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Lib Dem leader is wrong to question the legitimacy of a government formed by the second-largest party in parliament, says Professor Vernon Bogdanor
One of the country’s leading constitutionalists has described claims by Nick Clegg that a government would lack legitimacy if formed by the party that finished second as absurd.
Professor Vernon Bogdanor, professor of government at King’s College London, said there was a precedent for such a coalition between the smaller parties and whichever won the second largest number of seats. He added that the Liberal Democrat leader should instead be honest about whether he would politically prefer another alliance with the Conservatives.
Bogdanor, whose former students include David Cameron, whom he has described as “one of the ablest” he taught, said: “The Liberals supported the second largest party – Labour – in 1924. The implication of Clegg’s remark is that his talks with Labour after the 2010 election were mere shadow boxing. But, presumably, if he had failed to reach an agreement with the Conservatives, might the Lib Dems not have supported Labour?”
Bogdanor added of Clegg’s claims: “It is a comment about the perception of the British public. It is difficult to know how the British public would perceive [a government formed by the second-largest party]. In parliamentary terms the question is who can command support of parliament?
“[Clegg’s claim on legitimacy] is absurd. But in 1924 it was clear who would support Labour because the election was fought on the issue of free trade and there were two free trade parties. It isn’t clear now.
“Last time it seemed that the Liberal Democrats were closer to Labour on its policy on austerity and cuts. What are their views now? Which party are they closer to? They are deliberately not saying because they want to maximise their leverage. But is that fair to the voter?”
Clegg dealt a blow to the chances of a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in a hung parliament as he ruled out any deal that relied on “life support” from the Scottish National Party. The Lib Dem leader also argued that any coalition with the party that finished second in the election would lack legitimacy with voters, who would question the government’s “birthright”.
Cameron, however, will take comfort from Clegg’s commitment to negotiate first with the largest party. On most projections the Conservatives are expected to win more seats than Labour, although the race is tight. According to the latest Opinium/Observer poll the Tories’ lead has dropped back to one point from last week. The Conservatives are on 34%, Labour 33%, Ukip 13%, Lib Dems 9% and the Greens 6%.
Clegg’s comments further suggest that he might wish for another general election rather than be part of a coalition with Labour if Ed Miliband’s party were to come in second. Labour has long believed that Clegg, along with David Laws and Danny Alexander, would prefer to repeat the coalition of 2010.
The Lib Dem leader has previously ruled out a deal with both the SNP and Ukip. Clegg told the Financial Times he had no “meeting point” with either party because Ukip wanted to withdraw from the European Union and the SNP wanted to “pull our country to bits”.
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By chance, I arrived in Dublin this week on the day that the Saville report on Bloody Sunday was published.
By a weird irony, I had long ago arranged to come to Ireland to be interviewed for a television documentary on the IRA in the early 1970s, when I was cutting my teeth as a reporter on my first big story. So in the morning, I was recalling the activities of Gerry Adams and Brendan Hughes and Martin McGuinness – whom I remember in Derry in 1972 as a cold, ruthless, rather frightening figure – and in the afternoon, I was wading into the Saville report. Eloquent though it is – and wonderful in its respect and declaration of innocence for the Catholic dead – I'm not sure it's quite the Word of God that it has been made out to be. The Irish papers oozed with admiration for Saville, but largely missed the expensive soap which Saville used to clean the reputation of both the Tory government of the time and the British Army hierarchy.
Thus the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, got blamed but all the generals received a splendid bill of health. No conspiracies. Nobody at the top wanted Bloody Sunday to happen. But what about General Robert Ford who shouted that day in Derry "Go on Paras, go"? What exactly did he mean? And if the senior officers at Lisburn were so innocent, how come they created – and they had to be the ones to do it – the cocktail of lies that were fed to the press? Reading Saville, I realised that his report shone like gold because the Widgery report was so dishonest. Anything looks good against Widgery. It's a bit like Lord Blair, when he used to tell us "we" were better than Saddam Hussein, was that really to be the baseplate for our morality? So with Saville.
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Yet looking back on those terrible years, I am horrified at not just the gullibility of us reporters but at our sheer ignorance. Like most of my other young colleagues, I had a university education but no real knowledge of Ireland. There were few good books then on modern Irish history. And I fear that many of us – despite our liberal upbringing and our acknowledgement of Stormont's injustice to the Catholics – were under the subconscious influence of darker images; the old Punch cartoon, for example, of the drunken Irishman holding a cudgel with which he would without any reason murder the refined young Englishmen who kept invading his country
We knew that Ireland was neutral in the Second World War, and heard that Taoiseach de Valera had paid a visitor's condolence to the German legation on Hitler's death and an Irishman on the west coast had refuelled German U-boats. Ireland was indeed neutral and de Valera did his make his notorious condolence visit. But the U-boat story was a lie.
Years later, studying for a doctorate in politics at Trinity College, Dublin, I spent five months travelling down the Irish west coast to investigate the U-boat claims. I read all the Irish government's coastwatching reports from 1939 to 1942. I visited old men and women in remote villages from Donegal to Cork, some of them wartime coastwatchers. In the archive at Kew I'd found records of the Tamara, a Royal Navy tugboat disguised as a trawler that went vainly hunting for U-boats along the Irish west coast.
Lieutenant Commander W R Fell of the Tamara even went ashore on Sherkin Island in Co Cork where his vessel "was boarded by the most plausible scoundrels. They begged or stole anything in reach ... one old man reputed to be worth thousands had trousers patched with paper. All would commit any crime for a shilling". I eventually tracked down villagers from Sherkin who remembered the wartime pauper – his name was Louis Nolan and he was the harbourmaster's brother – but they said it was Nolan's shirt that was patched with newspaper, not his trousers. And there were no U-boats.
So thoroughly did I check out every possible lead that I came up with three U-boat stories, at least one of which is absolutely copper-bottomed. The first was a U-35 which sailed in to Dingle Bay on 4 October 1939 to put ashore the crew of a Greek ship called Diamantes which it had sunk 40 miles west of the Skelligs. Those were the days when U-boat crews tried to be honourable to their victims, who in this case were duly taken by the police to Michael Long, the Lloyd's agent in Dingle. Local rumour, however, suggested that the U-boat captain had bid his captive goodbye with the astonishing adieu: "Give my best wishes to Micky Long." Had he been one of the many German "tourists" travelling in Ireland before the war? When my thesis was later published as a book, I received a polite letter from the long-retired U-boat captain. He had never been to Ireland before the war, he told me. And he had never heard of Michael Long.
In Kerry, a man called Michael O'Sullivan said that as a boy he had been taken by an old man with a donkey and cart loaded with a pig, cabbages and potatoes to Brandon Creek where a U-boat crew collected their supplies. O'Sullivan said the crew had ribbons down the back of their hats – this was a normal part of German naval rating's uniform – and I thought this gave credibility to his memory. There was also a fisherman in Donegal who told me that a barnacle-encrusted U-boat once surfaced beside him and that the crew asked for fish – and paid for the catch in Irish currency! But Hugh Wren, official coastwatcher between Ballybunnion and Dingle between 1939 and 1944, remarked to me, "Most of the submarines had been seen in pubs."
Yet the stories grew after the war. Only a few years ago, The Independent's letters page was filled with readers discussing the refuelling of U-boats by Irishmen. I wearily ignored it all. But I understand how this happens. A plausible story turns into a true story, even if it's a lie. Which is what happened after Bloody Sunday, when the army's top brass decided to libel the dead. Maybe Saville has nailed their lies. But I have my doubts.
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.
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novemb.rs is an offline/online Rust code sprint happening this November 19/20 and it’s also a great opportunity for all the embedded Rust enthusiasts to get together and advance the state of Rust on embedded systems.
Several members of the #rust-embedded community will be participating. Join us!
It doesn’t matter whether you are experienced or not. We have documentation and mentors to get beginners up to speed. And have plenty of fun stuff for people that have previous experience with embedded stuff to work on.
To join you must only be able to use IRC as our online meeting point will be the #rust-embedded channel on Mozilla’s network. There may be some locations for face to face meetings near your location as well, check the novemb.rs site for a list of such locations. Note that the list will likely continue to grow as more locations are being proposed/organized
However, for the full experience you must have access (*) to a development board with a Cortex-M microcontroller in it plus a “programmer/debugger” (either “on-board” or as another board) where both, ideally, are supported by the OpenOCD project (or you won’t be able to use GDB to debug your program or, worst, you won’t be able to get a program into the board in the first place). There are lot of boards that fit this description but here’s a list of boards that Rustaceans have worked with before:
STM32F3DISCOVERY. Recommended if you are a beginner as we have beginner friendly documentation tailored for this specific board. (Details: On-board programmer/debugger. Has OpenOCD and GDB support)
The DISCOVERY boards. (Details: On-board programmer/debbuger. Have OpenOCD and GDB support)
Teensy. (Details: No GDB/debug support AFAIK (SWD pins are not exposed). Uses a bootloader to flash the program into the board)
Tiva-C Launchpad. (Details: On-board programmer/debugger. Has OpenOCD and GDB support)
Stellaris Launchpad. (Details: On-board programmer/debugger. Has OpenOCD and GDB support)
Arduino Due & Zero. (Details: Uses a bootloader for flashing. Supported by OpenOCD but debugging requires an external debugger (hardware))
So, what are we going to do? Right now, the following “focus areas” has been proposed:
Onboarding. Getting “embedded beginners” and people familiar with embedded C development but not with Rust’s up to speed with the embedded Rust development process, its tooling and its ecosystem.
API design. We’ll be designing APIs (traits) for common functionality (Serial, I2C, GPIO, PWM, etc) making sure that the API can be implemented for as many different hardware as possible. We’ll start with a blocking IO API and then tackle async IO.
Tackling “open ended”/unsolved problems. Figuring out how to safely deal with interrupts, developing a PoC preemptive scheduler, developing dynamic allocation strategies that don’t involve the heap, etc.
This etherpad has more details about these areas. Feel free to add other focus areas if you can commit your time to them.
The etherpad also contains a list of participants. Please add yourself to it if you intent to participate. The list is more intended as a survey of the different hardware that people may bring to the event and as way to gauge interest. It will also give us an idea of at what time most people will be online.
We are discussing further details in this issue and on the #rust-embedded IRC channel.
See you in novemb.rs!
(*) @skade might be able to get kits for people that will meet in person at some novemb.rs location. I don’t know what restrictions apply (@skade is in Germany, AFAIK). Contact @skade for details!
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Jaelyn Young pleaded guilty to one charge on Tuesday. WATCH her walk into court. https://t.co/L8I2USZeq3 — WJTV 12 News (@WJTV) March 29, 2016
A 20-year-old former Mississippi State sophomore pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal terrorism charge after she was arrested along with her fiancé in August trying to board a plane to travel to Syria to join ISIS. Jaelyn Young’s bio certainly doesn’t appear to be that of a typical ISIS recruit, if there is such a thing. A chemistry major at the time of her arrest, Young is the daughter of a police officer and former member of the Navy Reserve; she was an honor student and cheerleader in high school. Young’s fiancé, 22-year-old Muhammad Dakhlalla, pleaded guilty to a similar charge earlier this month.
Young now faces 20 years in prison for conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization. The couple was identified by authorities after they contacted undercover federal agents online about assistance with traveling to Syria. When they boarded a flight in Columbus, Mississippi, on Aug. 8 with tickets to travel to Istanbul and a plan to cross the border, authorities intercepted them.
Prosecutors portrayed Young as the instigator of the couple’s plot to go to Syria and join ISIS, and her desire to convert to Islam took root before she began dating Dakhlalla. Here’s more from the Associated Press:
Dakhlalla grew up as the youngest of three sons of a prominent figure in Starkville’s Muslim community. He is a 2011 psychology graduate of Mississippi State who and was preparing to start graduate school at the university. Prosecutors have portrayed Young as the leader of the plot. They said that by the time Young began dating Dakhlalla in November 2014, she was already interested in converting to Islam. She announced her conversion in March and began wearing a burqa, a garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their face and body.
“After her conversion, Young distanced herself from family and friends and felt spending time with non-Muslims would be a bad influence,” prosecutors wrote in a statement of facts regarding Dakhlalla’s plea. The statement said Young increasingly complained about the treatment of Muslims in the United States and United Kingdom. Prosecutors said that, after watching pro-Islamic State group videos, she began to view the fighters as liberators. They said Young approvingly cited a video of a man accused of being gay being thrown off a roof to his death by militants and also expressed approval of the shooting of five members of the military in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Both Young and Dakhlalla wrote farewell letters to their families before they left. “Do not alert the authorities,” Young wrote. “I will contact you soon. I am safe. Don’t look for me because you won’t be able to retrieve me if you tried. I am leaving to become a medic.”
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Overview of API interactions
[Prio API]
This week we are bringing you an update about the PrioVR SDK! The Prio and Skeleton API layers are complete, and we are happy to share the full documentation for each of these with you. Here are the details about our APIs and how they work together to acquire data from the PrioVR suit and interface with other devices and software:
The Prio API provides all direct communication with PrioVR devices. This API allows users to configure the devices’ properties to their specific needs. It is the lowest level API of the SDK.
[YEI Skeleton API]
The YEI Skeleton API manipulates skeletons with the PrioVR suit. This API interfaces with the Prio API to simplify communication with the PrioVR suit. It offers convenience functions and processors for creating skeletons and operations such as pedestrian tracking and joint angle calculations.
[YEI Socket API]
The YEI Socket API creates sockets to stream the data from the Prio API and/or Skeleton API to other applications or files that use sockets. You can use this API for outputting or reformatting data to be used in other applications.
[YEI Emulation API]
The YEI Emulation API allows PrioVR to emulate other devices. This API interfaces with the Skeleton API and Prio API. It offers convenience functions for converting the native PrioVR data from the APIs to the emulated device data format. This allows PrioVR to be compatible with existing and new games and controllers that do not yet offer native support.
Documentation for the Prio and YEI Skeleton APIs is available here → http://priovr.com/documents/SDK_API/. If you have comments, questions, or feedback, we would love to hear it!
In our next update, we will have more details about the suit design, including images! Here is a teaser image of the PrioVR hub design:
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We thank you for your interest in The Strokes and invite you to join their fan club, Alone, Together. Members of Alone, Together have several advantages over non-members. Here’s what happens when you sign up:
1. You’ll receive a package that contains your membership card, Strokes gifts, and your first issue of The Strokes newsletter, "Forget What You Heard."
2. The Strokes newsletter will be distributed quarterly (you’ll receive 4 per year) and will be chockfull stuff for members only. Each newsletter will also come with a special gift.
3. You will automatically be signed up for the ALONE, TOGETHER email list that will inform you of breaking fan club news and other special events that might be going on for fan club members only.
4. ALONE, TOGETHER members also have the ability to purchase advance/priority tickets to shows, exclusive merchandise, and are automatically entered into contests.
5. All members have access to the exclusive Alone, Together website at www.thestrokes.com which includes fan club news, contests, exclusive photos and much more.
Membership fees are as follows:
$20 for U.S. residents, $30-USD for Canadian residents, $40 for European residents, and $45 for South America/Pacific Rim/Asia and the rest of the world. All dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars. The fee is for a one-year membership. U.S. residents may pay by personal check, money order or by credit card. Non-U.S. residents may pay by International Money Order in U.S. funds only or by credit card. Personal checks from Non-U.S. residents will not be accepted. Make all checks/Money Orders payable to ALONE, TOGETHER. Please DO NOT send cash, it will be returned to you!
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Haitians eligible to receive green cards in two years soon will be able to wait it out in the United States rather than in Haiti under an expedited family reunification program announced Friday by the Obama administration.
Beginning early next year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will implement the Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) Program to accelerate the reunification of eligible Haitian family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, who are living in Haiti and have already been approved for a family-based immigrant visa.
There are approximately 100,000 Haitians in the immigration pipeline in Haiti but only those two years away from being issued an immigrant visa for a green card will be eligible to apply. Once paroled into the United States, individuals will be eligible to apply for a work permit and continue their wait for the green card while here.
Haitian and immigration advocates, who launched the push for accelerated family reunification in the days after Haiti’s devastating Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, welcomed the major policy shift but vowed to keep fighting on behalf of all those who remain in visa backlog. For some, the wait is as long as 12 years.
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“We are grateful that the administration has stepped up to the plate and done the right thing,” said Cheryl Little, executive director of Americans for Immigrant Justice. “I was hoping it wouldn’t be as restrictive as it seems to be in terms of which Haitians who are eligible to join their loved ones here, but obviously it’s going to benefit a number of Haitian families who have been waiting for this since the earthquake.”
The hemisphere’s worst disaster, Haiti’s quake killed more than 300,000, injured an equal number and left 1.5 million homeless. The expedited program announcement comes not only three months before the fifth anniversary of the disaster, but reportedly ahead of plans by President Barack Obama to legalize by executive action, many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. This summer, Obama threatened to fix the country’s immigration woes by taking action on his own after congress failed to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
Last year, the Senate passed a bill that would have provided a path to legal status for millions of long-term undocumented immigrants while also strengthening border security. But House Republicans refused to consider the Senate bill, which some conservatives said was amnesty for lawbreakers.
“Comprehensive immigration reform would have solved this problem not just for Haitians but for all other nationalities who are waiting in the immigrant visa backlog because it would have substantially increased the numbers of family immigrant visas available and people would have been able to come in as permanent residents,” said a senior U.S. government official, who was not authorized to speak on the record. “As it hasn’t happened, we are proceeding with this program.”
The relief for Haitians hasn’t been as controversial as the anticipated executive action because it involves a limited number of Haitian nationals.
Officials point out that the Haitian family reunification program is fashioned after a similar program for Cubans, where the U.S. has agreed to grant at least 20,000 annual visas. Some advocates estimate that the number of Haitians could be as many as 5,000 in the first year.
“It’s a very limited program,” said Steve Forester, a Haitian immigration activist, who like others see Friday’s announcement as a compromise of what they wanted. “We don’t know how many people it will cover, and a lot will depend on how quickly they implement it.”
Still, Forester, who has led the years-long effort as immigration policy coordinator for the nonprofit Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, said “it’s a good first step in the right direction.”
“This isn’t a gift. They did this because of how Haiti is. This will save lives and reunite families, and hopefully generate some remittances for Haitians in need,” he said.
According to the Inter-American Development Bank, in 2013 Haitians sent home about $2 billion in remittances, which have become a lifeline of the country’s weak economy.
Guerlin Macajoux, 48, of Miami said he applied for his son Bendy, 28, four years ago. The last time he checked, he said, there was still a three-year wait.
“I haven’t seen him for a long time and I would like to see him,” said Macajoux, who is too ill to travel to Haiti. “I would like to see him. Things are very difficult for him in Haiti even though I am encouraging him to stay in school until the three years come.”
The push for a Haitian immigration program had attracted at least 80 pieces of support from diverse groups. There were letters to the White House from national Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the entire South Florida congressional delegation, the Miami-Dade County Commission, the NAACP, the African American Baptist Mission Collaboration, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the American Bar Association and a range of Haitian American and other civil rights groups.
But even with all that, including 17 editorials in nearly a dozen major U.S. daily newspapers, some had given up hope the program would happen.
“We are elated by the Obama administration...for finally listening to our collective voices,” said Marleine Bastien, executive director of Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami/Haitian Women of Miami.
“At least we have our foot in the door,” she added. “But we will continue to work for the rest of the group who are qualified to get them the opportunity to be reunited with their family members because they have been waiting for so long.”
South Florida congressional lawmakers also welcomed the news.
“This is a great win for my Congressional District, which is home to the largest Haitian community in the U.S,” said U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens. “I look forward to personally welcoming and rolling out the red carpet for the first wave of recipients of this program.”
Alejandro Mayorkas, the deputy secretary of Homeland Security who had met with Haitian community activists over the years about the issue, said the parole program promotes a fundamental underlying goal of the U.S. immigration system, family reunification.
It also addresses another concern of the United States, which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Haiti’s recovery since the earthquake.
“The rebuilding and development of a safe and economically strong Haiti is a priority for the United States,” Mayorkas said, adding that the parole program “also supports broader U.S. goals for Haiti’s reconstruction and development by providing the opportunity for certain eligible Haitians to safely and legally immigrate sooner to the United States.”
With the announcement, immigration officials are also strongly discouraging Haitians from taking to the high seas in dangerous makeshift boats to reach the United States. Dozens of Haitians have perished at sea in the last year trying to escape Haiti’s hardship.
“Such individuals will not qualify for the HFRP program and if located at sea may be returned to Haiti,” Mayorkas said.
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Regina Fire and Protective Services has handed over a number of files over to the Regina Police Service for investigation following a series of deliberately set fires in the city over the past week and a half.
Fire Marshal Randy Ryba said, based on the location of where six of those fires occurred, they were likely set by the same person or group of people.
According to police, on Nov. 23 a pile of wood was set on fire in front of a detached garage on the 300 block of Toronto Street. The following day, two fires were set — one on the 300 block of St. John Street and the 300 block of Halifax Street. Three days later on Nov. 27, a rollout bin was set on fire on the 400 block of Toronto Street. The next day, two more bin fires were lit in the 200 block and the 500 block of Halifax Street.
“The cluster we are most concerned with happened around the midnight hour,” said Ryba. “Nobody has been hurt, to date, but that certainly is one of major concerns of this sort of reckless behaviour and that’s what it is — reckless. It certainly puts our citizens at risks and puts our firefighters at risk too. Every time we have to respond for service, it puts our folks at risk and this is a needless, senseless act and we certainly hope it can be stopped.”
Elizabeth Popowich, police spokeswoman, confirmed the RPS is currently investigating six bin/fence/detached garage incidents and two house fires — one in the 3800 block of Dewdney Avenue and one in the 900 block of Athol Street.
An earlier house fire on the 2200 block of Broder Street has been investigated and an arrest has been made.
“It sounds as though it has been dealt with,” said Popowich.
However that still leaves two house fires and six bin fires that resulted in additional structural damages.
According to RFPS, there is also a standalone bin fire that was not near any structure and therefore did not cause additional damage.
Ryba is urging the public to report any suspicious behaviour in or around their property to police.
“What I would also like people to do is to secure their outdoor bins on their property and away from structures. That will help us greatly in our efforts to curtail some of the behaviour we have seen in the last week and a half,” said Ryba. “The bins have been used as a starting point for a number of these fires.”
He said the police are actively investigating every angle. Ryba said the bin fires have been set in neighbourhoods with back lanes. The cost for each fire varies from very minimal damage to the total loss of a building.
“It takes its toll,” said Ryba.
Popowich said police approach every investigation in the same way.
“Not everything requires our attendance, but in the case of the fires, we would (attend) but it’s after the fact of the firefighters suppressing the fire,” said Popowoch. “There is usually not a whole lot of evidence left at a scene. Like many other investigations it relies on people in the neighbourhood.”
She said no piece of information is too small during any investigation.
kbenjoe@postmedia.com
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Ramiro Funes Mori insists he will learn from his mistakes after paying the penalty against Leicester City.
The Argentina defender gave away a spot-kick last weekend after hauling down Shinji Okazaki mid-way through the first-half at Goodison.
Funes Mori insists he should have cleared his lines when he had the chance but his hesitation allowed the Leicester forward to steal a march on him.
Riyad Mahrez converted the penalty to hand the visitors the lead and Mori has held his hands up after the mistake.
“Maybe if I don’t give him the chance to go for the ball and, instead, had cleared the ball when I had the chance,” the £9.5m defender said.
“But I gave him the chance and I had to grab him and it’s a penalty.
“This is a top league and so the strikers are going to be stronger and quicker than in Argentina.
“If you make a mistake then they put the ball in the back of the net and that makes this a more competitive league.”
Everton have been conceding soft goals of late, with a number coming from set-pieces and crosses into the box.
Funes Mori, 24, has revealed that the Blues continue to work hard on defending corners and free-kicks in training and know they must become nastier.
“We have been conceding set-piece goals recently and so we have been working on that and we know we need to maintain our concentration and focus in those situations,” he said.
“We need to be more aggressive when we are defending corners because it is not good to conceded from set-pieces.
“It is not good at all.”
Funes Mori and his family will be joined by Blues forward Leandro Rodriguez and his girlfriend for Christmas dinner.
“I miss Argentina because my family are all back there but Everton have made me feel comfortable,” Funes Mori added.
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said that his next release of up to 100,000 DNC emails will see the end of Hillary Clinton’s political career.
According to an interview with Sean Hannity, the WikiLeaks founder says that he intends to release up to 100,000 unseen Democratic National Committee emails next week.
Washingtonexaminer.com reports:
“We have tens of thousands, possibly as many as a hundred thousand, pages of documents of different types, related to the operations that Hillary Clinton is associated with,” the WikiLeaks founder said in a radio interview with Sean Hannity.
“There are some, several … in response to the DNC publications, a lot of people have been inspired by the impact, and so they have stepped forward with additional material.”
Assange said his organization released internal DNC documents just before the party’s national convention because that was when staff finished vetting them, but that he hoped to have the newest documents out well before November.
“It’s quite a complex business to sort things, to index them, make sure they’re presentable, to see what the top initial angles are that come out,” he said.
“We’re a small shop. We’re here around the clock. We understand quite much the time pressures that people have, and how significant it is to try and get that out. We worked like hell to get the DNC publication out before the DNC, the day before the DNC.”
“I am very confident we’re going to get this material out before, long before, the day of the election,” Assange said.
Assange said Tuesday that the first wave of Clinton documents would hit either this week or next week.
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Most Catholics in the Philippines abstain from eating meat during the Holy Week
Published 2:41 PM, April 14, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – During the Holy Week, millions of Filipinos observe traditions and sacrifices, including abstinence from eating meat – a form of penance for some Catholics during the Lenten season.
After all, the Philippines is the 3rd largest Catholic country in the world, home to at least 75 million Catholics, according to a 2010 study conducted by United States-based Pew Research Center.
But just how much of a meat-eater is the Philippines? Rappler takes a look:
Filipinos consume more pork than the global average.
Lechon, Sisig, Pork barbecue. These are only some of the favorite pork dishes Filipinos enjoy. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Filipino consumes about 14.2 kg of pork, two kg more than the world’s average pork consumption.
Next to pork, the average Filipino consumes about 11.6 kg of chicken and 3 kg of beef or veal.
In total, a Filipino consumes about 28.8 kg of meat yearly. (READ: What are the top 20 food products consumed by Filipinos?)
In 2016, the Philippines produced nearly 5 million kilograms of meat.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a total of about 4,958 metric tons, or nearly 5 million kilograms of meat was produced in 2016. That beats the Guinness world record for the heaviest object weighed, which is the Revolving Service Structure of a NASA launchpad located in Florida, USA.
Pork is consistently the most produced meat, followed by chicken, chicken eggs, cattle, and carabao.
However, the chicken population is greater than pork.
Pork-lovers Filipinos may be, inventory levels show that there are more chickens than hogs in the country.
In Metro Manila alone, about 20 million kilos of chicken is consumed per month in 2014. (READ: After #ChickenSad, DA says ‘no chicken supply shortage’)
Latest figures from PSA put the chicken population at about 178.77 million as of January 1, 2016.
The top chicken-producing regions in the Philippines are: Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4A (Calabarzon), and Region 10 (Northern Mindanao). They contribute about 65% of the country’s total production.
In the same period, inventory levels for other meat products were as follows: 11 million hogs, 10 million ducks, 5 million cattle and carabao, and about 3 million goats.
Meat consumption is a trillion peso industry.
As of 2016, the production of pork raked in about P116 trillion according to PSA. This was followed by the production of chicken products, which was valued at about P94 billion.
The biggest Filipino companies that are part of the demand and supply chain include food and drinks conglomerate San Miguel PureFoods, poultry integrator Bounty Agro Ventures, and fastfood chains Jollibee and McDonald’s.
In 2015, San Miguel PureFood’s agro-industrial business segment saw revenues of about P70 billion. This included sales from company brands Magnolia and Monterey, which cater to the company’s poultry, fresh meats (pork and beef), and animal feeds business.
Bounty Agro Ventures, the company behind lechon manok brands Chooks-To-Go, Uling Roasters, and Reyal, reported about P10 billion in 2015.
Fast-food giants Jollibee and McDonald’s saw revenues of about P5 billion and P760 million, respectively. Sales from Jollibee include those earned from the group’s fast-food chains Jollibee, Mang Inasal, Greenwich, and Chowking.
Chickenjoy, a deep-fried chicken dish, is among Jollibee's bestsellers, making it among the biggest buyers of chicken in the country. (READ: Inclusive growth? Jollibee cites 'Chickenjoy' supply chain)
Jollibee recently teamed up with US agro firm Cargill to build a poultry processing plant to augment some of the dressed and marinated supply needs of its fastfood outlets.
Chicken supply became a concern in 2014 when a strong typhoon affected Jollibee's producers, forcing some 72 outlets to close for days. On social media, #ChickenSad became a trending topic among dismayed customers. – Rappler.com
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McALLEN — Mexican authorities are seeking two former Tamaulipas governors wanted for questioning in connection with a money laundering investigation.
Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba and Eugenio Hernández Flores are named in a detention warrant in connection with money laundering and organized crime, two officials with the Mexico Attorney General’s Office — known by its Spanish abbreviation PGR — independently confirmed to The Monitor. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Neither former governor has been charged with a crime in Mexico, and Yarrington has denied any wrongdoing. Mexican law allows individuals to be detained without charge pending questioning, which can then lead to a more prolonged detention of up to 40 days without charge for further investigation.
Last week the PGR asked Mexico’s National Banking and Securities Commission to freeze Yarrington’s bank accounts in connection with the case, one of the PGR sources said.
Hernández, 52, and Yarrington, 55, remained at large as of Saturday. The PGR official said Hernández, who served as governor from 2005 to 2010, is believed to be in Europe and Yarrington is believed to be in the United States.
Mexican media have reported seeing Yarrington in the Rio Grande Valley and in San Antonio in recent weeks.
Yarrington, who served as Tamaulipas governor from 1999 to 2005, does not face any criminal charges in the United States. However, U.S. federal court documents allege he bought a South Padre Island condo after receiving bribes from the Gulf Cartel, which is headquartered in Matamoros, the city where Yarrington once served as mayor.
Yarrington paid $450,000 for the 14th-floor unit but placed it in the name of business associate Napoleon Rodriguez, a former Tamaulipas state official under detention in Mexico — to avoid attention from federal investigators, according to the court documents.
On May 22, Mexican authorities detained Rodriguez and took him to the PGR’s organized crime division — known by its Spanish acronym SIEDO — for questioning, according to the agency and U.S. law enforcement officials. Mexican authorities also have detained several other prominent Tamaulipas businessmen for questioning or have searched their homes and businesses.
According to one of the PGR sources, Rodriguez admitted during questioning to having purchased the condominium on South Padre Island with money from Yarrington. The former governor purchased the $450,000 condo with three payments to Rodriguez.
Just days after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas filed the civil forfeiture suit seeking to seize the Island condo, Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, suspended Yarrington from the party’s ranks.
Also on May 22, a U.S. federal grand jury indicted Fernando Cano, a prominent highway construction contractor in Tamaulipas, who is now accused of laundering money for the Gulf Cartel and its rivals — and erstwhile enforcers — the Zetas. Court records indicate the cases are linked.
Cano remained at large as of Saturday.
PGR has issued no official confirmation of these details of the cases.
In February, U.S. federal authorities arrested Antonio Peña Arguelles in Laredo. Peña is accused of funneling Zeta bribes to Yarrington to purchase freedom from government interference.
