defenseman and would be a great fit and value for the Flyers at #7. The Left-Handed defenseman will most likely be more offensively minded than his Boston College counterpart but may not be as defensively responsible, but that isn't a slight at Provorov's defensive abilities. The 6'0" 201 pound defenseman posted 61 points in 60 games with a +/- of 36. At first glance this may seem worlds above Hanifin's production but take into consideration the NCAA is tougher competition than the WHL. Here is a scouting report from Craig Button, who ranks Provorov as the 5th best player in the draft, ahead of Hanifin: While the debate will rage, I see Ivan as the best and most complete defenceman in the draft. His command of all the situations in the game allows him to contribute and make an impact regardless of what’s confronting him. Ivan can make the game look effortless with a brilliant understanding of what’s unfolding in front of him either from a defensive or offensive standpoint. His skating, quickness and balance, pinpoint passing, poise under pressure and a great competitive determination align to make him a defenceman who can influence the play and the outcomes in a consistent and positive manner. The Flyers haven't been known for drafting Russians, but that could change under Hextall and drafting Provorov would be a great way to start. Zach Werenski Zach Werenski would be the biggest wild card of the three mentioned D-Men. Werenski has a similar build to Hanifin and Provorv; he weighs 207 pounds and is 6'2". Werenski piled up 25 points in 35 games and a +/- of 9 for the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA. Werenski projects to be an all around D-man with good offensive instincts. Here is a scouting report on Werenski from Ben Kerr of Last Word on Sports who probably knows more than I do: Werenski is a mobile, two-way defender who is not afraid to be physical in his own end of the rink. He can battle in the corners and works to clear the front of the net. He’s also been known to throw a hit if a forward comes down his side of the rink with his head down, though does not go out of his way and get himself caught out of position to do so. Werenski possesses high-end offensive ability with good passing skills, and strong ability to handle the puck and quarterback things from the blueline on the powerplay. While Werenski appears to be a very talented player, he would be my third choice out of Hanifin and Provorov. It should be noted that Dean Lombardi, who Ron Hextall worked very closely with in Los Angeles, has spoken out against the way that Michigan develops its players and specifically its defensemen. While not much is known about Hextall's preferences, it isn't unreasonable to think his former partner's opinion might influence his own. In Conclusion There are many talented forwards in this draft such as Mikko Rantanen, Kyle Conner, Pavel Zacha, Matthew Barzal, Lawson Crouse, and Timo Meier who could be available at #7, the Flyers would be better off selecting one of the mentioned defensemen providing Mitch Marner doesn't miraculously slip to the Flyers, in which case, pick him. I certainly wouldn't be angry should we select a forward, but I feel adding more defensive talent is our top priority. Sanheim, Morin, Hagg, and Gostisbehere are all talented but none of them are sure things and the law of averages says that at least one of them will not turn out the way we hope. The Flyers also have another late 1st round election this year they could use to snag up a winger. Targets could include Jake DeBrusk, Jeremy Bracco, Daniel Sprong, or Brock Boeser.
What does solar wind look like when it first forms from the Sun’s corona? Now, with new satellite images manipulated to remove background light, scientists can answer that question. “This is part of the last major connection we need to make to understand how [the Sun] influences the environment around the Earth,” Craig DeForest, an astrophysicist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., told Eos. DeForest is the lead author on a new paper describing the novel technique, published last week in the Astrophysical Journal. A Tricky Search Back in the 1960s, scientists discovered the solar wind, a constant flow from the Sun of extremely high temperature plasma that’s so hot the Sun’s gravity can’t hold it. Scientists knew that the solar wind was somehow connected to the Sun’s corona—the bright layer of the Sun’s atmosphere that can be seen during a solar eclipse—but until now, scientists weren’t sure how one transitioned into the other. “We’re trying to understand, among other things, why the solar wind near the Earth is variable and gusty.” This transition is important because “we’re trying to understand, among other things, why the solar wind near the Earth is variable and gusty,” DeForest said. This gustiness can affect things like the trajectory of coronal mass ejections—huge magnetic explosions from that Sun that, when they hit Earth, can knock out telecommunications, short out satellite circuitry, and damage electrical transmission lines. But studying the transition between the corona and the solar wind is difficult—the solar wind is very faint against a background full of stars and interplanetary dust, DeForest said, making it hard to discern exactly what is happening as the solar wind gets created. When scientists looked at previous images and “saw the [corona] fade, it was difficult to tell whether it was fading in an absolute sense or dropping below stellar background,” DeForest continued. Unfixing the View With computer-processed images from NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), the scientists finally observed this transition. The processing removed objects of “fixed brightness,” DeForest said, like the dust cloud that fills the inner solar system and the background stars themselves. That left the moving and variable features of the solar wind itself. Scientists already knew that masses of particles in the corona are controlled by magnetic fields, which gives the Sun its “rays”—similar to those in a child’s drawing, DeForest said. The new images revealed the farthest reaches of the magnetically controlled corona, showing that once the material travels about a third of the distance from the Sun to the Earth, the magnetic fields weaken enough that solar wind particles can disperse from the field lines and fan out more like an Earthly wind. The video below, from NASA, compares this transformation of the solar wind from rays to dispersed particles to the way water shoots from a water gun or hose: Closer to the water gun, the water is one mass, but as it moves farther from the gun, it disperses into a spray of individual droplets. Investigating this transition region will help scientists to predict the arrival and strength of the Sun’s outbursts— Earth-bound coronal mass ejections—after they pass through a full astronomical unit of the existing solar wind, DeForest said. —JoAnna Wendel, Staff Writer
According to a recent report by the Daily Caller, Imran Awan, the embattled Democratic House IT aide, still has an active email account on the House computer system. Awan’s email address, 123@mail.house.gov, is linked to Nathan Bennett, who works for Representative André Carson (D-IN). Bennett currently works as Rep. Carson’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Currently, Carson is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, the House Homeland Security Committees, and is a ranking member of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Emerging Threats. When questioned about the email address, Bennett stated that he has no control over that account. Bennett went on to add that: “However this happened, it was not with my consent or control…For the record, I do not, nor have I ever, had control of the 123@mail.house.gov email account or any other account connected with Imran Awan or his family.” According to one Democratic IT aide, Awan and Carson were very close, and used to play video games together in Carson’s office. The aide added that Awan had been teaching Carson a foreign language. This comes just weeks after reports emerged indicating that federal authorities had opened an investigation as to whether the Awans stolen sensitive data, which they may have then sold to Russian or Pakistani intelligence. Disobedient Media previously reported that the scope of the scandal may be much wider than has been covered thus far by establishment press, with intelligence potentially having being passed to countries including Israel, Saudi Arabia and China via Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI. Since this news broke, Imran Awan has hired Christopher Gowen as his attorney. Gowen had previously worked for the Clinton campaign and the Clinton Foundation. The case against the Awan family was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, run by Obama appointee, Channing D. Phillips. Phillips had previously served for one year as the Deputy Associate Attorney General under Eric Holder, before serving as Holder’s Chief Counselor for the next four years. This has raised concerns of bias surrounding the investigation of such politically well connected individuals. Phillips’ ties to the Democratic Party run very deep. In 1968, Phillips father, Channing E. Phillips, headed the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy. That same year, Phillips led the delegation from the District of Columbia to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Phillips, who was appointed in October of 2015, has yet to be approved by the Senate. President Trumps’ appointee to replace Phillips is Jessie K. Liu. However, the confirmation process has been slowed, as the Senate received notification of Liu’s appointment on June 15, but did not add it to their calendar until August 3. Further complicating the case is the role of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz’s brother, Steven Wasserman. Steve Wasserman has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for the past 14 years. His involvement in this case in light of the relationship between Imran Awan and Debbie Wasserman Schultz has become the subject of much debate over the past few months as investigators attempt to determine the scope of the data breach. Despite these and many other issues surrounding the Awan scandal, legacy media has remained virtually silent on the proceedings. This is an important ongoing story and Disobedient Media will continue to provide coverage as it unfolds. Share this: Tweet Print More
Can't say we didn't see it coming: In Gambit's glorious cover story this week, New Orleans' real estate Romeo Sidney Torres said he's considering a run for mayor. "The city's most well-known garbage man" started mulling a run for office after a phone poll indicated that people in New Orleans are familiar with Torres, a ubiquitious public person with no chill. And although the next mayoral election isn't for another year and a half, he's thinking about throwing his hat in the ring (a metaphorical hat—his hair is too beautiful for hats): "I was surprised to learn how many people knew who I was citywide," he says. "I knew being on TV all the time, people know who you are, but not knowing what I did." "I'm serious about keeping the door open," he says. "I'm not going to rule that out right now." The feature also includes information on what Torres plans to do with the North Rampart Street monastery he bought in February. He hopes to turn the property into a "resort-like assisted living facility": "I want to do something where you don't have to sell it to your mother, father, grandmother, uncle. They want to come here," he says. "Because it's like a five-star hotel." He anticipates it'll be a year before everything is approved, but Torres says the plans have "early support from the neighborhood organization Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates." Does he have your early support for his theoretical mayoral run? • Sidney Torres: the cleaner [Gambit]
Israel is preparing to combat the threat of terror tunnels, out of which dozens of armed Hamas terrorists threaten to emerge simultaneously, but it seems not to devote enough attention to the threat already coming from the Gaza Strip - the border fence, through which not hundreds but thousands of Gazans will infiltrate Israel. And they are already coming. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter 2015 was a record year. The IDF Southern Command recorded 140 infiltration attempts last year - in other words, every third night, there was an attempt to infiltrate Israeli territory from Gaza. Security forces arrested 249 Gazans in Israeli territory, and it is likely that there were those who were not caught. This is a quantum leap of several hundred percents in comparison to before Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when, for example, only 19 Gazans were caught after having infiltrated Israel. Most infiltrators captured in 2015 are job seekers, people willing to risk their lives just to make a living. Defense officials posit that if there isn't a substantive shift in the reconstruction of Gaza this year, the number of infiltrators into Israel could reach thousands. Gazans breaking through the Israel border fence (Photo: AFP) Even now, Israel has no choice but to double the amount of exit permits given to Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza through Israel, compared to the amount it issued before Operation Protective Edge. After the Egyptians closed the Rafah border crossing, the Erez crossing became the largest pedestrian crossing from Gaza. Although Israel has not changed its official policy on issuing permits, it had no choice but to do so in practice: The closure of the Rafah crossing has created a waiting list of over 50,000 people who already received permission to leave the Gaza Strip and got stuck there. These are college students, people working abroad, sick people, and the like. To prevent an explosion, Israel releases some of the pressure. This pressure is increased by the fact that very little has been done to rebuild the ruins of Gaza: 53 percent of young people are unemployed, the GDP fell to $1,000 per person, compared to $4,000 per person in the West Bank, and experts in the defense establishment warn that there could be a shortage of drinking water this year. Seventy percent of households in Gaza enjoy running water - for six to eight hours - only every two to four days. Everyone clings onto the commitments made for projects to construct and rehabilitate Gaza's water infrastructure, which will save the Strip from drying out, but out of the $5.4 billion pledged to Gaza after Operation Protective Edge, less than 15 percent of the funds arrived. Gazans breaking through the Israel border fence (Photo: AFP) The Palestinians in Gaza put their hopes in the construction of a water desalination plant. The permits for it exist, but to build such a facility requires substantially expanding the energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the amount of electricity supplied by Egypt just goes down, and Gazans have become accustomed to living without a continuous supply of power for days. Without water, without electricity, without work - people would storm the fences toward Israel. They have nothing to lose. Even the international aid agencies operating in the Gaza Strip now admit, though not publicly, that it's not Israel that's delaying the reconstruction of Gaza. Most of the blame falls on the Palestinian Authority, which delays the rehabilitation efforts to weaken Hamas. Officials in the defense establishment have more than just a gut feeling that the PA is interested in another military conflict in Gaza. The Turkish-Qatari initiative to lower tensions between Israel and Hamas over the digging of tunnels is a wasted effort. This axis has ties to Hamas' political bureau abroad, headed by Khaled Mashal, but Hamas' military wing does not care about them – it has already chosen Iran. The security conflict in 2016 may break out due to the loss of control on the backdrop of a political, economic and social crisis in Gaza. One option is that thousands of Gazans storm the fence – which will inflame the situation on the border - or that the fear of an internal collapse would lead Hamas to another round of armed conflict. Or both.
“It is necessary for the media to restore people’s trust in the party, especially as the economy has entered a new normal and suggestions that it is declining and dragging down the global economy have emerged,” the essay said. “The nation’s media outlets are essential to political stability, and the leadership cannot afford to wait for them to catch up with the times,” it said. Mr. Xi’s directives would also make it harder for foreign governments to determine which Chinese journalists operating in their countries are legitimate news gatherers and which ones are agents serving propaganda, intelligence or other official interests. The major party and state-run news organizations have been greatly expanding their operations overseas, including in the United States. Mr. Xi’s new policy came about because “despite the continuing tightening of control of the media over the last three years, Xi is not fully assured that the state media, even the most central ones such as Xinhua and CCTV, are fully under his control,” said Xiao Qiang, a scholar in Berkeley, Calif., who researches the party’s information control. David Bandurski, the editor of the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong, said that “under Xi Jinping, the centrality of the party is explicit for every single medium.” “I think the sense is, ‘We own you, we run you, we tell you how things work,’ ” he said. “ ‘The party is the center, and you serve our agenda.’ This is much more central now, and it’s being defined for all media platforms, from social media to commercial media.” On Monday, in a sign of how officials were embracing Mr. Xi’s new policy, a website managed by the propaganda unit of the Beijing municipal party committee attacked a popular property tycoon, Ren Zhiqiang, who had criticized Mr. Xi’s speech on Friday. The site accused Mr. Ren, a party member, of having “lost his party spirit” and “opposing the party” after he wrote on his microblog that the media should be serving the people and not the party. The posts by Mr. Ren have been deleted.
click image Via Instagram Lindsey Vidito is the artist behind this gingerbread creation. If crafting the perfect gingerbread house takes skill, Lindsey Vidito has lots of it. Enough to make a gingerbread pub, anyway. Vidito, a staff member at Smith’s Bakery and Cafe (2525 Agricola Street), says she’s been showing her talents during the holiday season for the past couple of years. Last Christmas, Vidito’s gingerbread channeled the four identical houses on Agricola. Before that, she built an edible Smith’s Bakery. Her latest creation is the likeness of Gus’ Pub, a neighbouring business and popular watering hole in the city. “I think we’re going to start doing more iconic buildings for Christmas, so I was like, well, we should start with Gus’ — 'cause it’s kind of an Agricola and North Street-famous thing,” says Vidito. Vidito is a one-person team, and this building took her about six hours to put together. “I work in the cafe also, so it’s just kind of when I have free time,” she says. Vidito adds that this is the first year one of her gingerbread houses has gotten this much attention — in part, thanks to a re-post on the halifaxnoise Instagram. Folks who have been stopping in are taking a lot of pictures. Icing, fondant, turkish delight “snowballs” (snow cubes?) are all part of the spread. But as sweet as it looks, Vidito wouldn’t recommend biting into the thing. It’s been sitting out for a little while. On top of that, she had to use some cardboard in addition to the treats to make sure the pieces are structurally sound. “I don’t think anyone would wanna eat it,” laughs Vidito. “I might take some Jujubes off it.”
If the RateBeer Best awards were any indication, beer drinkers love their barrel-aged beer — at the international, consumer-driven ceremony, roughly one quarter of the 51 “top beers” in the U.S. alone were barrel-aged. But no matter how many vintages of Goose Island Bourbon County (the top beer for Illinois) or Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (the top beer for Delaware) a beer geek can drink, there’s something bourbon barrel–aged beer geeks are missing out on: The pleasure of drinking a barrel-aged beer straight from its wooden cask. That is, until Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Milton, Delaware, and AC Beverage, a draft system design and installation company based in Annapolis, Maryland, partnered to create the Rack AeriAle, a draft system designed for bars that transports barrel-aged beer straight from the cask to the glass (and better still, on nitro). While traditional beer-dispensing systems bring beer from keg to tap, Rack AeriAle extracts barrel-aged beer from its wooden barrel, passes it through a heat exchanger to chill it, and infuses it with Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide to allow for a cold, creamy pour. To break it down: First, a Nitrogenator mixed-gas system feeds the wooden barrels and dispensing system with the necessary continuously supplied mix of nitrogen gas. Next, customized barrel extractors pump the beer under low nitrogen pressure to a heat exchanger to cool the beer to the desired temperature. Then, the chilled beer feeds into a CellarStream in-line Liquid/Gas Contactor to impart a customized gas blend, depending on the beer style (i.e., the beer doesn’t necessarily have to come out rich and creamy, like a Guinness, but can if it needs to). Finally, the beer comes out of the tap like any other draught-dispensed beer, via a slow-pour faucet containing a restrictor that strips the gas while the beer is poured. “The process is like watching a theatrical performance in a glass, as it creates a unique, cascading effect resulting in a thick, creamy head that looks as appealing as it tastes,” AC Beverage president Charles Kleinrichert told Brewbound. Dogfish Head has been producing inventive barrel-aged beers for more than 20 years, beginning with its Import Ale, originally released in 1996, and including its 18 percent ABV World Wide Stout, a blend that has been released in vintages since the early 2000s. AC Beverage and Dogfish Head have worked together in the past — the former both designed and installed Dogfish’s first-ever draft system when the brewpub opened in 1995 — making the Rack AeriAle a result of a more than two-decades-long beer business friendship between the two companies. Said Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head founder and president, “Charlie and I have worked on many projects together, and through the years I have seen that he and his coworkers are among the most creative and technically knowledgeable draft-dispensing experts I’ve ever met. I thought it’d be cool to work with AC Beverage to design a system that brings barrel-aged beers from the barrel directly to the tap system and incorporates a smooth, creamy nitro head into the process. I shared my initial idea with Charlie, with some notes and images of what I was thinking about, and he took it from there and made the technical and mechanical magic happen.” Though Dogfish Head partnered with AC Beverage on the project, the draft system will be wholly owned, constructed, and sold by AC Beverage, according to Brewbound. Rack AeriAle will make its public debut at Eataly Boston’s Terra Restaurant in 2017 (although it technically made its beer media debut there on Thursday, February 2). The next location to boast the new technology will likely be Dogfish Head, which plans to install the Rack AeriAle at its Milton brewery this spring. It will first be on display at the Craft Brewers Conference in Washington, D.C., at the AC Beverage booth from April 10–13, 2017.
There are several reasons why tax-policy experts have been eager for Washington to revamp the tax code, which is not only bloated with benefits, but also so complicated that the typical family spends many hours or hundreds of dollars on a filing that the IRS could probably do itself. But the practical reasons for tax reform in 2017 are procedural. This gets complicated quickly, but basically, since Democrats probably won’t vote for a large tax cut, the GOP needs a bill that can pass with simple majority—51 votes. Sounds easy enough. But under so-called reconciliation rules, the new law cannot raise the deficit in the long run. As a result, the GOP has to make a choice: either follow George W. Bush and pass a tax cut that expires after ten years, or follow Ronald Reagan and pass a more comprehensive overhaul whose changes have no expiration date. But writing a tax policy that doesn’t increase the deficit requires the Republican Party to resurrect an ancient and long-forgotten budgetary maneuver known formally as “offsets” and more colloquially as “actually raising revenue in order to pay for stuff.” There are several ways for Republicans to save money, but the first and easiest solution has disappeared. Repealing Obamacare would have cut hundreds of billions of dollars of taxes on the rich, none of which would have to be offset in the new tax law. Second, Paul Ryan and some Trump advisers have argued for a border-adjustment tax, which would essentially tax importers, and exclude exporters, to help domestic producers. The policy would raise hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for rate cuts. But retailers like Walmart that rely on cheap imports will fiercely oppose the law, and it’s unlikely that the idea will attract a simple majority of Republicans in the Senate. Third, the most common formula for tax reform is to “lower the rates and broaden the base,” which means cutting marginal tax rates and partially paying for the lost revenue by eliminating tax benefits. Paul Ryan’s most recent tax reform would scrap most itemized deductions, except for those for mortgage interest and donations to charity. That means junking at least 70 tax benefits in the corporate and individual income-tax codes, according to the Tax Policy Center. Removing even one of these is like sending the equivalent of a bat signal into the Washington sky, all but ensuring that lobbyists for that particular cause swarm Capitol Hill or at least send several pointedly worded emails to concerned parties. The corporate income-tax overhaul, for example, would probably cut the overall rate but also eliminate several benefits for energy companies, such as those for coal production and mining. One can already hear the cries about Trump’s shattered Appalachian promises harmonizing with the agonized moaning of the oil lobby. But the screaming over changes to the individual tax code could be far worse. The Ryan plan removes benefits for injured veterans, people living in low-income housing, foster homes, and families of public-safety officers killed in the line of duty. Pissing off powerful energy conglomerates, infuriating veterans, or endangering orphans, individually, is one thing. To achieve all three in the same bill is an almost impressive feat of anti-populism.
By SAMUEL SIRINGI MPs are among the first people to be targeted in a new campaign to control Kenya’s ballooning birth rate. The National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development recently held a meeting with the MPs to urge them to boost its budget in the next financial year to help curb the rapid population growth. The agency said country is recording an annual population growth of nearly three per cent, almost double the 1.7 per cent gross domestic product growth over the same period. NCAPD director Boniface K’Oyugi said the average births per woman, at 4.6, were too high. “We must urgently curb our high fertility levels if the economy is to hold,” he said, adding that the population was growing by one million people annually. Dr K’Oyugi said the agency was seeking funding to roll out massive programmes to help control the increase in population, hence its targeting the MPs. According to Dr K’Oyugi, the country’s population would have doubled to 64 million by 2030 when the government completes implementing its economic blueprint, Vision 2030. Good future He said the agency plans to initiate a more aggressive exercise that would boost family planning programmes. Funding for the family planning programmes has been low as resources were diverted to fighting the spread of HIV/Aids. Dr K’Oyugi said the agency was concerned that the high population growth rate would soon put a strain on government resources. “We must invest in population programmes if we are to guarantee a good future for our people,” he said. He said the target was to ensure that women had an average of 2.2 children throughout their reproductive period instead of the current 4.6. Although the figure was a slight drop from the 4.9 total fertility rate of 2003, Dr K’Oyugi said it was still quite high. “We must reduce it to about 2.0,” he said. Dr K’Oyugi said the population was rising mainly because more children were surviving at birth. For example, while 77 children aged under five years were dying in every 1,000 in 2008, that figure had dropped to 52 in 2008. People infected with HIV/Aids were also living longer due to the availability of antiretroviral drugs. The two factors have been boosted by improved healthcare services. Quoting from the organisation’s latest report, Dr K’Oyugi said 40 per cent of the country’s 38 million people were children under the age of 15. By 2030, when the government expects to have attained Vision 2030, the population would have reached 64 million people. Out of poverty Experts want to use the funding being sought from the government and donors to cut the projected figure to 58 million. According to the document, entitled Rapid, a decline in fertility will be the best way out of poverty for many families. The document urges Kenya to emulate the East Asian countries, saying Thailand managed to reduce fertility to 2.2 from 6.4 per cent in 1960. That has translated into better education, more investment in modern agriculture and more savings. It also means the country has a lesser dependency ratio —there are fewer people depending on employed people. By 2030, the document said, the country will have 11 million children in primary school if the population goes unchecked. But if the country manages to control the population, that figure would be lower by three million. Fewer children enrolled in schools will mean more resources available per child. With 11 million children in schools, the country would require 316,000 teachers instead of the current 135,000.
East Tennessee State University has been in negotiations to take on Western Carolina University in a Southern Conference game at the track, people close to the deal have confirmed. The Bucs and Catamounts could play at BMS on Sept. 17, a week after Tennessee and Virginia Tech take part in what has been dubbed the “Battle of Bristol.” An official announcement about the ETSU-Western Carolina game, which has been rumored for months, is expected soon. When Tennessee and Virginia Tech meet at BMS on Sept. 10, the largest crowd ever for a college football game is expected to be on hand. The current record is 115,109, set in 2013 at Michigan Stadium during a game between Notre Dame and Michigan. The Bucs will be playing in the Southern Conference this year for the first time since 2003, the year the school dropped the football program. They went 2-9 last season, their first back. ETSU is scheduled to play Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in 2018. Western Carolina played in front of crowds larger than 100,000 twice last season, Tennessee (102,136) and Texas A&M (101,583). The Catamounts have games scheduled at South Carolina and East Carolina for the upcoming season. The Catamounts went 7-4 last season and finished third in the SoCon with a 5-2 record. ETSU formed an alliance with BMS back in 2004 to form a motorsports operation program. Ten years later, BMS was the 10th and final stop on ETSU’s “Game Time Tour” used to promote its football and basketball programs. The team uses the track as a recruiting tool, taking prospects on official visits to check out the facility since it is less than 30 miles from campus and allowable by NCAA rules. ETSU hasn’t released its schedule, but a few other schools have, and the Bucs are scheduled to play at Kennesaw State on Sept. 3, at Wofford on Sept. 24 and at the Citadel on Oct. 29.