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A tiny, popular taco shop in Jamaica Plain will add another location in the neighborhood. Chilacates plans to take over the space Pink Samurai briefly occupied on Centre Street, bringing a second location to life a little more than a year after opening, Boston Restaurant Talk reports.
Chilacates first opened at 224 Amory St. in July 2015, as previously reported, and the restaurant will now add a new location in the area, an employee reached at the restaurant confirmed Friday.
In addition to the new digs at 658 Centre St. (formerly Pink Samurai), Chilacates will be expanding its existing original location, which currently seats 10 and specializes in tacos, burritos, tortas, and more, filled with with grilled chicken, carne asada, and fish, among other options.
In its year-and-a-half existence, Chilacates — which is included on our list of Boston’s 38 essential restaurants — has built up quite a following thanks to its friendly staff and excellent food. As Catherine Smart wrote in a January 2016 Globe review, the restaurant “isn’t a divey taco stand. It’s not a place to linger over a $15 agave margarita. And, thank heavens, it’s not an Americanized abomination serving greasy chimichangas.” Grab a taco, grab a bottle of Jarritos, and enjoy.
• Chilacates in Jamaica Plain to Open in Former Pink Samurai Space, Expand Present Space [BRT]
• Chilacates Lands on Amory Street With Elotes, Homemade Tortillas, and Breakfast Tacos [EBOS]
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The best-performing state is
, which has dramatically improved from
place in 2000 to fifth in 2012 in rural households and from
to sixth in urban households.
Kerala, Punjab,
, TN and AP are the top five states in rural households;
, Kerala, Maharashtra,
and Punjab are the top five in urban households.
The same reality is reflected in growth rates of household expenditures over the period. At the national level, average per person spends grew by 165% in rural areas and 190% in urban areas between 2000 and 2012. Among the states with MPCE growth of urban households lower than the national average, Gujarat (177%) lies tied with Rajasthan, lower than Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal but higher than Assam and TN.
Among rural households, per capita spend in Gujarat grew by 165%, again below the national average of 170%. Most of the poorer states like UP, Bihar, MP and Odisha were also below the national benchmark. In Haryana too rural incomes are barely above the national average. Among rural households, per capita spend in Gujarat grew by 165%, again below the national average of 170%. Most of the poorer states like UP, Bihar, MP and Odisha were also below the national benchmark. In Haryana too rural incomes are barely above the national average.
At the other end, the states with high expenditure growth were AP, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra in both rural and urban areas, with TN only joining the leaders for rural households. At the other end, the states with high expenditure growth were AP, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra in both rural and urban areas, with TN only joining the leaders for rural households.
There’s a new trend of chief ministers, particularly those with national ambitions, aggressively peddling their respective ‘development models’. Interestingly, CMs from the same party at times indulge in one-upmanship. The question is: How are people in their states actually faring? How does one know whether one ‘model’ is better than another?One way is to look at how much a person spends on an average every month; this gives an indication of how much people are earning. Comparing recently released data on consumer expenditure with data from a decade ago provides a fair idea of which state governments are delivering and which are sliding. There’s a surprise lurking there. Gujarat has slid from fourth to eighth in the ranking of states for rural spends, and from seventh to ninth in urban expenditure, according to a comparative analysis of data on monthly per capita spending between 2011-12 and 1999-2000, both of which are put out by the National Sample Survey Organisation Gujarat may be the poster boy of development and economic growth, but is one of the few states that have slid in economic rankings. Consumption expenditure of people in Gujarat is growing at a slower rate than the national average, according to a comparative analysis of data on monthly per capita spending between 2011-12 and 1999-2000, both of which are put out by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)Andhra11th11thAnother state that has shown major movement in rankings is Tamil Nadu, moving down from second to seventh place in urban per capita expenditure but improving from sixth to fourth in rural.HaryanaHaryanaKarnataka
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FBI Director James Comey (File photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
The FBI director is a talented lawyer, but even he could not mount a convincing case for his actions.
In a quarter century in law enforcement, I never encountered anyone more confident, or with more reason to be confident, than Jim Comey. The former Bush Justice Department deputy attorney general turned Obama Justice Department director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has earned bipartisan plaudits for a reason: He is as able as it gets. The nation got to see that this week: first, in his tour de force press conference both damning and clearing Hillary Clinton; then, just 48 hours later, in his deft jousting with a Republican-led House committee rankled by his decision to give a pass to the Democrats’ putative presidential nominee.
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So well did Director Comey perform that you barely noticed his rationale withering away.
In arguing that Mrs. Clinton should not face felony charges of grossly negligent mishandling of classified information, the director illustrated that Mrs. Clinton is overwhelmingly guilty of grossly negligent mishandling of classified information. It made me wonder how many dozens — scores? hundreds? — of defendants Comey, in his 15 stellar years as a federal prosecutor, had convicted on a bare fraction of the proof he outlined against the former secretary of state.
Comey piled fact upon fact showing intentional misconduct — the setting up of a non-government, non-secure e-mail server system for the conduct of official business, in violation of guidelines Clinton was obliged not only to follow but to enforce; the transmission of classified information (including some of the government’s most closely guarded intelligence secrets) — information Clinton had to know was classified at the time it was sent, some of which was even marked classified (notwithstanding her serial denials of that tell-tale fact); the herculean effort to destroy any trace of thousands of government files, notwithstanding over a year’s worth of vows that no government-related information had been included in the 32,000 e-mails she attempted to delete rather than surrender to the State Department.
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On and on Comey went: shredding one Hillary lie after another; all but guaranteeing that her “extreme carelessness” had resulted in the penetration of her communications by foreign intelligence services; pointedly rebuking Clinton’s recklessness in discussing top-secret intelligence via a homebrew system so amateurishly unsecure she’d have been better off using your teenager’s Gmail account.
In the end, nevertheless, he let her off the hook. Bursting with pride over the bureau’s forensic prowess and investigative energy, he left the listener certain his agents had built the slam-dunk case to end all slam-dunk cases, only to conclude with a thud that the case was too weak to charge. Not only too weak but so wanting, he proclaimed, that no reasonable prosecutor could think otherwise.
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Turns out there are a lot of unreasonable prosecutors. Can it be that too many of them are retired and cranky, that from up here in the peanut gallery, the job looks a lot easier than it is?
Maybe . . . but I don’t think so.
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EDITORIAL: Comey’s Risible Recommendation
And it turned out the director’s sense of reasonableness was, well, a bit more nuanced than it sounded at the press conference. In his House testimony, Comey posited that the weakness lay not in the FBI’s evidence but in Congress’s law. The statute criminalizing gross negligence in mishandling classified information was, he maintained, infirm.
It was his theory, however, that needed firming up. My antennae tingled during his opening statement when the director claimed that even the Congress that enacted the 1917 Espionage Act feared the relevant provision might violate “American tradition.”
The statute criminalizing gross negligence in mishandling classified information was, Comey maintained, infirm.
Jim Comey is a really good lawyer. When good lawyers are confident that a law is invalid, they tell you it is unconstitutional. When a legal technician says “unconstitutional,” that’s a hard conclusion he backs with solid argument. On the other hand, when he says “tradition,” he’s in the touch-feely penumbra realm — “y’know, this kinda sorta just doesn’t seem right . . . ”
The director’s problem was soon apparent: “American tradition” was not going to cut it. Unless there is a clear constitutional flaw, the Justice Department is in the (well-supported) habit of telling courts that they are required to presume the constitutionality of congressional statutes. Congress expected nothing less from an FBI director who, in effect, was exercising prosecutorial discretion in nixing an indictment of the very guilty-looking Mrs. Clinton. Comey was going to have to explain why the statute was lacking.
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He couldn’t. Again, that should have been no surprise because — if he had a convincing theory, he would have come out of the box with it. There have been cases brought under this law — most of them in the military system, but those are United States courts, too. The law has never been held unconstitutional. Federal prosecutors, moreover, occasionally use the law in plea negotiations — a no-no if government lawyers think a law is invalid. Comey said some lawmakers were nervous about the statute when it was passed — but they still passed it.
In the end, the best the director could do was contend that Justice Department lawyers worried about it. When pointedly asked how he would amend the statute to shore it up, Comey declined to offer a suggestion other than that the committee should contact DOJ.
#share#The theory the director half-heartedly offered — viz, that criminal laws require proof of intent to cause harm or violate a legal duty — was full of holes. Criminal statutes that punish negligence are not the norm, but they are far from unheard of. As Comey had to concede, most states criminalize negligent homicide. Moreover, what courts want to ensure is that Congress thinks through criminal laws. The gross-negligence law at issue is not an isolated provision; it is part of a framework in which Congress carefully crafted a sliding scale for offenses involving mishandling of classified information: the most serious, involving an intent to harm the United States, on top; the least serious, involving gross negligence and failing to report loss or improper transmission, at the bottom.
Statutes are presumed constitutional and if a defendant’s conduct fits what Congress has forbidden, prosecution under the statute is presumptively proper.
The law is not unconstitutional . . . though I have little doubt that Justice Department lawyers do worry about it. When Mrs. Clinton is involved, Justice Department lawyers tend to worry — whether it is the attorney general (whom Mrs. Clinton, wink-wink, says she just might retain) meeting with Mrs. Clinton’s husband on a tarmac at the key juncture of the investigation; or the government lawyers who thwarted FBI agents when they dared try to ask Mrs. Clinton’s top confidante, Cheryl Mills, about the process of deciding which e-mails Mrs. Clinton would deign to surrender to the Justice Department (as opposed to the 32,000 Team Clinton tried to destroy).
In the end, Director Comey was left to claim that, even if the law was constitutional, it still could not be used because . . . well . . . it is not often used. Therefore, the reasoning went, to use it would be to have two sets of rules — one that singled out Mrs. Clinton, another that let everyone else skate. This was a truly remarkable suggestion in connection with the Clintons, who have long cheated the laws and standards that apply to the rubes. More to the point, it was both wrong and objectionable.
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RELATED: Comey: A Theory
Director Comey says the law has been used only once since its enactment, a representation he can make only by omitting the several times it has been used against military personnel. When that picture is clarified, the real double standard emerges: low-ranking soldiers are convicted and sent to the brig for comparatively trivial negligence; the secretary of state is given effective immunity for an offense that was systematic and gargantuan.
Moreover, selective prosecution claims routinely fail in federal court. Statutes are presumed constitutional and if a defendant’s conduct fits what Congress has forbidden, prosecution under the statute is presumptively proper. Some statutes are not frequently employed because the criminal conduct is highly unusual — one would expect that it is the rare public official trusted with a high security clearance who is not just negligent but grossly negligent in handling the nation’s defense secrets. Statutes, however, do not become unavailable simply because the Justice Department rarely resorts to them. No one could look at Mrs. Clinton’s objectively outrageous behavior in this case and believe a criminal statute that perfectly matches what she has done was being applied in bad faith.
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#related#Finally, much as I admire Jim Comey, it is simply not his place as FBI director to decline a worthy prosecution over concern about a prospective and dubious selective-prosecution claim. He has made much of the fact that the FBI, consistent with its well-deserved reputation for professionalism, kept the politics at arm’s length and treated this case like any other. But does the FBI really do in every case what it did in this case?
The bureau’s job is to develop evidence that proves the essential elements of criminal offenses proscribed by Congress — and yes, the agents appear to have done the job very well here. Yet, the FBI is not there to analyze the validity of the statutes. And even more attenuated from the investigator’s role is the FBI’s assessment of legal claims a defendant might make about the propriety of a prosecution.
That is the Justice Department’s job. Director Comey should have let them do it. They have become expert at defending the indefensible.
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to 2%. Japan's growth is so poor that its economy balances near recession. This leaves Germany as the world's perfect economy, by most important yardsticks. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently confirmed that impression.
Germany's muscle must be particularly vexing to Greece, which has one of the worst economies in the developed world. Germany is viewed by the Greeks as the primary cause of new austerity rules that it has agreed to in exchanged for funding.
The IMF's recent "consultation" with Germany showed that its economy has no major weaknesses. The consultations involve the IMF sending its staff to a country for conversations with local financial leaders. An IMF report is the result of this work.
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The IMF report on Germany, written by its experts on Europe's largest economy, said:
The ongoing upturn is benefiting from the euro depreciation and lower energy prices, and is underpinned by a healthy fiscal position and sound corporate and household balance sheets. Employment growth has been robust, supported by strong immigration, and the unemployment rate hit another post-reunification low at 4.7 percent. The oil price drop brought inflation temporarily close to zero, which has contributed to lift real wage growth to a twenty-year high. The current account surplus reached a new high in 2014, as the oil and gas trade deficit narrowed. Fiscal policy was mildly contractionary in 2014, and it is expected to turn moderately expansionary in 2015.
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The financial sector, which was a primary cause of the recent recession, as well as a sector that still is not entirely healthy in most Western nations, is particularly robust in Germany:
Directors welcomed German banks’ continued strengthening of their capital position following the Single Supervisory Mechanism’s Comprehensive Assessment last year. This is particularly important in view of the multiple challenges facing parts of the banking system such as structurally low profitability, lingering crisis legacies, litigation costs, and the need to adjust business models to the post-crisis regulatory environment. Close cooperation and coordination among the supervisory institutions is key in this context.
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The consultation will add to the argument that Germany is wealthy enough to help its struggling neighbors. However, it has shown repeatedly that it has no interest, and its population thinks Germany has gone too far already in the direction of giving aid.
Among the things that may help the German economy is that it wants to keep its success to itself.
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WASHINGTON, May 10, 2017- On the eve of Earth Day, Green Festival’s Expo, America’s largest and longest-running sustainability and green living event, announced that it will launch the first-ever Activism and Advocacy Pavilion at the D.C. Walter E. Washington Convention Center May 13-14.
Marking its thirteenth year in Washington D.C., the Green Festival Expo has become an annual celebration of green business, sustainable living, and activism in the local, sustainable community, serving as the city’s most prominent event for green brands and environmentally-friendly lifestyles.
Green Festival Adds Activism and Advocacy Pavilion
“We are thrilled to be kicking off 2017 in the nation’s capital with a pavilion specifically geared toward rallying local activists and supporters around pressing issues from water safety and air pollution to food resources, animal rights, and climate change,” said Dr. Corinna Basler, president of Green Festivals, Inc. “Green Festival will have an activism and advocacy pavilion at every show as a way to empower passionate individuals and to support the momentum and demand for grassroots activism around environmental issues,” she added.
The D.C. Green Festival Expo will take place during Mother’s Day weekend and there will be half off tickets for mothers and special programming as well as products and activities recognizing Mother Earth. Attendees at the D.C.Green Festival Expo can discover and buy everything they need to live a healthier, more sustainable life, from the latest technology and all-natural products to chemical-free household supplies and a wide selection of non-GMO, organic and artisanal food and beverages. In addition to the Vegan / Vegetarian Food Court, attendees can enjoy hands-on demos, educational activities, and learn from inspirational speakers.
Some of the pioneering, expert presenters speaking at the Washington, D.C. Green Festival Expo include:
Dr. Jill Stein- Green Party Presidential Candidate
Gene Baur, President, and Co-Founder – Farm Sanctuary
Alanna Hartzok, Co-Director – Earth Rights Institute
Bhushan Deodhar, Director – Art of Living Foundation
Nancy Lawson, Founder – Humane Gardener
Jeffrey Richardson, President, and CEO – Imani Energy, Inc.
Pamela Hess, Executive Director – Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Dayna Reggaro, Director, Climate Listening Project
George Hawkins, CEO and General Manager, DC Water
David Feldman, Director, Center for Sustainability Solutions, Green America
Wendy Howard, Executive Director, One Montgomery Green
Janine Finnell, Executive Director and Clean Energy Ambassador, Leaders in Energy
Where: Walter E. Convention Center – 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW, WDC (Mt Vernon Sq/7th st., Convention Center Metro Station)
When: May 13-14th 2017- Saturday 10am- 6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm
Tickets and More info: Tickets can be purchased online at the Green Festivals Website and are available for purchase at the show.
Youth aged 16 and under are granted free admission. Cyclists who ride their bike to the expo will also have free admission to the show. Discounts are offered for students, seniors, and veterans.
The founder of Omkara World, Adam Omkara is a mind/body health coach and spiritual advisor to some of the most influential people in the country, including: Celebrities, Politicians, Award Winning Scientists, Professional Athletes and Sports Teams Owners, Billboard Musicians, Bollywood Stars, Ironman Champions, and a Former Miss Olympia. Follow on: Twitter Facebook Instagram
Read More from Adam Omkara on CommDigiNews
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NEW YORK -- The Seattle Seahawks are Pete Carroll's team from top to bottom. They think differently; they draft differently; they practice differently.
The Seahawks returned to the field Wednesday and practiced at a "mostly breakneck" pace. Pool reporter Peter King from TheMMQB.com said it was the "fastest practice" he's ever covered at the Super Bowl. (Carroll loved hearing that.)
Carroll's energy is everywhere to see in New Jersey this week. Our Around The League Seahawks correspondent Marc Sessler says Seattle has been a loose, focused bunch all week. They are enjoying their moment. And they aren't changing who they are on the big stage.
Here's what we learned from King's pool report and the rest of the news that came out during a busy day in New Jersey and here at the media center in Manhattan.
1. Marshawn Lynch rested Wednesday, as is his usual custom. Doug Baldwin (hip), Percy Harvin (concussion) and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (ankle) reportedly all looked good at practice. This Super Bowl has virtually no injury concerns. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport said Harvin is expected to play every snap.
2. Seattle had its final "Competition Wednesday" of the year where the first-team units worked against each other, instead of facing the scout team like most teams do. Richard Sherman had an athletic interception at one point.
3. The Seahawks practiced indoors, but kept the temperatures just over freezing at 36 degrees. Those are the conditions that are now forecast for the Super Bowl on Sunday.
4. The Broncos, meanwhile, practiced in full pads outdoors. John Fox called Peyton Manning's work "very sharp."
5. Knowshon Moreno has taken a long and winding road to this Super Bowl. We learned from Rapoport that it will probably be his last game with the Broncos.
6. One of our favorite nuggets from Wednesday's Carroll presser was his anecdote about an early-morning phone call from Manning that shook him from his sleep and almost changed the course of the Seahawks for years to come.
7. Carroll also weighed in on the flock of suspensions for performance-enhancing drug use and substance-abuse policy violations during his time in Seattle. "We've had team meetings. We've had speakers. We've had seminars. We've had one-on-ones," said the coach, who added that the "new mentality" in Seattle is that "we're Seahawks 24/7."
8. Sessler says that the funniest Seahawks player on the roster is Michael Bennett. And that there are "more luxurious scenarios on the planet than being packed into a fleshy, odorous scrum of scribes trying to hear a defensive behemoth opine on Seattle's four-man front."
9. Demaryius Thomas' impressive young career was nearly over before it started. The top-five receiver revealed Wednesday that injuries forced him to second-guess his football future before Manning arrived in town.
10. Thomas isn't the only one to benefit from Manning's ability to change lives. Here's our master list of the men Manning has made over the past 16 years.
11. Manning detailed how John Elway lit into the Broncos after a preseason manhandling by the Seahawks.
12. Elway used to think that Manning would cement his reputation as the greatest quarterback of all time with another ring. Now Elway believes that people will always argue about the greatest ever, no matter what Manning does. We agree. (And we usually prefer arguing.)
Brooks: How the 'Hawks can win What must Seattle do to secure its first Super Bowl title? Bucky Brooks identifies four key factors for the READ
What must Seattle do to secure its first Super Bowl title?identifies four key factors for the Seahawks
13. Around The League's Dan Hanzus got some great access with two great running backs Wednesday: Matt Forte and Maurice Jones-Drew. MJD is ready to move on if the Jaguars don't want to re-sign him.
14. Adam Vinatieri had a fun suggestion for Hanzus when it comes to rule changes: Why not make long field goals four points?
15. Marshawn Lynch made it another day without getting fined. Try to continue to be a boss in all that you do, and we'll see you back here for a huge day of coverage Thursday.
Live from New York, it's "The Around The League Podcast!"
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Lawmakers in Brazil have asked that American journalist Glenn Greenwald and his partner David Miranda receive protection from federal police, due to the importance of their testimony regarding an ongoing investigation of US spying practices.
On Tuesday, the Brazilian Senate began an official investigation into allegations that the National Security Agency (NSA) had been surveilling the country and even intercepted personal emails sent by President Dilma Rousseff.
Greenwald first broke the news of allegations that the NSA had been tapping Brazil’s communications several weeks ago, but a Sunday report aired on Globo TV made more pointed accusations that the Brazilian head of state had been targeted.
The American journalist’s reports of alleged NSA spying operations on South America - based on leaks provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden - have been making headlines in Brazil, based in large part on Greenwald’s column with O Globo newspaper.
Sunday’s revelations seemed to be a direct result of the extended detention of Miranda at London’s Heathrow Airport in mid-August. Miranda, a Brazilian national who lives in Rio de Janeiro with Greenwald, was held by officers for nine hours. His electronic equipment was confiscated by authorities. Believing the incident was an attempt at intimidation, Greenwald then indicated that his reporting on Snowden’s leaks would only pick up pace.
In a separate incident in July, Greenwald told media that he believed his home had been broken into and a laptop stolen after he contacted Miranda telling him to expect emailed NSA documents.
The fresh allegations of NSA spying have brought into question president Rousseff’s scheduled state visit to the US in October. Brazil has officially requested an explanation on the new reports by the end of the week, saying that Rousseff’s decision on whether or not to visit Washington will be based on that response.
According to AP, Government security spokesman Eduardo Sanchez confirmed on Tuesday that Brazil’s foreign ministry had contacted the US and requested an “in-depth investigation into the matter.”
During its first meeting on the NSA scandal, Brazil’s Parliamentary Inquiry Commission approved an application for police protection of Greenwald and Miranda.
A member of the committee, Senator Pedro Taques, decried allegations of spying on the country’s leadership.
"There's been an attempt, not only against our national laws that involve the immunity and safety of our head of state, but other people as well," he told reporters.
The new report provided by Greenwald also alleges that the NSA targeted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, monitoring his communications prior to the country’s July 2012 election.
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Nanoparticles have been investigated in recent years as tools for defending the brain against neurotoxic proteins that may contribute to the onset of several different neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. Such proteins, in particular amyloid-beta peptides, are thought to play a role depositing fibrous plaques on the brain that damage synapses (the contact points between neurons) and lead to a decline in cognitive capabilities.
During the onset of Alzheimer's, amyloid beta collects in the brain centers that form new memories. As the disease progresses, these toxic protein fragments block neurotransmitters from reaching receptors on neurons. The promise of nanoparticles is that their capacity to mimic some biological functions as well as penetrate the blood–brain barrier will enable them to stop the growth of neuron-blocking fibrils better than drug compounds that might contain some variation of short peptides, antibodies or proteins—such as human serum albumin (HSA) protein. (There currently are no anti-Alzheimer's drugs on the market.) Whereas such compounds have been shown to interfere with fibril formation, researchers are hoping that inorganic nanoparticles can do so more effectively.
Although the nanotech approach has great potential, the challenges are many, including finding a nanoparticle material that is effective yet also biocompatible and nontoxic. Another source of controversy: some nanoparticles that have been studied, including quantum dots and carbon nanotubes, seem to actually promote or accelerate fibrillation rather than prevent it.
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (U.M.) and South Korea's Kyungpook National University claim to have resolved at least some of nanotech's shortcomings in tackling amyloid-beta peptides. In a study published online last month in Angewandte Chemie International Edition the researchers describe inhibiting amyloid-beta fibrillation using cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanoparticles with a tetrahedral shape and negative charge.
"We decided to look at how inorganic materials can affect fibrillation of amyloid peptides, which are small proteinlike structures that form extended assemblies that look like nanofibers," says Nicholas Kotov, a U.M. chemical engineering professor who led the study.
Whereas as these CdTe nanoparticles are not biocompatible and would be toxic in the body, the researchers chose them because they resemble in size, charge and behavior some of the proteins that have proved effective in blocking fibrillation.
Kotov and his colleagues also chose to work with CdTe nanoparticles because the researchers have years of experience working with this material and appreciate its self-assembly properties. Particle size and shape are important when it comes to effects on fibrillation—for example, rounded shapes (like carbon nanotubes) enhance fibrillation. When a short chain of amyloid peptides wraps around a tetrahedron-shaped nanoparticle, the nanoparticles' sharp edges distort the peptides, preventing additional peptides from attaching to the chain, Kotov says.
To test this hypothesis, the researchers combined a solution containing CdTe nanoparticles with one containing amyloid peptides and then examined the results using atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and other techniques. The nanoparticles were found to produce "strong inhibition of amyloid-beta fibrillation."
The researchers think their work offers a blueprint for the nanoscale engineering of nanoparticles from biocompatible materials with properties similar to that of CdTe nanoparticles, particularly their sharp-faceted structures. "Despite the fact that CdTe [nanoparticles] are cytotoxic and cannot be used in vivo, this model demonstrates that [nanoparticles] can reach equal or better efficiency of fibrillation inhibition than the best-known proteins," according to the study.
Kotov and his team's work is a good proof-of-concept step indicating that a nanoparticle for inhibiting amyloid-beta fibrillation can be identified, says Sara Brenner, an assistant professor of nanobioscience and assistant vice president for NanoHealth Initiatives at the University at Albany, State University of New York, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. "A lot of basic science research that will ultimately try to make it to clinic testing starts out with the fundamental understanding of structure and function," she adds.
Research into ways that different nanomaterials might be used in medicine is not so different from more established approaches to developing drugs and therapies that must be approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Brenner says. "The difference here is that when we're dealing at the nanoscale there aren't hundreds of years of medical literature and human experimentation indicating what the outcomes might be," she adds.
Kotov and his colleagues know this as well as anyone. They are now developing nanoparticles that would be both successful fibril fighters and nontoxic. They also want to better understand the behavior of nanoparticles in general when injected into the blood stream, for example how these particles are transported to the brain. This means working with medical doctors interested and invested in understanding better the effect of the nanoscale structures on the progression of Alzheimer's, Kotov says.
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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is searching for “highly dangerous” radioactive material whose theft last year has raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State.
A sign indicating radioactive material is shown in Anaheim, California March 17, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Baghdad reported the stolen material to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November but has not requested assistance to recover it, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday.
The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford (WFT.N), an environment ministry document seen by Reuters showed and security, environmental and provincial officials confirmed.
A spokesman for Iraq’s environment ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns.
Weatherford said in a statement that it was not responsible or liable for the theft. “We do not own, operate or control sources or the bunker where the sources are stored,” it said.
The material, which uses gamma rays to test flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials.
An SGS official in Iraq declined to comment and referred Reuters to its Turkish headquarters, which did not respond to phone calls and emails.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports but has seen no sign that Islamic State or other militant groups have acquired it.
The environment ministry document, dated Nov. 30 and addressed to the ministry’s Centre for Prevention of Radiation, describes “the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot belonging to Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province”.
A senior environment ministry official based in Basra, who declined to be named as he is not authorized to speak publicly, told Reuters the device contained up to 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of Ir-192 “capsules”, a radioactive isotope of iridium also used to treat cancer.
The IAEA said the material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source, meaning that if not managed properly it could cause permanent injury to a person in close proximity to it for minutes or hours, and could be fatal to someone exposed for a period of hours to days.
How harmful exposure can be is determined by a number of factors such as the material’s strength and age, which Reuters could not immediately determine. The ministry document said the material posed a risk of bodily and environmental harm as well as a national security threat.
DIRTY BOMB FEAR
Large quantities of Ir-192 have gone missing before in the United States, Britain and other countries, stoking fears among security officials that it could be used to make a dirty bomb.
A dirty bomb combines nuclear material with conventional explosives to contaminate an area with radiation, in contrast to a nuclear weapon, which uses nuclear fission to trigger a vastly more powerful blast.
“We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh,” said a senior security official with knowledge of the theft, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
“They could simply attach it to explosives to make a dirty bomb,” said the official, who works at the interior ministry and spoke on condition of anonymity as he is also not authorized to speak publicly.
There was no indication the material had come into the possession of Islamic State, which seized territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014 but does not control areas near Basra.
A State Department spokesman declined to comment on whether the missing material might be suitable for use in a dirty bomb.
The security official, based in Baghdad, told Reuters there were no immediate suspects for the theft. But the official said the initial inquiry suggested the perpetrators had specific knowledge of the material and the facility. “No broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry,” he said.
An operations manager for Iraqi security firm Taiz, which was contracted to protect the facility, declined to comment, citing instructions from Iraqi security authorities.
A spokesman for Basra operations command, responsible for security in Basra province, said army, police and intelligence forces were working “day and night” to locate the material.
The army and police have responsibility for security in the country’s south, where Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim militias and criminal gangs also operate.
POLLUTION RISK
Iraqi forces are battling Islamic State in the country’s north and west, backed by a U.S.-led coalition. The Sunni Muslim militant group has been accused of using chemical weapons on more than one occasion over the past few years.
The closest area fully controlled by Islamic State is more than 500 km (300 miles) north of Basra in the western province of Anbar. Islamic State controls no territory in the predominantly Shi’ite southern provinces but has claimed bomb attacks there, including one that killed 10 people in October in the district where the Weatherford facility is located.
Besides the risk of a dirty bomb, the radioactive material could cause harm simply by being left exposed in a public place for several days, said David Albright, a physicist and president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.
“If they left it in some crowded place, that would be more of the risk, if they kept it together but without shielding,” he said. “Certainly it’s not insignificant. You could cause some panic with this. They would want to get this back.”
The senior environmental official said authorities were worried that whoever stole the material would mishandle it, leading to radioactive pollution of “catastrophic proportions”.
A second senior environment ministry official, also based in Basra, said counter-radiation teams had begun inspecting oil sites, scrapyards and border crossings to locate the device after an emergency task force raised the alarm on Nov. 13.
Two Basra provincial government officials said they were directed on Nov. 25 to coordinate with local hospitals. “We instructed hospitals in Basra to be alert to any burn cases caused by radioactivity and inform security forces immediately,” said one.
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About
Greetings! I've had many reservations prior to starting this campaign, and they persist. The old paradigm of grinding at a project with little yield due to financial limitations runs deep in my consciousness; however, due to the nature of this particular project, I have - creatively speaking - no other choice. Months of costly experimentation, a parts budget near $90,000, and the need to deliver a fully realized work of art, all point to the need to get proper funding and support. Unfortunately, there is one further burden: I cannot reveal the specifics of this project. It is so simple, so obvious, and as universal as an archway or a fountain that it must be kept under wraps. In such a situation, where an idea is this universal, a tinker with a better posture would likely supersede my endeavors and beat me to the punch. With a musical instrument of this nature, the only thing that can be protected is the individual's particular design. In other words, once the first of these is fully realized, there will be endless "copycats" offering their own interpretation on this "new" class of instruments. By obtaining the proper funds and carefully keeping my secrets under wraps, I am merely ensuring that my creation is the first. Granted, I could mock up a slipshod Trident in a matter of days (they'll be "homebrewed" as soon as the concept is unveiled and I encourage that) but I could just as well disclose the concept to the world verbally and get the same effect. No, the first should be elegant, well designed and engineered to perfection. Further, I want to be the one to bring about the first fully realized trident in all of it's glory, but if I cannot gain the trust of my backers, I cannot wait any longer, the simple secrets of the Trident will be disclosed by me, should I fail to meet my funding goals.