NYT Pick la résistance nowhere 1 hour ago If I were an electoral college member I would do exactly what Mr. Suprun is doing. Every single male member of my family has served in the United States military, some achieving a high rank in the Army and Air Force. None of these fine men can stomach Donald Trump and it is not because of "policy differences", rather it is because of the fitness of his character, personal morals, absence of personal and business ethics. And to say that he is upsetting to the women in my family is an understatement. We deplore him and his sordid sexual background. Donald Trump has shown America who and what he is, and the fact that he is in the position he is in is very traumatic to American citizens. Very traumatic. If he is allow to assume the office of president he will not be a good leader. He is dangerous in both word and deed. I beg the electoral college to reject Donald Trump. Put your country before your party in this instance. Please. Flag Flag Reply 68 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick MCS New York 1 hour ago Mr. Suprun, I admire your character, your sense of decency and giving voice to grave concerns over Trump, a sociopath in my estimation and of many mental health professionals. This man will hold nuclear codes. Isn't that a concern for his core supporters? Are they that destructive, angry and crazy? I am a Democrat. But I would never vote party before competence, no way, no how. This man is dangerous. I believed George Bush was incompetent to lead the country. But I never felt he was vindictive, crazy or dangerous. I believe he thought he was doing what's best for the country, disagreements aside. Trump is gleeful at simply winning, not being President. His "Victory Tour" and the words that came from his mouth were shocking. He's surely making an "enemies" list. What have you done America? Flag Flag Reply 48 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Michael Houston 1 hour ago Mr Suprun, I share your distaste for Trump, but not your disregard for the electoral process. When you sought the position, you had to know that Donald Trump would represent the Republican Party. Why would you seek or accept the position if you had reservations for voting Trump President of the United States? The Process is bigger than you and me, bigger than Clinton and Trump. It's bigger than a wall on the southern border and it's bigger than Obama care. It's bigger than Twitter and SNL. Flag Flag Reply 13 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Dale Wiscosnin 1 hour ago You are entitled to your opinion, but also must realize that your duty as a state asset justly won by popular vote, it is no longer up to you be withhold your vote based on your interpretation of what the daily events are as reported in the media. There were plenty of times our current president was not responsive to national tragedies, of nature's force, and while there were comments as to what he should do, he chose not to and weathered the criticism. If you are unable to carry out your duty, then I suggest you relinquish your vote to someone who can. Flag Flag Reply 14 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Rick Harris Durham, NC 1 hour ago I respect your courageous actions following the 9/11 attack. it is possible, perhaps likely, that were electors were chosen by a popular vote and were specifically endowed with disproportionate voice, you would have won. But they are not. There was no meaningful democratic process that evaluated of your judgement, nor does modern practice establish a democratic basis to empower the independence you assert. I did not vote for Mr. Trump, and I fear the outcome of his Presidency. But I do not believe that your vote is endowed with a superior value to that of the 60 million American's who voted. It invites anarchy rather than ehanhaces Democracy. If the American people, voting in their respective states, cannot act to maintain the individual freedoms granted in the Bill of Right, the 14th and 15th Amendments, as well as the need for honest in political discourse, it is sorrowful. But your electoral vote, however cast, will not change the fact that voters were prepared to reject the conventions that usually abide during American elections. Now we, as well as they, will have to live and react to that decision. Flag Flag Reply 9 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Peter Hippard San Francisco 1 hour ago Mr. Suprun is a voice of reason and gives me confidence in my country. Thank you for your independent voice. If we're going to have an Electoral College it must be more than a simple rubber stamp but a filter for common sense, and the electors need to consider their votes accordingly. Flag Flag Reply 41 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick indy mod NY 1 hour ago I believe that the electoral college was created by the founding fathers as a check against mob rule where a populist majority takes control of a democratic election. Although Trump's election may have the opposite consequence, where the electoral college elected by a minority popular vote may trump the majority of the popular vote. It's time to get rid of the electoral college and have direct elections. It's about time that we trust the American voters to choose their most qualified leaders. Flag Flag Reply 21 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick jstarrt San Fran 1 hour ago Just because it has never happened in the (relatively short) 240-year-history of Republic doesn't mean it never could or should. While the Founders could not have foreseen this exact risk to our Republic (e.g. the popular election of a demagogue by less than a majority of voters, concentrated in states with representation disproportionate to their actual populations), they clearly put the Electoral College in place in anticipation of some potential risk. Flag Flag Reply 36 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Juliana Golden Oakland, CA 1 hour ago Thank you so much for your thoughtful piece. I have been contacting Republican electors in an effort to show that the public would support this move. I am a Democrat, and it has been difficult to convince them that this is not sour grapes. I would never ask electors to change their votes if a qualified Republican (one who has held office before and isn't beholden to foreign governments) had been elected. Trump is a dangerous leader regardless of party affiliation, and its up to the electors to recognize that. Of course, as a liberal, I'd rather have Hilary Clinton in the White House, but I would at least feel like the world is safe with a qualified Republican leader at the helm. I really hope you are able to convince others in the Electoral College to follow your lead. Flag Flag Reply 40 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick KM Fargo, Nd 1 hour ago One might add that we now know why Trump is not meeting for intelligence briefings. He clearly has his own team of advisors who plan to go around years of diplomatic work to create their own brand on chaos on the world. If the Electoral College cannot overturn the "election," those who do not cast a vote for Mr Trump will have their place in history as a last stand against a tyrant. Flag Flag Reply 30 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick John Oregon 1 hour ago If your oath was to protect the freedom of this nation then don't take it upon yourself to usurp the rights of voters in your area. You should vote as they voted. I may not agree with either major party candidate but I surely don't agree with what you are suggesting. This isn't your do-over. Flag Flag Reply 8 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Brookevillewoolenmill Brookeville, MD 1 hour ago Your decision to ensure that we have a President with the integrity required to lead our government comports well with Hamilton's discussion of the electors duties in the Federalist Papers No. 68. I hope you are just the tip of the spear and predict you will be widely applauded even if you are the sole independent thinker in the Electoral College. Flag Flag Reply 34 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Bruce Michel Dayton OH 1 hour ago "Clear and present danger" sums it up. Mr. Trump has already clearly demonstrated his unfitness for office in myriad, well-documented ways. We cannot take a chance that he will be able to reduce our liberties, endanger our safety or personally profit from office. Whether he does that by nefarious plan or simply by erratic leadership coupled with compliance by his minions does not matter. Gov. Kasich was often considered the adult in the room during the debates. Our governor is still too much of a right-wing ideologue for me, but he is an honorable man with a clear record of his positions from the debates. I sincerely hope other electors will join Mr. Suprun in heeding the call by many to not vote for Mr. Trump. The Republicans own this one and need to be responsible for mitigating this threat to our freedom. Flag Flag Reply 23 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick William Fang Alhambra, CA 1 hour ago Too little too late. Pretty much everything about President-Elect Trump that Mr Suprun points out has been known for a long time. If that didn't deter all major elected GOP officials, the RNC apparatus, and over 62 million Americans from supporting Mr Trump, I'm not sure how the Electoral College could miraculously prevent a Trump presidency. Flag Flag Reply 6 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Stephen J New Haven 1 hour ago Much as I dislike the thought of having our once-great nation led by a man like Donald Trump, and much as I appreciate the agonies of conscience Mr. Suprun is undergoing, I cannot wish for the electoral college to unmake the election. Yes, the founding fathers intended the electors to choose, because they had little faith in the ability of common men to select proper leaders. But they were just beginning the process of building a truly democratic republic. We have long since relegated the electors to a largely ceremonial position, and that is as it should be - unless and until we abolish that system and use a direct national vote to decide the presidency. Mr. Suprun may may his protest, and I respect his decision. But electors as a group should not follow suit. If we, as a nation, are stupid and selfish enough to elect the vain, feckless, celebrity-seeking Mr. Trump as our president, we deserve what we get for the next four years. Flag Flag Reply 8 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick RBW traveling the world 40 minutes ago Thank you Mr. Suprun. May you be the first of many! There is no law or section of the Constitution or amendment requiring the electors in the Electoral College to lead the way into a national train wreck. To the extent that any state law or Constitutional provision would require doing just that under the current circumstances, I suggest Electors resign as a matter of conscience if they cannot bring themselves to defy state law. I advocate these actions because a swearing-in of the utterly incompetent and utterly compromised ignoramus Donald Trump as President of the United States would produce inevitable shame and disaster for our nation, if not untold trouble around the world. The Electors' decision here is not about politics, but about national and world safety and stability. While the fact that Trump did not win a majority in the national election is not determinative by itself, if Electors are not merely robotic ciphers, but count themselves as citizens possessing judgment and reason, the facts about Trump as they are increasingly revealed must compel the Electors to use their reason in rejecting him as our President. Flag Flag Reply 9 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick jay oregon 25 minutes ago Bravo! The Electoral College is designed to stop mistakes made by direct democracy. It is the duty of the Electoral College to ensure that someone who is unfit to be President of the United States does not hold the office. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 68 "...intermediate body of electors will be much less apt to convulse the community with any extraordinary or violent movements, than the choice of one who was himself to be the final object of the public wishes." The 2016 election has produced a demagogue that might be under the influence of foreign leaders and is already using the presidency as a vehicle to promote his businesses and self interests to the detriment of the United States as a whole. He is doing this by inciting violence and dividing the country. It is hard to image better evidence and reasons for the Electoral College to do its job and vote their conscience to ensure that Trump does not become President. Please, all electors, stand up, be strong, and choose the candidate that will put the American people first. Flag Flag Reply 4 Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter NYT Pick Hermogenes California 9 minutes ago It would be the duty of the Electoral College to preserve the Republic in the event that a man of low intrigue were elected by a popular vote. I believe it has; if ever there was a man of "low intrigue" and schooled in "the little arts," that citizen is Donald Trump. My support for this small movement of Hamilton Electors comes in no way from my policy disagreements with Republicans; though I lean left on most economic questions, I am not a Democrat. My support is rooted, rather, in my honest and firm convictions that Mr. Donald Trump is unfit to serve as president because of his manifest lack of judgement, his meager gifts of self-control, his absence of any sign of courage (and numerous suggestions of its opposite), and his repeated demonstrations of an inability to comprehend the most basic issues of justice. Wisdom, temperance, courage, justice: those are the four cardinal virtues and the bare minimum requirements of character for any citizen to legitimately lead their compatriots. And those virtues have served as the (admittedly ideal, but) minimum markers for character and leadership from the days of Aristotle. So my position is rooted in my understanding of the Republic and of this moment, and not in any partisan perspective. I believe the Republican Party rightly won the Presidency this election, and that office should go to their Party. But it should not go to Mr. Donald Trump. Character does matter. Flag Flag Reply Recommend Recommend Share this comment on Facebook Share this comment on Twitter Loading...
Before he was "Big Shot Bob," Robert Horry was simply trade bait. For the Rockets of 1993-95, that turned out to be a blessing. In February 1994, Houston traded Horry and forward Matt Bullard to Detroit for All-Star wing Sean Elliott, who had struggled in his first season with the Pistons. The deal was done, Horry had gone to Detroit, received his new jersey and sat for a game with his new teammates before the league made the trade official. But when the Rockets’ doctors detected a kidney ailment for Elliott — who had only missed 13 games in his first four NBA seasons — the trade was rescinded. The Rockets took back Horry and Bullard. What happened next should be of note to Danny Ainge and today’s Celtics. MORE: How Irving could fill Thomas' shoes, fit in Celtics' system Horry averaged 11.4 points, making 48.8 percent of his shots and 39.7 percent of his 3s after the failed trade. He had seen himself mostly as a defensive specialist before the deal but took the trade as a catalyst to show what he could do offensively. He was averaging 8.3 points when the move fell through on just 43.1 percent shooting, 25.0 percent from the 3-point line. From there, Horry became a critical factor in driving the Rockets to the 1994 championship, and to their repeat performance in 1995. Jim Boylen, an assistant coach on that team, once told me, “He was not happy about being traded, and he was probably a little hurt, but he was a professional all the way about it. It drove him, it lit a fire under him and we benefited from that.” The Cavaliers have until Wednesday to decide what to do with the trade to which they agreed with the Celtics last week, which would send All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to Boston for a package of All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and Brooklyn’s unprotected pick in next year’s draft. Cleveland has put the deal on hold because of questions around Thomas’ hip, but the Cavs would be willing to go forward with the deal if the Celtics add another asset — say, Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, the No. 3 picks in the last two drafts. They shouldn’t. The Celtics are already giving up too much in this trade, and it would set a poor precedent to cave into the demands of a trading partner in this case — when the teams agreed to the trade, the Cavaliers already knew that Thomas was recovering from a hip injury, and this new demand has the air of extortion about it. The Cavs may feel they have the Celtics over a barrel here, that to undo this trade and figure out how to welcome back Thomas and Crowder after very publicly sending them elsewhere would be devastating to the Celtics’ chemistry while still leaving open the possibility for Cleveland to deal Irving to another team. Should the Cavs pull back the trade, then deal Irving to Phoenix or New York or anywhere else, they’d have succeeded in moving Irving while also wreaking havoc with Boston, their top challenger in the East. MORE: NBA players felt Thomas "was done wrong" by Celtics But don’t assume that taking Thomas and Crowder back would crush the Celtics. Thomas is, after all, a professional and has worn his sense of disrespect — he was the 60th overall pick, remember, and he has been traded three times now, including the Cavs deal — like a badge during his NBA tenure. He will also be a free agent next summer. If he returns to Boston, it would behoove him to maintain the level he showed last year, when he vaulted himself into MVP candidacy with his 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game. (Crowder, for his part, was already slated to see a reduced role with the addition of Gordon Hayward and drafting of Tatum. Should the Cavs deal fall apart, Crowder might still be traded.) If Thomas winds up back in Boston, it’s a safe bet he will take the same kind of approach that Horry did 23 years ago. Rather than venting about the failed trade, Horry simply took his Pistons jersey and hung it in his bedroom. He used that to fuel the rest of his 1994 season, and the Rockets’ run in the playoffs, which ended with a seven-game win over the Knicks in the NBA Finals. The Celtics would still be a longshot to win it all, with LeBron James still in Cleveland and the Warriors still humming in the West. But there’s no reason to think Thomas won’t be able to slide back into his team-leading role in Boston, not with as much as he has at stake in the coming season. As Horry said about his Pistons jersey after the Detroit deal, “My feelings weren't hurt about the trade, because I look at this league as a business. But I think about what could have happened every day I walk into my bedroom.” If the Cavaliers want more, the Celtics should simply take Thomas back and hope that he hangs a Cleveland jersey above his bed.
rama June 21, 2016 Tags: Eat That Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words, Moon Zappa I was fortunate enough to have recently interviewed Moon Zappa in honor of director Thorsten Schütte's documentary, "Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words" which was about Moon's legendary father, the late great music icon, Frank Zappa. Those of us fans of cinema and TV would also recognize some of Moon Zappa's works in such gigs as "National Lampoon's European Vacation" and TV's "High School USA." In my conversation with Moon, I mostly wanted to know more about what it was like to be growing up with a father like Frank, and Moon was generous enough to answer my questions. Below is my entire interview with Moon Unit Zappa. Rama's Screen: So if Frank was alive today, what would he say about this documentary? Because at the end of the film he himself said he didn't want to be remembered. Moon Zappa: "I think he really would’ve enjoyed this film, while he may not have wanted to be remembered, I think what he was saying in that moment was that it didn’t matter; that it’s irrelevant if you are remembered or not. I think he was talking about the time that you are alive that matters. Because the time that you’re gone is for other people anyway. So it was not a goal.. it didn’t summarize him in some way if he was remembered or if he wasn’t remembered. Possibly he was afraid he wouldn’t be remembered I don’t know, but I think he would’ve really loved this film because one thing I know he wanted to be seen is as an American composer and I think Thorsten’s tells that story beautifully" Rama's Screen: I had a hard time growing up liking Frank's music mainly because it was so unconventional, he'd add in xylophone or flute, much of his composition sounded experimental, I admire that he was doing something unique and new and unlike anything every body else was doing, but his songs weren't your regular verse bridge chorus catchy songs, ya know, definitely not the kind that's easily marketable by record labels. So I guess my question is.. if he was around today, would his music find a place in today's generation that prefers Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez? Moon Zappa: "I think that he probably would’ve had a lot of fun either spoofing it or if he enjoyed their work, he probably would’ve wanted them to come and do some kind of collaboration. He was a big fan of excellent musicians who took their job as musicians seriously but also could be playful and could improvise. I think he would get along with Justin Timberlake and possibly Beyonce." Rama's Screen: This documentary doesn't have talking heads, it doesn't even feature you or any of Frank's loved ones talking about Zappa. Were you ok with that format? Moon Zappa: "I think that’s an inspiring format, I had nothing to do with that decision-making, I think that was 100% Thorsten decision and I think there are many stories he could’ve told, but I think this story about Frank wanting to be understood as an American composer was a fantastic way to ground this journey and make it a human adventure that you’re watching. My mother was in charge of giving him the keys to the kingdom, I’m amazed that he pulled it off. That was 8 years it took him to.. I think two years was just asking her nicely and her saying maybe." Rama's Screen: So you've seen the film? Moon Zappa: "Yes, I’ve seen it four times now." Rama's Screen: So seeing this docu film, when you were watching it, what sort of memories come rushing in? What does the film make you remember? Moon Zappa: "It makes me remember how he smelled, especially when I see him with no shirt on and composer, I’m like ‘O, right, I remember that room, I remember how it felt to be in that room with him, I remember him smelling like winston cigarettes and kind of musky from not bathing because he was up working for many days in a row. It just reminded me of silly things in the house like we had this thing where we lower food down to the basement and then bring it back up and then there was like an intercom system throughout the house so you could always be hearing the music. You’d be trying to sleep or do your homework and you’d just be hearing this dissonant sound." Rama's Screen: At one point in the film, Zappa said that his wife was the only one buying toys for the kids in the house. So is that correct? Was your mom the only one buying you guys toys? Moon Zappa: "Ya, I’m trying to think, there were couple of things that he purchased, actually I have it on today, he gave me this little charm I wear around my neck. But ya, one of the things my mom liked to do was that she’d take tampon applicator and she’d wrap tinfoil around them and they become scuba gear for our dolls. She was crafty, a little MacGyverish that way, we had a lot of art supplies in the house, that was probably the thing we were most interested in, a lot of books. But he was just a presence in the house, a very strong presence. It’s so interesting to me that his presence lingers, such a big presence that even him not here, he’s still a presence, it’s fascinating." Rama's Screen: I really loved the part where Frank strongly advocated against censorship. It seems that time and time again, there will always be those uptight ringt-wingers trying to bring us down. I went to Europe once and when I was there I thought America was the land of the free, but it felt so much more free there in Europe. Why do you think that is? What is your take on that? Moon Zappa: "I don’t know but if you believe in reincarnation, I do think that it’s interesting that this man appeared on American soil to wake people up over here and that he was so much more well-received in Europe especially Eastern bloc countries where people there really valued freedom, they really understood it. We just take so many things for granted here, and it’s embarrassing and I think he was embarrassed by that, and he had no time for ignorance or for being wasteful with your time. He would not have been a Netflix guy, he would’ve been generating Netflix content. But ya, I think.. some of his ideas are just beginning to be.. we’re just getting to understand that a person like this existed and now be on the look out for even more of these kinds of people and his message is as strong now, even more important. You have to get out there, educate yourselves, vote, be reasonable, if we’re trying to keep this planet together, we don’t go plundering and harming other people. We’re really moving forward towards every man for himself kind of approach to living and that’s not what he would’ve wanted, it’s not sustainable, it’s not kind, it’s not smart." Rama's Screen: Did Frank pass his musical talent down to you? Did you ever get bit by that musical bug? Are you a musician?
This article is about the archaeological site. For the 2016 film, see Mohenjo Daro (film) Mohenjo-daro (; Sindhi: موئن جو دڙو‎, meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';[2] Urdu: موئن جو دڑو‬‎ [muˑənⁱ dʑoˑ d̪əɽoˑ]) is an archaeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2500 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, and one of the world's earliest major cities, contemporaneous with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Minoan Crete, and Norte Chico. Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilization declined, and the site was not rediscovered until the 1920s. Significant excavation has since been conducted at the site of the city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.[3] The site is currently threatened by erosion and improper restoration.[4] Etymology The city's original name is unknown. Based on his analysis of a Mohenjo-daro seal, Iravatham Mahadevan speculates that the city's ancient name could have been Kukkutarma ("the city [-rma] of the cockerel [kukkuta]").[5] Cock-fighting may have had ritual and religious significance for the city, with domesticated chickens bred there for sacred purposes, rather than as a food source. Mohenjo-daro may also have been a point of diffusion for the eventual worldwide domestication of chickens.[6] Mohenjo-daro, the modern name for the site, has been variously interpreted as "Mound of the Dead Men" in Sindhi, and as "Mound of Mohan" (where Mohan is Krishna).[2][7] Location Map showing the major sites and theorised extent of the Indus Valley Civilisation , including the location of the Mohenjo-daro site Mohenjo-daro is located west of the Indus River in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, in a central position between the Indus River and the Ghaggar-Hakra River. It is situated on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the Indus River Valley, around 28 kilometres (17 mi) from the town of Larkana.[8] The ridge was prominent during the time of the Indus Valley Civilization, allowing the city to stand above the surrounding flood, but subsequent flooding has since buried most of the ridge in silt deposits. The Indus still flows east of the site, but the Ghaggar-Hakra riverbed on the western side is now dry.[9] Historical context Mohenjo-daro was built in the 26th century BCE.[10] It was one of the largest cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan Civilization,[11] which developed around 3,000 BCE from the prehistoric Indus culture. At its height, the Indus Civilization spanned much of what is now Pakistan and North India, extending westwards to the Iranian border, south to Gujarat in India and northwards to an outpost in Bactria, with major urban centers at Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi. Mohenjo-daro was the most advanced city of its time, with remarkably sophisticated civil engineering and urban planning.[12] When the Indus civilization went into sudden decline around 1900 BCE, Mohenjo-daro was abandoned.[10][13] Rediscovery and excavation The ruins of the city remained undocumented for around 3,700 years until R. D. Banerji, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India, visited the site in 1919–20 identifying what he thought to be a Buddhist stupa (150–500 CE) known to be there and finding a flint scraper which convinced him of the site's antiquity. This led to large-scale excavations of Mohenjo-daro led by Kashinath Narayan Dikshit in 1924–25, and John Marshall in 1925–26.[14] In the 1930s major excavations were conducted at the site under the leadership of Marshall, D. K. Dikshitar and Ernest Mackay. Further excavations were carried out in 1945 by Mortimer Wheeler and his trainee, Ahmad Hasan Dani. The last major series of excavations were conducted in 1964 and 1965 by George F. Dales. After 1965 excavations were banned due to weathering damage to the exposed structures, and the only projects allowed at the site since have been salvage excavations, surface surveys, and conservation projects. In the 1980s, German and Italian survey groups led by Dr. Michael Jansen and Dr. Maurizio Tosi used less invasive archeological techniques, such as architectural documentation, surface surveys, and localized probing, to gather further information about Mohenjo-daro.[3] A dry core drilling conducted in 2015 by Pakistan's National Fund for Mohenjo-daro revealed that the site is larger than the unearthed area.[15] Architecture and urban infrastructure Regularity of streets and buildings suggests the influence of ancient urban planning in Mohenjo-daro's construction. View of the site's Great Bath , showing the surrounding urban layout Mohenjo-daro has a planned layout with rectilinear buildings arranged on a grid plan.[16] Most were built of fired and mortared brick; some incorporated sun-dried mud-brick and wooden superstructures. The covered area of Mohenjo-daro is estimated at 300 hectares.[17] The Oxford Handbook of Cities in World History offers a "weak" estimate of a peak population of around 40,000.[18] The sheer size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities, suggests a high level of social organization.[19] The city is divided into two parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City. The Citadel – a mud-brick mound around 12 metres (39 ft) high – is known to have supported public baths, a large residential structure designed to house about 5,000 citizens, and two large assembly halls. The city had a central marketplace, with a large central well. Individual households or groups of households obtained their water from smaller wells. Waste water was channeled to covered drains that lined the major streets. Some houses, presumably those of more prestigious inhabitants, include rooms that appear to have been set aside for bathing, and one building had an underground furnace (known as a hypocaust), possibly for heated bathing. Most houses had inner courtyards, with doors that opened onto side-lanes. Some buildings had two stories.[citation needed] Major buildings The Great Bath In 1950, Sir Mortimer Wheeler identified one large building in Mohenjo-daro as a "Great Granary". Certain wall-divisions in its massive wooden superstructure appeared to be grain storage-bays, complete with air-ducts to dry the grain. According to Wheeler, carts would have brought grain from the countryside and unloaded them directly into the bays. However, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer noted the complete lack of evidence for grain at the "granary", which, he argued, might therefore be better termed a "Great Hall" of uncertain function.