So, with that little disclosure out of the way, let us begin. The Trident is a musical instrument. It belongs to a new class of instruments that was not possible prior to the industrial and subsequent technological revolutions, but I assure you, had this class been possible, it would have been created 10,000 years ago. I am convinced that the best of ideas are a blend of old world concepts and modern technology. In our flurry to develop new and innovative technology, sometimes decades will pass before someone realizes what ended up getting glossed over. Thankfully, the electric guitar had not shared the fate of many useful things that have been glossed over. Consider the electric guitar: its foundation, a stringed instrument, as old as dirt. How many pics, string configurations, etc. have musicians made use of for thousands of years in order to achieve the simple effect that a electronic pickup made possible? Run the sound through a wire, and viola! a cornucopia of endless variations of sound became available. It's potential has still not been exhausted. To further stress this point of modern technology fusing together with old world concepts and inventions, consider: a bow and arrow. Prior to the industrial revolution, had a blacksmith forged the first microchip, the world may have been a very different place. As computer technology would have evolved, it would have been applied to day to day tools. Arrows that could be fired from a bow, their path guided by fins that moved according to a tracking code provided by the archer's marking device, would have become the norm. Plows guided by livestock that respond to remote control electrical stimulation would precede the tractor with its internal combustion engine.
The point here is that The Trident is a bridge piece of tech. A bridge that was glossed over, quite possibly because of the universal success of the electric guitar. The world is ready for a new instrument, and as talented as the artists of electronica are, let's face it, it's missing the "living" feeling that - say - an electric guitar can create. Bjork is among the pioneers into electronica that has not forgotten the need for new sounds especially, living, breathing sounds. It's that life that our ears crave and seek when listening to music. Like the electric guitar, The Trident can be processed. Like the electric guitar, The Trident will enhance its own era's contemporary music. Like the electric guitar, The Trident will guide and drive it's very own sound.
I will employ no new tech - although I will have to design many of The Trident's electrical components. I will be taking apart Tubas and trumpets and re-imagining some pieces of them. I will be using gravity and compressed air. I will be using multi-channeled mixing boards, amps, and so on. Are you EXCITED!!
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ATM accepting three major cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Litecoin opens in ACT
Updated
A new ATM has opened in Canberra that accepts and exchanges the three major cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Litecoin.
The alternative online currencies are gaining traction nationally, with observers estimating there are close to 50,000 users in Australia.
The ATM is the first of its kind in Australia to trade all three digital currencies, but others have appeared in capital cities specifically for bitcoin users.
Alex Hume from the group behind setting up the new ATM, Bit2Bit, said more users and businesses were becoming interested in the online currencies.
"I suspect that bitcoins are going to take off, and with all these other cryptocurrencies coming on board I think it's going to become a huge part of retail, even in the next five to 10 years," he said.
Mr Hume said there were at least nine businesses in Canberra accepting bitcoin, including the local bus system ACTION.
That is up from only four companies a month ago.
"There's a lot of people interested in it, a lot of them are quite young," Mr Hume said.
Chris Guzowski from the Australian Digital Currency Commerce Association said there are close to 1,000 Australian businesses that now accept the alternative currencies.
"The usage has been very impressive, so it's clearly a technology that people are excited about," he said.
"Early adopters are with enthusiasm telling their friends about it and there's an upward trend of adoption."
The Australian Tax Office yesterday released guidance notes for bitcoin, and said it would be taxed as a tangible asset but not as a currency.
This has raised fears businesses trading in bitcoins would be hit with the GST twice, once for the bitcoins and a second time for the services they offered.
Generally it's as instantaneous as an email and as cheap as an email... It's quite similar to using a credit card, it's not quite as quick as cash in that there's a small process involved. Matthew Dunstone, cryptocurrency user
Despite this, Mr Guzowksi estimates there were about 50,000 people using bitcoin in Australia and that that number would grow.
He said many users were drawn to cryptocurrencies because they do not incur regular bank fees.
"You can seamlessly immediately send bitcoin like sending an email and you're not charged any processing fees, it's reconciled immediately," Mr Guzowksi said.
Canberra businesses embracing change
Chrissie Wittich runs a cafe in the centre of Canberra that has been accepting bitcoin for close to a year.
She said using the cryptocurrency has been cheap and easy for her business.
"I pay fees on the credit card transactions and the debit card, but I don't pay any fees on the bitcoin transactions," she said.
Ms Wittich said the system had drawn tech-savvy customers to her cafe and was user friendly for people on either side of the counter.
"It's similar to a credit card transaction. I have a tablet that's got the system on it, I just put in the Australian dollar amount and the system converts it to bitcoin [and] a QR code comes up, a customer puts their e-wallet up," she said.
Full potential 'yet to be realised'
Early adopters of cryptocurrencies like Matthew Dunstone believe it is an exciting and underestimated technology.
"Generally it's as instantaneous as an email and as cheap as an email," Mr Dunstone said.
"It's quite similar to using a credit card, it's not quite as quick as cash in that there's a small process involved."
He said one of the greatest advantages of cryptocurrencies is that there are no expensive exchange or transaction rates, as cypto-'money' doesn't need to pass through banks or change currencies if it is sent offshore.
"It's as low as no costs at all. Sometimes, some transactions can have a very, very small cost," he said.
Fellow bitcoin user Peter Clarke said alternative currencies are slowly coming into their own.
"It's a good alternative to carrying spare coin in your pocket," he said.
"The full potential of bitcoin is yet to be realised."
But Mr Clarke said recent variability in the exchange rate of the currency was worrying for users.
He pointed out that the current bitcoin price of about $500 is far below its peak in November last year of close to $1,000.
"The fees in terms of using bitcoin are quite low, but the downside with bitcoin at the moment is that the price is very volatile," he said.
"The price is yet to strike a point that's a fair balance."
Topics: currency, internet-technology, computers-and-technology, information-and-communication, internet-culture, canberra-2600, act
First posted
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Snoop Dogg poses for a selfie with a participant in a turkey giveaway in Inglewood on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015.
Inglewood, California, residents gobbled up their chance to meet Snoop Dogg and snap a selfie at a turkey giveaway a week before Thanksgiving.
The rapper joined Inglewood Mayor James Butts and other city officials for the second annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway on Thursday.
"This is a very big help for not only myself, but for about a thousand people," said Xiomara Payan.
Over 1,500 turkeys were given out to families in need at the event held at The Forum.
"Snoop Dogg took pictures with over 800 people at the event," Butts said. "We had a tented area for seniors to sit in, and the first thing he did was go over to take pictures with everyone there."
Once he was done taking pictures, he made his way over to the line of over 800 people and took pictures with each of them.
Butts first met the rapper at his newly constructed headquarters for 1500 or Nothin' in Inglewood last year. Snoop Dogg was looking to get involved in giving back to the community, so the mayor suggested the upcoming turkey giveaway.
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Philosophy
Lovers!
Click Here
U235: A Lesson in Plausibility & Proportion
He had made an estimate, and George Uhlenbeck, who shared an office with him in Pupin Hall, was there one day to overhear him. Fermi was standing at his panoramic office window high in the physics tower looking down the gray winter length of Manhattan Island, its streets alive as always with vendors and taxis and crowds. He cupped his hands as if he were holding a ball. “A little bomb like that,” he said simply, for once not lightly mocking, “and it would all disappear.”
Richard Rhodes (from The Making of the Atomic Bomb, 1986)
No one who was unfamiliar with experimental developments in nuclear physics in late 1939, and even some physicists who were, would have said that Enrico Fermi’s offhand remark, “A little bomb like that (cupping his hands) and it would all disappear” was plausible. How could something you could hold in your hands contain enough energy to destroy a city! It was just too remote from human experience, too wildly out of proportion. But physicists had known for some time that a single atom of a certain rare variety (or isotope) of uranium, known as U235, would release 200 million electron volts (eV) of energy when it fissioned (split) into two smaller atoms. That’s a lot of energy for something as small as a uranium atom. And the conviction was growing on some physicists that it might actually be possible to cause a very large number of U235 atoms to fission in a few millionths of a second, a process that was known as a fast neutron chain reaction. In which case Fermi’s estimate, if not precise, was definitely in the ballpark. Here are the data and simple calculations—two numbers are either multiplied or divided—that make the implausible, plausible.
There are 6.24 billion billion eV of energy in a joule. “But how much is a joule?” you ask. Lift a three pound weight three inches—that took roughly a joule of energy (or work). Drop the weight from three inches onto a book to visualize how much energy a joule is. It is not a negligible amount—imagine the weight falling on your head instead of a book. A single U235 atom releases 200 million eV on fissioning. That is 0.000000000032 joules of energy. It would require 31.2 billion U235 atoms to fission to release a single joule of energy. If you placed each of those atoms in the centre of a little box one square millimetre in area ( ¤ ), you would need a square that measured just over 176 metres on the side to accommodate all the little boxes, each with its U235 atom. Looked at in that way it doesn’t seem that fissioning U235 atoms are anything to worry about. A few more simple calculations will show that there is plenty to worry about! Even an atom of uranium, the heaviest naturally occurring element with 92 protons and 140 to 146 neutrons in its nucleus—there are six isotopes of uranium, U232, U233, U234, U235, U236 and U238—is an incredibly small object. How small? Well, a U235 atom weighs 235.0439242 amu (atomic mass units). One amu weighs:
0.00000000000000000000000000166053873 kg (kilograms)
For comparison, a proton weighs slightly more than an amu, about 1.0073 times more, while a neutron weighs about 1.0087 times more.
Thus, a U235 atom weighs:
0.000000000000000000000000390299539 kg
Not very much you say. But that’s the problem! It is such a tiny quantity of matter that you can hold an absurdly large number of U235 atoms in your ‘cupped hands.’ “So what!” you reply. Well, here’s the problem: the energy released by a fissioning U235 atom is out of all proportion to its mass on the high side! Consider this: the 0.000000000032 joules of energy released by one fissioning U235 atom may seem insignificant, but suppose it was sufficient to cause something that was visible to the naked eye to move. A simple calculation will settle the matter. The circular area of this sheet of paper covered by a period, ( . ), is 0.34 mm in diameter. That means it has an area of 0.0908 square millimetres, or 0.0000000908 square metres. But this kind of paper (24 lb cover stock) weighs 90 grams or 0.090 kg per square metre. Therefore the amount of paper covered by a period weighs 0.000000008172 kg. Now that period-sized paper disk is a colossally massive object compared with a U235 atom. Nevertheless, the energy of a single fissioning U235 atom can make that behemoth visibly move. Here’s the calculation. Work (or energy) equals force times distance: W = Fd. Use F = mg (a special instance of Newton’s second law, F = ma, force equals mass times acceleration) to convert the mass of the paper disk into weight (i.e. force) by multiplying its mass by g (g = 9.8067m/s2, the acceleration due to the earth’s gravity). Multiplying 0.000000008172 kg by g gives 0.00000008014 N (Newtons), which is how much the paper disk weighs for scientific purposes, even though we use units of mass (kilograms) in everyday life. Turning again to W = Fd, we divide the force we just calculated into W, the work or energy that the U235 atom releases on fissioning (see above). The resulting d, or distance, is 0.00039 metres or 0.39 millimetres. That much movement could easily be seen with the naked eye, assuming the U235 atom “exploded” efficiently under the paper disk, lifting it or perhaps shoving it to one side.
Still not impressed? Ever heard the saying “There’s strength in numbers”? There is also energy in numbers, large numbers of U235 atoms in this case. Remember that each fissioning U235 atom is a miniature atom bomb. Detonate enough of those tiny atom all at once and you’ve got a bomb that is anything but tiny. How many atoms of U235 are we talking about here? Well, the bomb that destroyed fifty thousand buildings in Hiroshima involved the fissioning of 1.78 trillion trillion U235 atoms. To get a feel for that number calculate the surface area of planet earth in square millimetres. You should get 510 billion billion. Then divide that number into 1.78 trillion trillion atoms. The result is 3490, the number of earths-sized planets required to accommodate that many U235 atoms if each atom (or miniature atom bomb) was allotted one square millimetre of surface area. One such tiny bomb is of no consequence, but that many tiny bombs going off all at once changes the nature of war and of international affairs. And it’s all because each U235 atom is so tiny compared with familiar objects—as we’ve already seen, it only weighs:
0.000000000000000000000000390299539 kg
So when we multiply the above number by our 1.78 trillion trillion U235 atoms, we only come up with 0.695 kg, or a bit more than one and a half pounds. And such a small mass is what makes the atomic bomb a practical weapon. It is portable enough to be carried by rocket, airplane, artillery shell or even a soldier or two. And the amount of U235 that has to be separated from naturally occurring uranium, despite the enormous cost and the tremendous technical ingenuity required, is quite manageable.
So, how many joules of energy do we get from our 0.695 kg of fissioned U235? The calculation is simple. You recall that one U235 atom yielded 200 million eV or 0.000000000032 joules of energy. Therefore we multiply that number by our 1.78 trillion trillion atoms to get 57 trillion joules. But a number like that is conceptually awkward. Nuclear physicists prefer to work in units of kt (1000 tonnes) of the high explosive TNT. And a kt of TNT yields 3.8 trillion joules of energy. If we divide that number into 57 trillion joules we get 15 kilotons, which is to say that the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima was equivalent to 15,000 tonnes of TNT.
Calculations based on experimental data, such as those above, convinced Fermi and other physicists that what at first had seemed wildly implausible was, in fact, quite plausible: an object you could hold in your cupped hands could, under the right conditions, release enough energy to obliterate Manhattan. Indeed, the uranium core of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima weighed 64 kilograms, making it only about 1 percent efficient. But the 21 kt bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki had a plutonium core which fissioned about 20 percent of its Pu239 isotopes—each Pu239 atom releases 207 million eV on fissioning—and that 3.6 inch diameter spherical core only weighed 6.2 kilograms, making it slightly smaller than a softball.
A Bold Analogy?
It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but I submit that miracles—defined as an interference with Nature by supernatural power—are similar to atomic bombs in three respects. They seem implausible because they fly in the face of ordinary experience. Believing that they exist depends (for most of us) not on experience but on human testimony, and on evidence, such as photographs, films, x-rays, doctor’s records, etc., that entails trusting those who present the evidence. If the possibility or impossibility of miracles could be established beyond doubt, then the result would be the utter destruction of one of the cases for the two most common—but opposite—world views.
If miracles ever occur, then naturalism is obviously false. Thus, a proof of miracles would constitute a crushing blow to naturalism—though some naturalists might accommodate it by allowing a preternatural realm of nature, not to be identified with traditional notions of the supernatural. If miracles never occur, then revealed religion, such as Christianity, is obviously false. (A supernatural realm might still exist, but there would be no intelligent reason for anyone to believe in it.) Thus, a disproof of miracles would constitute a crushing blow to religion—though religion would probably live on in a very reduced position of power and influence.
However, demonstrating a universal negative—in this case, that miracles never happen—is usually conceded to be impossible. Demonstrating theoretically that they can happen—the way it was demonstrated theoretically that a hand held object could contain enough energy to destroy a city before receiving empirical confirmation—is equally impossible. In fact, the thinking required to address the plausibility of miracles with total intellectual integrity turns out to be much more subtle and demanding than for almost any scientific question—provided you don’t cross over the controversial line that divides science from metaphysics. Perhaps that is why the question of miracles is neglected or shied away from by naturalists and supernaturalists alike. And when it is addressed it usually receives very superficial treatment. Potentially, however, it remains a question of explosive intellectual force.
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Tokyo Electric Power Co. has only covered 2 percent of the ¥76.1 billion that municipalities have spent on decontamination work since the Fukushima nuclear crisis began in 2011, according to Environment Ministry officials.
Tepco, operator of the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, has effectively refused to cover the costs of removing tainted soil and other debris gathered by the fallout-hit governments, saying it is confirming whether such payments are required by law.
The central government has paid for the cleanup work on Tepco’s behalf, but if the utility continues to balk, more taxpayer money will be needed to cover the interest payments.
Tepco has so far basically paid for decontamination work conducted directly by the central government in areas close to the nuclear plant, but it has treated decontamination work carried out by local governments in other areas in a different manner.
Under the current scheme, municipal governments are authorized to conduct decontamination in designated areas. The central government pays them first and has Tepco reimburse it for the expenses later.
A law enacted in August 2011 stipulates that Tepco bears the responsibility of paying for the decontamination work. The central government had earmarked ¥1.4 trillion for this effort, including around ¥630 billion for work done by municipal governments, by the end of fiscal 2014.
The Environment Ministry has requested that Tepco pay back ¥76.1 billion by the end of February to cover work for which costs have been finalized. Tepco has only paid ¥1.5 billion.
“It takes time for us to confirm if they were decontamination operations for which we are obliged to pay the costs,” a Tepco official said.
In response, an Environment Ministry official said Sunday that “all of our requests to Tokyo Electric Power have been made based on the law and we will continue to urge the company to pay back all the money.”
Tepco posted its first pretax profit in three years in the business year ended in March 2014 after plunging into financial difficulties following the triple core meltdowns in March 2011.
The utility is projecting a group pretax profit of ¥227 billion for the business year ending Tuesday.
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Dear President Obama
As political scientists, historians, and researchers in related fields who have studied the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the democratic movement sweeping over Egypt. As citizens, we expect our president to uphold those values.
For thirty years, our government has spent billions of dollars to help build and sustain the system the Egyptian people are now trying to dismantle. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Egypt and around the world have spoken. We believe their message is bold and clear: Mubarak should resign from office and allow Egyptians to establish a new government free of his and his family’s influence. It is also clear to us that if you seek, as you said Friday “political, social, and economic reforms that meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people,” your administration should publicly acknowledge those reforms will not be advanced by Mubarak or any of his adjutants.
There is another lesson from this crisis, a lesson not for the Egyptian government but for our own. In order for the United States to stand with the Egyptian people it must approach Egypt through a framework of shared values and hopes, not the prism of geostrategy. On Friday you rightly said that “suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.” For that reason we urge your administration to seize this chance, turn away from the policies that brought us here, and embark on a new course toward peace, democracy and prosperity for the people of the Middle East. And we call on you to undertake a comprehensive review of US foreign policy on the major grievances voiced by the democratic opposition in Egypt and all other societies of the region.
Sincerely,
Jason Brownlee, University of Texas at Austin
Joshua Stacher, Kent State University
Tamir Moustafa, Simon Fraser University
Arang Keshavarzian, New York University
Clement Henry, University of Texas at Austin
Robert Springborg, Naval Postgraduate School
Jillian Schwedler, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Noam Chomsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Chris Toensing, Middle East Research and Information Project
Ellen Lust, Yale University
Helga Tawil-Souri, New York University
Anne Mariel Peters, Wesleyan College
Gregory White, Smith College
Asef Bayat, University of Illinois
Diane Singerman, American University
Cathy Lisa Schneider, American University
Robert Vitalis, University of Pennsylvania
Ahmet T. Kuru San Diego State University
Toby Jones, Rutgers University
Lara Deeb, Scripps College
Michaelle Browers, Wake Forest University
Mark Gasiorowski, Louisiana State University
Samer Shehata, Georgetown University
Farideh Farhi, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Emad Shahin, University of Notre Dame
John P. Entelis, Fordham University
Tamara Sonn, College of William & Mary
Ali Mirsepassi, New York University
Kumru Toktamis, Pratt Institute
Rebecca C. Johnson, Northwestern University
Nader Hashemi, University of Denver
Carlene J. Edie, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Laryssa Chomiak, University of Maryland
Mohamed Nimer, American University
Steven Heydemann, Georgetown University
Miriam Lowi, The College of New Jersey
Wendy Pearlman, Northwestern University
Hesham Sallam, Georgetown University
Melani Cammett, Brown University
Michael Robbins, University of Michigan
Katherine E. Hoffman, Northwestern University
Asli Bali, UCLA School of Law
Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University
Guilain Denoeux, Colby College
Tom Farer, University of Denver
Norma Claire Moruzzi, University of Illinois at Chicago
Saad Eddin Ibrahim, American University of Cairo & Drew University
Asma Barlas, Ithaca College
Ethel Brooks, Rutgers University
Maren Milligan, Oberlin College
Alan Gilbert, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver
Glenn Robinson, Naval Postgraduate School
Ahmed Ragab, Harvard University
Kenneth M. Cuno, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Agnieszka Paczynska, George Mason University
Zillah Eisenstein, Ithaca College
Quinn Mecham, Middlebury College
Riahi Hamida, Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences Sousse Tunisia
Jeannie Sowers, University of New Hampshire
Hussein Banai, Brown University
Joel Gordon, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Ed Webb, Dickinson College
David Siddhartha Patel, Cornell University
Thomas Pierret, Princeton University
Nadine Naber, University of Michigan
As`ad AbuKhalil, California State University at Stanislaus
Dina Al-Kassim, University of California at Irvine
Ziad Fahmy, Cornell University
William B. Quandt, University of Virginia
Lori A. Allen, University of Cambridge
Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous, Notre Dame University Lebanon
Alfred G. Gerteiny, University of Connecticut (ret.)
Lucia Volk, San Francisco State University
Anne Marie Baylouny, Naval Postgraduate School
Ulrika Mårtensson, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Emma Deputy, University of Texas at Austin
Sherry Lowrance, University of Georgia
Kaveh Ehsani, DePaul University
Ebrahim Moosa, Duke University
Benjamin N. Schiff, Oberlin College
Jeff Goodwin, New York University
Margaret Scott, New York University (adjunct)
Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University
Kevin M. DeJesus, York University, Toronto
Courtney C. Radsch, American University
Gamze Cavdar, Colorado State University
John F. Robertson, Central Michigan University
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Two autonomous Uber cars that have been on Toronto’s streets since August are now periodically driving themselves, Uber said Friday. The ride-sharing group said that there is always a driver behind the wheel and the operation switches from manual to autonomous mode as they see fit.
Uber has two autonomous cars being tested in Toronto, though there is always a human driver behind the wheel as backup. ( Uber )
“Our vehicles will continue to conduct testing, and may engage in autonomous mode as needed with a driver always behind the wheel. We have obtained a permit from the province for our development testing efforts,” Uber wrote in a statement. Sarah Abboud, an Uber spokesperson, said the cars are not on the Uber platform and aren’t transporting passengers — there are no immediate plans to have self-driving cars serving customers in Toronto. All the testing is being done in an area near the University of Toronto.
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Uber announced in May that it would open a research group devoted to driverless car technology in Toronto, creating a third hub and its first outside the U.S. for the company’s autonomous vehicle (AV) ambitions. Last year, Ontario became the first province in Canada to allow on-road testing of AVs. The Ministry of Transportation is running a pilot program that allows approved companies and research groups to test their vehicles under certain restrictions, including having a driver in the car to constantly monitor vehicle operation. As of August, seven groups were approved for on-road testing under the pilot program: Uber, the University of Waterloo, the Erwin Hymer Group, QNX, Continental, X-matik Inc., and Magna, the Star reported over the summer. Though Toronto won’t see any fully autonomous Uber vehicles in the near future, two U.S. cities are part of Uber’s driverless pilot projects right now: Pittsburgh and Phoenix.
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The Fault in Our Stars. Gone Girl. Wild. Hidden Figures. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Many of our most beloved and successful movies are adaptations of similarly beloved books. But just because a book reads well doesn’t mean it will film well (see: Dune), which is why history is filled with much-beloved books that have proven impossible to film—though not always from a lack of trying. Here are 11 of them.
1. A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES
Filmmakers have been attempting to turn John Kennedy Toole’s 1980 novel, which traces the exploits of “slob extraordinary” Ignatius J. Reilly and his mom in New Orleans, into a movie nearly since it was published. At various times throughout the past 34 years, a series of big names have been attached to the film—or at least rumored to be attached—including Harold Ramis, John Waters, Steven Soderbergh, John Belushi, John Candy, Chris Farley, John Goodman, Will Ferrell, and Zach Galifianakis. Soderbergh told Vulture in early 2013 that “I think it’s cursed. I’m not prone to superstition, but that project has got bad mojo on it.”
It seems like an adaptation of the book itself will never get made, but Cary Elwes, Susan Sarandon, and Nick Offerman have signed on for the film adaptation of Butterfly in the Typewriter, Cory MacLauchlin's book about Toole's attempts to get Dunces published. Toole’s mother found a carbon copy of the manuscript following the author’s suicide; 11 years later, it was finally published by LSU Press (with the help of The Moviegoer author Walker Percy, whom Toole’s mother pestered endlessly to read it) in 1980. In 1981, it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
2. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE
It’s not that there aren’t a ton of filmmakers out there who would love the opportunity to turn Gabriel García Márquez’s epic tome of love and loss as seen through seven generations of a family into next year’s Oscar bait. And there are certainly millions of fans of the novel, which has been translated into 37 languages since its 1967 publication, who would happily fork over $15 to see it play out on the big screen. The biggest hurdle with adapting this one is the author himself, who passed away in April. Despite many approaches, he remained steadfast in refusing to sell the book’s movie rights—though he did tell Harvey Weinstein that he’d sell the rights to him and director Giuseppe Tornatore under one condition: “We must film the entire book, but only release one chapter—two minutes long—each year, for 100 years,” according to Weinstein.
3. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
J.D. Salinger’s 1951 coming of age novel is yet another iconic title that had its movie rights carefully guarded by its author, who passed away in 2010. Many believe that Salinger’s reluctance to see it adapted was a result of the disaster that was My Foolish Heart, Mark Robson’s 1949 movie based on Salinger’s Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut. And while the number of filmmakers who have expressed interest in adapting the book reads like the most epic Hollywood dinner party ever assembled—think Billy Wilder, Elia Kazan, Marlon Brando, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, Terrence Malick, and Leonardo DiCaprio—Salinger was always concerned that the book’s narration wouldn’t translate to film. And he didn’t want to be around to see the potentially disastrous results. However, in a 1957 letter Salinger did say that he’d be open to a posthumous adaptation, noting that: “Firstly, it is possible that one day the rights will be sold. Since there’s an ever-looming possibility that I won’t die rich, I toy very seriously with the idea of leaving the unsold rights to my wife and daughter as a kind of insurance policy. It pleasures me no end, though, I might quickly add, to know that I won’t have to see the results of the transaction.”
4. INFINITE JEST
Set in a futuristic version of America, David Foster Wallace’s complex and occasionally rambling satire touches on a range of difficult themes, including depression, child abuse, and addiction. It’s also more than 1000 pages long, and the product of one of the great postmodernist writers of our time. The story gets even stranger when you learn that actor Curtis Armstrong, best known for playing Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds franchise, actually wrote an adaptation of the book for HBO, which was never produced. But shortly after Wallace tragically died by suicide in 2008, reports began surfacing that the author was working on an adaptation of the book with filmmaker Sam Jones. The irony, of course, is that Infinite Jest is about a movie (called Infinite Jest) that is so all-engrossing that all anyone who has seen it wants to do is watch it again and again and again … until he or she dies. Fun fact: In 2013, an episode of Parks and Recreation came about as close to an adaptation of the book as we’ve yet seen.
5. WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN?
Inspired by his producer and studio executive dad B.P. Schulberg, Budd Schulberg’s What Makes Sammy Run?—about an unscrupulous kid (Sammy Glick) who works his way up from copy boy to screenwriter—is a brilliant take on the inner workings of the entertainment industry. And while Hollywood usually loves a good meta story, the only successful adaptations of Schulberg’s 1941 novel (so far) have been a couple of television productions and a long-running Broadway musical that debuted in 1964 and was revived in 2006. While Dreamworks paid $2.6 million for the rights to adapt the book on behalf of Ben Stiller in 2001, no start date was been announced. In 2007, two years before his death, Schulberg told The Jewish Daily Forward that “I still think there’s a sense that it’s too anti-industry” and that while “Ben [Stiller] still talks about how he would like to do it … I’m not holding my breath.”
6. UBIK
Believe it or not, there is a Philip K. Dick novel that has yet to be made into a movie—which isn’t to say that no one has tried to adapt Ubik, a 1969 sci-fi tale of telepathy and moon colonization (set in the then-futuristic year of 1992). As early as 1974, filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin commissioned Dick to adapt his own work for filming. Dick finished the script in less than a month; though it was never produced, it was published in 1985 as Ubik: The Screenplay. In 2006, A Scanner Darkly producer Tommy Pallotta announced that he was readying the film for production. In 2011, it was Michel Gondry who was confirmed to be at the helm … until 2014, when Gondry told The Playlist that he was no longer working on it.
7. THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY
Considering both his popularity and prolificacy, it’s surprising that more of Michael Chabon’s work has not been given the big-screen treatment (Wonder Boys and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh are the two exceptions). But given the unique mix of history, coming-of-age-ness, and comic books in this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel—about two Jewish cousins who become big deals in the comic book biz—the fact that The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is 18 years old and still not a movie seems even more astounding. Especially because producer Scott Rudin bought the rights to it before the book was even published (he was sold based on a one-and-a-half page pitch). By 2002, Chabon had written six drafts of the script. Sydney Pollack was reportedly in active development on it at one point, and Jude Law, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, Jamie Bell, Ryan Gosling, Jason Schwartzman, and Andrew Garfield were all bandied about as possible stars. In 2004, Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry (The Hours) announced his plans to direct the film the following year. In 2013, Daldry was still talking up the project, telling Collider that he thought it would make an amazing HBO miniseries. No word as to whether HBO got the memo.
8. BLOOD MERIDIAN
Cormac McCarthy’s very specific cadence isn’t the easiest thing to adapt, as many of Hollywood’s most talented directors have discovered (some of whom have had more success with translating his work to film than others). But Blood Meridian, the author’s 1985 anti-Western that follows a teenage runaway known as “the kid,” has proven to be a particular challenge, in large part due to finding a way to incorporate the novel’s excessive violence in an organic and non-exploitative way. But that didn’t stop James Franco from trying. In July, to celebrate the release of his adaptation of McCarthy’s Child of God, the omnipresent actor-writer-director-model-professor-student-etc. shared a 25-minute test he shot of Blood Meridian on VICE. So far, no takers.
9. PARADISE LOST
Though Christian-themed content has found much success at the box office, a true adaptation of John Milton’s epic blank verse poem poses a number of inherent problems, at least from a production perspective. First, there’s the challenge of casting God and Satan and Adam and Eve as main characters. Then there’s that pesky business of nakedness, "which would be a big problem for a big studio movie,” producer Vincent Newman told The New York Times in 2007, when discussing a possible adaptation. A few years later, director Alex Proyas was attempting his own adaptation of the poem—with Bradley Cooper as Lucifer—but that got scrapped in 2012.
10. NOSTROMO
F. Scott Fitzgerald once remarked that “I’d rather have written Conrad’s Nostromo than any other novel.” How’s that for a ringing endorsement? While Joseph Conrad’s 1904 book about revolution and warfare in the fictional South American country of Costaguana was adapted for television in 1996, it has never gotten the big-screen treatment it deserves. Some believe that's out of respect for David Lean, who passed away in 1991, just one month before shooting was scheduled to commence. The film was a lifelong passion project for Lean, which made others reluctant to step in. Though in 2002 the trustees of Lean’s estate announced that Martin Scorsese had agreed to sit in the director’s chair for the project, there’s so far no sign of it coming to a theater near you.