[13] Close to the "Great Granary" is a large and elaborate public bath, sometimes called the Great Bath. From a colonnaded courtyard, steps lead down to the brick-built pool, which was waterproofed by a lining of bitumen. The pool measures 12 metres (39 ft) long, 7 metres (23 ft) wide and 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) deep. It may have been used for religious purification. Other large buildings include a "Pillared Hall", thought to be an assembly hall of some kind, and the so-called "College Hall", a complex of buildings comprising 78 rooms, thought to have been a priestly residence.[citation needed] Fortifications [20] Excavation of the city revealed very tall wells (left), which it seems were continually built up as flooding and rebuilding raised the elevation of street level. Mohenjo-daro had no series of city walls, but was fortified with guard towers to the west of the main settlement, and defensive fortifications to the south. Considering these fortifications and the structure of other major Indus valley cities like Harappa, it is postulated that Mohenjo-daro was an administrative center. Both Harappa and Mohenjo-daro share relatively the same architectural layout, and were generally not heavily fortified like other Indus Valley sites. It is obvious from the identical city layouts of all Indus sites that there was some kind of political or administrative centrality, but the extent and functioning of an administrative center remains unclear. Flooding and rebuilding The city also had large platforms perhaps intended as defense against flooding.[19] According to a theory first advanced by Wheeler, the city could have been flooded and silted over, perhaps six times, and later rebuilt in the same location.[21] Notable artefacts Numerous objects found in excavation include seated and standing figures, copper and stone tools, carved seals, balance-scales and weights, gold and jasper jewellery, and children's toys.[22] Many important objects from Mohenjo-daro are conserved at the National Museum of India in Delhi and the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi. In 1939, a representative collection of artefacts excavated at the site was transferred to the British Museum by the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India.[23] Dancing Girl A bronze statuette dubbed the "Dancing Girl", 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) high[24] and about 4,500 years old, was found in 'HR area' of Mohenjo-daro in 1926; it is now in the National Museum, New Delhi.[24] In 1973, British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler described the item as his favorite statuette: "She's about fifteen years old I should think, not more, but she stands there with bangles all the way up her arm and nothing else on. A girl perfectly, for the moment, perfectly confident of herself and the world. There's nothing like her, I think, in the world." John Marshall, another archeologist at Mohenjo-daro, described the figure as "a young girl, her hand on her hip in a half-impudent posture, and legs slightly forward as she beats time to the music with her legs and feet."[25] The archaeologist Gregory Possehl said of the statuette, "We may not be certain that she was a dancer, but she was good at what she did and she knew it". The statue led to two important discoveries about the civilization: first, that they knew metal blending, casting and other sophisticated methods of working with ore, and secondly that entertainment, especially dance, was part of the culture.[24] Priest-King "The Priest-King", a seated stone sculpture at the National Museum , Karachi In 1927, a seated male soapstone figure was found in a building with unusually ornamental brickwork and a wall-niche. Though there is no evidence that priests or monarchs ruled Mohenjo-daro, archaeologists dubbed this dignified figure a "Priest-King." The sculpture is 17.5 centimetres (6.9 in) tall, and shows a neatly bearded man with pierced earlobes and a fillet around his head, possibly all that is left of a once-elaborate hairstyle or head-dress; his hair is combed back. He wears an armband, and a cloak with drilled trefoil, single circle and double circle motifs, which show traces of red. His eyes might have originally been inlaid.[26] Pashupati seal Theseal Pashupati seal A seal discovered at the site bears the image of a seated, cross-legged and possibly ithyphallic figure surrounded by animals. The figure has been interpreted by some scholars as a yogi, and by others as a three-headed "proto-Shiva" as "Lord of Animals". Seven-stranded necklace Sir Mortimer Wheeler was especially fascinated with this artifact, which he believed to be at least 4,500 years old. The necklace has an S-shaped clasp with seven strands, each over 4 ft long, of bronze-metal bead-like nuggets which connect each arm of the "S" in filigree. Each strand has between 220 and 230 of the many-faceted nuggets, and there are about 1,600 nuggets in total. The necklace weighs about 250 grams in total, and is presently held in a private collection in India.[citation needed] Conservation and current state An initial agreement to fund restoration was agreed through the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris on 27 May 1980. Contributions were made by a number of other countries to the project: Surviving structures at Mohenjo-daro Preservation work for Mohenjo-daro was suspended in December 1996 after funding from the Pakistani government and international organizations stopped. Site conservation work resumed in April 1997, using funds made available by the UNESCO. The 20-year funding plan provided $10 million to protect the site and standing structures from flooding. In 2011, responsibility for the preservation of the site was transferred to the government of Sindh.[27] Currently the site is threatened by groundwater salinity and improper restoration. Many walls have already collapsed, while others are crumbling from the ground up. In 2012, Pakistani archaeologists warned that, without improved conservation measures, the site could disappear by 2030.[4][28] 2014 Sindh Festival The Mohenjo-daro site was further threatened in January 2014, when Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of the Pakistan People's Party chose the site for Sindh Festival's inauguration ceremony. This would have exposed the site to mechanical operations, including excavation and drilling. Farzand Masih, head of the Department of Archaeology at Punjab University warned that such activity was banned under the Antiquity Act, saying "You cannot even hammer a nail at an archaeological site." On 31 January 2014, a case was filed in the Sindh High Court to bar the Sindh government from continuing with the event.[29][30]The festival was held by PPP at the historic site, despite all the protest by both national and international historians and educators. See also References
Pete Thorne is bored with cute puppy pictures. The Canadian photographer resolved his distaste by snapping a series of senior dogs who are just as cute as puppies in their own disheveled, snaggle-toothed way. Thorne started small with the project, photographing a friend's greying dog named Sprout against a solid backdrop. When he felt confident enough, he put up a few posters advertising the project and asking for subjects to spotlight. He was shocked by the overwhelming response he got from the public. The project, titled "Old Faithful," has now expanded to include 50 photographs of old dogs. Thorne regularly updates his collection on Instagram and Facebook. The size of the collection isn't the only thing that's evolved over the duration of the project. Thorne told Mashable that his vision behind it did, too. "I thought I would simply photograph some old dogs, choose the ones that look like caricatures of old guys and gals, and that would be it. It wasn’t until I started hearing about dogs that I had photographed passing away and having their owners notify me, telling me about their loss, that I realized just how significant and close people become with their pets." Thorne now sees the testimonial accompanying the image as an equally important part of the project, and encourages the participants to submit info to help bring the dog's story to life. You can visit the project in full on Throne's homepage.
A REPRODUCTION specialist has branded IVF treatment of women older than 53 as “irresponsible” after a 63-year-old gave birth in Melbourne. The Tasmanian is officially Australia’s oldest new mum after having her first child, a daughter, at Frances Perry House private hospital in Parkville on August 1, according to reports. Monash University professor Gab Kovacs said “responsible” IVF clinics refused treatments of women over the age of 53, which is the “end of natural pregnancy”. “I think getting people of that age pregnant is irresponsible,” he said of the Tasmanian woman. “That child will need looking after for 20 years, and there’s a possibility she won’t be able to do that. “Our bodies weren’t designed to have children in our 60s. I don’t think any responsible IVF unit in Australia would treat someone of that age, and it’s not a standard of medicine I would condone”. media_camera The Tasmanian couple. Picture CH 7 media_camera Professor Gab Kovacs says bodies weren’t designed to give birth after 53. media_camera Adriana Iliescu set the record for being the world’s oldest mum aged 66, in 2005. The woman gave birth at 34 weeks through a caesarean operation, and was supported throughout by her 78-year-old partner. Seven News reported that after several years of failed IVF procedures, the woman was able to use the procedure to successfully conceive her first child with the help of a donor embryo, which was implanted overseas. The mum will remain at Frances Perry House with her bub until she and her daughter are both strong enough to head home to Tasmania. She is Australia’s oldest new mum, with the previous record being held by a woman who gave birth to her first child at 60, back in 2010. Romanian woman Adriana Iliescu, an author and former university lecturer, set a record for being the oldest new mum in the world when she gave birth in 2005 aged 66. therese.allaoui@news.com.au
I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll keep mentioning it to remind people. Linux.conf.au is a massive conference that I go to every year, and a good chuck of the admins and mods are going to be there too. And you’re welcome to come, too! So. Put this in your calendar now: 28 January to 2 February, 2013 It’s in Canberra (which is easy, if annoyingly canberran, to get to from anywhere), and we’ll have a Minecraft BOF (Birds of a Feather) there where we’ll chat about running a big server, what things we’ve learnt, and what we’re planning on doing. There will also be pizza, and huge amounts of geeking. Note that, whilst it’s called Linux.conf.au, it’s not just about Linux. Last year we had (to pick some at random) Arduino talks, How girls can be better represented in IT, computer-controlled model aeroplanes, how pacemakers are closed source, how to make more accessible websites (for the blind) and how to hack your brain. It was awesome. And this year is going to be awesome too. Normally we _can_ request accommodation to be physically near each other, and I’ll probably bring along our own minecraft server to play with too. As it gets closer, I’ll post some more announcements here.
Edin Dzeko: Unsure why he continues to be overlooked on a regular basis The Bosnian frontman has been part of the set-up at the Etihad Stadium since January 2011, and has provided a steady stream of goals throughout his time in England. He has, however, struggled to make himself one of the first names on the team sheet - with Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini favouring other options. Dzeko believes his performances when he has been offered an opportunity to shine justify a longer run in the side, but with Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo providing stiff competition he is often left frustrated. The 27-year-old is prepared to remain patient, as he is tied to a contract until 2015, but admits there is no way of knowing what his long-term future will hold. "It could be better on both sides, for me and the team, definitely," Dzeko told the Daily Mirror when asked for his assessment of the 2013/14 campaign for himself and City. "There are a lot of players and everyone has to get a chance to play, so maybe that's why. Who knows? "But I need to play more than I am. I've only started four games in the Premier League. But if you put me in there for 90 minutes, everything is possible. "The first game of the season I played well, I just didn't score. The second game I scored, then the manager changed me. I don't know why. "Then in the third game he changed me at half-time. Again, I don't know why. The team played badly in the first-half, for sure, but it's always on the strikers if it doesn't go well. "So I think I could definitely have played more than I have done. It's difficult because you don't have a run of games, then you come into the team after maybe four games and sometimes you want to do well, but you can't do it. "For three games in the Premier League I didn't play at all. That never happened last season. I didn't go three games without any minutes. "There's Champions League and Capital One Cup also, but that's not enough for me. "It's important to hear from the manager when you're not playing. Why are you not playing? What do you have to do better to play? So we're talking about that. "For every striker it's important to play 90 minutes, not 45, then 50, then maybe 15, you know? But I'm still here and I still have 18 months left on my contract. But you never know what can happen in the future."
The Denver City Council introduced a measure Wednesday that would essentially prohibit city officials from voluntarily cooperating with federal immigration authorities. While most of its provisions simply codify existing municipal guidance, the four-point proposal does include one new policy: Going forward, the Denver Sheriff Department would no longer be allowed to notify immigration agents when an inmate wanted on an immigration detainer is about to be released from jail, the Denver Post reported. The city already refuses to hold criminal aliens past their jail sentences for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but the proposed law would take that policy a step further by preventing police from giving immigration agents advance warning that a subject is about to go free. The two City Council members who introduced the so-called Public Safety Enforcement Priorities Act said Denver should not be helping ICE enforce federal immigration law. “Their job is to follow up on it as to how they see fit,” Councilwoman Robin Kniech said during a committee meeting. “The notification piece crosses that line. It gets us involved in helping.” If adopted, the new policy is likely to worsen already tense relations between the Denver Sheriff Department and ICE. The agencies have butted heads over multiple incidents in which Denver inmates with outstanding immigration detainers were released on short notice, reports the Post. In the latest controversy, Ricardo Lopez Vera, an illegal alien accused of killing a fellow inmate in a July 10 fight at Denver’s Downtown Detention Center, was released before ICE agents could take him into custody at the jail. ICE blasted the Denver Sheriff for first moving Lopez Vera to a hospital for medical treatment and then allowing him to be released from the hospital without notifying immigration agents. Kniech and co-sponsor Paul Lopez said their proposal would allow Denver police to notify ICE and hold suspects if agents have an arrest warrant issued by a judge or magistrate. Both lawmakers claim that further limiting local police cooperation with immigration authorities will preserve trust between Denver’s immigrant community and law enforcement officers. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of people still living in fear,” Lopez said. “It absolutely is unacceptable. We hope to clarify what our city already is doing and fill in those gaps.” In addition to halting notifications of an inmate’s pending release, the proposal would turn three existing municipal guidelines into law. It would prevent the Denver Sheriff from honoring ICE detainers, prohibit police officers from asking about a person’s immigration status, and bar city funds or resources from going toward immigration enforcement. Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the measure’s sponsors are using supposed concern about public safety as a cover to score political points. “This is purely political,” Mehlman told the Post. “It has nothing to do with police-community relationships.” Follow Will on Twitter Send tips to will@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
Laura Kane, The Canadian Press VANCOUVER -- A Vancouver councillor is eyeing regulation of home-sharing services like Airbnb, as the city's rental vacancy rate hovers near zero. Coun. Geoff Meggs wants to expand and accelerate a study already underway by city staff on the effect Airbnb and similar websites are having on the supply of rental housing. "We're going to an enormous amount of trouble to try to produce rental housing. We're not doing it for tourist accommodation. We're doing it for people who otherwise could not afford to live and work in the city of Vancouver," Meggs said in an interview. "I personally would like to see the rules toughened up to make sure that rental housing stayed rental." Vancouver is the latest jurisdiction to grapple with the rise of Airbnb and other websites that allow residents to rent out units or rooms to visitors for short-term stays. Portland, Ore., has required people listing spaces on Airbnb to obtain a permit since 2014, while Quebec became the first province in Canada to introduce regulations last year, including obliging regular users to get a certificate from the tourism ministry and pay a 3.5 per cent lodging tax. Vancouver bylaws prohibit rentals of less than 30 days outside of designated hotel and bed and breakfast zones and without a business licence. which means most people renting units using Airbnb are likely doing so illegally, Meggs said. If council backs his call for a wider study at a meeting on Tuesday, Meggs said he expects staff to report back by fall with options to mitigate any harm on the rental market and provide information on what other cities are doing. Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty said in an email that the company will work with the city. "We look forward to continuing a productive dialogue with Vancouver policy makers and providing insight into the make up of our community -- the vast majority of whom are regular people sharing their primary residences -- to develop smart, clear and fair home-sharing rules." There were 4,728 Airbnb listings in Vancouver in December, says Inside Airbnb, a website created by New York-based Murray Cox, who describes himself as a digital storyteller, community activist and technologist on the site. About 67 per cent of the listings were entire houses or units, as opposed to private rooms or shared rooms inside residences. The percentage was even higher in some neighbourhoods. Of 999 listings in downtown Vancouver, about 800 were entire homes. "If you start looking at particular neighbourhoods, you find hundreds of homes, which could potentially be 800 residents or families that are displaced," Cox said. Because Airbnb limits search results, Cox has written code to determine the total number of listings in a city. He has applied it to 30 cities, including Toronto, where there were 6,712 listings in September, of which 63 per cent were entire homes. Karen Sawatzky, an urban studies graduate student at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., has studied Airbnb use in Vancouver by also using code to mine the company's website. She has reached similar conclusions to Cox. When she first collected data in November 2014, there were 2,900 listings in Vancouver, which means there has been a 63 per cent rise in total listings in about a year when Sawatzky's findings are compared to those from Inside Airbnb. Vancouver's rental vacancy rate was 0.6 per cent in October, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Most Airbnb users are likely only renting out their units occasionally, Sawatzky said, and most listings are likely condominiums or secondary suites rather than purpose-built rental units. To fully understand the impact on supply, the city will need detailed listing data, which Sawatzky said Airbnb has been reluctant to provide to some local governments, citing privacy issues. "I don't think Airbnb is going to co-operate," she said. Meggs is more optimistic, saying he is hopeful Airbnb would share some information. It would help to know the average length of rentals, where visitors are coming from and the types of housing being listed, he said. David Hutniak of LandlordBC, representing owners and managers of rental housing, said the supply of purpose-built rental units is so tight in Vancouver that the so-called secondary market of condominiums needs to be rented out to residents. "We'd like to see that secondary rental housing remain long-term rental for the foreseeable future."
Gina is the editor of “The First Fifteen Pounds,” a blog documenting her introduction into the paleo lifestyle and her progress in Taekwondo. She is a former roommate of mine, a close friend, and has been a fantastic blogger since 2008. Ah, the age old question of the feminist movement. But here we aren’t talking about psychologically, financially, or societally, we’re talking about physically. It is possible to build muscle strength and still fit into whatever your definition of feminine is? Since this is something that has been on my mind a bit lately, I decided to keep my eyes open for information about the issue. There is an excellent post on one of my favorite blogs, Everyday Paleo, about this very question. The guest poster, Jason Seib of Primitive Stimulus, details the capabilities of one of his female clients, who can pump a ridiculous amount of iron but still looks pretty standard-fare feminine (and beautiful!). In the interest of keeping this woman’s picture at least somewhat under her control, I suggest you look at the post to see her before and after pictures. Pretty awesome! Additionally, a simple Google image search of women who do cross fit shows a lot of really feminine-looking women. Here are a few for examples: Clearly, these women are not very masculine-looking. Even if you look at men who do crossfit and come out of it, they aren’t all shoulders-heavy body-builder types either. The grand total of one person I know who does cross-fit is a total beanstalk. You would never know he was a beast until he picked you up and threw you across the room. There is really only one example I can find of a woman who does crossfit and looks a bit more masculine than she did when she first started. Again I’ll link to the post on Everyday Paleo in an attempt to help protect the woman’s privacy a bit. Here’s the thing, though. It seems more about what you are predisposed to look like more than the actions you take. The woman in the example above already had more broad shoulders and chest than some of the above lady people. She is also a bit older, which may have some effect on her body shape. Men shape up after crossfit to look like they already do — just with more muscle definition and abs. It seems that the same goes for women. I am no expert, but from what I have looked at so far, here is what I would say on the issue. You can’t fundamentally change the way you look by increasing the ability of the tools you already have. Women, loathe some of us may be to admit it, we already have the muscles. Women aren’t going to suddenly start looking like men simply because we start implementing and building those muscles. We looked different from men far before we started accepting our “weaker sex” status, and we will continue to do so when we reclaim our natural strength. Your body is predisposed to store fat in certain areas, so it makes sense to me to say that your body is also predisposed to build your muscles in a certain way, too. And that way is going to be different from men, and different from other women (just like the way men’s muscles build is different from other men). I cannot attest to the health benefits, et al that some people claim to weight lifting, but this part, I think, I can safely say is settled. Advertisements
Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki had a lot on his mind when he paid a three-day visit to Moscow last week. He had a busy agenda that included high-level negotiations with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian Federation Council (Senate) Speaker Valentina Matvienko and President Vladimir Putin. Diplomatic protocol did not call for a meeting with Putin, but the fact that the Iraqi politician met with Russia’s head of state points to the unique character of the visit. Another striking feature of Maliki’s trip was that it was arranged not by the Russian Foreign Ministry, but by the Senate. Matvienko has been quite active politically in recent months. It can be assumed that the organizers were unsure whether Putin himself would grant an audience to Maliki — so their meeting testifies to the Russian president’s keen interest in Iraqi affairs. Speaking about the visit’s objectives, the Iraqi vice president told RIA Novosti news that during the negotiations he would focus “on the need to activate Russia's role in the region, particularly in Iraq, and to intensify economic relations in the fields of electricity, energy and trade." He also said he would discuss Russia supplying military equipment to the Iraqi army. Maliki appears to have wanted the interview to be music to Russia’s ears, as he dwelt on America’s misadventures in the region and praised Russia’s invaluable contribution to Arab affairs. Some Russian media outlets have misinterpreted Maliki’s willingness for Moscow to have a stronger presence in Iraq, seeing it as a Syria-style request to send troops to Iraq. No matter how much that idea pleases some in Moscow, it is obvious the Iraqi vice president was speaking merely of an intention to foster military and technical cooperation. This is evident by Maliki inking a contract during his visit to purchase a large number of T-90 battle tanks. If, however, the agenda had been limited to military and technical cooperation, energy partnership and counterterrorist measures, the Iraqi vice president would not have needed to meet with the top Russian leadership. Experts in Moscow tend to see Maliki’s visit in the context of his country’s coming elections in April and Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum this September. Ruslan Mamedov, an expert with the Russian International Affairs Council, told Al-Monitor, “The Moscow visit can be analyzed against the backdrop of the diplomatic flurry by various Iraqi political forces on a regional scale and the upcoming voting procedure.” Iraqi politicians are stepping up their efforts to engage internationally, which has culminated in fence-mending with all Middle Eastern powerhouses, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and in some ways, even Turkey. By doing this, Iraqi office-holders are seeking external support to shore up their positions at home. Generally, such political behavior found among elites of the Mashriq area (eastern Mediterranean) signals a decline in a state’s independent decision-making. Considering Iraq’s contemporary political landscape, Mamedov believes Maliki, who is also a former prime minister, “wields much less power than he used to.” “He is struggling to return as kingmaker in a fight for influence. At the same time, he is hardly alone in challenging Haider al-Abadi, Iraq’s incumbent prime minister and Maliki’s fellow party member. Moreover, the Sadrist movement, which has agreed to form a united parliamentary bloc with the National Alliance, headed by another former prime minister, Ayad Allawi, should be added to the list of Iraq’s major players. In his pursuit of a second term in 2010, Maliki is thought to have lost the support of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most influential Shiite cleric, which matters greatly in today’s Iraq. Conversely, in addressing Mosul’s combatants and civilians after the liberation of the city from [the Islamic State], Abadi highlighted Sistani’s role and blessing,” Mamedov said. He added, “At the beginning of his tenure, Abadi was portrayed as a weak and accommodating politician, but this image has recently been cleaned up. Moreover, he continues to skillfully maneuver between Americans exerting influence on Iraq and Iranians, which is also a positive contribution to future consolidation of his own positions. Unlike Abadi, who is continuously perceived by all the groups as a compromiser, Maliki has implacable enemies who consider his rule unacceptable.” Mamedov noted that Abadi and his Cabinet’s discontent with the vice president’s trip to Moscow was rather suggestive in this respect. Ildar Minyazhetdinov, a fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Al-Monitor the visit should be considered through the prism of the upcoming independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan. He said, “The visit mainly aims to secure the Kremlin’s assistance in trying to influence its Kurdish partners in Erbil [which some Kurds consider their capital], the faction of the Kurdish political elite that has always been favorably disposed toward Russia. Baghdad hopes Moscow’s support will pave the way for conflict resolution and encourage the Kurds to postpone the referendum to a later date, to reject the idea altogether or to vote 'yes' to preserving the integrity of the Iraqi Republic. But Baghdad may be equally trying to drive a wedge between the Kurdish groups with Moscow’s help and shatter their fragile and questionable union.” Since 2014, the Iraqi government has fiercely resisted Erbil’s attempts to hold an independence referendum. In turn, Erbil has repeatedly resorted to the threat of that referendum in its horse-trading with the authorities over political autonomy and its economic interests. Minyazhetdinov noted that the growing desire of the Kurds to secede can largely be attributed to Maliki’s term as prime minister, which “led to the financial, economic and political crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan.” Moscow, however, is quite skeptical about the potential secession, though the Russian government avoids strongly worded statements and supports the people’s right to self-determination. Still, the Kremlin hopes for a compromise and some alternative scenario. In an interview with Kurdish TV channel Rudaw, Lavrov said, “We see [the referendum] as a manifestation of the aspirations of the Kurdish people. … We expect that the final decision will be made with due account of all the … factors of this step, including the situation in the region and positions of neighboring states.” In reply to a question about Russia’s readiness to maintain relations with Iraqi Kurdistan if it votes for independence, Lavrov said he “would rather not comment on hypothetical questions.” Russian experts think the independence of the regions of northern Iraq will not only imperil the country’s economic well-being, but will also threaten the survival of Iraqi statehood, since the integration of the Sunni regions into a united sociopolitical space is hard to imagine at this point, especially after the mass casualties of the Mosul operation. In addition, independence for Iraqi Kurdistan could negatively affect neighboring states, primarily Syria and Turkey, but also Iran. Minyazhetdinov puts heavy emphasis on the Iranian role in organizing Maliki’s Russia visit. “What made Maliki think Moscow would help him? The matter is that he conducts the pro-Iranian policy in Iraq. Today, Iran’s influence of Iraqi politics is unprecedentedly strong. The vice president’s visit should certainly be analyzed within the broader context of improving Russian-Iranian relations. Moreover, greater military-political cooperation between the two states in the Middle East should also be taken into account,” he said. Minyazhetdinov added, “Maliki’s appeal to Moscow, which has long-standing strong ties with Iraqi Kurdistan, is essentially Iran’s request for the Kremlin’s assistance in addressing the Kurdish issue in Iraq.”
started out making a documentary of life on the road. A normal if not banal undertaking for every band to do. It's an open "I love you guys!" letter to the fans. I happen to own several of those self indulgent undertakings as I'm the sort to gobble up any crumb from my favourite bands. But something strange and unsettling happened during the filming. Lead singerwas arrested and charged with murder.... of a fan.... a fan who jumped on stage during a performance and was allegedly pushed back into the crowd.went through a trial and the prospect of imprisonment in the Czech Republic for up to ten years for this death. Fortunately, he was found not guilty.What resulted was a documentary not about endless touring and meeting fans, but about the loss of the life of one fan and the potential loss of life ofas he faced trial. "As The Palaces Burn" is not just another tome about a rock band, it's an intriguing look at the justice system in foreign countries, and what happens when you are at their mercy.The official trailer for the upcoming documentary "As The Palaces Burn" that follows the band throughout the trial of their singer,. Coming to a theater near you in Feb 2014. Check for your city at http://www.asthepalacesburn.com - more cities announced every week.