11. HOUSE OF LEAVES
It has been 18 years since Mark Z. Danielewski published his footnote-heavy debut novel. And while it became an immediate bestseller, so far there have been no official takers on turning House of Leaves into a movie—which may have something to do with the fact that the novel isn’t just difficult to categorize, it’s nearly impossible to summarize (there’s a manuscript written by a blind man about a documentary that doesn’t exist and a house with rather supernatural qualities). Which isn’t to say there hasn’t been interest in the prospect. “We get a lot of inquiries. A lot of offers,” the author told the A.V. Club in 2012. “I was definitely more closed off to it early on. I’m maybe more open to it, but I don’t want to mislead anyone. One of the things that’s sort of shifting me, changing me, is turning House Of Leaves into an e-book. Because as much as it’s the same words, as much as it contains the language that is intimately familiar to me, it is an adaptation. ‘This film has been modified to fit your airline screen,’ you know? In doing that, I realized, ‘OK, maybe it’s the same as a movie in some ways.’”
This piece first ran in 2016.
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Gerard Damien Long (born November 9, 1990), better known by his stage name Hodgy (formerly Hodgy Beats), is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for being a founding member of the hip hop collective Odd Future, as well as being a member of MellowHype with rapper-producer Left Brain, and MellowHigh with rapper-producer Left Brain and rapper Domo Genesis. Long is currently signed to Columbia Records and Odd Future Records.
Music career [ edit ]
Hodgy was an original member of Odd Future along with Tyler, the Creator, Left Brain, The Super 3, and Casey Veggies. Hodgy was the first member of Odd Future to release a solo record, with The Dena Tape in 2009. As a member of the duo MellowHype with Left Brain, he has released four albums; YelloWhite, BlackenedWhite, Numbers, and INSA.
Hodgy has been featured on various albums including Bastard, Goblin and Wolf by Tyler, The Creator, Earl by Earl Sweatshirt, Rolling Papers by Domo Genesis, 119 by Trash Talk, and The Odd Future Tape, Radical and The OF Tape Vol. 2 with Odd Future. He appeared on "Outta Control", a song from Stones Throw rapper M.E.D.'s album Classic, produced by fellow Los Angeles native Madlib. Hodgy also appeared in the music video for that song which was released after the song was released.[1]
Hodgy has released five solo mixtapes: The Dena Tape, Untitled EP, Untitled 2 EP, Dena Tape 2, and They Watchin' LoFi Series 1. On October 31, 2013, MellowHigh (Left Brain, Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis) released their debut album MellowHigh on Odd Future Records. The album debuted at number 89 on the US Billboard 200.[2] In 2015, Hodgy revealed that he was almost done with his solo debut album. He also starred as a feature artist on Alison Wonderland's remix of The Buzz, by Hermitude.
His debut album, Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide, was released in December 2016.[3]
Personal life [ edit ]
Gerard Long was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. He is of Jamaican American, Fijian and Filipino descent. At the age of nine, he moved to Southern California with his sister after his mother got remarried.[4] He attended Pasadena High School in Pasadena, California.
On August 1, 2011, his long-time girlfriend Cortney Brown, gave birth to their son, named Trenton Gerald Long. Vyron Turner (Left Brain) is Trenton's godfather.[5]
Discography [ edit ]
Studio albums [ edit ]
Collaborative albums [ edit ]
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Popular video game punching bag Call of Duty has come in for more criticism with its new title Ghosts, after a video posted on YouTube showed an animation from Modern Warfare 2 re-purposed for the Xbox 360/PS3 game.
A soldier is seen rescuing a fallen comrade in the clips, which are identical except for the characters’ clothes and method of extraction (helicopter in one, truck in the other).
Re-using animations isn’t entirely uncommon in video games, but the repetition is being seen as an example of much-maligned developer Infinity Ward’s ‘laziness’ by many online, with views for it rapidly climbing.
Different war, same cutscene: Call of Duty: Ghosts (Picture: YouTube)
‘Cut and paste at it’s finest! Everything they do is cut and paste and they rake in billions every year with this sh*t,’ one typically angry YouTube commenter wrote, as another added: ‘I have a weird feeling that MW2 looked way better than Ghosts.’
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The latest instalment of the first-person shooter franchise was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this week, and is set to come out on next generation consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this month.
Early reviews of the PS4 edition have reported problems with the graphics, with testers saying that its frame rate dropped at several points during the game causing it to stutter.
More: Call Of Duty: Ghosts Mark Rubin interview – ‘there are things that we’re not allowed to talk about’
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For the fourth weekend running, US President Donald Trump has decided to retreat to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. It is reported that Trump clashed with senior White House figures on Thursday (2 March) in the wake of Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself from investigations into ties between Russia and the Trump administration.
The resort, which Trump has dubbed the "Winter White House", was home to the leader and Jeff Sessions, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn over the weekend (3 March), with no sign of his chief strategist Steve Bannon nor chief of staff Reince Priebus at the complex.
White House officials reported that Priebus was engaged in a family event. Bannon later arrived at the resort on 4 March.
One source told CNN that "nobody has seen [Trump] that upset" after he ranted that the Sessions scandal had detracted from his hard work.
As Attorney General, Sessions is the highest-ranking member of the US federal law enforcement system. However, he recused himself from overseeing investigations into whether Trump's election campaign staff had contact with Russian representatives. But Sessions allegedly did not inform Trump of his decision before announcing it to the public.
At the core of the scandal is the revelation that Sessions met with the Russian ambassador to the US in two separate meetings, which he did not disclose during his Senate confirmation hearing for the attorney general position.
Trump later tweeted that the Russian ambassador had met Barack Obama a total of 22 times.
Trump has also come under fire for discussing confidential White House business at the complex, in the midst of the public.
The US leader is said to have discussed the US response to a North Korean missile test in a public dining room in the club, with the president and his aides airing sensitive documents in the eye of other guests in the room.
Trump purchased the Mar-a-Lago property, which was designed as a winter retreat for presidents and foreign dignitaries, in 1985 for $5m (approx $11.9m or £9.68m in today's value). The resort is now estimated to be worth $200m-$300m, according to Politico.
Although the president previously criticised his predecessor Obama for a heavy travel bill, a Washington Post report estimates that Trump had spent $10m (£8.13m) on travel expenses since mid-February, whilst Obama spent $87m in his eight years in office.
Note: This article was updated to correct an error regarding Jeff Sessions' recusal.
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Tucker Carlson said on his program tonight that the liberal bias in the mainstream media is obvious in the stories they choose to cover, and possibly even more obvious in the stories they ignore.
"About the only people who deny widespread media bias these days are the people who are directly benefiting from it," Tucker said. "And that would include progressive activists posing as reporters, and the Democratic politicians whose water they carry."
Tucker noted a recent Harvard University study that found that 80 percent of the media's coverage of President Trump's first 100 days was negative.
"It's not really news coverage at that point. It's advocacy," Tucker said, adding that the issue isn't just the reporting on Trump himself, but also the reporting on the policies that Trump and his voters favor.
Tucker pointed out that the Harvard study also found that 96 percent of news coverage of Trump's immigration policies was negative, compared to just four percent positive.
He noted that there have been multiple reports about how Trump's policies are hurting illegal immigrants, while stories about Americans hurt by illegal immigration are few and far between.
He added that most television news is even more "distorted."
"That's news with a message at its core, just like in a political campaign, which in many ways is exactly what this is," Tucker concluded.
Watch Tucker's thoughts above.
'We Have Your Back': Watch a MI Voter's Impassioned Message to Trump
Judge Jeanine: Trump Must Understand He's Now in 'Treacherous Waters'
Hannity: It's Time to Fight Back Against the Forces Trying to Destroy Trump
TIME Magazine Accused of Ripping Off MAD With Russian White House Cover
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Cape Town - Johannesburg is still home to the largest portion of South Africa’s multi-millionaires, according to the South Africa 2015 Wealth Report by New World Wealth.
Last year's report also found that most "super-rich" lived in Johannesburg.
READ: Multi-millionaires call Jozi home
For the purposes of the study a millionaire (or high net worth individual) is an individual with wealth of $1m (about R12.3m) or more, while a multi-millionaire is an individual with wealth of at least $10m (about R120m).
New World Wealth provides information on the global wealth sector, with a special focus on Africa and the Middle East.
The report focuses on the performance of high net worth individuals between the end of 2007 - the peak before the global financial crisis - and the end of 2014. This was to determine how well they have performed through the crisis.
About 48% - or 990 - of South Africa's 2 060 multi-millionaires live in Johannesburg, followed by Cape Town with an 18% share (380 multi-millionaires) and Durban (including Umhlanga, La Lucia, Zimbali and Mount Edgecombe) at 6%, or 120 multi-millionaires.
Pretoria achieved the fourth place with 5%, or 110, of SA's multi-millionaires.
The rest of the multi-millionaires - 22% or 460 - live elsewhere in the country, like Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Hermanus.
What they do
Financial services form the main industry from which South African multi-millionaires have acquired their wealth. It is the primary source of wealth for 20% of local multi-millionaires. Other important industries for them include real estate and construction (16%), basic materials (14%) and diversified (12%).
Many of Johannesburg's multi-millionaires are involved in financial services, basic materials and construction. Those in Cape Town are involved in industries like real estate, financial services, retail and tourism.
Major industries for multi-millionaires in Durban include pharmaceuticals (healthcare), construction and transport, while in Pretoria it includes basic materials, manufacturing and financial services.
READ: Over 2 000 South Africans have $10m or more
Favourite suburbs
In Johannesburg Sandhurst is the favourite suburb for multi-millionaires, followed closely by Hyde Park and Bryanston. Houghton and Westcliff also make the list, but each with about half the number of multi-millionaires than the top three suburbs.
Most of the multi-millionaires in Cape Town can be found in Camps Bay, followed by Bishopscourt, Constantia and Tokai, Clifton, Bantry Bay, Fresnaye and Llandudno.
Estate living
For those multi-millionaires, who prefer living on security estates, Zimbali in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) comes out tops, followed by Erinvale in Somerset West - each with about 20 multi-millionaire residents.
The Johannesburg security estates of Blair Atholl, Dainfern and Waterfall Equestrian Estate, the Cape estates of Silverhurst, Steenberg, Fancourt, Pezula and Pearl Valley as well as Silver Lakes in Pretoria and Mount Edgecombe in KZN complete the list. They have up to about ten multi-millionaire residents each.
ALSO READ: 71% of SA wealth in hands of richest 10%
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Over a long enough time period, cameras and lenses can take a beating, and the best way to keep them functioning and minimize issues like dust is to clean them on a frequent basis. What's the best way to do that? While you will likely get different answers from different people, Canon has released a video that aims to provide some basic information on maintaining lenses and cameras. This might be a Canon-focused video, but the tips are certainly applicable to any brand out there.
One of the best ways to avoid getting dust on the sensor is to make sure there isn't any dust on the back of your lenses and lens caps. The bulb air blowers are great, especially for non-DSLR cameras that have exposed sensors when you remove the lens. As they show in the above picture, turning the camera or lens upside down is helpful for making sure the particles you're blowing off actually come off, and don't just blow around.
While you should never use canned air on the sensor itself as mentioned in the video above, it will usually be fine for non-sensitive parts of the camera and lens as long as it is used properly. This means keeping the can upright, never shaking it, keeping it more than a few inches away when spraying, and always giving it a few test sprays into the air to ensure that there is no liquid coming out.
I'm a huge fan of using lens pens like these once I've removed any particles on a lens, and if you've got fingerprints or any other marks that are being stubborn, a few drops of Pancro on a Kimtech wipe should do the trick.
Everyone has their own specific ways of cleaning gear, so feel free to share what you use and how you use it in the comments below.
[via Canon Watch]
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Over the past week I’ve written a few posts expressing support for the Obama administration’s decision to require health care plans to cover contraception, as well as for its decision to permit only a very narrow exemption for religious organizations. I haven’t really laid out the whole case, though, and today I want to do that in telegraphic form. Then I want to tell you the real reason that my reaction to this has been stronger than you might have guessed it would be, especially considering that this isn’t a subject I wade into frequently. But that won’t come until the end of the post. First, the bullet point warm-up:
In any case like this, you have to look at two separate issues: (1) How important is the secular public purpose of the policy? And (2) how deeply held is the religious objection to it?
On the first issue, I’d say that the public purpose here is pretty strong. Health care in general is very clearly a matter of broad public concern; treating women’s health care on a level playing field with men’s is, today, a deep and widely-accepted principle; and contraception is quite clearly critical to women’s health. Making it widely and easily available is a legitimate issue of public policy.
On the second issue, I simply don’t believe that the religious objection here is nearly as strong as critics are making it out to be. As I’ve mentioned before, even the vast majority of Catholics don’t believe that contraception is immoral. Only the formal church hierarchy does. What’s more, as my colleague Nick Baumann points out, federal regulations have required religious hospitals and universities to offer health care plans that cover contraception for over a decade. (The fact that some such employers don’t cover birth control is mostly the result of lax enforcement.) It’s true that the Obama regulation tightens this requirement, but only modestly: it covers organizations with fewer than 15 employees and it bans copays. Dozens of states already have similar rules on the books. So when Kirsten Powers says, “One thing we can be sure of: the Catholic Church will shut down before it violates its faith,” that’s just wrong. They’ve been working under similar rules for a long time without turning it into Armageddon.
Some matters of conscience are worth respecting and some aren’t. If, say, Catholic doctrine forbade white doctors from treating black patients, nobody would be defending them. The principle of racial nondiscrimination is simply too important to American culture and we’d insist that the church respect this. I think the same is true today of the principle of nondiscrimination against women, as well as the principle that women should have control of their own reproduction. Like racial discrimination laws, churches that operate major institutions in the public square have to respect this whether they like it or not.
This new policy doesn’t apply to churches themselves or their devotional arms. It applies only to nominally religious enterprises like hospitals and universities that serve secular purposes, take taxpayer dollars, employ thousands of non-Catholic women, and are already required to obey a wide variety of secular regulations. At organizations like these, the money that pays for employee health care doesn’t come from the church, it comes out of the income stream they get from their customers and clients.
What’s more, this is hardly a unique matter of conscience. Anyone who pays taxes, including Catholic bishops, ends up financially supporting things they disapprove of. Public regulations often involve financial commitments too, and this one is no different. It’s also pretty minuscule. This is an issue that’s very clearly being blown up for partisan political reasons far beyond its actual impact on religious organizations or religious conscience.
Now, having said all that, it’s also true that I’m normally fairly sympathetic to granting religious exemptions to public policy. You can make a case—not a great one, but a case—that allowing an exemption to the new contraceptive policy wouldn’t actually work a huge hardship on the women affected. And the Catholic Church’s objection to contraception, wrongheaded though I think it is, is plainly of long standing. This is no made-up issue.
So why am I really feeling so hard-nosed about this? The answer goes back a few years, to the controversy over pharmacists who refused to fill prescriptions for the morning-after pill. I was appalled: If you’re a pharmacist, then you fill people’s prescriptions. That’s the job, full stop. If you object to filling prescriptions, then you need to find another occupation.
But of course, the entire right-wing outrage machine went into high gear over this. And it was at that point that my position shifted: if this was the direction things were going, then it was obvious that there would be no end to religious exemption arguments. The whole affair was, I thought, way over the top, and yet it got the the full-throated support of virtually every conservative pundit and talking head anyway. This was, in plain terms, simply a war on contraception.
So I changed my mind. Instead of believing as a default that we should take religious exemptions seriously and put the burden of proof on the rest of us to explain why they shouldn’t be allowed, I now believe that neutral public policy comes first and the burden of proof should be on churches to provide convincing arguments that (a) An important matter of conscience is being violated, and (b) The public policy in question isn’t important enough to be applied across the board. On the matter of contraception, I don’t think they’ve made a convincing case for either one.
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The decision affects about 2,500 Nicaraguans, many of whom have lived in the US for nearly two decades, raising US-born children.
Carolyn Kaster / AP
The Trump administration on Monday said it is terminating temporary special deportation protections for thousands of Nicaraguans affected by a 1998 hurricane that devastated the Central American country. The decision affects about 2,500 Nicaraguans, many of whom have lived in the US for nearly two decades, raising US-born children. Immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are allowed to live and work in the US if it is determined that they are unable to safely return to their home country because of an environmental disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions. The temporary protection for Nicaraguans will end in a year in order to allow for “an orderly transition,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke said additional information was needed before deciding whether to revoke or extend TPS for an estimated 57,000 Hondurans, which is now set to expire July 5, 2018. Federal officials said there was no request made by the Nicaraguan government to extend TPS for its people. Duke called on Congress to pass a permanent solution for "this inherently temporary program." "Those substantial but temporary conditions caused in Nicaragua by Hurricane Mitch no longer exist, and thus, under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated," DHS said in a statement. Iris Acosta, an Honduran with TPS who works as a housekeeper at The W Los Angeles - West Beverly Hills, said she cried when a friend told her the news. Even though a decision has been delayed for Honduras, Acosta doesn’t expect her fate will be much different than that of Nicaraguans. “It just feels like the administration is playing with us,” Acosta said. “It just doesn’t seem fair, we’re fighters who come to the US to work hard and the government knows what the conditions back home are.”
Joe Raedle / Getty Images Children hold posters asking the federal government to renew TPS \for people from Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador at the office of the Haitian Women of Miami.
Acosta said violence, extortion, and unemployment is rampant in Honduras. She can’t imagine it will be easy for a 51-year-old woman to find a job. With the money Acosta makes in the US she helps sustain three kids, her mother, and other family members when they need help. On Sunday, Acosta said she had to send $84 to Honduras so one of their nephews could see a doctor at a private hospital because the public ones never have enough medicine or doctors. The pressure of being one of the main breadwinners for her transnational family has weighed heavily on her in light of the looming TPS decision. “They say this was always temporary, but why did they wait 20 years?” Acosta said. “It seems so easy to them to say they, ‘We don’t want you here,’ but it’s not fair. It’s inhumane.” Amanda Baran, policy consultant at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said terminating the protection was morally reprehensible. “Deporting them will needlessly tear thousands of families apart, with no plan in place to help them after breaking our decades-long commitment to protect them from deportation,” Baran said in a statement. Haitians and Salvadorans are also waiting to hear what the US is going to do with their TPS designation. TPS for Haitians expires Jan. 22, 2018, and for Salvadorans, March 9, 2018. Immigrants from El Salvador make up the largest number of TPS recipients at 195,000. Haitians affected by the decision number 46,000. TPS was established by Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990. The secretary of homeland security decides whether a country is unsafe for its nationals to return, revoking or extending the special protected status. The Washington Post reported Friday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson paved the way for TPS to be withdrawn for Central Americans and Haitians by sending a letter to DHS stating that conditions in those countries had improved to the point that people no longer needed protection. Countries like Honduras and El Salvador have previously asked the Trump administration to extend the special protected status to its citizens.
Joshua Roberts / Reuters
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About
What does it feel like when your voice and ideas are truly heard? The 100 Cameras Project will place cameras in the hands of 100 individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities throughout the United States and create a series of photography exhibitions that will bring the unheard voices and unseen vision of these new photographers to life while building awareness around issues of disability, diversity, and embracing our differences. My name is Courtney Bent and I’ll be adapting the camera systems and conducting the photography workshops for The 100 Cameras Project. The project is based on a photography program I started at United Cerebral Palsy in Boston, MA. My program was chronicled in the eight-time audience award-winning documentary film, Shooting Beauty, directed by George Kachadorian, which is currently touring the country and is the centerpiece for a national youth based engagement campaign focused on valuing diversity, learning about disabilities and stopping bullying.
It has been my dream, since the premiere of our film, to be able to teach photography to as many individuals with disabilities as possible, and create a series of photo exhibits that not only allows these unique perspectives to be seen but helps start a conversation around disability and ability. Hence...The 100 Cameras Project! With The 100 Cameras Project, I will work with individuals of all ages with varying degrees of disabilities - ranging from autism to down syndrome to Alzheimer’s to cerebral palsy - and will provide many of these individuals with a life changing opportunity to explore an art-form that, up until this project, has not been accessible to them. If successful, the project and exhibitions will not only empower and build confidence in the new photographers, but will stand as an example of the potential of art to heal, to inspire, and to prove to all of us that no matter what our ability levels or differences are, we have more in common than what meets the eye.
Project Partners:
Project Background: Over 10 years ago, I set out with my camera to photograph at a local day program that served individuals with disabilities. My goal was to create a picture story for a magazine or newspaper on what it was like to live with a disability. But after weeks of taking pictures, I came to realize that my photographs weren’t giving the full story. The individuals I met were vibrant, fun and fascinating but my images were emphasizing a story of pity- a story that had apparently been my biased and conditioned view of what it was like to live with a disability. I began to feel that these individuals needed to to tell their own stories. They needed to be the ones taking the pictures.
Over the course of the next six years, I adapted cameras for people with a wide range of disabilities—and abilities. Ernest James took pictures by pressing a button with his tongue. Chris Krim hit the shutter of a camera suctioned to his wheelchair. Cheryl Magnusson, who was unable to speak, used a camera covered in foam to allow for easier handling. Over time, I discovered that each new photographer had his or her own interesting, unique and beautiful creative voice; for many this was literally the first voice they ever had. We ultimately created a photography exhibit that brought together people from all walks of life and disabilities, put them in the same room together, and gave them something to talk about- interesting photographs. Our differences no longer mattered when we all had something in common to share.
Photos of past workshop participants. Images by Courtney Bent
Photos by workshop participants
How it will work: Since the film’s premiere, the Shooting Beauty team has seen an overwhelming interest in continuing the photography workshop featured in the film. Seeing the empowering effect of photography on the group I worked with in Shooting Beauty, let alone the effect that their work had on the broader community, I decided to create The 100 Cameras Project. With this project, I will replicate the photography workshop featured in the film by adapting and providing 100 camera systems for 100 individuals with disabilities throughout the United States. I will travel to the new photographersʼ communities and provide these individuals with 2-3 days of photography instruction. The photo workshops will culminate with an exhibition of photographs and a series of public opening events in local schools, universities, businesses and galleries aimed at showcasing photographs from a unique perspective, breaking down barriers of communication, and encouraging a conversation around disability, diversity, and the possibilities of what we can all do when given a camera, a voice and a chance.
AND.....we need your help to make this all possible! The expenses for each photographer to participate in the project and receive a customized camera system is $1000. In order to support 100 photographers and successfully launch this project, the Shooting Beauty team will need to raise $100,000 by the May 14, 2014. To date, $25,000 has been raised and we need to raise the additional funds through Kickstarter.
The funds will go towards the production costs for the project which include; cost of the photographs for the exhibit, all workshop expenses including cameras for each participant, adaptive equipment to allow cameras to be accessible to individuals with even the most significant disabilities, national travel expenses for Courtney Bent and production time for the Shooting Beauty team. We hope you’ll consider being a part of the project!
Workshop Partners: We are excited to announce that Velcro USA Inc. is an official product and financial sponsor of the 100 Cameras Project! They will be providing us with VELCRO® Brand products for use in all adaptations and hanging of the exhibitions. The Shooting Beauty team is also currently working with a group of organizations to host and identify the new photographers for the project. Our current workshop partners are: Best Buddies Indiana, Baystate Health, Seven Hills Foundation, the Naples Art Association, United Jewish Federation of New York, JCCA Compass Project, SUNY Orange, The Amazing Place, Mid-Island Y JCC, and Creative Growth. Project Partners: Best Buddies International, Velcro USA inc., GoWireless, Working Films, Skip Cohen University, Now or Never Media.
We hope you'll join us!
A NOTE ABOUT KICKSTARTER—Only projects that receive 100 percent of their goal within the allotted time frame will be funded! It is an ALL or NOTHING campaign. Kickstarter campaigns can and often do receive funding beyond their goal. Please Spread the Word! Even if you cannot give, would you please help us get the word out? Please share this link with your family, friends, & contacts! Thank you!
To learn more about the Shooting Beauty programs, visit our website at
http://www.shootingbeauty.org
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Update, November 27: A promised update to No Man's Sky has arrived—and perhaps earlier than expected. The vague promise of the patch's arrival "this week" turned into "this weekend" thanks to the patch's launch on PlayStation 4 on Sunday. (The NMS 1.1 patch will be coming to PC players at a later date.)
A six-minute video from Hello Games, posted above, explains what players can expect. Though the update had been teased primarily as a "base-building" update, it also includes two new default modes: survival and creative. The former jacks up difficulty and forces players to scrounge even more for survival-related items, while the latter turns the difficulty way down to let players explore at an even more leisurely pace.
And, yes, players can now use resources to build bases on a planet's surface, which can be filled with resource growth pods, alien helpers, and inventory storage units. Even better, players can now create and maintain a giant flying frigate, which works pretty much exactly like a surface base but can also travel from space system to space system.
The video also mentions tweaks to planet generation algorithms, anti-aliasing, and motion blur—and shows off a ridiculous amount of blue lens flare, if you're into that sort of thing. New quick-access menus will let players dig into inventory systems on the fly, as well. There's even more going on, including the ability to set up camp in a pinch and a slew of new resource types (you should really dig into the patch notes), and it actually seems to add up to what the developers promised on Friday: a substantial update to make the current game run a little more efficiently, but also one that clearly builds toward other potential updates.
The news was good enough to get game director Sean Murray out of hiding, who broke his months-long Twitter silence about the game once the patch went live: "We're getting better as quickly as we can for the players who invested in us. Thank you for sticking with us."
Original report, November 25:
Two months of silence from the makers of No Man's Sky ended on Friday with news that the game would finally receive a substantial update "this week."
"We’re calling it The Foundation Update, because we have added the foundations of base building, and also because this is putting in place a foundation for things to come," an unnamed author posted at Hello Games' official development blog.
The game's creators at Hello Games did not describe how players will build bases in the space sim, nor how said bases will change or affect travel between planets. No Man's Sky currently revolves around exploring and abandoning planets in order to travel long distances across a galaxy—meaning, there's currently no easy way to return to something like a frequently maintained and updated base of operations.
The news post addressed players who have complained that they were sold a different experience than the underwhelming, repetitive game that launched in August. "The discussion around No Man’s Sky since release has been intense and dramatic," the developer wrote. "We have been quiet, but we are listening and focusing on improving the game that our team loves and feels so passionately about. Positive or negative feedback, you have been heard, and that will truly help to make this a better game for everyone."
Hello Games are clearly teasing more content to come and insist that this forthcoming base-building content "will not be our biggest update, but is the start of something." Exactly what that future content will be remains to be seen. Having played my fair share of the game, I can only hope the updates include improved combat, additional quest-like activities, better inventory management, more sandbox or content-creation systems, and, hey, maybe an actual ending.
Listing image by Hello Games
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When .NET was first released, Visual Basic and C# were on equal footing in the community. But over the years, Microsoft has been slowly moving towards deprecating VB. The first time that the future of VB was in question was around 2008 and resulted in co-evolution promise.
This promise was put into doubt with the introduction of Windows Phone 7, which didn’t offer VB support until September of 2010. And again, when Microsoft quietly dropped VB from their professional developer certification program.
The most recent insult was when the community found out that VB wasn’t going to be supported by ASP.NET 5. Not only was this a breach of the promise for equal support, the decision was made without any sort of public announcement. The fact that Visual Basic wasn’t going to be offered was revealed in a bug report last December.
Since then the Visual Basic users have woken up. While still greatly underrepresented in the blogger community, they were able to use formal channels to convince Microsoft to offer full support for VB in ASP.NET MVC. Jeffrey T. Fritz writes,
We’ve talked about ASP.NET 5 as a major update of the ASP.NET framework with Roslyn and cross-platform support in mind since our initial public discussions. It is not a short path, and we focused initially on completing support for C#. In the months since our initial announcements, we have heard from many of you, telling us how much you like Visual Basic and that they want to see support for it in ASP.NET 5. We are excited today to announce that ASP.NET 5 will have full support with Visual Basic (both tooling and runtime – including cross platform runtime support). As always, we will continue this development of ASP.NET 5 in the open, and you can track our progress or even contribute on GitHub at http://github.com/aspnet/home.
Many developers question whether or not any new work is being done in Visual Basic. Michel Posseth answers,
I spit out at least 2 projects a month in my company `! :-) In our company all development is done in VB.Net 2013 Ultimate with FW 4.5.2 and yes we use the WPF , MVVM ( in a purist form ) , we use the Entity Framework 6,x and Yes we use MVC with Razor and we even code our App and yes everything IN VB.Net With option explicit , option strict and Option Infer switched to ON ! ... […] Also note that as the owner and founder of VBDotNetCoder I see a big increase of VB.Net evolving right now ! Especially in South America , Greece , Spain and Italy ,,,,, so yes there is hope that VB.Net will catch up a lot within now and a few years :-) once people realize that it is actually the better RAD and debug environment to get a business running .
In terms of visibility, pcnerd has a theory,
I think the real issue is most of VB.net is in the corporate space and do not allow for feedback to be sent back to Microsoft, or start new projects, just keep adding on. The code base I work with was designed pre .net 2.0 and it sometimes feels like it, even though we are running against .net 4.5. On the other hand, my last project I started, I could not even start the project with VB in visual studio. I had to pick a generic one and modify it to be VB. To say we aren’t doing cutting edge, I’m using Web Api, Razor, and Angular hosted with OWIN on Katana. Even security is using Web Tokens. Just imagine that is in VB and JavaScript!
Despite this announcement, there are still hard feelings among some developers. Chris Owens writes,
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This week had a flurry of toy news. Between coverage of the Mokei Hobby Show and the flood of NYCC news, as well as our preparation for event coverage, I must admit that the new release of the week got a bit lost! I went back over it all last night and realized that there were a surprising number of wonderful figures that I’d totally let slip under my radar. There were the usual duds, like Beat’s bizarre new offering, but for the most part the offerings were pretty excellent!
Bandai
Drossel | Chogokin | ¥9,ooo | January
AmiAmi | Hobby Search
Leah: I really like Drossel but I don’t own any figures of her aside from the Nendoroid. And this, well, it’s out of my price range sadly. She’s cute, but I am just going to wait for the figma of this version of her.
Stephen: When I saw this go up for order I thought it was the awesome static Max Factory figure that we saw back at Wonder Festival, but then I realized it was a smaller poseable Chogokin and coupling their quality (which is quite spotty) along with the increased price and smaller size than a scaled figure and this just isn’t worth it to me.
Beat
Mayumi Sakamoto | 1/6 | ¥8,800 | February | Limited & Regular Editions
Limited: AmiAmi | Hobby Search | HLJ
Standard: AmiAmi | Hobby Search | HLJ
Leah: I don’t even know what is going on here. The sculpt is just flat-out weird. I feel like the only decent figure Beat ever made was their poolside Tamaki, everything else is just odd.
Stephen: I’m quite confused as to why her breasts are growing out of her armpits and shoulder blades. That is all.
CM’s Corp
Konoe Subaru | 1/8 | ¥8,800 | January
AmiAmi | Hobby Search | HLJ
Leah: Konoe is adorable, and a year ago I probably would have jumped on her, but at this point she’s too expensive for what you get. If she was Alter-levels of quality, maybe, but the paint has almost no shading and the seam-lines for castoff are painfully noticeable.
Stephen: Hoping for a sale on her down the line because she’s adorable, but like price of a Nendoroid adorable, not 1/8th scale Good Smile Company or Alter good.
Good Smile Company
Shinobu Oshino | 1/8 | ¥7,800 | March
AmiAmi | Hobby Search | HLJ
Ohana Matsumae | Nendoroid | ¥3,500 | March
AmiAmi | Hobby Search
Leah: Good Smile was really going for “painfully cute” this week! Shinobou might be my favorite of all of the Bakemonogatari girls so far, and Ohana is just so amazing.
Stephen: I love Shinobu as she’s just so adorable and all of the little subtleties of other characters from Bakemonogatari just make her even more awesome. Ohana is great as well; I mean she comes with a heron!
Griffon
Remilia Scarlet “Curiosities Of Lotus Asia” ver. | 1/8 | ¥7,400 | January | Exclusive
AmiAmi
Leah: I love Remilia, but so far I don’t have a single figure of her. Well, the Lotus Asia version has certainly changed that! January isn’t the best month, but I just can’t pass her up.
Stephen: I really like the detail here and this is just yet another figure that shows how much Griffon has grown.
Kotobukiya
Ayase Aragaki | 1/8 | ¥6,000 | February
AmiAmi | Hobby Search | HLJ
Leah: Ayase seems surprisingly popular for how simple the sculpt is, but I can see why: it’s well-executed and fits her character to a tee.
Stephen: I really love just how much emotion Ayase conveys for a static figure and I’m glad to see companies producing well-made figures of lesser popular characters.
Max Factory
Ika Musume | figma | ¥3,500 | March
AmiAmi | Hobby Search | HLJ
Sayaka Miki | figma | ¥3,500 | February
AmiAmi | Hobby Search
Saber | figma | ¥2,800 | November | Re-Release
AmiAmi | Hobby Search
Rider | figma | ¥2,800 | November | Re-Release
AmiAmi | Hobby Search
*Note: Rider and Saber are very limited re-releases, and are selling out left & right. Act fast if you want them!
Leah: This week was a great one for figmas. Ika Musume comes with so many amazing parts, and it’s great to see Sayaka finally joining the Madoka lineup. Only Kyoko left now! The re-releases are just the icing on the cake–on top of the two already-fantastic releases, we get two of the most coveted figmas! I missed both Saber and Rider, and their after-market prices are awful, it’s great to get them for retail!
Stephen: Ika Musume is one of the most adorable Nendoroids, Sayaka continues the awesomeness of the Madoka line, and Saber and Rider are two amazing surprises that I really welcome. Great week all around for figmas and I recommend every single one of these releases.
Phat! Company
Ran Yakumo | 1/8 | ¥9,240 | March | Exclusive
AmiAmi
Chen | 1/8 | ¥6,800 | March | Exclusive & Re-Release
AmiAmi
Leah: I find Phat! Company’s releases this week both awesome and terrible. Let’s start with the good: Ran. She’s expensive, but I am so thrilled that she is available on AmiAmi because Chen and Yukari would feel incomplete without her. Now, the thing that makes me so angry I want to strangle things: Chen. Chen already came out, and a re-release of an exclusive is already pretty unusual. But this is just a slap in the face. The first release wasn’t available at AmiAmi, so people who ordered her (myself included) had to pay a proxy fee. Now she’s suddenly available in the US! I want the extra 2k that I spent on this damn figure, and I’m pretty furious at Phat! for pulling this over on us.
Stephen: Ran and Chen are both great figures (our review of Chen should be coming shortly) and I’m glad that Ran isn’t an exclusive, but as Leah has said not only re-releasing the exclusive of Chen, but making her a regular release as well, is a complete and total slap in the face to anyone who already owns her and I wish that Phat! Company would offer something to make up for this.
Well, that’s it for this figma-tastic week that also had quite a few Touhou figures as well and was all around adorable! What did you order and did you miss out on anything you wanted? Let us know in the comments!
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The situation of Jews in Europe today is like a person standing on train tracks while two trains approach on a collision path, Pinchas Goldschmidt, Chief Rabbi of Moscow, told European Parliament.
Goldschmidt explained that "one train is radical Islam and Islamic terrorism... the other train is the antisemitism of old Europe, the extreme right."
He told Parliament that both are existential threats and are the cause of "tens of thousands of Jews leaving France, Belgium and other European countries."This has resulted in a high percentage of people afraid to go to Jewish events and synagogue on holidays, he added.Speaking with The Independent, Goldschmidt stated that antisemitism in Europe is so rampant that "40 per cent of 1,200 Jews surveyed in France said they avoided wearing symbols that identified them as Jews for fear of antisemitic attacks."The Chief Rabbi called on Parliament to create an anti-terrorist task force to combat Islamic terror.“Radical Islam will not win the war against Europe by virtue of its strength, but only because of the weakness of the European Union.”He also condemned attempts by right-wing political parties to ban the Jewish practices of circumcision and the preparation of kosher meat in numerous European countries.“We will continue to unmask those bigots and anti-Semites, who want to fight Judaism under the political-correct flag of ‘rights of children’ and ‘rights of animals’.”Martin Schultz, president of the European Parliament, stated that "when we see that the Jewish population in Europe has decreased from almost four million in 1945 to barely more than one million today, then we know that it is high time not only to make a clear political statement, but to take effective action as soon as possible.""Europe has to be a better home for its Jewish citizens."
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J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit has inspired generations of fantasy creators. But it's also been an inspiration to tons of architects and designers. Here are all the most breathtaking Hobbit-influenced houses from around the world.
"In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Hobbit-hole, and that means comfort." – wrote J.R.R Tolkien in The Hobbit. So here are some real-life hobbit-holes that look suitably comforting.
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The Shire Of Montana, Trout Creek, Montana
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Built by the Lord Of The Rings fan Steve Michaels and his wife Christine. It's a Hobbit-themed vacation rental, available for $245 a night. In the garden there is Bilbo's and Frodo's House, and a whole elven village!
(via Hobbit House of Montana)
Earth House Estate Lättenstrasse, Dietikon, Switzerland
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(via Vetsch Architektur and Eclectitude)
Gandalf's House in Bellac, France
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The house was built in the 15th century on the site of a 10th century chateau. The furniture is mainly antique, and the floorboards, tiles and the staircase are original.
(via Bellac)
The Dune House by William Morgan, Atlantic Beach, Florida
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The two-story building was built into the Atlantic beach sand dunes in 1975. It's for sale, you can buy it for only $1.4 million. What a bargain!
(via Top Ten Real Estate Deals and inhabitat)
Peter Archer's homage to J.R.R Tolkien, Chester County, Philadelphia
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The 600 sq feet (56 sqm) house is used for store Peter Archer's rare books and Tolkien-inspired stuff that he has collected in the last three decades. It was built in 2004, has a giant, 54-inch (137 cm) diameter cedar door and wonderful handcrafted wood furnitures.
(AP/Matt Rourke)
Villa Vals, Vals, Switzerland
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The Swiss villa was completed in 2009, designed by Bjarne Mastenbroek (SeARCH) and Christian Müller Architects. Decorated with modern design of Dutch designers and companies.
(via Villa Vals and OpenBuildings)
Low impact Hobbit house in West Wales
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Simon Dale and his father-in-law are built this house in four months (1000-1500 working hours), from only $4600.
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(via Simon Dale)
Malator (or the Teletubby House), over St. Brides Bay, Druidston, United Kingdom
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The Welsh earth house was built in 1998 and designed by Future Systems (now Amanda Levete Architects).
(via ALA)
Hobbit House, Hawaii
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(via Hawaii Lodging)
Mount Hartman Bay Estate, Grenada
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(via decoist and Mount Hartman Bay Estate)
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has never had much of an appetite for drivers uniting to create a single voice. The sanctioning body once banned Curtis Turner for trying to form a union in 1961.
But times have changed, said Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip, who believes dislike of the current rules package has led to the creation of a driver's council. The group of drivers elected by their peers met with NASCAR at Dover last weekend.
''We've never had what we'd call a 'council' before ... NASCAR was never too open to meeting with a group of people, but had been willing to meet one-on-one,'' said Waltrip, a three-time champion and current analyst for Fox.
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Waltrip is certain that a push for better racing is behind the drivers' decision to present a unified front to NASCAR. Last year, team owners formed the Race Team Alliance to address escalating costs, rules and other issues.
''There is a lot of unrest in the sport currently, and I think that's why NASCAR is listening,'' Waltrip said. ''Hopefully, they'll take drivers' input and make some better decisions. What we all want ... is good racing and action on the track.''
Waltrip, though, indicated that there's no need for a new rules package in 2016. The 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship last season was competitive, but slight adjustments to the 2015 rules has not provided much carry-over into this year.
There has been talk that NASCAR will leave the rules package untouched for next year - something most drivers have at least privately opposed. Among those selected to meet with NASCAR last week were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart.
Waltrip is in the camp that believes the 2015 rules can stick for some time.
Story continues
''Last year was the best racing we'd had in a long time, which is why I hated to see changes in 2015, then we weren't but a few races into 2015 and were hearing talk about changes for 2016,'' Waltrip said. ''Let it breathe a little. Constant rule changes aren't helping anyone, making competition better or saving money.''
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INDYCAR-BLOCKING: Graham Rahal was not pleased to be hit with a blocking penalty in Sunday's race, even though he still finished third in the second of two races at Detroit.
The call came after he tried to hold off Takuma Sato in the late stages of the race, and Rahal wants IndyCar to consider adding more driver experience to race control. The current steward system rules by majority vote, and the three stewards don't often include a former driver.
''I'd like to see three drivers in race control, three retired drivers that know what's going on,'' Rahal said. ''I mean, it's no disrespect to who's there. I think they've done a fair job with what they've been given.''
Rahal argued that his use of an on-board camera in his car makes it easier for race control to see everything that goes on with him, as opposed to drivers who do not have the cameras. Rahal even suggested Paul Tracy, currently an analyst for NBC Sports, could be an asset in race control.
''I think you need to go find three retired guys that have been through this, been through the wringer, Paul Tracy, guys like that, that know exactly the ins-and-outs of this. They can make a fair call every time,'' he said.
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BRISCOE-TEXAS: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has called on Ryan Briscoe to again fill in for injured driver James Hinchcliffe as IndyCar shifts to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.
Briscoe finished 12th in the Indianapolis 500 driving for Hinchcliffe, who suffered a life-threatening leg injury a week before the race. Hinchcliffe's leg was pierced by a broken part of the suspension following a crash in practice.
Conor Daly replaced Hinchcliffe last week at Detroit and finished sixth on Sunday after leading 12 laps. Briscoe won at Texas from the pole in 2010, was second in 2009 and has finished third three times.
Also, Dale Coyne Racing shuffled its two-car lineup for Texas. Pippa Mann will drive the No. 18 on Saturday night and Tristan Vautier will drive the No. 19. Both drove the Indy 500 for Coyne but were out of the cars at Detroit.
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The European Union has long been wary of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Indeed, its position on the issue would seem to leave little room for doubt. The Israeli outposts, the EU maintains, are "illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible."
According to a new report released by 22 European non-governmental organizations, however, that is only part of the story. Even as the EU condemns Israel for maintaining and expanding the settlements, the 27 member states, by virtue of heavy trade with the settlers, are actually helping the illegal towns and villages to prosper.
Assembled under the aegis of Hans van den Broek, a former European Commissioner for External Relations, the report is entitled: "Trading Away Peace: How Europe helps sustain illegal Israeli settlements." It states that European countries import fully 15 times more goods from settlements each year than they do from Palestinian territories. In absolute terms, the Israeli government estimates that goods -- including fruit, vegetables, cosmetics, textiles and toys -- worth 230 million ($298 million) are exported to the EU from settlements each year, roughly 2 percent of all Israeli exports to Europe. Products sent to EU member states from the Palestinian territories, on the other hand, only add up to an average of 15 million each year.
The EU has signed international customs cooperation agreements with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but products from the settlements are explicitly excluded from those deals, as the European Court of Justice confirmed in a 2010 ruling. Nevertheless, the goods often avoid mandatory customs by being marked as having originated in Israel. European customs authorities are nevertheless obligated to check the postal codes of such deliveries to ensure that they do not come from the occupied territories. In practice, however, they rarely do.
Massive State Subsidies
The EU also continues to tolerate products from the settlements being sold in stores under the label "Made in Israel." Only the United Kingdom and Denmark have passed regulations requiring that food products from the settlements be accurately labelled. The authors of the newly published report demand that other EU countries do the same.
Products coming from the Israeli settlements are competitive on the global market partially because of the massive state assistance farmers and producers in the occupied territories receive. Companies that put down roots in the settlements receive direct government subsidies and tax breaks. The government has also set up a fund to help companies pay customs penalties.
By purchasing products from the settlements, EU support for the Israeli outposts is mostly indirect. Sometimes, however, it is direct, as in the case of the Ahava cosmetics company, based in the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Shalem on the Dead Sea. As part of its research and development funding program, it awarded Ahava 1.13 million, according to the report.
And the harm to Palestinians, in some cases, is notable, for example in the Jordan Valley. There, according to the human rights organization B'Tselem, 10,000 settlers use a quarter of the water available to the 2.5 million Palestinians who live in the area. Much of that water goes toward the cultivation of fruit and vegetables that are then exported to Europe.
The European Union provides the Palestinians with massive amounts of support. Between 1994 and 2011, some 5 billion in development aid was sent by the EU according to the European Commission, 525 million of that in 2011. In addition, several EU member states send aid independent of EU funding.
Unchanged Status Quo
The huge financial assistance, however, has not resulted in significant improvements in the Palestinian economy. In addition to widespread corruption within the Palestinian Authority and an inefficient administration, restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupiers also restrict trade. According to a United Nations report released in September, the Palestinian economy "has lost access to 40 percent of the West Bank, 82 percent of its groundwater and more than two-thirds of its grazing land" as a result of the occupation and the construction of settlements. Additionally, Palestinian farmers are not allowed to import certain types of fertilizers because they can be used to manufacture explosives.
The biggest problem, though, is the myriad obstacles preventing Palestinian goods from being moved easily. Before goods can leave Palestinian territories for Israel or other countries, they often have to pass through several checkpoints where they are examined, unloaded and even confiscated for a time. Potential customers cannot depend on reliable delivery.
By importing goods from Israeli settlements, the EU does its part to ensure that this status quo remains unchanged, according to the report. And it means that the EU is essentially making a mockery of its own foreign and development policy. As a consequence, the report's authors propose, all imports from Israeli settlements should be banned in Europe. At the very least, they argue, pressure should be increased on those companies that do trade with counterparts in the settlements.
The past has shown that pressure can actually have an effect. Last year, the Germany's national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, pulled out of the consortium constructing a high-speed rail link between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem after Germany's transportation minister highlighted the political nature of the project in a letter to Deutsche Bahn CEO Rüdiger Grube. In the letter, Transportation Minister Peter Ramsauer noted that the route was problematic "from the perspective of human rights" because it traveled for six kilometers (3.7 miles) through territory belonging to the Palestinians.
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Imran Khan has been written off before. As a cricketer, he was initially dismissed as having average ability before captaining his team to World Cup glory. For the past 15 years his political party has stumbled from one election humiliation to the next.
Now though, he is convinced his time has come.
Riding a tsunami of popular support ahead of elections widely expected next year, he is bracing himself for a campaign of dirty tricks.
"During a match there comes a time when you know you have the opposition on the mat. It is exactly the feeling now, that I have all the opposition by their balls," he said, in an interview last month with The Daily Telegraph as he travelled to the north-western city of Peshawar for yet another rally on his 59th birthday. "Whatever they do now will backfire."
Further evidence of Mr Khan’s steepling ascent was on display in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, today on Christmas Day, when at least 100,000 people turned out to hear his message that change was sweeping the country. The figure is all the more remarkable as the city is far from Mr Khan’s stronghold of Lahore.
In a rousing speech, he told the crowd that if his party came to power: "I promise we will end big corruption in 90 days."
“I’ve never seen a gathering like this in Karachi in two decades,” said a local journalist covering the rally.
Everything changed in October, when he attracted more than 100,000 supporters to a parade ground in Lahore. The world took notice of a new star in Pakistan's political firmament, dominated for decades by a handful of the richest families.
A YouGov-Cambridge poll released on Fri Dec 23 found that Khan is the most popular political figure in Pakistan by far, with some 81 per cent of respondents choosing him as the person they think best suited to lead the country. Two thirds meanwhile said they would vote for his PTI party.
Even that rally was almost sabotaged. At the last minute his venue was moved from a modestly sized park to the Minar-e-Pakistan, capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people.
If the switch by city authorities loyal to Nawaz Sharif, the main opposition leader, was an attempt to make Mr Khan's rally appear insignificant it failed badly.
Mr Khan expects more of the same. His Lahore headquarters were recently sealed off amid allegations taxes had not been paid.
In 2008, a photograph of a fake £40m cheque apparently from James Goldsmith, billionaire father of Khan's ex-wife Jemima, surfaced.
"They will throw everything at me," he said.
"Last time around, when they panicked, they called Jemima part of a Jewish lobby. She's Christian, her mother's Christian, her father was Christian, but because the grandfather was Jewish it became part of a Jewish plot to take over Pakistan."
Inevitably scrutiny will fall on Mr Khan's private life. As one of Pakistan's most famous bachelors he had been expecting Mr Sharif's party to spread malicious rumours – until an American journalist published a book detailing how the opposition leader had offered her an iPhone and asked her to be his "special friend".
"He can't really do that now because he knows it will just come back to haunt him," said Mr Khan roaring with laughter in the front seat of a supporter's car. "Now they are going after me on tax, but that will look even worse."
Corruption has been Mr Khan's defining message since setting up his Tehreek–e–Insaf (the Movement for Justice) in 1995.
Such is the public perception of his integrity that he has raised millions of pounds for a cancer hospital and university, and his flood relief fund dwarfed similar efforts by Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan's prime minister, which were hampered by corruption fears.
That makes him a dangerous candidate for established forces such as President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, as a new generation tires of political dynasties known for making themselves rich at the expense of the country.
His Achilles' heel though is his party's lack of experience in government. It has only ever won one seat in parliament, Mr Khan's own.
He is also frequently accused of being pro-Taliban and anti-American for his longstanding policy of advocating peace talks in Afghanistan and Pakistan's withdrawal from the war on terror. But he said the past year, with increasing contacts between American and Taliban leaders, backed his position.
Many believe those views make him the chosen candidate of Pakistan's military establishment, which keeps a firm grip on civilian governments.
After two hours travelling from Islamabad, his car arrived in Peshawar. Thousands of mostly young men thronged the track ahead, bringing Mr Khan's small convoy of three cars to halt, as they crowded close.
Inside, his supporters fell silent. In a country known for political assassinations and suicide bombings , Mr Khan is unusual: he does not travel in an armoured vehicle.
Perhaps sensing the unease, he turned to face his nervous passengers.
"There won't be a suicide attack on this car," he said with a grin. "They see me as a self-respecting Pakistani nationalist – not an American stooge."
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So after walking through here I decided that I wanted to make sure for anyone that didn't have tickets tonight that you all could have tickets to the show. So anybody who wants to come tonight, you can have tickets for the entire office!But I just wanted to tell you guys: I really do believe that the world can be saved through design, and everything needs to actually be "architected." And this is the reason why even some of the first DONDA employees were architects that started designing t-shirts instead of buildings. But just to see the work actually be actualized.If I sit down and talk to Oprah for two hours, the conversation is about realization, self realization, and actually seeing your creativity happen in front of you. So the reason why I turn up so much in interviews is because I've tasted what it means to create and be able to impact, and affect in a positive way.And I know that there's more creativity to happen. And I know that there's traditionalists that hold back the good thoughts and there's people in offices that stop the creative people, and [who] are intimidated by actual good ideas. I believe that utopia is actually possible — but we're led by the least noble, the least dignified, the least tasteful, the dumbest, and the most political. So in no way am I a politician--I'm usually at my best politically incorrect and very direct. I really appreciate you guys' willingness to learn and hone your craft, and not be lazy about creation.I'm very inspired to be in this space. Tonight, this show, if you come see it — um, I'm a bit self conscious because I'm showing it to architects. So the stage does have flaws in it. It's an expression of emotion so give me a pass on that. And that's basically all I have to say so thank you very much.
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Do you believe there is nothing as telling as looking a person in the eye or shaking their hand? Do you like to talk for hours on the phone? Do you find voicemails that say “call me back” endlessly irritating?
You’re probably not alone. In fact, communication styles ripple across generations and are felt by all of us. Below I explore a few of the nuances that help define some of these barriers and how to cross them.
Baby Boomers:
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. — Jimi Hendrix
This group has been at it the longest and is most traditional in their communication styles. Ranging from 53–74 years of age they are the leaders of our country, founders of much of our current political system, and the most conservative of the three.
If you’re a Boomer you are most likely to answer “yes” to the above question regarding eye contact and handshakes. You trust your gut because you’ve learned a lot about people over the years and there are certain things you can’t get from and email, phone call, or even a video conference call.
If you’re resistant to change you may be missing out on the lives of your loved ones, or the community you could be building online if you’re struggling with staying active and connected. In the workplace, you could be missing out on lucrative opportunities because you insist on paper filing systems or resist cloud based information storage. Your distrust for these things is not unfounded but if you embrace your fear it could be your undoing.
If you are struggling to understand or adapt to new ways of sharing information try to keep in mind one very important thing that your younger peers have grown up knowing; the internet is a powerful source of information. Almost any question you have can be answered to a relative degree of certainty after enough research. Websites like Google, YouTube, Reddit, Quora, and scientific research from NCBI are your friends.
Those of you who have stayed current with technology have become some of the most influential and powerful people in the world. While Boomers are not known for their texting or tweeting savvy, a 70+ year old orange man trolled his way into one of the highest positions in the world and is America’s acting president.
Not all that power has been used for gerrymandering and bullying though. You have also brought us Stephan Hawking, Angela Merkel, Madonna, and Oprah. You have shaped the globe, for better or worse. If you embrace the new and keep current you are unstoppable with your years of experience and almost otherworldly instincts. If you fail to adapt you run the risk of becoming flanked by the very system you built.
Gen Xers:
I see the whole concept of Generation X implies that everyone has lost hope. — Alanis Morissette
Born somewhere between the late 60’s and early 80’s this is the group of big brothers and sisters who paved the way but received little credit. A small generation in numbers, but mighty in ideas. They made a safe place for geeks, nerds, and outliers to call home in the forums, chatrooms and social media platforms, but still stick to some more traditional forms of communication in their personal lives.
If you’re a Gen Xer you’re most likely to answer “yes” to the question about enjoying long phone conversations. When you were coming of age a personal phone line was a ticket to an active social life and long-distance was available on a limited and costly basis.
You were the first to embrace hands free calling and bluetooth headsets. You were the first generation to create a subtle blur between crazy and eccentric while you shouted and mumbled nonsensically to yourselves in public with these stealthy devices.
There is a dark side, however, when combination of your hard work and under-appreciated-ness leaves some of you biter and solitary. Still, many of you persist by using your education and experience to help younger peers adapt in the workplace and act as a filter between older more conservative generations.
You’ve taken the cynicism you were known for in your teenage years as the MTV generation and turned it into powerful critical thinking skills. You’ve taken the laziness you were accused of and turned it into efficiency, building the framework of the future.
The prolific Elon Musk is amongst your ranks and his influence is interplanetary. You are determined, like Sara Blakely, to build the world you envision and refuse to settle for status quo. When you put your mind to it, you are unstoppable. Combining traditional wisdom with futuristic perception you are some of the most dynamic players in the game when you chose to play. If you fail to overcome your turbulent past or hermit-like tendencies you may be missing out on your full potential.
Millennials:
I learned, when I look in the mirror and tell my story, that I should be myself and not peep whatever everybody is doing. — Kendrick Lamar
Born between the early 80’s and late 90’s this generation is known for being more liberal and less religious than their predecessors. They are less likely to have a landline or cable subscription and more likely to wait for big decisions like getting married or starting a family.
If you’re a Millennial you most likely identify with the question about annoying voicemails. You would rather text than waste time with the pleasantries and awkwardness of a whole conversation when you need information quickly. You’ve probably been broken up with in a text or email and don’t trust anybody under the age of 55 without an online presence.
You long for your voice to be heard and to feel connected. You are moving toward cities and dense populations. You value experiences over things and long for meaning in your work. You were called the ADHD generation but it may have been society catching up with the fact that you aren’t motivated by things that don’t interest you.
With this comes a dark truth that more of you are depressed than any generation before you as you struggle with a massive economic inequality with your peers.
When you are successful, you are massively successful. Mark Zuckerberg held the record for youngest billionaire after building the place we all wish our parents hadn’t told our grandparents about. Love him or hate him, he is a great example of what success looks like to Millennials. When you are well supported and able to embrace your passions you can amass great wealth or live a financially secure life just doing what you love.
Answering the crisis that this generation faces would be impossible from my current perspective. As an 80’s baby who hails from the part of America heavily impacted by economic recession, I will get back to you with the answers once I can afford high quality health care while doing what I love. But I can offer one word of advice to my peers who have lived the harder side of this burgeoning generation; seek your passion. (If you know what it is you are better off than I was for the first 30 years of my life). We came of age with technology that has placed incredible potential at our fingertips, but only if we use it wisely.
Even if you don’t have full time to devote to doing what you love, use those moments in between to become an expert in your field. If you love something, you are not alone and there are probably other people who could benefit from your enthusiasm and experiences.
Here is a recent article on 9 master’s degrees you can get online from one of my favorite free learning recourses ever FreeCodeCamp.com. Even though I didn’t decide to pursue coding as a career, it was through that channel that I discovered Medium which I ❤ so much for allowing me to share my passions with the world.
And don’t forget, no matter what your age or communication style, you can always find new ways to connect when you let yourself shine. Don’t believe me, check out Instagram famous Grandma Baddy Winkle.
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News broke last week that the Democratic frontrunner, you know her as Hillary, has decided that a program of gun confiscation would be “worth considering on a national level,” specifically one that looks like the Australian manadatory gun confiscation program that President Obama likes to throw out when discussing the nexus of school shootings and the 2nd Amendment.
It’s no shock to most conservatives and libertarians that the progressive wing of our political brethren would like to disarm the citizenry. As mentioned, Obama discusses it fairly regularly. And logistically, as RedState points out, it wouldn’t be difficult for a President Hillary (whoa. That’s the first time I’ve written that and it was a bit disconcerting…) to get the ball rolling:
Never mind that it would be unconstitutional under current understanding of the Second Amendment. If she wins, she’d simply appoint people to the Supreme Court who disagree with the Heller decision and are prepared to throw it out. That decision solidified the second amendment as an individual right. Get ready America. They really are willing to start openly talking about taking your guns. By the way, Barack Obama has already mentioned Australia’s gun confiscation program four times: here, here, here, and here.
Of course, those who deal in reality know that disarming the citizenry has the effect, as Jim Webb to his credit pointed out at the Democratic debate, of keeping those who want to defend themselves from violence from doing so:
More to the point, as Steven Crowder points out, there’s some debate about the efficiacy of such a program. Oh, and that it would be nothing less than tyranny and an extreme violation of our founding principles. No biggie.
Well, there’s argument about whether the gun related homicides and other various crimes have actually increased or not. Some places have the homicide rate increasing at 3.2% along with armed robbery at 44%, while some other stats have them remaining about the same. At the very least, we do know that the policies have not significantly decreased crime. That’s not even being debated. Which…considering that the Australian government spent a considerable amount of money on the laws, seems at the very least, disappointing. That’s not to address the most important issue at play here: what the Australian government did was an unfettered act of tyranny. Despite how leftists try to sugarcoat it, the Australian gun “buyback” program was mandatory. That makes it effectively a gun ban. When American leftists support Australian policies, they are absolutely, unequivocally supporting an outright ban on firearms. Disarming a populace is, at it’s very core, the denial of a human right to self-preservation.
It occurs to me that the reason millennials and those progressives courting them are so cavalier about the 2nd Amendment is a result of the very freedom we’ve always enjoyed in this country: the right to bear arms. What I mean is, had we been living under a system where the government long ago prevented us from having that freedom, there would very likely be just as loud a call to have that rule reversed. Funny how easy it is to forget tyranny exists when you live under an umbrella of freedom.
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Leeds United are poised to make another contract offer to Aidan White, softening the blow of the injury which appears to have ended his season.
Manager Neil Warnock confirmed today that the club are finalising a second proposal for White, who turned down an initial offer from Leeds shortly before Christmas.
White has been earmarked by Warnock as one of five first-team players who the United boss wants to tie down and secure ahead of the new Championship season.
But White, pictured above, whose current contract expires the summer, is unlikely to appear again before the end of his existing deal after injuring a leg in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Watford.
The Republic of Ireland international avoided serious damage in a first-half tackle by Watford’s Carl Dickinson, and X-rays allayed fears of a broken bone, but Warnock does not expect to have him available for selection during any of Leeds’ remaining six Championship matches.
Warnock said: “He’ll be out for a while.
“It’s not too serious and there’s no break in it, that’s the good thing. But I’d be very surprised if he plays again this season. It’s a shame because he’s done well.”
White has played regularly during Warnock’s short time as manager, operating predominantly on the right side of midfield despite being naturally left-footed, and his performances led Warnock to request contract talks with United’s academy product last month.
Leeds made White an initial offer during the first half of this season but he rejected their terms and seemed increasingly likely to leave Elland Road until Warnock stepped in to initiate fresh negotiations.
The winger is believed to favour the option of remaining with Leeds but he is attracting interest from the Premier League and was watched by scouts from two top-flight clubs during United’s recent Championship win at Middlesbrough.
Reports over the weekend claimed Norwich City, who have signed Bradley Johnson and Jonathan Howson from Leeds in the past 12 months, were among the sides monitoring his situation.
Due to his age, United would receive compensation were White to join another English club during the close season but Warnock said: “We’re finalising a contract offer to him. He should be getting that in the next seven days or so.”
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SA Police roadside stop ends in marriage proposal
Updated
A roadside police stop for a suspected stolen car has ended with a surprise marriage proposal for an Adelaide couple.
With the help of the South Australian Police (SAPOL), dentist Michael Yuan orchestrated a memorable moment his girlfriend Katie is sure to never forget.
SAPOL officers pulled Mr Yuan over on what was said to be a check on a "suspect flag" on his car's registration.
But what was really happening was possibly one of the more unusual wedding proposals you'll see in a while.
As Mr Yuan was asked to get out of the vehicle, his girlfriend sat in the car puzzled by what was going on.
While the second SAPOL officer began to question her, and asked her to step out of the vehicle, Mr Yuan dropped to one knee and revealed an engagement ring.
Once she got over the shock, she responded with a resounding "Yes".
Topics: human-interest, marriage, police, offbeat, adelaide-5000
First posted
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California bill would let gig workers organize, negotiate
A registered Uber car waits in the TNC lot at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, March 9, 2016. A registered Uber car waits in the TNC lot at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, March 9, 2016. Photo: Connor Radnovich Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Connor Radnovich Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close California bill would let gig workers organize, negotiate 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Gig workers such as Uber and Lyft drivers, as well as many other contractors, would gain the right to collectively bargain over wages and working conditions under legislation being considered in California.
“As our economy innovates, so should our labor laws,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, a former labor leader who proposed AB1727, the California 1099 Self-Organizing Act. “More and more employers are doing business by classifying workers as independent contractors. Under current law, independent contractors can’t get together and negotiate with the master employer.” The U.S. views contractors as businesses, which means they would violate antitrust law if they pursued collective action to raise rates, for example.
The bill is likely to face stiff opposition from the scores of new Internet platforms that have sprung up to connect workers with people who need rides, deliveries, housecleaning, home repairs, massages, valet parking and other services. These on-demand services typically take a cut of the fee for each job, and consider the workers to be self-employed.
“For millions of Americans, the sharing economy is an important safety net that offers flexible earning opportunities,” said Michael Beckerman, CEO of the Internet Association, an industry trade group, in a statement. “Individuals are now able, like never before, to work for themselves and earn money how, when and where they want. Independent contractors are prevalent in every industry, but this proposal unfairly targets the Internet sector in a way that could hurt the very people it purports to help.”