The policy framework for U.S. charter schools encourages “privatization and profiteering,” a research institute said in a report released Thursday. Charter schools are able to siphon off large quantities of public money for private gain — and only substantial changes to state policies regarding charter schools can stop this, according to the authors of the report from the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at University of Colorado Boulder. Many education reform advocates argue that the charter school model — under which publicly funded schools are administered by bodies other than the school board, such as private Education Management Organizations (EMOs) — promotes experimentation and newer, fresher teaching methods. But the same permissive charter regulations intended to boost innovation can also help EMOs pocket cash better spent elsewhere, the NEPC report said. “What we found is that there are a host of real estate and tax laws that were not put in place with charter schools in mind, but that the owners of charter school enterprises are using in order to profit,” NEPC Director Kevin Welner said. “I think that understanding the nature of the charter school gravy train, as I call it, is extremely important for the public and policymakers." For example, charter schools are sometimes able to purchase publicly owned real estate for their school facilities through a private, third-party entity. The report highlights how charter operators can make these purchases with taxpayer money, thus acquiring formerly public property at public expense. The third-party purchaser pockets overhead costs associated with arranging the sale. “This particular type of transaction is usually legal and it can be very logical from the perspective of each of the parties involved,” said Rutgers University professor Bruce Baker, one of the report’s authors, in a statement. “But we should be troubled by the public policy that allows and even encourages this to happen.” The report also contends that labor costs at charter schools tend to be unusually top-heavy, as EMO executives conserve funds by hiring young, relatively inexpensive staff — and then add the savings to their own salaries. “Early studies of charter schools in Pennsylvania found charter teacher annual salaries to be on average $18,000 lower than teacher salaries in district schools,” the report said. In contrast, top EMO heads can draw comfortable six-figure salaries, the report said. Eva Moskowitz, a high-profile New York charter advocate and CEO of the city’s Success Academy network of charter schools, was found in the report to earn more than $475,000 annually. In New York and other cities across the United States, charter schools have become a flashpoint for political fights between community activists, elected officials, teachers unions and EMOs. Over the past few years, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s support for charter schools has become a major point of contention and was one of the underlying grievances that helped drive a 2012 strike by the Chicago Teachers Union. NEPC Director Welner said that it wouldn’t be realistic to eliminate the charter model, but that it could be markedly improved through reforms. “I think a much more likely scenario wouldn’t be eliminating charter schools, but designing the rules around charter schools so that they accomplish the goals that we as a society have for our public education system,” he said. The NEPC report suggests that state authorities impose stricter financial disclosure rules on charter schools, and that school districts should “maintain control over public lands and facilities,” among other policy recommendations.
The military convoy seen flying a Trump flag in Kentucky Sunday belonged to a SEAL unit, the U.S. Navy has confirmed. A video of the convoy spread online Sunday after a woman spotted the flag outside Louisville, Ky. Lt. Jacqui Maxwell of the Naval Special Warfare Group 2 in Virginia Beach, Va., said a command inquiry is underway into the “unauthorized” flag. WATCH: “Defense Department and Navy regulations prescribe flags and pennants that may be displayed as well as the manner of display,” Maxwell told ABC. “The flag shown in the video was unauthorized.” Maxwell said the convoy was transitioning between two training locations and consisted of service members assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare. Military regulations advise against implying Department of Defense endorsement for any “political candidate, campaign or cause.” Follow Jacob on Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
Steve Myers / The Lens From an urban design perspective, Magazine Street wins the trifecta. It’s got walkability, diversity, and historical authenticity. Throw in its predominance of independent businesses and you have a one-of-a-kind street. Magazine embodies the essence of what also makes New Orleans special. It showcases the arts, culture, cuisine, history, and entrepreneurial innovation of a city that shuns the mainstream and is internationally beloved for it. But as Magazine’s post-Katrina success catches the eye of national chains, the storyline may be changing. It’s a process that has played out in countless communities across the country. Independent businesses set up shop, often in unproven territory, and create an ambience conducive to shopping and community life. National chains — a breed better at following than leading — then swoop in to capitalize on the vibrancy that they never could have created themselves. As an increasing number of chains express interest in an area, rent prices rise to a level only they can afford. The independents initially responsible for the street’s success are displaced, and a street that once possessed its own distinctive character is transformed into a mall turned inside out. Over the past year, businesses along Magazine Street have been reporting a tide of unaffordable rent increases, and, sure enough, it coincides with increased interest in Magazine Street from national chains. West Elm is soon slated to join a cast of national retailers that already includes Walgreen’s, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Chico’s, Whole Foods and Radio Shack — to name just a few. Unconfirmed rumors coursing up and down Magazine Street have two prominent national clothing chains fixing to set up shop. In response, Stay Local!, the Greater New Orleans independent business alliance, recently surveyed 23 independent businesses from the 1900 to the 5800 block of Magazine, among them a wide variety of retail and service providers. The final report was just released, and the results are compelling. Sixty-five percent of businesses surveyed had “noticed a higher than normal rate of rent increases along Magazine Street.” Seventy-eight percent were worried about the impact on their businesses, with 76 percent fearing the soaring rents would force them off Magazine altogether. Consider the case of Heidi Hammond, owner of Parcel & Post, an independent shipping store where you can ship a package and, while you’re at it, pick up a local CD or piece of art. In May of last year, Hammond’s building was sold. The buyers planned a renovation and offered Hammond a new lease following the build-out that would have had her paying over eight times as much as before. “I had to move,” Hammond explained. “To find a new space, I looked at over 20 different properties throughout the city. Luckily, I found an unlisted space a couple of blocks down the street at 5208 Magazine.” Churn like that is costly for independents. “This experience has set my business’s financial plan back by two years,” Hammond said. We have a chance to take proactive, common-sense steps to maintain a uniquely New Orleans experience on Magazine Street, or we can let it go the way it’s heading. Not only are rents rising, landlords are increasingly insisting on leases that impose additional costs on tenants. As one Magazine Street service provider put it, “my landlord has made it clear that the terms are going to be very different when my lease comes up for renewal next year. She won’t sign a long-term lease like the one I am currently in, and she wants to raise my rent while also moving me to a triple-net lease.” A triple-net lease requires that in addition to paying rent, the lessee is also responsible for paying the property taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs for the space. Magazine Street’s economics are an entirely rational outcome, given its virtues. Independent merchants acknowledge that the kind of foot traffic along Magazine is worth a premium, especially given the low vacancy rate. As one retailer put it, “You need to hire a team of three to four realtors working for you to find a lease these days.” Independent businesses aren’t fighting just against changing conditions on their blocks. City economic developers are aggressively courting national retailers to open in New Orleans. If these companies set their sights on Magazine Street, they’re likely to offer the developer a juicy lease arrangement that few landlords could refuse. Word spreads, and soon other owners start demanding the high-dollar, triple-net deals that only a national chain can afford. Why is chain encroachment an issue? Study after study has shown that local independent businesses recirculate more of their revenues locally. The upshot? More jobs, income and wealth for New Orleanians. That’s because independents typically source business services and goods from other New Orleans businesses. Moreover, they spend their profits and make charitable donations within the local economy. Chains, on the other hand, tend to perform these activities out of state. In fact, a 2009 study commissioned by the Urban Conservancy found that, compared to chains headquartered out of town, independent businesses on Magazine Street recirculate exactly twice as much of their revenues locally. “Some chains come in and utilize the resources that are available from corporate instead of exploring what’s available locally,” says Yvette Rutledge, owner of Mystic Blue Signs. “A chain store recently moved in down the street, and they shipped in their sign from out of town.” And of course, there is no question that as a wave of new chains open, Magazine’s distinct character will suffer. Indeed, 74 percent of the businesses we surveyed feel that an influx of national retailers threatens Magazine Street’s character. It’s simply impossible for chains to replicate the experience that an independent business rooted in New Orleans provides to the community. As one business and property owner put it, “We’re looking at a corporate takeover of Magazine Street. Small businesses will be forced out, and the street’s eclectic nature will be lost.” Magazine Street does possess a couple of potentially mitigating factors. Parking is a pain, and the parcel sizes tend to be on the small size. The independent businesses that aren’t afraid of being forced off the street tend to report a strong relationship with the owners of their buildings: “My landlord wouldn’t raise the rent on me like that,” one tenant said. Some property owners, like Aidan Gill, owner of the Magazine Street barbershop that bears his name, take pride in the role they play maintaining the street’s distinct character. As Gill put it, “People enjoy Magazine because of its uniqueness. Unless we want to see Magazine Street look like any mall in America, we can’t let this process continue to play out. “ But on the whole, these built-in factors may not be enough to ward off widespread chain encroachment and the rent hikes and business disruptions that follow. As such, New Orleans should take a look at one policy tool for Magazine Street that communities across the country have employed to curb chain encroachment: developing a “formula retail” policy. San Francisco has been doing this for the past decade. In 2004, San Francisco’s City Council, in the name of “protecting distinct neighborhood character and supporting local small business innovation,” passed its “Formula Retail Ordinance.” It requires “formula retailers” (i.e., chains) to apply for a conditional-use permit in the districts zoned “Neighborhood Commercial.” In deciding whether to approve the conditional-use application, the Planning Commission considers factors such as: the concentration of chains already in the area whether similar goods and services are already available there how the business might affect the character of the neighborhood Importantly, the process allows ample opportunity for public input, pro or con. New Orleans does not want to be looking back 10 years from now and kicking itself for letting one of the most eclectic and unique shopping streets in the world go the way of mainstream America. That’s what the rest of the country is for. We have a chance to take proactive, common-sense steps to maintain a uniquely New Orleans experience on Magazine Street, or we can let it go the way it’s heading. Which will it be, New Orleans? Mark Strella is project coordinator for Stay Local! Travis Martin is a Stay Local! intern and a candidate for a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of New Orleans. They can be reached at info@staylocal.org.
These movies won’t win awards – they’ll be lucky just to get an audience. Here are some of the horror shows looking for a buyer at the festival In Cannes, it is de rigueur to stand in line for a couple of hours, with about 2,000 others, sun beating, water confiscated, for the chance to watch a three-hour Romanian film set in a funeral during the cold war whose references you won’t get, whose quality is still undetermined and which might never get released. But for those times when the highbrow can feel a little daunting, a trip to “the market” always puts things in perspective. In the basement of the Palais, the convention centre that hosts the festival, like a very gaudy, very guilty secret, are hundreds of stalls at which people from all around the world hawk the movies that people actually go and see: dodgy horrors and wobbly softcore, deeply cheap cartoons and an astonishing number of films featuring ponies. Taking a tour is a refreshing reminder of where cinema is really at. But it’s also a tragic experience. You hear the desperate flogging of scores of dead horses; you see some of the same films up for sale year after year, like puppies the pound just can’t put down. Here’s some of the fresh meat at this year’s market. Attack of the Killer Donuts Ever said you’d die for a Krispy Kreme? Here’s the movie to prove that arterial clogging isn’t the only risk of these sweet treats. In fact, it may be an artfully disguised public health broadcast. Operation Neighborhood Watch At the age of 45, Denise Richards is no longer Hollywood’s sexy ingenue, but middle America’s disapproving mom who, from the looks of it, gets to spend an entire film fully-clothed, sighing and rolling her eyes at children. That’s your future, Blake Lively! Dudes & Dragons Despite the over-enthused cult that surrounds and frantically masturbates along to Game of Thrones, there are apparently a few major problems that can be easily fixed in just one film. More dragons! More dudes! More booty! Less budget! Sam Tom Hooper’s Oscar-bait trans biopic The Danish Girl was so politely told that we half-expected the director himself to offer us a cup of tea at the end. Which is why we would take this obnoxious-looking comedy, with seriously skewed logic, as a palate-cleanser until Hollywood finally works out how to deal with LGBT issues with the requisite intellect. Painkillers One has to admire the insanely arrogant assumptions made by this poster. It’s the new CARRY SLEE! You know, from the people who made REGRET! With all those names at the bottom that could just be a list of on-set cleaners! Breaking Legs Legs will break! We can’t quite tell if this is an inspirational dance flick or a gruesome body horror. Either way, we admire the use of the Cannes logo in the corner, usually reserved for films selected as part of the festival, not being sold in some creepy booth in the basement. A Fish Story Wacky monkeys, dogs and sharks are standard ingredients at the marché but where them fish at? They’re here! Although, sadly, we’re missing a shot of a young girl giving the “What are you even like!!!” look to a big old bass. Gibby Did you imagine even the most minor movie monkeys don’t have first-name brand recognition these days? Well, think again. For you really don’t want to piss off the star of Gibby, not with her reputation – and her entourage. La Trampa The tagline reads like a drunk horoscope; the picture suggests dogging in a picture-framers involving a sailor, a clown and a postman. “It could happen to you!” Lucky, lucky us. Shark Exorcist Movies are known for inventing niche jobs that would never actually exist (Sarah Jessica Parker’s “woman who lures men out of living with their parents” in Failure to Launch is a low point) but we would like to live in a world where a shark exorcist is a thing. Maybe he or she could send all dumbass B-movies involving sharks straight to hell.
Despite all the hype and hand-wringing done over Obamacare — aka the Affordable Care Act — there’s a lot of good coming already from its implementation. And if some politicians want to undo this good, they may find themselves up against an increasing vocal minority of their citizens who’ve benefited. The latest data suggests that we’ve seen a rise in young adults who seek out mental health treatment, because they’re still covered under their parent’s insurance due to Obamacare provisions. The new data comes from a recently published study in Health Affairs and suggests utilization of treatment services rose 5.3 percent for those with Obamacare, versus those without: Between September 2010, when the Obamacare provision went into effect, and 2012, when the study ended, young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who had already screened positive for mental disorders or substance abuse increased their use of mental-health treatment by 5.3% compared with a similar group of 26- to 35-year-olds who weren’t eligible for their parents’ coverage. Researchers in the study, published Monday in Health Affairs, also found that due to that same Obamacare provision, the number of mental-health visits the younger group had to pay for out-of-pocket declined by 12.4% compared with the older group. Young people often have had trouble accessing mental health care when they needed it in the past, because either they’ve been unemployed (unemployment rates are higher amongst younger people than older people), had no insurance even if they did work (which is traditionally what a lot of young people do), or had insurance that had limited mental health benefits (like the ones offered by many colleges and universities). While a college counseling center might see you for test procrastination, they’ve been largely ill-equipped to handle serious mental illness and students with those kinds of concerns. If they don’t have insurance, most young people simply make do. They don’t get treatment for their condition or disorder — especially since the costs of treating it are a weekly burden. The Affordable Care Act has made it easier for such young people to access treatment — more so than anything else the government has tried. All they had to do was make it possible for young adults to access affordable health insurance — not exactly rocket science. Of course, these findings will have to be verified by followup research. But if they hold true, they suggest there’s been at least one benefit of Obamacare, and that’s helping people get insurance — and treatment — they otherwise might have gone without. Read the full article in TIME: Obamacare Leads to Surge in Mental-Health Treatment Obamacare Helps Young Adults Get Mental Health Treatment
Obama Administration Says House Bill Would Give 'Cover' To White-Collar Defendants Enlarge this image toggle caption Aleksandar Dancu/iStock Aleksandar Dancu/iStock The bipartisan effort to overhaul the criminal justice system for drug offenders has hit a speed bump. Some members of Congress are trying to tie those lighter punishments for drug defendants to a new bill that the Justice Department says would make it harder to prosecute a range of crimes from food safety to business fraud. The plan, passed by voice vote by the House Judiciary Committee to little notice last week, would require prosecutors to prove guilt to a higher standard in many cases, by default. Among those who object: Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates. "It would end up meaning that some criminals would go free as a result, because we simply would not be able to meet that standard of proof," Yates told NPR in an interview. "If this proposal were to pass, it would provide cover for top-level executives, which is not something we think would be in the best interest of the American people." The White House had a shorter response: "In the president's view, criminal-justice reform should only make the system better, not worse." For supporters, including Judiciary Chair Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the measure is a common sense response to the huge number of criminal laws on the books. "This is a very carefully crafted bill," Goodlatte said during a committee markup last week. "Its intent is ... to protect American citizens who did not know or have reason to know they were violating federal law." Goodlatte calls that over-criminalization. His committee has held a series of hearings on the issue, focusing attention on cases of fishermen who faced federal criminal penalties for paperwork violations, among others. The idea of requiring prosecutors to prove a defendant intended to break the law gets a lot of support, in theory. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has been pushing for changes. And Vikrant Reddy, a senior fellow at the Charles Koch Institute, which studies criminal justice, said the case for an overhaul is "clear-cut." "There's this old quote from the guy who was the head of Stalin's secret police," Reddy said. "He said, 'find me the man and I'll show you the crime,' because we had so many crimes on the books that you could get anybody on anything so long as you looked hard enough." For the Obama administration, which has made overhauling the justice system a top priority, the new bill on criminal intent represents a get-out-of-jail free card for many defendants, especially businesses and corporate officials who distribute fruit, vegetables and medicines that are contaminated. But some lawyers following the sentencing proposals as they move through Congress said they don't have enough information about the new bill on criminal intent. Amit Narang of Public Citizen, a nonprofit advocacy group, said with public confidence in the government's ability to investigate Wall Street executives at a low ebb, now is not the time to "undermine" efforts to hold them accountable. Jeffery Robinson, of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the ACLU is taking no position on the bill. "Our view is the people who want this bill passed should make a list of the statutes that this bill would impact so that people can see what statutes we are talking about," Robinson said. He said adding criminal-intent provisions to a spate of justice overhaul proposals moving on Capitol Hill could endanger the broader effort to dial back tough mandatory prison sentences imposed during the war on drugs. Robinson said there's a string of research about the costs of incarceration and the disproportionate impact on African-Americans and Hispanics. For instance, Pew Charitable Trusts has issued a new report concluding that federal prison time has surged since 1988, with time served by drug offenders who make up about half of the prison population rising more than 150 percent. "As far as I know, and I've been a defense lawyer for 34 years, there is no problem of over-incarceration for rich, white financial or environmental executives," Robinson said. He said he's not opposed to helping those white-collar defendants, by any means, but in the absence of more information, he's not sure they have a problem Congress needs to solve.
EDIT: I didn't realize she got the cut from the scroll. I always thought she got it on her epic adventure. XD Anyway, that's fixed now. My bad. EDIT 2: Stop calling her "Twilicorn." It sounds silly. No, it just sounds stupid. Seriously, who came up with that? Were they expecting to be taken seriously? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you people take everything seriously. XD Everyone who says it is officially stupid. Starting now. Edit 3: If you're mad at me for this, I have news for you. You aren't mad at me. You're mad at yourself. This comic is directed at people who say bad things about our new princess, and if you find yourself offended, you have successfully singled yourself out as one of the "butthurt bastards" I specifically addressed. Congrats. You're an idiot. Everyone else, you are not an idiot. It's okay to not like Twilight's transformation. Absolutely! But it's not okay to be a jerk. Leave that to me. All YOU have to do is sit back and watch the drama. XD ------------------------------------------------------------------ All over the internet, I've read the nasty things people say about Twilight. Those poor butthurt bastards aren't happy with Twilight being an alicorn princess. Well, that's too goddamn bad. Anyways, on several occasions, I've seen people tell our little Twi that she can "go to hell." Well... she can, and she has! I've seen enough people say it ti give me this little idea. I know it's called "Tartarus" in the show, but it's basically the same thing. I also know she only returned the Cerberus to the Gates, but that counts!
WA election 2017: Social media campaign escalates as Liberals target 'fake news' Updated The WA Liberal Party is encouraging people to report Labor Facebook posts it says are "fake or misleading" ahead of the March state election, in a tactic social media experts say could backfire. The Liberals published a five-step explainer titled How To Report A Fake Story on their website on Monday, asking for help to "report Labor lies". It said Labor had lied about Liberal policy on several issues including skilled migration and power prices and had promoted "fake and misleading news" as part of its "scare campaign". The Liberals website includes detailed instructions on how to report the posts to Facebook as "inappropriate, annoying or not funny" in a bid to get it removed from the social media site. A Liberal spokesperson defended the tactic as a legitimate way to combat "Labor lies". "Mark McGowan and Labor take a sneaky approach to politics and by empowering the public to report these Labor lies we can try and help people keep Labor honest," the spokesperson said in a statement. But social media strategist Ruth Callaghan said using the term "fake news" was risky and an escalation of the usual campaign tactic of parties accusing one another of lying. "Fake news is a real problem and a genuine threat, but it is also a phrase that has gone from almost no use to being used so widely it risks losing its meaning," she said. "Fake news really refers to deliberately created, manipulative stories that bear no relationship to reality — things such as claims during the US presidential campaign that an FBI agent linked to the leak of Hillary Clinton's emails was found dead in an apparent murder suicide. "That story came from a fictitious newspaper, set in a town that doesn't exist, quoting people who were made up, and it was still shared on Facebook more than half a million times." Ms Callaghan said people had a high level of distrust in the media and politicians, and pushing a fake news agenda could backfire. "Facebook's community standards are designed to protect people from posts with things like nudity, threats, hate speech and criminal activity and Facebook specifically says that it doesn't care how often a post is reported when deciding whether to remove it," she said. "If a post is not in breach of its community standards — and there's nothing in there about political disagreements — it probably won't be removed. "But Facebook is also not likely to tackle the real problem of fake news if anyone can use a report that a competitor's posts are fake as a way of censoring their message. "So it makes it less likely they will develop techniques to stop what is really fake and really damaging." 'Crossing a line' University of Western Australia marketing professor Paul Harrigan said it seemed an overly defensive move by the Liberal party. "It's not fake news, but that's what they're treating it as and it's crossing a line really beyond political argument," he said. "They're kind of amplifying the trend by calling something fake that really isn't." Dr Harrigan said he did not think it was a particularly wise way to run an election campaign. "Both parties want to be seen as transparent and genuine on social media, [but] social media users don't really take too well to being told what to do," he said. "Social media is a forum where you have to have a positive spin because if you go negative, then people go negative back at you, and there is no way to win that." ALP state secretary Patrick Gorman said the Government was running the most negative campaign WA had ever seen. "The Liberals' campaign has been lazy, reactive, and flat footed; their scramble on this issue is just the latest example of their incompetence," he said. Topics: social-media, elections, states-and-territories, state-parliament, perth-6000, wa First posted
Christian schools are within their rights to refuse to employ gay teachers if homosexuality breaks school principles, the Nederlands Dagblad reports on Tuesday, quoting the government’s Council of State advisory body. The paper says that confidential recommendations from council state that while anti-discrimination measures remain paramount, religious and other belief-based institutions ‘can impose specific demands under strict conditions’. These conditions have to be ‘desirable, legitimate and just’ and show ‘good faith and loyalty’ to the religious principles, the council says. The Netherlands has dozens of fundamentalist Christian schools which oppose homosexuality on Biblical principles. While funded by the government, they are run independently. Such schools may not discriminate but are free under European rules to determine their own ‘professional demands’ for teachers, the paper says. Last month a strict Protestant primary school in Gelderland suspended a teacher because he was gay and lived with another man. That case is being taken to the equal opportunities commission. Should schools be able to sack gay teachers? Take part in our poll
When it comes to streaming numbers, it seems Drake’s only competition is himself. According to an exclusive report by the Verge, More Life was streamed 300 million times on Apple Music in its first week, completely obliterating the amount of streams he racked in with VIEWS. For those who don’t remember, the 2016 album was streamed about 250 million times just a week after it debuted exclusively on Apple Music. The increase is especially notable when you consider More Life wasn’t strictly available on one streaming service. The highly anticipated playlist was also released by one of Apple Music’s biggest competitors: Spotify. And although some would assume having the project available on several services would split the numbers, More Life actually set multiple records for both companies. It broke Spotify’s record for single-day artist streams with 76,355,041 as well as its first-day album streams with 61,302,082. When it comes to Apple Music, not only did the project set a new bar for first-week streams, it also set a record with 89.9 million streams in its first 24 hours. According to forecasts by Republic Records, More Life is expected to be streamed around 600 million times worldwide. It’s a pretty impressive feat, one that Apple Music attributes to OVO Sound Radio. POST CONTINUES BELOW “It’s the biggest radio station in the world. There’s no way you’re going to find another station that has as many concurrent listeners and audience-wise as Beats 1, period,” Larry Jackson, Apple Music’s head of content, told the Verge. “If you rewind back to July of 2015, and those records that rolled out like ‘Back to Back,’—‘Hotline Bling’ debuted on OVO Sound Radio first, ‘Charged Up’ debuted there first—all these records debuted in a space that was really still new and nascent, and [Drake] made it his own. You can glance over it, but we created this idea that was really great for him, and he took advantage of it.”
Sometimes, you gotta enjoy the little things in life. â†µ On Monday night Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland was in a more playful mood than normal as his club took on the Texas Rangers. Tigers fans are accustomed to his no-nonsense attitude, but Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon found himself on the wrong end of a rare Leyland prank: â†µ â†µ As you can see, Leyland waits for the perfect opportunity when McClendon isn't looking and plants his piece of gum on the railing right where McClendon's elbow was. McClendon's reaction and Leyland's little smirk at the end are priceless. Here's the first part of the saga, with accompanying play-by-play from Rod Allen and Mario Impemba. â†µ Perhaps Leyland had a good feeling about the inning after Tigers slugger Brennan Boesch belted his second home run of the game. Shortly after GumGate ended, Andy Dirks and Alex Avila blasted a pair of home runs to bust a 4-0 game wide open. Detroit won, 13-7. â†µ UPDATE: Here is the official game tape from Fox Sports Detroit, with better quality picture and sound.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.