Uber, by far the biggest on-demand platform with a $62.5 billion valuation, referred requests for comment to the Internet Association.
“We share Assemblywoman Gonzalez’s dedication to workers and agree with the starting point that people engaging with platforms are independent contractors,” Lyft spokeswoman Chelsea Wilson said in a statement.
On Wednesday Gonzalez broadened the bill’s scope beyond the on-demand workers for platforms like Uber, TaskRabbit and Postmates to include contractors in a range of sectors, not just those dispatched by smartphone apps. Truck drivers at the state’s ports are another potential target group, for instance, she said. The criteria is that the hosting platform must make money off the workers’ labor, so listing services such as Craigslist and Thumbtack would not be covered.
Gonzalez’s bill, which has Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, as a co-sponsor, would allow as few as 10 workers to join forces to negotiate with a company.
“That’s a pretty small bargaining unit,” said Donald Polden, a law professor at Santa Clara University, who said the bill raises many questions about its validity.
Gig workers, the most visible segment of the nation’s rapidly growing freelance workforce, have sparked a nationwide debate about their treatment. Workers from several on-demand platforms have sued to be classified as employees. Lawmakers have proposed creating flexible benefits to provide more of a safety net for freelancers. Critics say that contractors lack the benefits and protections of employment, such as workers’ compensation, a minimum wage, overtime and expense reimbursement.
Enrico Moretti, a UC Berkeley economics professor who studies emerging labor markets, said he thinks the California bill is misguided because it would hurt an industry that has fueled new earning opportunities. “Making it less flexible would have considerable costs for the industry and would reduce market entry, innovation and employment growth among incumbent players,” he said.
Moreover, Moretti said, “If the working conditions were so dismal, it would be a problem for Uber and Lyft to find drivers, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. There are plenty of people interested in these types of jobs.” As of September, Uber said it had 327,000 U.S. drivers, double the number from a year earlier.
But a San Francisco Uber driver said that many have been leaving Uber because it has continued to cut its rates. Jason, who declined to give his last name for fear it would hurt his job prospects, said that two years ago he earned about $1,000 for a 35-hour week and now struggles to make $650 putting in the same time.
“If they allow collective bargaining, the drivers will end up saving the company from itself” by pushing back against the price cuts, he said. “They are having a hard time recruiting now.”
Seattle last year passed an ordinance that would allow Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize. That law is now facing legal challenges from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who said he will neither sign nor veto the bill, expressed concerned about its administrative costs.
Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
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Senior Islamic State (Isis) commanders executed seven of their own men by boiling them alive in water, say reports. The jihadists were said to have fled the battlefield in al-Shirqat in the Salahuddin province on Monday 4 June before being apprehended.
The jihadists are fighting battles with the Iraqi army in the province, which lies north of Baghdad, but is just 60 miles south of the IS-stronghold of Mosul. The IS (Daesh) fighters are believed to have been killed by being thrown into a giant cauldron of boiling water after their hands and feet were bound.
The source was quoted by the Daily Star who said the report emerged via Arabic-language media. "ISIL/Daesh executed seven of its militants who had fled Sharqat battlefield in Salahuddin by putting them in containers with boiling water," the source said.
The report is the latest in a long line of under-sourced and unattributed reports of dramatic killings by IS. Each of the reports cite unnamed sources and cannot be independently verified by IBTimes UK.
IS are renowned for the brutal punishments meted out on the battlefield and in ordinary life in front of thousands of civilians. Only last month reports emerged that the extremists executed 19 of their soldiers who fled battles against security forces in al-Shuhada and al-Nassaf in Central Fallujah.
In May, in perhaps the most brutal method of murder to emerge from the self-proclaimed caliphate, IS reportedly executed 25 alleged spies by lowering them into a huge tub of nitric acid, until their 'organs dissolved'. The horrific executions were said to have taken place in Mosul, in northern Iraq.
Then in June IS released an execution video which purportedly showed five journalists being brutally murdered in Syria. The footage shows two of the five journalists blown up with explosives packed into their cameras and laptops; both are chained to a metal railing with cameras around their necks, which are later detonated.
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MONTPELIER, VT. - Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign said on Thursday that the Vermont Democrat has raised $15 million since joining the race in late April, a strong total for his challenge against front-runner Hillary Clinton.
MONTPELIER, VT. � Sen. Bernie Sanders� presidential campaign said on Thursday that the Vermont Democrat has raised $15 million since joining the race in late April, a strong total for his challenge against front-runner Hillary Clinton.
About 250,000 donors have given money, giving the senator a solid foundation from which to build an insurgent campaign against Clinton and establishment Democrats.
Sanders has drawn large crowds, including about 10,000 in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday night, and the fundraising amount will bolster his attempt to become a liberal alternative to Clinton. But Sanders trails by a wide margin in fundraising, with Clinton�s campaign saying it has taken in $45 million since mid-April.
The 73-year-old democratic socialist has tried to appeal to Democrats with a message of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and increasing taxes on the wealthy and Wall Street.
� From wire reports
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In Alabama on December 12—a week from today—large numbers of evangelicals will cast their vote for Roy Moore, many of whose defenders do not even bother to deny that he is a serial sexual molester of underage girls. The evidence against Moore is so overwhelming that if evangelicals are going to posit the existence of a vast conspiracy to frame him, they owe Dan Brown an apology.
How did we get to this point? That’s a question with a long answer, but a short answer might be: by neglecting our eschatology—and the lesson of Chuck Colson.
Critical Moment in History?
The basic argument of Moore’s supporters is that the stakes in U.S. elections are so high that we have to disregard what might otherwise be valid moral objections to voting for him. Defeating the church’s political enemies is so important at this critical moment in our history that even voting for a monster is justified. One prominent evangelical leader has said that God gave America a “second chance” for survival with Donald Trump’s election, and that second chance will be hindered if pro-life Republicans lose ground in Congress.
I’d be the last to deny that the church has political enemies, although I’d point out that some of them call themselves Christians and run for office as pro-life Republicans. The more important point, however, is that neither the fate of the church nor the fate of the country is going to be determined by this election. Or at least not in the way some Moore supporters are thinking.
I’d be the last to deny that the church has political enemies, although I’d point out that some of them call themselves Christians and run for office as pro-life Republicans.
The church always has political enemies. If that alone is sufficient to justify a vote for a monster, it’s justified any time. But that’s not the argument we’re hearing. We’re hearing that this moment is unique. We face a once-in-a-lifetime existential threat—a “Flight 93” moment in which our national plane is about to crash.
This brings us to the real heart of the issue. Is this actually a critical moment in our history? Believe it or not, that depends on our answer to a deceptively simple question: What is history?
The Church Will Not Fail
Worldly thinking produces a clear answer. The world thinks the “history” of any group, whether it’s a nation or a church, means its history from the time it emerges as a distinct entity until the time it disappears—from collapse, conquest, absorption into a larger group, and so on. So a “critical” moment in the history of a nation or a church is a moment where a group is faced with a choice that could cause it to disappear.
The Bible destroys this kind of thinking. The history of God’s people begins with Adam and has no end. The gates of hell will not prevail against God’s church. His Spirit will always build up his people.
There are no Flight 93 moments for the church; there never have been and never will be. . . . The church’s fate is not electoral; it’s eschatological.
There are no Flight 93 moments for the church; there never have been and never will be. Certainly God’s people will continue to face persecution from worldly powers, as we always have. But the idea that we have to compromise moral standards in order to prevent the destruction of the church reflects an appalling failure to grasp where the church’s fate really lies.
The church’s fate is not electoral; it’s eschatological. The church’s triumph over its enemies comes with the King’s return.
The Fate of the Nations
And what about our nations? God cares about them, too. From the first call to Abram (“in you all the nations will be blessed”) to the tongues of Pentecost to the vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21–22 (“the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”), the gospel has always been a gospel for our nations.
And our nations also have an eschatological fate. In eternity, the world will still be full of nations, and every nation will be a Christian nation.
Not today, however. Nations are not like the church. Our nations, as nations, are not yet in covenant relationship with God. In the present age, worldly powers have not yet been cast down. Only when Jesus returns will our nations, as nations, be God’s nations.
That means, instead of never having a Flight 93 moment, for our nations it’s always a Flight 93 moment. There is always some disaster just around the corner, some foreign power or domestic corruption, threatening to destroy our nations.
Only the special presence of the Holy Spirit in the church permits us to insist “the gates of hell shall not prevail.” Our nations don’t have that yet. They will, after Jesus returns, but not now.
Get an Eschatological Perspective
One of the most intense experiences in my life was about 10 years ago, when a dear friend told me his teenage son was starting to drift toward political extremism. He asked if I could help. I knew his son and had no difficulty turning my next conversation with him toward politics, and sure enough, he was moving toward destructive ideas.
“But don’t you think,” he said, in response to some cautionary word I had offered him, “that America is on the brink of becoming a fascist dictatorship?”
“I think,” I replied, “that every nation is always on the brink of becoming a fascist dictatorship.”
His face changed so dramatically I could almost see the light bulb appear over his head.
Chuck Colson learned the same lesson—in his case, the hard way. In his magnificent address to Harvard Business School, which every American Christian should read or hear, he said he was driven to his Watergate crimes by a sense that the fate of the nation and the future of freedom in the world rested on defeating the Democrats. With the genocidal mass murderers of Soviet communism gobbling up nations around the globe, and Democrats demanding we let them, the stakes were so high that it was necessary to set aside what would otherwise be valid moral objections.
[Colson] said he was driven to his Watergate crimes by a sense that the fate of the nation and the future of freedom in the world rested on defeating the Democrats.
It was a Flight 93 moment—and he thought that was an excuse. It took hard time in prison to give him an eschatological perspective on his vile acts.
What Message Do We Send?
Joe Carter is right that Christians need to avoid a political captivity in which they have to vote for whatever monster “their” party nominates. Staying home, which sends no clear message, is infinitely preferable to sending a clear message that unrepentant predators are tolerable. Where there are constructive alternatives to vote for, as there are in Alabama, every single vote for such an alternative increases the sense that there are limits on debauchery of the public trust.
The bigger point, however, is where we think our fate lies—with our votes, or with God? Whittaker Chambers, one of the greatest Christian thinkers of our time, said the particular temptation of the modern world is to think that “the destiny of man is in the hands of man.” Those who think so, he said, would end up committing greater and greater evils in the name of saving humanity.
A week from today, Alabama voters have an opportunity to show whose hands they think their destiny is in.
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Okay, we admit it. We haven’t been following Elementary, the upcoming American television adaptation of the life of Sherlock Holmes, that may or may not be ripped directly from the BBC’s smash hit Sherlock. Look, it’s just that, treatment of its female characters notwithstanding (and for most anything but a Sherlock Holmes story, that wouldn’t be a ‘notwithstanding’ I’d readily accept), Sherlock is very good television. And while there are lots of good stories out there that use the Holmes/Watson/mysteries dynamic for great story telling (House is one long running one), we weren’t sure the world needed two shows that directly reference the original source material. Market saturation, and all that.
But then Elementary had to go and reveal that it’s plans for the traditional Smart bro! Loyal bro! They solve crime! Sherlockian dynamic would, in fact, not be about two bros at all.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
For the first time, Holmes’ famed sidekick, Watson, will be played by a woman with Lucy Liu nabbing the part, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Described as a modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with the detective now living in New York City, Dexter killer Jonny Lee Miller has been tapped to star in the project.
Yes, Joan Watson, although my first assumption was for Jane. Yes, Jonny Lee Miller was in Hackers.
So, now the adaptation is interesting to me. Everybody likes a good story about a friendship, and I’m content to let Sherlock stories be just that. If BBC Sherlock would add one recurring but minor female character (other than the adorable but ultimately utterly passive-for-plot-purposes Mrs. Hudson) who does not either despise Holmes because of he’s better at her job, earning his, and it is implied, the audience’s, derision; or moon pathetically over him despite his uncaring abuses, earning his, and it is implied, the audience’s derision… I’d be happy. (Disclaimer: I haven’t actually watched Season Two with it’s appearance of Irene Adler, so I can’t honestly speak to that.) That’s the place of secondary characters in a Sherlock Holmes story: harmless orbiting satellites who tidally affect the central relationship but never actually change it. And if the only roles writers can come up with for secondary female characters in that situation is harpy (Sgt. Sally Donovan, Sherlock), infatuated fan (Molly Hooper, Sherlock), or sometimes-effective detective who still needs to often be saved who will be killed as soon as we don’t need her any more and it might convince the audience that the stakes have been upped (Irene Adler, Sherlock Holmes/Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), I’d frankly rather they left them out entirely so I can watch my lovely British intellectuals verbally sniping at each other without rolling my eyes right out of my head. (While I found A Game of Shadows to be frightfully boring, I thought Noomi Rapace‘s Simza was actually pretty cool, so, not a bad job there if the aspects of her that I liked were intentionally created.)
Now, if Watson is a woman, that’s potentially very interesting. Well, boring if they decide to just make it an immediate love interest story a la Bones (oh hai, other show that uses the Smart/Socially Awkward Friend! Loyal Friend! They solve crime! dynamic), because that gets really tired after a season or two. But if this is a show that features an honest-to-god platonic relationship of equals between a man and a woman, roommates, no less, well. I’m just saying, I’ve been rewatching The X-Files lately and truly enjoying the Mulder/Scully dynamic. Alright, Elementary. You’ve gotten my attention. But that’s all, so far.
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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Democratic leader Harry Reid: "Our country came to the brink of disaster"
Republican and Democratic leaders of the US Senate have struck a cross-party deal to end a partial government shutdown and raise the US debt limit.
Their bill must also pass the House, where a small group of Republicans are expected to join Democrats to send it to President Barack Obama.
The measure extends the federal borrowing limit until 7 February and funds the government to 15 January.
It comes just a day before the deadline to raise the $16.7tn (£10.5tn) limit.
On Wednesday evening, the Senate and House of Representative are expected to vote on the deal.
On the floor of the US Senate, Democratic Majority leader Harry Reid called the legislation "historic", saying it would provide time for Congress to work toward a long-term budget agreement.
'Brink of disaster'
The plan would create a conference committee of Senate and House members tasked with drawing up a budget deal beyond the short-term spending bills that have served as the ad-hoc US budget for the past several years.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption McConnell: "This has been a long, challenging few weeks"
"Our country came to the brink of disaster," Sen Reid said. "This legislation ends a stand-off that ground the work of Washington to a halt."
Republican Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, Sen Reid's negotiating partner, said the deal "is far less than many of us hoped for, quite frankly, but far better than what some had sought," he said.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement that "blocking the bipartisan agreement reached today by the members of the Senate will not be a tactic for us".
"We fought the good fight," Mr Boehner said in an interview with an Ohio radio station. "We just didn't win."
All along Obama has said he would refuse to pay a ransom and it looks, at the time of writing, that his refusal to bargain has paid off
Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a hardline conservative who was one of the architects of the government shutdown, said he would not try to stonewall Wednesday's vote.
Politicians, bankers and economists have warned of dire global economic consequences unless an agreement to raise the US government's borrowing limit can be reached.
The US Treasury has been using what it has called "extraordinary measures" to pay its bills since the nation reached its current debt limit in May.
It says those methods will be exhausted by 17 October, leaving the US unable to meet all of its debt and other fiscal obligations if the limit is not raised.
Senate debt deal Funds US government until 15 January 2014
Suspends debt limit to 7 February 2014
Establishes conference committee of House and Senate to broker longer-term budget deal
Guarantees back-pay for furloughed federal workers
Income verification for those receiving insurance subsidies through healthcare law
In the House, the Democratic caucus are expected to be joined by a number of more moderate Republicans in voting for the bill, analysts say.
"We're going to pass it in the House," Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC.
In a statement, the US Chamber of Commerce, a pro-business lobby group, urged lawmakers to vote for the Reid-McConnell deal, while the hardline conservative Club for Growth said they should vote no.
'No winners here'
White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters US President Barack Obama hoped both chambers of Congress "will move swiftly" to pass the Senate agreement.
Asked if the bill, which contained few concessions to Republicans, represented a win for the Obama administration, Mr Carney said: "There were no winners here."
"The economy has suffered," he added. "The American people have paid a price for this."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption LA views on the US crisis - "I thought it was ridiculous"
Hardline conservatives triggered the budget warfare 16 days ago, forcing the first government shutdown in 17 years by demanding that Mr Obama gut his signature healthcare overhaul plan.
Ratings firm Standard & Poor's said on Wednesday the partial federal closure had already taken $24bn out of the US economy and would cut growth significantly in the fourth quarter.
An estimated 700,000 of the 2.1 million-strong federal workforce were initially told to stay home, having been deemed "non-essential" staff.
Most national parks, museums, federal buildings and services were closed, while pension and military veterans' benefit cheques were delayed.
Although both parties have fared badly in opinion polls during the political stand-off, Republicans have borne the brunt of the blame from voters.
"This has been a really bad two weeks for the Republican Party," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said.
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You may have to skip on the stadium nachos. And probably the beer, too. But those things aside, how does watching a sports game in virtual reality compare to the real thing?
That’s the interest of a Washington state-based startup called 3D-4U, which is trying to use VR headsets like the Oculus Rift to simulate front-row seat experiences. On Sunday, it tested one of those experiences in Jacksonville, Fla., by inviting attendees of an NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts to watch part of the game through the Rift.
The fluffy press release about the test, shockingly, says everyone had a good time.
“I was amazed that I could look around while the game was being played — it was like I was right there,” one fan who tried the rig is quoted as saying. Never mind the fact that this test was being conducted right there, in Everbank Field’s Fan Cave, a luxury lounge overlooking the field.
Snark aside, I demoed 3D-4U’s technology earlier this year with President Sankar Jayaram, so here’s a bit more about what the “amazed” fan saw.
The company positions between four and six cameras around the field, and depending on where the action is happening, viewers can change their angle on the game. Each camera is slightly zoomed in while recording video, which makes it possible to look around in the video by turning your head. It was also possible, at least in the demo I saw, to rewind the game and see a big play again, sort of like a cable DVR.
A mobile version of this sports experience, called iStadium, is available for iOS and Android. However, you can’t watch the games available in the app unless you have a special bar code from having attended in person, and when I tried to watch the Jaguars-Colts game, it blocked me because “You are not inside stadium Wi-Fi.”
One big difference from a digitally rendered world, and a potential detriment to immersion shared by other live-action cinematic VR companies, is the inability to move your head to get a different angle on something in 3-D space. Technically called “positional tracking,” this was a crucial part of the experience in the newly unveiled Crescent Bay prototype of the Oculus Rift, as well as its predecessor, the DK2.
The folks at 3D-4U also expect live music concerts to be a big draw for people interested in trying virtual reality. The company has partnered with Ricky Martin in the past, and singer Marc Anthony sits on its board.
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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was created in the early 20th century. It is a sport with a focus on ground fighting and grappling. It is classified as a martial art with foundations in self-defense, according to United States Air Force Master Sgt. Ryan Blumberg, a 455th expeditionary force support squadron manpower analyst, Ryan Blumberg.
On March 1, 2014, the Clamshell at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan hosted the 2nd annual Jiu-Jitsu tournament. The tournament included about 85 participants who were organized by weight class. Participants were then divided into brackets by their experience level. The goal was to closely match competitors by weight and experience to even the playing field for the tournament. The four attending referees also had many years’ experience in this respected and interesting martial art.
Safety was their number one priority of the referees, but also to ensure that each match was played fairly and scored accurately. The Bagram Jiu-Jitsu team created this tournament in order to provide an opportunity for those who train on a regular basis to test their skills with other competitors. In addition, they wanted to bring something to the service members that they hadn’t had before.
The tournament had a large turnout and created a lot of noise within the clamshell. Blumburg, who is deployed from the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, stated that the tournament was very successful and went off without any injuries or problems. He reported that his team had a tournament without errors and that they celebrated their successes.
Check out: U.S. AIR FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND
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Line combinations are always a topic of conversation. With the latest additions of Derek Roy, Magnus Paajarvi and Maxim Lapierre, Coach Ken Hitchcock has a plethora of options at forward. There’s flexibility through the lineup and by seasons end, I’m sure he’ll go through just about every one of those options.
The start of training camp is almost upon us. While it’s unclear if defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will be signed by then, one thing seems to be certain: Hitchock will start with a certain set of “twosomes” at forward.
“We’re comfortable with twosomes (and were) wanting to see threesomes,” Hitchcock said. “We’ve got combinations that we want to see, then it’s where does (T.J.) Oshie fit, where does (Vladimir) Tarasenko fit, where does (Jaden) Schwartz fit. We’ve got some twosomes that we’re going to focus on and then see where it fits from there.”-Norm Sanders, News-Democrat
The twosomes Hitchcock is referring to are Backes-Steen, Roy-Stewart, and Berglund-Paajarvi. Looking at the Blues player usage chart, Hitchcock has a shut-down forward paired with a two-way forward on each of his top two lines. That’s no coincidence considering how defensive minded Hitchcock is.
While Paajarvi was sheltered in his time with the Oilers, Hitchcock has him paired with Berglund due to the chemistry they displayed during their time together on team Sweden. Their size and ability to hang on to the puck is what drew Hitchcock’s attention.
“Two big guys that hung onto the puck,” Hitchcock said. “(The World Championships) is a month-long competition so how do you know? But all I know is the two guys held onto the puck. Nobody could get the puck away from them and they were hard guys to play against.” -Jeremy Rutherford, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Like Hitchcock has mentioned, he still needs to figure out where Oshie, Tarasenko, Schwartz, and even Sobotka fit. However, Hitchcock also believes that Tarasenko and Schwartz need to play in the top 6, thus forcing Oshie into a 3rd line role and Sobotka into a 4th line role. Say goodbye to the CPR line Blues fans.
“We have to two current guys (Jaden) Schwartz and (Vladimir) Tarasenko who have to play in the top six…” -Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal
Projected Lines
Steen-Backes-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Roy-Stewart
Paajarvi-Berglund-Oshie
Sobotka-Lapierre-Cracknell/Reaves
At first, it seemed like Tarasenko would be an ideal fit on the left wing with Roy and Stewart. Tarasenko’s excellent shot alongside the play making abilities of Roy would provide the young Russian a center who can continually feed him the puck. Stewart’s big frame on the right side would create more room for Tarasenko to use his quick hands. As a result of the added time and space, Tarasenko would be able to dangle with the puck more efficiently.
What’s the problem then? Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirmed to me that Hitchcock prefers Tarasenko on his off wing (the right wing since he is left handed). This allows Tarasenko to cut to the middle of the ice on his forehand and take a quick shot on goal.
Hitchcock could switch Stewart to the left wing, but why would you move your leading goal scorer into an uncomfortable and unfamiliar position? You don’t and that means Stewart and Tarasenko will be on different lines. The only other right wing spot that’s open is on the 3rd line, but as Hitchcock stated, he needs to give guys like Tarasenko and Schwartz top 6 minutes.
Can Tarasenko thrive in a top-line role alongside Steen and Backes? As long as he stays healthy, Tarasenko certainly has the talent to become a top-line forward.
That being said, Schwartz becomes the best option at left wing on the 2nd line with Roy and Stewart. Schwartz displayed his offensive abilities at the end of last season and proved he could play against the opposing team’s best players. His ability to drive the net while protecting the puck may be second to none on this Blues team. That skill will be vital to the 2nd line’s success because it will create more scoring chances around the net for Stewart. Considering most of Stewart’s goals last season were scored in that area, Schwartz’s ability to get the puck to the net is very important.
This leaves Oshie to play right wing on the 3rd line with Paajarvi and Berglund. While Oshie’s offensive skills are deserving of a top 6 spot, he may be best suited playing on the 3rd line. Hitchcock mentioned he liked how the two Swedes controlled the puck at the World Championships and Oshie was top 5 amongst Blues forwards (minimum of 400 minutes) in possession last season. If this line sticks, they may get the nickname “the possession line” (you heard it here first).
In regards to the 4th line, the Blues didn’t sign Lapierre to a $1.1 million dollar contract for 2 years to play in the AHL. Since Hitchcock loves what Sobotka brings to the team, these two seem like a lock to start out on the 4th line. That leaves one open spot for guys like Adam Cracknell and Ryan Reaves. While Cracknell deserves the first crack at that spot (purely based on his play in the playoffs), don’t be surprised to see him and Reaves switching in and out of the lineup depending on the Blues opponent.
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I am Labour through and through. Yet over the last couple of days, thousands of people have told me that I should leave the party. What did I do to attract such attention? What was it I did that made people so angry?
I wrote something . Not an article, so much as a raggedly little statement of feeling that just happened to be shared by thousands. A statement of disappointment and of anger that Jeremy Corbyn has appointed as his key adviser a one-time Stalinist called Seumas Milne . And I stand by it. I hold no brief for Milne. It kills me that Labour does. I think Milne is an apologist for terror , and will always be an apologist for terror. I think that he never met a truth he didn’t dismiss as an orthodoxy and that nowhere in his far-Left polemic are actual people represented.
I am not the only one. For a month, many at the heart of Labour – both those attached to Jeremy Corbyn and those who are not – argued against Milne. But Milne was Corbyn’s choice, and he was installed. And it felt like a slap to the face.
Its hard to see how this appointment can be seen as valid unless he renounces his documented sympathy for terrorism https://t.co/sm0i8Od2na
Why? Because I have spent five years asking Labour to consider the emerging migrant crisis on our borders. I have been working with Labour MPs on a plan for help for Syrian civilians.
"He is wrong on Libya, and he will be wrong on Syria. If Labour policy is built around Seumas Milne’s prejudice, that too will be wrong."
At the moment, however, Syria is the military playground of Vladimir Putin’s Russia; Seumas Milne’s Russia – the Russia that is backing and funding Assad; the Russia backing the regime responsible for the deaths of six of every seven people in Syria, and for most of the country’s refugees. The Russia that, across Syria, is clearing a path for the jihadists of the Islamic State. The Russia of the propaganda outfit RT News, which in England sends “journalists” to bang on the doors of people like me.
Photo: Narciso Contreas/AP
This will not always be Russia’s war. Right now we are telling people they must leave, and letting them drown as they struggle to make it to Europe. One day we will have to change, and to focus on making Syria safe for them to stay. With Seumas Milne at the heart of Labour, can we do that? Can Labour be critical of, and uncompromising with, Assad? Can we change our policy now?
No, we can’t. When a vote comes, Labour will vote to paralyse the Government. We will admit no room between aid and air strikes; we will make of Assad a hero, and from the barrel bombs and the chemical weapons, we will look away. And the snows will come down.
I was in Libya as Colonel Gaddafi very deliberately fostered a refugee crisis in which thousands of people died on ghost transports, on buses and on trucks that couldn’t take the strain of their carriage. Gaddafi was opening up passes to Africa’s south in a great scheme to blackmail the EU. I was there as the migrants died of thirst. But really they died of a vindictive, bloody blackmailing policy. They died because of Gaddafi.
Photo: EPA
Seumas Milne says the Nato intervention in Libya is “a catastrophic failure”. He thinks that Gaddafi would never have enacted a brutal repression against the protesters of the Arab Spring. He thinks that “if there were global justice, Nato would be in the dock over Libya.” I was there, and Milne was not, and Milne is wrong.
He is wrong on Libya, and he will be wrong on Syria. If Labour policy is built around Seumas Milne’s prejudice, that too will be wrong. The snow and the barrel bombs will fall, and people will die. And in Britain those of us who fought will be silenced. Because this is life in the Labour Party now.
Kate Godfrey is a former candidate for the Labour Party, and fought a key seat in 2015
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A U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday that the National Security Agency’s massive collection of phone records of Americans is illegal, saying it exceeds the scope of what Congress authorized.
The laws used as a basis for the bulk data collection “have never been interpreted to authorize anything approaching the breadth of the sweeping surveillance at issue here,” said the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a 97-page opinion.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the NSA and FBI, following disclosures about the vast surveillance programs in documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The “metadata” collected from millions of phone calls includes the numbers called, times and other information but not the content of conversations. Still, civil liberties advocates argue the program is a massive intrusion on privacy with only minimal help in the anti-terrorism effort.
The court stopped short of ruling on the constitutional issues of the bulk collection of phone metadata, but said the government went far beyond what Congress intended in Section 215 of the Patriot Act, a law aimed at allowing authorities to thwart terrorism.
“There is no evidence that Congress intended for those statutes to authorize the bulk collection of every American’s toll billing or educational records and to aggregate them into a database,” the appellate panel said in the opinion.
“The interpretation that the government asks us to adopt defies any limiting principle. If the government is correct, it could use (Section) 215 to collect and store in bulk any other existing metadata available anywhere in the private sector, including metadata associated with financial records, medical records, and electronic communications (including email and social media information) relating to all Americans.”
The court declined to issue an injunction to halt the program, saying it would make little sense since the law is set to expire on June 1.
Lawmakers are currently debating whether to reform the law or extend it.
The court said that “in light of the asserted national security interests at stake, we deem it prudent to pause to allow an opportunity for debate in Congress that may (or may not) profoundly alter the legal landscape.”
Last Update: Thursday, 7 May 2015 KSA 17:15 - GMT 14:15
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LOS ANGELES -- Nick Young shuffles his feet outside Mann Festival Theater, his polka-dot Vans nudging imaginary pebbles, his mind racing. "I'm nervous as hell," Young whispers. "This whole thing is very Hollywood."
Though he's smiling -- he's always smiling -- the soft-spoken swingman from USC tends to blink in the unforgiving glare of spotlights. That's something he'll have to work on. Only days before he departs for the NBA draft in New York -- where he'll become the first USC player since 1997 chosen in the first round -- Young has come to Westwood for the Los Angeles Film Festival premiere of "Second Chance Season," a documentary detailing his senior year at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda.
The NBA draft alone is enough to jangle one's nerves. Add to that the prospect of entering your first training camp having been the subject of a feature film, and no wonder Young, 22, is bracing for a storm.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Nick Young's draft stock has risen since he left USC.
"I'm ready for the clowning," he says. "But I hope my future teammates see it first and learn about me before they haze me."
Still, it's a safe bet Young can handle the hazing, for the same reason he's unfazed by hosting a Trojans party in the heart of Bruins country: Nick Young is not alone. His parents Mae and Charles Sr. are keeping a watchful eye from a cafe patio next door. Young's brothers Terrell and John, along with friends and faculty from both Grover Cleveland High and USC, have his back, too.
So ill-tempered Bruins fans and celebrity sycophants beware, because the village that raised this child has come to support the child that lifted them. And now, they're heading into the darkened theater to see this story, their story, come to light.
"Second Chance Season," from Emmy award-winning sports producer and first-time theatrical director Daniel Forer, is more than an exciting sports tale. It's a compelling drama that explores the residual effects of an unfathomable tragedy on a tight-knit family.
In 1991, Nick Young's eldest brother Charles Jr. was shot and killed by a member of the Bloods, L.A.'s notorious street gang. He'd been mistaken for a member of a rival gang while exiting his community college classroom. He died almost instantly.
Charles Young Jr. left behind a fiancée, an unborn child, and a family that has yet to recover. Young's older brother John suffered a breakdown following the senseless murder, and was later committed to a mental institution. As Charles Sr. notes in the film, "One bullet killed two sons."
Nick was only 5 years old at the time of the shooting, but he soon became aware that, as the youngest of the Young boys, he represented the family's last hope for a better future. Even as he clung to this common belief -- that the fulfillment of a hoop dream is suffering's panacea -- he buckled beneath its weight, flunking out of two high schools, Hamilton and Dorsey, where he could no longer stand to attend classes with members of the gang responsible for his brother's murder.
"Some athletes play for themselves, some play for their school, but Nick was playing to heal his family," Forer told me. "When he plays well, they focus on the future. When he doesn't, there's a backslide. It's a heavy responsibility for a kid."
Young would eventually take the bus across Los Angeles to Grover Cleveland High, where his 27.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game as a senior would draw the attention of several Division I suitors. But to meet the NCAA's academic requirements, Young, a special education student, had to elevate his GPA and SAT score. He'd have only three chances to bring the latter up to 820, and he came up short on the first two.
"I feel if I mess up, the whole world will be mad at me," Young says in film. "I'm supposed to be the future, the savior."
In basketball coach Andre Chevalier, principal Al Weiner and numerous teachers and counselors, Young found the support system he needed to succeed in the classroom. And when that wasn't enough, he received an assist from an unlikely source: Jordan Farmar, the star point guard for hated crosstown rival Taft High School (now with the Lakers). Throughout the season documented in the film, Farmar offered Young words of encouragement and, in one particularly touching scene, an SAT study guide.
It took five years of high school, and three brutal rounds of SATs, but in the end, Young landed a scholarship to USC ("It's medicine for my soul," Young's mother Mae says in the film) and continued to deliver his family a safe haven from their storm.
This past season, the athletic 6-foot-7 junior sharpshooter posted 17.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Trojans. And following his eyebrow-raising performances at a series of private workouts, Young -- already a surefire first-round pick, has received indications he could be selected as high as seventh by Minnesota or eighth by Charlotte on Thursday.
Maury Phillips/WireImage.com Nick Young with his dad at the premiere of "Second Chance Season."
Young's rising stock led to an unexpected invite to New York, but the latest developments have become a bit of a headache for Forer. He'll follow the Young family to the draft and unveil a new cut of the film, complete with draft footage, at the festival on July 1.
"Every time I think I know where Nick's story is going, it takes a turn," says Forer, who is currently courting offers from five distributors. "It wreaks havoc on my life, but seeing the joy on Nick's face makes it worth it."
When the film ends, the house lights shine and a standing ovation follows, Young gamely, if not enthusiastically, takes to a podium to field questions.
There are hoots and hollers, and even instructions from Chevalier on how to properly hold a microphone ("Always coaching," he allows), but the familiar faces seem to spur Young's confidence. When asked if he plans to finish his education, he takes a comedic beat before wryly admitting he will. And when a hopeful rugrat takes his temperature on potentially going 19th to the Lakers, Young even pokes at a local star: "Hopefully, Kobe will leave and I'll take his place."
Then, at last, the Youngs head into the night -- buoyed by hugs and handshakes but weighted down by the emotions of the past few hours, ever mindful of their journey. After all, there's still the matter of the documentary's most gripping and as yet unresolved plot strand: Through an innovative rehabilitation program, the Young family has been presented with the opportunity to meet Charles Jr.'s paroled killer, who was only 15 at the time of the murder and is now on his way to earning a graduate business degree.
"I'd still like to meet him someday," Nick admits. "It seems like he's on the right track. You can't live with hatred in your heart. Sometimes you need to forgive."
For now, they'll celebrate. Not too hard -- Charles Sr. has work tomorrow -- but an intimate soiree at a nearby restaurant will feature Young's expanded family, including Simone Young, Charles Jr.'s daughter; Jennifer Walker, who would have been Charles Jr.'s wife; and even John Young, who is now spending weekends with his family, proving that while some losses should never be forgotten, they can be overcome.
"It's a great feeling to have so many people supporting me," says Young, who plans to move his family from Culver City to a safer neighborhood in Porter Ranch. "We all feel like family, so by me making it, I'm making it for everybody.
"It's like I'm living a dream."
Better leave some in the tank. The dream continues Thursday.
Sam Alipour is based in Los Angeles. His Media Blitz column appears in ESPN The Magazine and regularly on Page 2. You can reach him at sam.alipour@gmail.com.
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How can you ask for or give consent when you don't have a clear grasp of what it really means?
That's the question two Toronto 13-year-olds are posing ahead of the release of a new Ontario sexual-education curriculum this September. Grade 8 students Lia Valente and Tessa Hill have garnered more than 40,000 signatures on an online petition asking that the issue of consent – from respect for people's boundaries to a straightforward "yes means yes" approach when it comes to sex – be addressed in health classes in Grades 1 through 12.
And they want a say in what they are taught.
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In 2010, students' opinions on sex ed were included in a proposed new curriculum, but those controversial lessons never made it to the classroom. Hill and Valente are hoping things go differently this time.
"We hear stories from our friends about cat-calling and slut shaming in the hallways and in the classroom," the girls wrote in their online petition. "We also notice the lack of awareness about safe sex and consent. … Our society is scared to teach teens and young people about safe sex, and most important, consent."
Ontario's current sex-ed curriculum is from 1998, predating smartphones, Snapchat and all the modern ways teens get information and talk to each other. It doesn't make mention of online porn, sexting or cyberbullying. Consent is also absent from the teachings, but when Premier Kathleen Wynne met with Tessa and Lia last week, she told them it would be in the curriculum this fall. "We were on the exact same page about talking about consent," Hill said of their conversation.
Dissenters quickly seized on the meeting, questioning why teachers should address the issue of consent before students reach the age of consent (which is 16 in Canada). "Ontario's teachers will be forced to teach little children how to give permission for that child to engage in sex," read a press release from evangelical Christian leader Charles McVety, who helped quash the last round of proposed revisions in 2010.
Tessa and Lia have been following the pushback, and give it an eye roll. Consent is about basic human respect, they say, a concept that can definitely be taught in Grade 1. The Globe met with Tessa Hill and Lia Valente to speak about what they actually want from their sex ed.
What is consent culture to you?
Hill: It's a culture of asking for permission. Sometimes we talk about affirmative consent in sexual relationships but other times we're just talking about respecting people.
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Kathleen Wynne used the words "interpersonal ability and intelligence." What does that mean?
Valente: It's learning how to read people, which is important. People think it's common sense but you can't necessarily tell if someone is completely comfortable. They should talk about it in schools: facial expressions and what they mean connected to emotions. And body language: What it means when someone's shoulders are stiff when you're hugging them. It's about developing good relationships.
When it comes to the lower grades in elementary school, what do you see lessons about consent looking like?
Hill: We were talking about listening and paying attention to people's body language in the junior grades, about respecting the boundaries of your friends. "Can I hug you?" – that sort of thing.
You've also spoken about understanding what an "enthusiastic, affirmative yes" is. That sounds like sexual consent.
Hill: That's more Grade 7, Grade 8 and then high school: affirmative consent in relation to sexual relationships.
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What have people missed in your message?
Hill: At her press conference, when Kathleen Wynne said that consent was going to be in the curriculum starting in Grade 1, a lot of people took that as, "We're teaching our Grade 1 kids about sex." No, it's not that.
There are religious groups who are opposed to the sex curriculum in general. They're using her statement that it will start in Grade 1 as a reason that it shouldn't happen. I think it's taken out of context. It's not about talking about consent in Grade 1. It's about these other things about consent related to general life and asking for permission.
Valente: You're not talking about what consent is, in a sexual way, until Grade 7 and 8.
Critics have asked why kids need to learn about consent before it's legal for them to consent. What do you think?
Valente: Teenagers will be introduced to sex in their lives at 14 or 15. The idea is to catch them before that, to make sure they're prepared when they go into high school. It's better to learn early on. Even kissing someone, you still need their consent. I don't think it's an issue of the law.
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Hill: That's overlooked a lot – kissing someone. The spectrum of consent is very large and the spectrum of sex is very large and I think it's important to talk about consent in all of those situations.
The criticism has long been that teaching kids about sex encourages actual sex. What do students want from sex ed?
Hill: We want to learn about sex. One of the reasons that kids are exposed to porn so young is because they want to know about sex. The curriculum needs to be something that's not porn, where it's teaching kids real information. Teaching kids about sex doesn't make them want to have sex. And not teaching kids about sex doesn't make them not want to have sex.
Valente: Teaching abstinence and then blaming kids when they're curious about sex – I don't get it. The education system should accept that kids are going to be curious and have questions. School should be a place where they can have those questions answered.
Why do you think it's important for students to have a say in what they learn?
Hill: They are the ones affected by the changes. In the context of discussion in the curriculum around sexual violence, it is so important for youth to have a say because youth are most vulnerable to these issues.
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What are you learning in sex ed in Grade 8?
Hill: We haven't gotten to our health unit; it comes at the end of the year. When I was in Grade 6 and 7, there wasn't really any talk about sex. We had to look up different [sexually transmitted infections] and present about it. It's kind of just fear.
Parents often have trouble giving their kids "the talk." Is a sex-ed curriculum that's 17 years out of date basically adults dropping the ball again?
Valente: That's what ultimately needs to change. If people aren't ready to talk about sex then they're not ready to have good, healthy sex.
You've said, Tessa, that "Not learning about consent means not knowing what consent is when you do decide to have sex."
Hill: The image that we have of how sex is, it's from TV and it's not always like that. When you see that your partner is uncomfortable you stop and talk about it. Consent can be withdrawn. Even people who are in relationships, just because you're in one doesn't mean you're entitled to sex.
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In your petition you write about wanting to feel "safer." What are your concerns going into high school next year and university after that?
Valente: Rape culture is an issue that affects us – talking about all the rape cases around the world, including Toronto. We're going to go into that so we want it to change for us.
Hill: I really don't want to go into high school and have a bad experience. There are so many complicated things about not teaching sex. Then what kids learn about sex is from porn and the media. Then it goes into disrespecting and objectifying women. If that's all you're getting it's definitely scary. But that's why we're doing what we're doing.
Several studies have suggested that kids now view online pornography for the first time at age 10 and 11. And the average age of first intercourse hovers at about 17 in Canada. That's a potential of seven years of exposure to porn before you have a real-life partner. Is that something you think about?
Valente: It's so weird. People say "boys will be boys." But boys are not born this way; they're taught to be like that, that girls' bodies are their property. If that's what they're learning early on, maybe we could change that with the curriculum. If they're learning consent early on, then it could be "boys will be boys that ask for consent."
Remind me, what's it like to be in Grade 8?
Hill: Grade 8 is definitely a crazy year. You're going to high school next year. Everyone's going through puberty and discovering their sexuality. It's an important time in people's lives. It's when your brain is changing again. It's in between when you're a child and when you're supposed to be seen as an adult.
Going into high school, there are so many boys who treat girls a certain way. I was talking to this guy and I corrected him on something that he said that objectified women. I said, "Dude, that's not okay. How big their boobs or butts are, it's not yours, it's their body. Respect them." He said to me, "You're going to go into high school and there's going to be all these guys who only care about how big your butt is – they're not going to talk to you if you're ugly. You're not going to survive high school if you think like this."
That made me so angry. Talking about girls a certain way, it's not set that this is how high school has to be – that this is how men are supposed to treat women. That's the thing that really worries me about what I've seen with boys I know and girls I know.
What do you wish boys would understand?
Valente: Boys need to understand that women aren't sex objects or lesser people. And just because they're not interested in you, doesn't mean they're a bad person. Girls aren't this whole other world. Boys and girls actually aren't that different and they should be treated like they aren't that different. Otherwise nothing is going to change.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Timeline
January, 2010: The Ontario Ministry of Education releases a revised health and physical-education curriculum for publicly funded schools. Developed over three years of consultations with thousands of experts, parents and students, the curriculum includes topics such as sexual and mental health, substance abuse and physical activity.
April, 2010: Dissenters led by Christian evangelist Charles McVety raise concerns about the sexual-health section, arguing that some of the content is too explicit for younger students (particularly a mention of anal intercourse in the context of sexually transmitted diseases in Grade 7, and a reference to same-sex families in Grade 3).
Then-premier Dalton McGuinty shelves the new elementary-school sex-ed section and postpones the release of a revised high school curriculum. Elementary teachers revert to a 1998 curriculum, while high-school teachers use lessons from 1999.
January, 2013: New Ontario Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne pledges to update the curriculum through additional consultations with parents.
October, 2014: The Ministry of Education announces it will survey one parent per public elementary school on a new curriculum for the 2015 school year. Four thousand parents are surveyed online about the appropriate ages to introduce sensitive topics.
November, 2014: Minister of Education Liz Sandals says early data show parents want their children learning up-to-date information in a sex-ed curriculum.
December, 2014: Toronto Grade 8 students Lia Valente and Tessa Hill launch their online petition "We Give Consent" on Change.org, where they advocate for the inclusion of consent sex ed.
January, 2015: Wynne announces that the issue of informed consent will be included in the new curriculum in September, 2015.
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FDA: Avoid Products Made With Peanut Butter
Web Resources FDA's salmonella page
The Food and Drug Administration has extended its warning about possible salmonella contamination of peanut butter.
Products containing peanut butter are now suspect. That's in addition to peanut butter bought in bulk by large institutions such as hospitals and schools.
The warning covers products such as cookies, crackers, ice cream, cereal and candy that contain peanut butter. On Friday, Keebler and Austin voluntarily recalled various types of peanut butter crackers.
The FDA says peanut butter sold in retail stores is not a problem.
But it suggests that people who have products made with peanut butter on their shelves hold off on eating them until more is known.
Salmonella is a common cause of food poisoning. Infection results in diarrhea, fever and cramping. Most people recover fully, though the infection can be serious in older people, young children and people with compromised immune systems.
There are about 1.4 million cases a year in the United States. Occasionally, public health agencies notice a trend and are able to trace the infection to a particular product. Last year, an outbreak was traced to serrano and jalapeno peppers, after being mistakenly blamed on tomatoes.
Since September 2008, 474 cases of salmonella have been reported from 43 states, and as part of that investigation, salmonella was identified in a vat of peanut butter in a Minnesota long term care facility where at least one person took ill. The FDA is investigating the other cases to see if peanut butter was a factor. So far, they've reported that the bacteria at fault are very similar to the bacteria found in the infected peanut butter in Minnesota.
That peanut butter was made by King Nut, part of Peanut Corporation of America. The company has now recalled all of its peanut butter from the institutions and food service industries that bought it.
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Today, we like the chic and quirky and who in the radio amateur world has not heard of the Tuna Tin 2 transmitter. Designed in the 1970s, the late Doug DeMaw, W1CER/W1FB, ARRL Technical Editor, was one of several Headquarters staff who published homebrew projects, many with a QRP twist. One of the most popular projects was a simple, two-transistor 40-meter transmitter that used a tuna can as the chassis.
A series of events, some quite amazing, have come together to keep the magic alive—the original Tuna Tin 2, built in the ARRL Lab, is still on the air and articles, Web pages and kits are available for this famous rig. Some have dubbed the Tuna Tin 2 revival as “Tuna Tin 2 mania”—an apt term to describe the fun that people are still having with
this simple little weekend project.
So I hear you ask, is this the first time tuna and radio have been linked, well, actually, no, for that you have to go back 50 years prior to 1924 when this little baby was all the rage:-
What could be better than listening to your Tunafone whilst tucking into a tuna mayo sandwich - tinned, of course, pole & line caught from whole steaks preserved in olive oil or if you are minted then try the Ortiz Bonito del Norte Ventresca fillets.
Many health freaks and Slimmers World ( Fat-fighters) fans will chuff in indignant horror about using oil but drained properly such that any remaining oil adds a subtle unctuousness and tastiness to the sandwich filling and you will not go far wrong. After all, what is the alternative?... dubious grey chunks preserved in brine or spring water (whatever that is?) , beaughhhh bulp as my cat would say as a prelude to a weapons grade chunder up!!!!
Do look out for my future blog on Fat-fighters dogma versus actual facts on the human body's lipid needs.
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Monday was “a big day in the world of media,” said John Hinderaker in Power Line. The Tribune Co., which owns the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun, and other papers, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and The New York Times said it needs to borrow $225 million against its New York headquarters. Newspapers are in trouble because they haven’t figured out how to make up for losing their “cash cow,” classified ads, to the Internet.
And Tribune Co. is merely the “first domino” to fall, said Denny Wilkins in Scholars & Rogues. If your local paper is “a big metropolitan daily, it’s for sale—you just haven’t been told that yet.” After all, who wants to invest in a business that’s “losing gobs of money, has fired or bought out its best artisans,” and whose only solution has been “cutting more costs?”
The newspaper industry may be ailing, said Stephane Fitch in Forbes online, but “Tribune Co. would be trundling along profitably” if it weren’t for owner Sam Zell. Even the Tribune newspapers are still profitable. The company is in trouble only because Zell saddled it with a huge amount of debt in his highly leveraged buyout a year ago.
Bankruptcy was Zell’s “Plan D,” said Ken Doctor in paidContent.org, after he bought at the wrong time, failed to sell assets, and couldn’t renegotiate with Tribune’s lenders. Still, the move shows that “no news brand is sacred,” that we have “no idea what the 2015 news landscape will look like,” and that in the meantime, all newspapers are just “buying time.”
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By James Baxter, NMA President
The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution has been strangled with convoluted legal rationalizations, riddled with bullets in the form of Supreme Court decisions and drawn and quartered by “creative” law enforcement interpretations.
This old and oft referred to amendment, an attempt to protect the privacy and property rights of individuals, is dead. Driving any more nails into its rotted casket is a redundant waste of time, but the US Supreme Court persists.
For motorists, or anyone on a public road or sidewalk, the illusion of personal privacy is but a dim memory. Random searches, based on the flimsiest excuses, roadblocks, “frisking” and “patting down” passengers or pedestrians, because they “might have a weapon” and roadside interrogations are now all quite legal, or are carried out as if they are because no one dare argue to the contrary.
The US Supreme Court is currently hearing a case dealing with a Virginia man who was “arrested” for driving with a suspended license, even though the state of Virginia does not authorize arrests for minor traffic crimes, which is what driving on a suspended license is considered.
The court long ago held that once a person is arrested they are subject to being searched. If their car is within finding distance, it too can be searched. This Court ruled in 2001 that a person could be arrested for violating virtually any traffic law, including the failure to wear a seat belt. And, once arrested you have no fourth amendment protections.
For all practical purposes, this gives the police the power to stop, arrest, and search anyone they feel like “checking out” or harassing. Arabs might be the flavor of the day on Monday, Tuesday it’s blacks in luxury cars and on Wednesday it’s young men driving sport compacts.
The options/excuses for a stop are endless; burned out bulbs, unused seat belts, (real or imagined) failure to properly signal, touching the center line, hitting the shoulder, two MPH over the speed limit, driving too slow, rolling a stop sign, rolling a right on red, failure to yield to a pedestrian, or talking on a cell phone (inattentive driving).
If the police want to stop you, they can. If they want to arrest you, they can. If they want to search you and your vehicle and your passengers, they can.
That’s how the land’s highest court has ruled.
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On July 14, the San Diego Padres traded starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox. Pomeranz, 27, is currently in the midst of his first full season in a Major League rotation since 2012, when he had a 4.93 ERA and 4.81 fielding-independent ERA. It was with the Colorado Rockies, but even adjusting for park factors, he was not very good. Pomeranz was a decent pitcher in the last two seasons, but while alternating between the rotation and the bullpen.
And for Pomeranz, already over 100 innings pitched for the first time in his big-league career and seemingly pitching over his head (while there is some reason to believe he has turned a corner of sorts, Pomeranz's 2.47 ERA is in spite of a 3.62 xFIP and 3.72 SIERA), while already into the arbitration stage of his MLB service clock, the Red Sox traded Anderson Espinoza, a minor league pitcher whom Baseball America ranked the #19 prospect in all of baseball before the season.
All of baseball knew the Padres were motivated sellers and knew that Drew Pomeranz was an attractive target for teams hoping to bolster their rotations for the 2016 stretch run. But in the end, the Padres were still able to acquire a tremendous prospect because there was only one Drew Pomeranz and there were many teams courting him.
Aroldis Chapman is in many ways a different prospective trade target than Drew Pomeranz. Chapman is a much safer bet to be productive (in the bullpen rather than the rotation, but productive nonetheless), and his performance on the radar gun is resembling a video game hack more and more by the day. And while Pomeranz still has two more years of salary arbitration remaining, Chapman will be a free agent after this season.
But in both cases, the selling team has all of the leverage. It is even more the case with Chapman, because while Pomeranz may have been unique among realistic trade targets as a fairly young, cost-controlled starter, Chapman is unique among pitchers in baseball, on the market or not. For those unfamiliar with MLB.com's Statcast, which tracks the highest pitch velocities in baseball (among other things), it includes an Aroldis Chapman filter, because the top of the velocity leaderboard is so bogged down with his heat.
Without question, Aroldis Chapman would improve the bullpen of the St. Louis Cardinals. Even looking beyond just his incomprehensible fastball speed, he has been the third most valuable relief pitcher in baseball this decade by Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement, trailing only Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen while trailing each by over 30 innings. He isn't just a sideshow; he's an extraordinarily effective relief pitcher.
The Yankees have the option to continue their own run at the 2016 playoffs with Chapman (their odds of winning a Wild Card berth are firmly in the single digits, and their odds of winning the AL East are even slimmer, but given the Yankees' history of refusing to sell at the trade deadline, this may be enough to inspire them to hold, if not buy). And at the end of the season, the Yankees can give Aroldis Chapman the qualifying offer. The qualifying offer is a rare move for relievers, though the Yankees were willing to give one to David Robertson, who is not as good of a pitcher as Aroldis Chapman.
Regardless, barring catastrophic injury, the floor of the return that the Yankees would get for Aroldis Chapman (assuming he does not wind up with the Yankees again next year, at least) would be a first round pick received from a team signing Chapman in the off-season. The Yankees are not going to give away a player, even if they concluded he had very little use to them for the remainder of 2016, if he can provide what will certainly amount to a worthwhile prospect once he is drafted in June 2017.
Chapman would be a lower cost option than another Yankees reliever, Andrew Miller. Viva El Birdos sister site Pinstripe Alley has admitted as much in evaluating potential trades between the Yankees and Cardinals. But he is cheaper for a reason, which is that he would provide much less value over the course of his much shorter tenure with the Cardinals. You get what you pay for, but because many other teams would happily pay for Chapman (again, he is a great pitcher), the cost increases.
John Mozeliak has been willing to trade high-ish ranked prospects at the deadline for lesser veterans in the past, but in return for trading Zack Cox or Rob Kaminsky (at the time among the best prospects in the organization), the Cardinals received Edward Mujica and Brandon Moss. Rather than dealing for pure rentals, the Cardinals hedged their bets by trading for players intended to improve the team both in the short term and in the next season.
Of course, with Chapman, it is impossible to ignore his involvement in a very disturbing domestic violence incident within the last year. Sports fans in general tend to have flexible morality of these things (having rooted for an NFL team that employed Leonard Little for over a decade after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, I won't claim to be exempt from this). I don't think rooting for teams that employ bad people makes you a bad person (although I can certainly do without stories of on-field success being treated as examples of actual human redemption); it's simply the logical conclusion of the completely illogical sports fan tendency to root for the abstract concept of a "team" rather than for or against the actual human beings which comprise it.
Adding the element of personal discomfort shouldn't be a non-factor for Cardinals management; acquiring Chapman wouldn't cause attendance to crater or anything like that, but it would certainly give many fans the kind of discomfort that can have a cumulative effect on one's degree of passion for the team.
But even if Aroldis Chapman had an immaculate personal record, the Cardinals still shouldn't trade for him. He is still a two month rental (and keep in mind that a mid-season trade would make him ineligible for a qualifying offer anyway) for a playoff run which is hardly assured to be successful even with the acquisition of a top-line reliever. That Chapman's presence would additionally be problematic for non-baseball reasons just drives home that this is a move that definitely should not happen.
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Tiburcio Vasquez was hanged for murder, but Alisal school board members in Monterey County, California thought he was worthy of having an elementary school named after him.
Vasquez was born in Monterey in 1835, and lived until the age of 39. He attended school in Monterey and learned how to read and write in English and Spanish.
Vasquez spent his life as an outlawed bandit who brawled, robbed, and horse-rustled his way from Monterey to Salinas and beyond in Northern California. He was publicly hanged in San Jose after he was convicted of murder.
Vasquez was not seen as a bad guy by all, however. He was considered a hero by some in the Hispanic community and was a self-proclaimed defender of Mexican rights.
Stelvio Locci, a Chicano Studies professor at Salinas’ Hartnell College, described the bandit as a Californian Robin Hood, according to the Salinas Californian newspaper.
Salinas’ new 850-student school is slated to open in August 2013 in an area plagued by youth gang violence and crime.
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The first meeting of recently announced political outfit “Smart Party” was held on Saturday in here and a little over 100 people assembled to support the move. This was also the first time that the party was formally announced from a stage and its leaders declared that the outfit would fight the Assembly elections on the issue of lifting prohibition on liquor.
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They argued the liquor ban was affecting Gujarat’s potential in terms of generating revenues in tourism and other sectors. Former IPS officer-turned lawyer Rahul Sharma, the most prominent face of the party, said: “There are restrictions over what we eat, what we wear and what we talk. There is no freedom of expression and there is not even opposition to these restrictions. That’s why we thought to launch this political party, so that the intelligentsia can come together and pose some competition.”
On the occasion, three young leaders were introduced — Abhishek Kumar, his brother Rahul Parmar and Vatsal Shah, who will be leading the party.
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Just a short post tonight.
Earlier today, I read two articles about transgender issues. Both argued in opposition to trans* identity. One, a Patheos article written by a Catholic mom, was touching and–though I disagreed with it–gentle. The other, which was published on The Federalist, is just another knee-jerk, toe-the-line reaction. Basically, the writer argues that transgender issues are really just another arm of some leftist hegemony that is trying to force people to think differently. Oh, and put a nail in the coffin of traditional marriage (or…something like that. I still don’t get how anyone could have come to such a ridiculous conclusion, but whatever). There were so many things wrong with the article, that it really upset me just trying to wrap my head around all of them. Trans* people are trying to kill what it means to be human. Transgender issues are just a fad. Transgender people want to invade your home and set it on fire (okay, I made that last one up, but good grief, it’s like the good minds at The Federalist are trying their utmost to turn us into some uber-scary monsters under the bed).
And then there are the air quotes. One after another, sentence after sentence. The author just has to drive home how ludicrous it is for a “man” to “believe” “he” is a “woman” who was “born” with the “wrong” “body”.
But all of that is just poor rhetoric. What really bugged me was the stuff about power struggles. The author’s basic thesis: trans* people are taking control of language, culture, and politics in order to force other people to acknowledge their expressed genders. She creates an illusion that we have an iron fist fixed straight at the throats of anyone who dare oppose us. Really? Let’s think about that for a minute. Trans* people have power? One of the smallest, most downtrodden minorities in the entire world has unspeakable power? A group of people who suffer from astronomical suicide rates, hate crimes, drug abuse, loneliness, lack of healthcare, and joblessness/poverty are controlling your lives? How very sad, poor, white, libertarian journalist.
This is what kills me. How people argue that I–who have lost my wife, most of my family, and many of my friends–could be in control. How is it that I–the girl who gets stared down wherever I go, who is gossiped about among my old classmates and teachers, who lives in a small, Bible-Belt community where some would sooner hang me than call me “she”–have power?
There is one thing I have control over. One thing. Myself. And since I have some small bit of control over myself, I at least want the freedom to work out who I am without being afraid. I do believe that is a key aspect of democracy…or so I’ve read. I also want the freedom to be recognized as human, something The Federalist seems to misunderstand. Rather than throwing away the meaning of the word, I want to revitalize it. I want us to remember that it is more than biology and reproduction. Yes, those things are part of it. But what about consciousness, spirit, soul? What about being itself? Don’t they play into our most vital and lasting definitions of the human?
So, yeah, as a human who wants to be treated humanely, I do ask that people gender me appropriately. Why? Because it shows respect. It shows care. And shouldn’t that be enough on its own?
As an example, let me make a comparison. I live in a part of the world where the term “Mexican” has become derogatory. When people use the word, they spit it out. It’s rarely complimentary. As a result, many of the Mexican Americans in this area have stopped referring to themselves in relation to their heritage. They call themselves Hispanic or Latino. Some, however, see a problem with this. They see what could be lost. They believe that it is a point of pride to be Mexican or of Mexican descent. And so, they were the term with honor. They ask others–people who have criticized “Mescans”their entire lives–to call them by what they are. Why? Because it is part of their being. They deserve to have their being accepted. It has formed them and continues to form them.
I understand that being transgender is not the same as being of a racial minority. But, the act of wearing one’s gender for the world to see is very similar. We want people to know how important gender is, and how much it has affected our being. And for that, I think we deserve some level of acceptance, just an ounce of respect. And that’s not because we want power. It’s because we want love. We ask you to love us. When you don’t, is it any surprise that we don’t always love you back? That we fight for power? We are the ones without it, after all. And really, when you think about it, the only time people starts complaining about other people taking power, well, that’s when you know they’re afraid of losing some of it.
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Chris Hedges is a writer and former war correspondent who has a vast amount of real-life experience covering social change and revolution in areas of strife and conflict around the world. The former NY Times contributor, and self-described “socialist” was interviewed during last weekend’s Occupy Wall Street demonstration at Times Square, and provided a fascinating and emotional commentary on the populist movement calling for wealth equality and an end to the seeming plutocracy alleged by protesters.
From the OccupyTV YouTube page:
Chris Hedges: “What happens is in all of these movements … the foot soldiers of the elite — the blue uniformed police, the mechanisms of control — finally don’t want to impede the movement and at that point the power elite is left defenseless … the only thing I can say having been in the middle of similar movements is that this one is real, and this one could take them all down … I can guarantee you that huge segments of those blue uniformed police sympathize with everything that you’re doing.” — Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges brings his 20 years of experience as a war correspondent, having covered movements and revolutions throughout the the world, to the discussion.
Regardless of one’s feelings on the Occupy Wall Street movement, the following clip is worth watching to the end as Hedges puts the protest in the context of his three year-old child and gets emotional.
(H/T Reddit)
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Like other recent reports of plots to attack targets in Germany, France and Britain, many of which emanated from Pakistan and North Africa, the Saudi alert warned of threats that were credible but not specific.
It was not clear if the Saudi warning suggested an imminent attack.
The new warning came at roughly the same time that a former Saudi detainee at Guantánamo Bay who went through Saudi Arabia’s militant rehabilitation program and then joined Al Qaeda in Yemen turned himself in, the government said.
The former detainee, Jabir Jubran al Fayfi, contacted Saudi authorities from Yemen to express his regret and readiness to surrender, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in statement on Friday, The Associated Press reported.
Yemeni authorities arranged for his return. Mr. Fayfi joined Al Qaeda in Yemen sometime after his December 2006 release from Guantánamo and his participation in the rehabilitation program and rose to become one of the group’s top dozen leaders, the official in Washington said.
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The official said it was unclear if the information provided to France came from Mr. Fayfi, communications intercepts and other intelligence sources, or some combination.
A United States counterterrorism official declined to comment specifically on the report, but said on Sunday that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remained a danger.
“They’ve made clear their intention to attack the United States and our allies,” the official said. “The terrorist threat to Europe unfortunately remains quite real.”
European officials did not discount the threat. “If this information is coming indeed from the Saudis, one can expect that it is serious and reliable,” said Raphael Perl, the head of antiterrorism for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
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A European intelligence official called the warning “serious stuff” and added that “it is easy to plan operations in France because it is easy for attackers to fit into the population.”
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as Yemen’s Qaeda cell is known, has caused growing alarm among American and Western intelligence services since the airliner bombing plot last December, for which Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took credit.
C.I.A. officials have privately said recently that the Yemeni cell posed an even more dangerous immediate threat to the United States than the Qaeda headquarters in Pakistan.
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The Lions ability to rush the passer in 2017 could be problematic, and the options to bolster it are limited, but for a creative general manager, there are choices available.
In my recent Lions Roster Stack Pre-Training Camp edition, I projected the Lions to keep five defensive ends: Ezekiel Ansah, Cornelius Washington, Kerry Hyder, Anthony Zettel and Armonty Bryant. But the recent four-game suspension of Bryant has put the fifth defensive end role in flux.
DL Armonty Bryant suspended 4 games (again) https://t.co/5qCggNiW2z — The Lions Wire (@thelionswire) July 18, 2017
In 2016, Bryant played only 104 snaps but was able to record three sacks. That level of production isn’t outstanding, but for a team who struggled to get sacks (26), Bryant’s skills were a welcomed addition.
The Lions will likely choose to wait until training camp to find a replacement for Bryant as they have some upside in-house options in: versatile DE/OLB Brandon Copeland, 2017 seventh round pick Pat O’Connor or undrafted free agents Alex Barnett and Jeremiah Valoaga. If they chose to look outside the organization, there are five ways I think they could bolster their pass rush.
Trade for an instant impact defensive lineman
Sheldon Richardson is in the final year of his rookie contract and the New York Jets have been actively shopping him this off-season. His trade value has slowly declined with the biggest obstacles being his fully guaranteed contract of $8,069,000, potential future contract and off-the-field issues.
As of today, the Lions don’t currently have the cap room to make this trade. Although, contracts can easily be restructured, and they would likely try to give him an extension (which would further alter his cap number) if they decided to make this trade.
Richardson is the mold of what the Lions look for in a defensive lineman, big and strong. While he won’t solve the Lions pass rushing threat alone (one and a half sacks over 761 snaps in 2016), he is an impact player who would allow others to step-up their games.
If Bob Quinn is concerned about the Lions front four and he feels comfortable with Richardson’s contract situation, offering as little as a fifth round pick to the Jets could land them the 26-year-old former rookie-of-the-year and pro-bowler.
Add a veteran free agent as a situational pass rusher
Dwight Freeney is 37 years old but he showed last year that he still has some gas left in the tank as a situational pass rusher. In 2016, he played 415 snaps over 15 games and recorded three sacks. Not quite as high of a snap-to-sack rate as Bryant but still effective enough as a defensive role player.
Mario Williams is another big name pass rushing free agent but his career has had a much faster fall-off than Freeney. In 2016, Williams played 449 snaps over 15 games and recorded one and a half sacks, but was a healthy scratch in week 17 and was released by the Dolphins in February. The big question is, at 32 years old, how much does he have left?
Add a versatile free agent defensive lineman
Jared Odrick is capable of playing closed defensive end and defensive tackle in the Lions scheme but an elbow injury limited his 2016 season. While he has never been a prolific pass rusher (six and a half sacks in last 22 games), his ability to stop the run and play different roles would allow the Lions to be more creative how they use other players.
Jason Jones wasn’t re-signed by the Lions in 2016, instead he went to Miami and a decent season, 516 snaps over 14 games, producing three and a half sacks 36 tackles. He was a surprise release before their playoff game. His familiarity with the Lions scheme could get him a look.
Wait for a veteran to be released
Desmond Bryant missed all of 2016 with a torn pectoral muscle but was a productive pass rusher in his three years prior as a Cleveland Brown, registering 14.5 sacks. With a $4,000,000 cap hit in 2017 and the Browns adding players to their defensive lineman in the off-season, Bryant is firmly on their roster bubble. With the size to play closed defensive end or defensive tackle for the Lions, Quinn will likely be keeping a close eye on the Browns during the pre-season.
Former Lion George Johnson is entering his third season with Tampa Bay but he has yet to register a sack for the Bucs. He came up empty in 2015 and missed 2016 with a hip injury, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Bucs continue to be patient with him in the final year of his contract. His one year in Detroit he registered six sacks and thrived in the Lions attacking scheme.
Find a player who hasn’t lived up to his potential
Cornellius “Tank” Carradine was one of my favorite players in the 2013 draft class and despite tearing his ACL, he was still selected by the 49ers with the 40th pick in the draft. San Francisco allowed him time to heal and tried him at different positions, finally settling on using him as a situational pass rushing linebacker.
Tank Carradine Sack #2 https://t.co/707ZSwtszw — Greg Valerio (@Timor_Domini) December 17, 2014
He was re-signed by the 49ers to a one-year deal this past off-season, but he has struggled to acclimate to the 34 outside linebacker position and appears to be on the roster bubble.
I believe Carradine is a more natural 43 defensive end and he would be successful in an attacking system like the Lions operate. Quinn could wait to see if Carradine is released at roster cuts or offer a Lions roster bubble player in a trade, but if he ends up in Honolulu Blue, he could see his career revived.
Marcus Smith of the Eagles and Dion Jordan of the Seahawks (formerly Dolphins) are former first round pass rushers who the Lions may keep an eye on at roster cuts but aren’t likely players Quinn would pursue in a trade.
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With the Grammy Awards imminent, here’s a quick look at who we think will win some of the major categories, who should win and who should have been here in the first place. Also, all the smart money is on Beyonce. For real.
Record of the Year
Will Win: “Formation,” by Beyonce
Should Win: “Formation,” by Beyonce
Should have been nominated: “Lazarus,” by David Bowie
Album of the Year
Will Win: “Lemonade,” by Beyonce
Should Win: “Lemonade,” by Beyonce
Should have been nominated: “Blackstar,” by David Bowie
Song of the Year
Will Win: “Formation,” by Beyonce
Should Win: “Hello,” by Adele
Should have been nominated: “Lazarus,” by David Bowie
Best Pop Performance
Will Win: “Hold Up,” by Beyonce
Should Win: “Hold Up,” by Beyonce
Should have been nominated: “Treat You Better,” by Shawn Mendes
Best Pop Vocal Album
Will Win: “25,” by Adele
Should Win: “25,” by Adele
Should have been nominated: “Illuminate,” by Shawn Mendes
Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Album
Will Win: “Blackstar,” by David Bowie
Should Win: “Blackstar,” by David Bowie
By all rights, this should be by Queen Bae’s year. “Lemonade” was a staggering musical and cultural feat that pushed her art to a whole new level. Really, her only serious competition in the major categories is Adele, but likely she’ll only snag a trophy or two. Still, the Thin White Duke should have been on the list on the quality of his swansong album alone. He’ll sweep the rock categories as a sort of posthumous consolation prize. Also, while it’s hard to say if that’s the right category, Shawn Mendes’ complete snub is kind of surprising.
Best New Artist
Will Win: The Chainsmokers
Should Win: Chance the Rapper
Should have been nominated: Jamilla Woods
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Will Win: “Closer,” by the Chainsmokers
Should Win: “Work,” by Rihanna, featuring Drake
Should have been nominated: "Are You Lost in the World Like Me," by Moby, featuring the Void Pacific Choir
Rihanna doesn’t seem to have as much heat as she deserves after an album like “ANTI,” and it’s hard to see it taking down the Chainsmokers’ juggernaut. That said, it would have been nice to see a nod here to something fun and substantive such as Moby’s infectious “Are You Lost in the World Like Me.” Both Chance and Woods put out fantastic, independently released download-only albums this year, but Woods still isn’t a big-enough name to make the cut. She should, though, because her “HEAVN” was a startlingly good debut.
A few other predictions:
•Best R&B Performance: “Cranes in the Sky,” by Solange
•Best Urban Contemporary Album: “Lemonade,” by Beyonce
•Best Rap Performance: “No Problem,” by Chance The Rapper ft. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
•Best Rap/Sung Performance: “Freedom,” by Beyonce ft. Kendrick Lamar
•Best Rap Song: “No Problem,” by Chance The Rapper ft. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
•Best Rap Album: “Coloring Book,” by Chance the Rapper
This appears to be a Grammy year with a few clear favorites, dominating their particular corners of the musical world, but there are still a few potential upsets, particularly for Best Rap Album, which should go to De La Soul for “And The Anonymous Nobody.” There are also a lot of albums conspicuous by their absence, particularly “You Want It Darker” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “We Got It from Here ... Thank You 4 Your Service,” as well as Frank Ocean’s “Blonde,” which wasn’t entered into the competition. Still, that aside, there are some definite high spots, and if you’re a Beyonce fan, you’ll probably have a good night.
Email Victor D. Infante at Victor.Infante@Telegram.com and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor.
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There was a trend toward a correlation between myopia and a better MMSE-blind score (r = −0.123, P = 0.09, Pearson correlation), but it did not persist after adjusting for sex, age, or education (β = −0.07, SE = 0.05, P = 0.2, multivariate linear regression model). Younger age and more years of education were correlated with a better MMSE-blind score. An MMSE-blind score >17 was negatively associated with age and positively associated with education (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.87–0.98 for an 1-year increase in age and OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.12–1.32 for an 1-year increase in education). Gender was not associated with the MMSE-blind score (P = 0.9).
DISCUSSION
The results of the present study demonstrated that good near VA was significantly correlated with a better MMSE-blind score, reflecting better global cognitive function. Wearing reading glasses was significantly correlated with good cognitive function; however, the linkage was attenuated after adjusting for education. Although there was an association between myopia and better cognitive function, it did not reach a level of significance after adjusting for sex, age, and education. A higher level of education and younger age were also correlated with better cognitive function, whereas gender was not. The correlation between education, age, and cognition was reported in several earlier studies18,19 and may provide validation to our study.
The relation between vision and cognition is not fully understood. Specific visual disorders have been shown to share common pathogenic pathways with Alzheimer disease.2 Amyloid beta deposition, which is a major extracellular deposit in Alzheimer disease plaques, was found in some AMD eyes, possibly indicative of a common pathophysiology.20 The Rotterdam Study showed that subjects with advanced AMD at baseline had an increased risk of incident Alzheimer disease, which may indicate a common pathogenesis for both diseases.21 A recent study of age-related eye diseases (AMD, Fuch corneal dystrophy and glaucoma) in patients older than 65, also found a correlation between vision loss and lower cognitive scores.22 One hypothesis (“sensory deprivation”) holds that low VA causes reduction in physical and mental activities which, in turn, is a risk factor for declined cognitive function and dementia.23 A second hypothesis (“common cause”) is that there is no direct link between VA and intellectual performance but that both are part of brain aging. This approach contends that there is a third factor common to vision and cognition, such as degeneration of central nervous function.24 A third theory (“resource allocation hypothesis”) states that individuals with sensory impairment allocate more attention resources to processing sensory information, thus leaving fewer resources for other cognitive tasks.25 The association between VA and cognitive function found in the present study is in agreement with a number of studies in this field.2–5 Data from the Blue Mountains Eye Study on an Australian population documented a weak but significant cross-sectional correlation between VA and cognitive function in the normal aging population.26 A recent report showed that subjects with good VA are at a lower risk for developing dementia over an 8.5-year period.2 One study on osteoporotic fractures found a 2-fold increase in odds of cognitive decline over average follow-up of 4.4 years associated with vision impairment in American women.4 A recent study by Fong et al27 highlighted the importance of studying eye-related problems in vulnerable groups. The Geriatric population was more likely to suffer corneal and scleral perforations due to falls and infections with geriatric nursing home patients displaying a worse prognosis. Thirty-eight percent from these institutionalized patients were found to have dementia.27 Reyes-Ortiz et al28 concluded that near, but not distance, visual impairment is associated with decreased cognitive function. An association between near vision impairment and cognitive dysfunction was also found in a study of patients with type 2 diabetes.29 Several studies, however, have questioned whether there is a causal association between VA and cognitive state.9,30
The study hypothesis was that myopic elderly will score higher results in the MMSE than the emmetropic and hyperopic elderly. This assumption was based on several previous findings. First, myopia had been found to be correlated with higher education, which could potentially reduce the risk for cognitive deterioration.31 Second, myopes see the world close-up. They reportedly have better ability to narrow their attention to a small space32 and perform spatial rotation.33 Myopia could therefore be a protective factor against dementia. The third possible mechanism involved in cognitive deterioration is the reduction in visual input to the brain resulting from the development of presbyopia. Many emmetropes postpone the use of reading glasses for near tasks, such as reading, thereby considerably restricting detailed visual input to the brain. Myopes, on the other hand, achieve detailed vision for close tasks by simply removing their eyeglasses. The decreased near visual input over a period of several years among emmetropes in their 40s could influence the cognitive decline occurring years later. Our results showed a correlation of borderline significance (r = −0.123, P = 0.09) between myopia and good cognitive function, but it disappeared after adjustment for age, sex, and years of education. At the time we were conducting this research, the Singapore Malay Eye Study group published their results, which are in opposition to ours. They found that myopes had a double risk for cognitive decline as opposed to emmetropes and hyperopes.12 Those authors postulated that pathogenic processes in dementia, including amyloid beta and acetylcholine deficiency, may affect refraction. They concluded that their findings are preliminary and need to be further tested.12 There are several differences between the present study and the Singapore Malay Eye Study. We examined people aged 75 to 101 years while the age range of their study population was 60 to 79 years. They used the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT), which is a 10-question test of general cognitive function,12 and we used the more commonly administered and extended MMSE. The AMT has been reported as being inferior to MMSE as a screening tool, with MMSE remaining as the best tool for primary care clinicians.34 Finally, the differences in study populations might have had a telling impact on the results.
Whether or not vision correction can improve cognitive function in the elderly is controversial issue. Tamura et al35 documented improvement in cognitive function in subjects following cataract surgery. Rogers and Langa2 found that persons diagnosed with dementia had received fewer ophthalmologic services before their diagnosis than those who aged with normal cognition. They postulated that treatment of eye pathologies may affect the probability of developing dementia, and that under-treatment of visual problems may contribute to cognitive decline.2 Elliott et al.,36 however, found that vision correction by means of cataract surgery or refractive correction (eyeglasses) did not improve short-term cognitive function. Nevertheless, it is possible that preventing visual impairment could help prevent the development of cognitive decline. It was recently suggested37,38 that under-corrected refractive error has a role in developing cognitive dysfunction. This possibility may have important implications because refractive error is easily corrected.37,38 We observed that subjects wearing reading glasses did better in cognitive function as measured by the MMSE-blind. It is possible that simple availability of corrective eyeglasses has the potential to decrease the risk for cognitive deterioration; however, more studies are needed to support this statement.
The strengths of our research include the use of standardized protocols for obtaining cognitive evaluations. They all were followed by 1 researcher (O.S.), which is particularly important in cognitive tests which are influenced by the way questions are asked and the time given for answers. Reliability increases when all the examinations are carried out by a single examiner. The MMSE we used to assess cognition is the one most commonly used for this purpose. The full version includes 30 questions and is a practical method for diagnosing and grading the level of dementia. The test examines linguistic, computational, memory, concentration, and orientation functions. In the MMSE-blind version, 8 items involving image processing are deleted which may remove confounding factors.14,15 Normal cognitive ability is defined as a test result >17, while a lower score may indicate abnormal cognitive function.14 We defined good near VA as ≥J3 (Jaeger chart) since, in practice, objects which necessitate near vision, such as reading a telephone directory or newspapers, are not smaller than J3.16 MMSE results may be influenced by the intellectual and educational backgrounds of the examinee.18,19 Bearing this in mind, the multivariate analysis in this study was adjusted for years of education, thus neutralizing the education effect on test results.
Our work has some limitations. Because the interviews were carried out at adult day care centers and not at a clinic, we could only check near VA by using the Jaeger chart. We could not precisely measure the far VA due to technical restraints. Our findings, however, are consistent with those previously reported that near visual impairment is associated with decreased cognitive function. In addition, refraction was based on autorefractometer readings and not on subjective refraction. Nevertheless, recent studies reported an agreement between autorefractometer and subjective refraction. Autorefractometers have been proven to show valid and repeatable measures of objective refraction when compared with noncycloplegic subjective refraction.39,40 Finally, since this is a cross-sectional study, the temporality of poor vision or refractive error and cognitive dysfunction is not clear-cut, and longitudinal studies would be needed to show a causal relationship.
In conclusion, we documented a cross-sectional correlation between vision and cognitive functions in normal aging. Good VA and wearing reading eyeglasses appear to correlate with better cognitive function in the elderly. It is possible that an inexpensive and simple means such as eyeglasses can serve as a protective factor against cognitive deterioration associated with sensory (visual) deprivation in old age, but further studies are needed to verify it. The association between myopia and cognition also warrants further investigations in order to expand our understanding of the nature of the relationship and possible causality between visual and cognitive functions.
Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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My awesome Santa asked me if there was anything I had always wanted.. being in a bit of cheeky mood, I responded with (among other things) - a cute single guy.. but then went on to acknowledge that they don't ship well.
It appears my santa has a sense of humour as well as they sent me lots of goodies, including a whole heap of dismembered (gummy) parts. Interestingly, I only received 2 eye balls, but masses of ears, and a few brains, fingers and feet - so I guess my dismembered man only had eyes for me, and was a good listener with lots of brains :)
My santa also send me a Graveyard Pudding and Cake Kit (looking forward to making this next time my friend and her kids visit!) and an Apple Mix pack of Candy Corn with Green Apple, Apple Pie and Caramel Apple mix. - I think you may have actually found my sugar limit! Definitely need to pace myself on those, luckily I have lots of friends (many with kids) that I can share them all with.
Thanks for sending me such an awesome Trick or Treat Pack!!!
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A Spruce Grove pastor who oversees two Christian private schools has accused Alberta's education minister of wielding "dictatorial power" on the issue of LGBTQ rights, and says his board has no intention of complying with the government's new policy.
"I have a duty as a pastor to protect the flock of God," said pastor Brian Coldwell, chair of the Independent Baptist Christian Education Society, which runs two schools in rural Parkland County with a total of 200 students. "And there is no way under heaven I'm going to allow gay activists to come in here and basically undermine our ministries and our religious freedoms or confuse and corrupt our children."
Earlier this year, Education Minister David Eggen instructed boards to submit LGBTQ draft policies by the end of March. Some boards resisted, and in the case of the Edmonton Catholic School Board, Eggen appointed a consultant to help shape its new transgender policy.
"I'm not going to allow the minister of education to appoint anyone to come in here — he does not have that dictatorial power," said Coldwell, whose board receives between 60 and 70 per cent of its instructional funding from the province.
Schools will respect your rights: minister
Two weeks ago, Eggen followed up his instructions to boards when he posted an open letter to Alberta students, telling them "you have rights that your schools will respect."
"You have the right to create a gay-straight alliance or a queer-straight alliance, and you have the right to name your clubs this way," Eggen wrote. "You have the right to use the washroom that is consistent with your gender identity."
He provided an email to contact his staff "who can help you ensure your rights are being respected."
Coldwell said students who don't agree with his board's conservative Christian values could attend other schools.
"We're not saying that the gay community doesn't have any rights," he said. "But they just don't have the right to come in here and push their agenda, or what you might call the rainbow ideology.
"There's a big difference between protecting students and the promotion of a lifestyle."
Counselling for LGBTQ students
Coldwell said his boards' two schools, Meadows Baptist Academy and Harvest Baptist Academy, have a zero tolerance for bullying but LGBTQ issues rarely arise. He said if a student came looking for help they would use the gospel and Christian counseling.
"There's many people that have been delivered from that type of lifestyle through the power of the gospel," said Coldwell.
In a statement, Eggen said his ministry would begin working closely with private school authorities on their policies.
"All schools are required to follow the law," he said. But he did not address CBC's question of whether non-compliant boards would face consequences.
Coldwell criticized the government, saying it has never properly consulted with religious school boards. He said he knows of at least a dozen other boards that feel the same way and he thinks "there's multitudes of other parents and other churches that will stand up."
He said the legislation should be amended to also protect the rights of parents and religious institutions, exempting their schools from GSAs that promote "the anti-Christian gay lifestyle."
@andreahuncar andrea.huncar@cbc.ca
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Hunter Davis is clinging to life at UC Davis Medical Center after a 17-year-old allegedly shot him in the head in Manteca last Sunday.
A source close to the family tells FOX40, Davis' family may decide whether or not to take him off life support Friday, as doctors determine if he will regain brain function.
The Manteca Police Department says if Davis, 11, does not make it, charges against the alleged shooter, Zak Hurlburt will be upgraded from attempted homicide to murder.
The shooting happened inside a home on Glen Drive early Sunday morning. A teenager who lives at the home told FOX40 a few friends were sleeping over Saturday night, they were drinking and Hurlburt picked up a loaded gun and pulled the trigger.
One bullet struck Davis' older brother, Raymond, in the arm. The second hit Davis in the head. Investigators do not believe it was accidental.
Members of the Central Valley Baptist Church in Manteca are praying for Hunter’s recovery.
"We just want to be a blessing and a help to the family in any way we can," Pastor Kristian Martinez said.
"He was always excited, he always jumped on the bus and enjoyed being around everybody," said Thomas Perez, a boy who rode the bus to church with Davis every week.
Perez said the church became like home for Davis after his family lost their home in Manteca. Friends say school seemed to be his safe haven.
"You can just tell that he was trying to make things better for himself,” Perez said.
Manteca police say they recovered a gun from the home on Sunday, but investigators are still piecing together who it belonged to, and why it was accessible to teenagers in the first place.
Police say Hurlburt will likely be charged as an adult.
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TAMPA — A local institution that began as a corner grocery serving Italian and Cuban immigrants in Ybor City has closed after 120 years.
Castellano & Pizzo went out of business this month at Henderson Boulevard and Lois Avenue in South Tampa, its home since the mid 1980s.
Paul Castellano Sr., who still owns the building at 4200 Henderson Blvd., said the current tenants, Robert and Mandy Pallone, saw sales decline and couldn't keep the store going.
"I was just as surprised as anyone,'' he said Wednesday. "The whole family was disappointed. We thought they would stay open through the holidays because we always did a phenomenal business this time of year.''
Castellano and his wife, Jackie, leased the Italian market to the Pallones in 2010 after more than a century in family hands. At the time of the change, he said the market was the oldest, surviving independent business in Tampa.
Castellano's great-grandparents opened the store in 1892 on Eighth Avenue and 18th Street in a small building with a horse stable. The store expanded to South Tampa's Palma Ceia neighborhood in the '80s and, a few years later, the Ybor location closed.
The gourmet market has catered to generations of Tampa residents looking for authentic Italian meats, cheeses, desserts and prepared foods. Its wine tastings and lunch buffet and salad bar were big draws.
Lifelong customers like Marty Peate, 44, considered its closure a huge loss for a community like Tampa that's so defined by its cuisine.
"We're adamant about our food and local heritage,'' he said. "It's not like Chick-fil-A or Wendy's closing. It's sad to see it go. You can't go to Publix and get what you get when you walk through the aisles of Castellano's.''
Peate went for the Cuban sandwiches, sausages and sweets. He liked the mom-and-pop, nostalgic atmosphere not found at chain grocery stores.
Within its walls, hundreds of people learned Italian. Roberto Alvarez taught Italian classes at the market for about six years until the Pallones took over. Students ate lasagna and cannoli as they learned about the Colosseum in Rome and practiced saying mangia (eat).
Alvarez was shopping at Mazzaro's Italian Market — St. Petersburg's version of Castellano's — when he heard about the closing. He was disappointed but not surprised. "I watched the decline,'' he said.
The Pallones discovered the market while vacationing in St. Pete Beach. Someone there recommended they try Castellano's and, soon after, they bought it. Mandy Pallone described it as a "beautiful business'' and said they had no plans to change it.
A sign posted on the door this week said the market is "closed until further notice,'' and the phone was disconnected. The Pallones, who live in Madeira Beach, could not be reached for comment.
Castellano said he has received several inquiries about taking over the space, either as an Italian market or something else. At 71, he has no plans to reopen it himself.
On Christmas Eve, the Castellanos changed the marquee:
"Thank you Tampa for 120 years. Merry Christmas.''
Susan Thurston can be reached at [email protected] or (813) 225-3110.
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Baltimore Sun: The Hoax Of 'Entitlement Reform'
It has become accepted economic wisdom that the only way to get control over America's looming budget deficits is to "reform entitlements." The accepted wisdom is wrong. ... Medicare and Medicaid costs are projected to soar. But here again, look closely and you'll see neither is really the problem. The underlying problem is the soaring cost of health care overall, combined with the aging of the boomer generation. The solution isn't to reduce Medicare benefits. It's for the nation to contain overall health care costs and get more for its health care dollars (Robert B. Reich, 1/9).
The New York Times' Economic Scene: Health Care And Profits, A Poor Mix
These profit-maximizing tactics point to a troubling conflict of interest that goes beyond the private delivery of health care. ... In a way, private delivery of health care misleads Americans about the financial burdens they must bear to lead an adequate existence. If they were to consider the additional private spending on health care as a form of tax -; an indispensable cost to live a healthy life -; the nation's tax bill would rise to about 31 percent from 25 percent of the nation's G.D.P. (Eduardo Porter, 1/8).
The Washington Post: Taming The Health-Care Monster
For years, spiraling health costs -; mainly for Medicare and Medicaid, which serve the elderly and the poor -; have consumed a growing share of the federal budget. Meanwhile, rapid increases in premiums for employer-provided insurance have squeezed take-home pay. So it's good news that, for the third straight year, health spending rose modestly in 2011. To some analysts, this signals a new era of cost-containment. Well, maybe -; and maybe not (Robert J. Samuelson, 1/8).
Bloomberg: Smart Health-Care Strategies Hidden In 'Cliff' Deal
One little-noted provision I was encouraged to see tucked in last week's fiscal-cliff legislation is Section 601(b): an incentive for doctors to expand their use of something called clinical data registries. These registries collect information on patient characteristics, patterns of care and outcomes that can be crucial to evaluating what medical techniques and strategies work and which ones don't. Unfortunately, registries are not as widespread as they should be ... Medicare costs are driven disproportionately by a small number of very expensive patients, most of whom are heavy users of specialty treatment. So early promotion of registries in those areas could yield ideas for lowering the cost of some of the most expensive care (Peter Orszag, 1/8).
The Medicare NewsGroup: The Medicare Cost/Benefit Equation: Is The Program Worth What It Costs?
The "bundled payment" initiatives in the Affordable Care Act, including the patient-centered medical home and accountable care organizations, are designed to reward providers for high-value medical practice, not high volume. Examining the outcomes of care as closely as their cost is critical to making these new forms of medical practice pay off for those who excel at them (Michael Millenson, 1/8).
Los Angeles Times: New Study Helps Build The Case For Expanding Medi-Cal
After pushing to cut Medi-Cal spending in each of his first two years in office, Gov. Jerry Brown now has to decide whether to seek to expand it by billions of dollars -- largely, but not entirely, on Washington's dime. A new report from researchers at UCLA and UC Berkeley suggests that the expansion might actually pay for itself through higher tax revenue and lower spending in other state programs (Jon Healey, 1/8).
Sacramento Bee: Expanded Medi-Cal Will Bring Federal Money In Reform
Earlier this year, a San Bernardino doctor told a middle-aged patient named Lupe that she was facing a life-or-death situation. Her blood glucose level was alarmingly high, and she was diagnosed with diabetes. ... Today, Lupe has health care coverage through a county-based program that gives her access to a primary care physician who can manage her chronic disease. This coverage helps Lupe to continue working, avoid costly hospital stays and lead a healthier life. ... The health care coverage offered by Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, is much more than simply a budget obligation. The health programs offered by Medi-Cal are tailored to meet the unique needs of our diverse population (Peter Long and Dr. Robert Ross, 1/9).
Kansas City Star: Hiring More People With Disabilities Reduces Dependence
Can we afford the commitments we have made over the years to seniors, people with disabilities and government retirees? ... Last year, the Missouri legislature contemplated eliminating a health benefit for residents who are blind. Ignoring the long-held belief that taking away benefits for the disabled is a loser at the ballot box, the Missouri House budget opted to end the entitlement for 2,800 blind Missourians as a cost-saving measure. But this is the canary in a coal mine (Reinhard Mabry, 1/8).
Medpage Today: When To Use An IT Consultant, And When You May Not Need One
Should physicians use a consultant to help choose a practice management system or EHR for their practice? According to recent Medical Group Management Association surveys more than 50 percent of physicians used the services of a healthcare consultant or firm at least once in the previous 3 years. But did they have to? Was it a smart move? The Answer: It Depends. Not every practice needs a consultant's assistance when replacing and choosing a new system (Rosemarie Nelson, 1/8).
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Anatomy of Cloudflare’s CloudBleed: what you need to know and fix | In In Security | By By Jb
TL;DR
This post gathers what you need to know, and what you need to do, if you use CloudFlare, or if you personally used a website using CloudFlare.
CloudFlare is a CDN-like technology, deployed over 2 million of websites, accelerating traffic and providing protection against denial of service attacks (DoS), as well as security features such as a Web Application Firewall.
A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is in charge of accelerating traffic by delivering static assets faster.
Unlike most CDNs, CloudFlare redirects the entire traffic to inspect it and modify it on the fly. The traffic is routed to CloudFlare network and inspected on the go.
Recap of Cloudflare’s Cloudbleed security bug
Tavis Ormandy, from Google’s Project Zero, revealed on 2017-02-19 a critical security breach on CloudFlare servers.
The bug implies that web pages fetched through Cloudflare can embed any data from any other Cloudflare user (more details in the technical analysis below).
Here is a timeline of the events:
2016-09-22 – First deploy of the vulnerable parser → First potential leak of data
2017-01-30 – Migration to a new more vulnerable architecture → Leak more prominent
2017-02-18 – Report by Google & fix 7h later → Leak stop
Technical analysis of Cloudbleed
Use case: a client requested a resource on a service using Cloudflare. Cloudflare needed to parse the HTML to rewrite HTTP links to HTTPS or inject Google Analytics tags etc.
The HTML parser used by Cloudflare involved C code that suffered from a buffer overrun bug.
This bug implied that the HTML sent to a user could include data coming from any previous requests handled by the server, so possibly coming from any other user.
Let’s take an example:
A website (let’s call it website A) is protected with Cloudflare
You browse to website A and you log in. Cloudflare handles your request. Thus, your inputs are stored in their server’s memory Later, Google crawls any websites using Cloudflare. Your previous inputs may be included in any response sent back by Cloudflare. The Google crawler stores the retrieved data in the Google search result caches. Your inputs are now publicly available.
Cloudflare is a distributed CDN, thus has different server caches. This implies that not all data can be shared with all customers, but the complexity of this architecture makes it hard to predict what kinds of mixing could occur.
Status and scope of the attack
Since the website leak, Google & most major US-based search engine are now cleaning caches containing leaked data.
All the websites protected by CloudFlare were affected since September 2016. The amount of potentially leaked information is huge. By design, the leaked bytes were not encrypted and were immediately usable for anyone that was lucky enough to find it. Even now, people looking at search engine caches are still finding passwords, various tokens, and even credit cards numbers…
The bug at Cloudflare is now fixed, but the leaked data will potentially be available for a very long time in caches: search engines caches, companies HTTP caches, ISP HTTP caches… Hence until all these caches are cleared or overridden, they may contain any piece of data that went through the Cloudflare network.
In the next coming weeks, we can expect people extracting data from these caches in order to exploit sensitive information.
As an Internet user, how am I impacted?
If you are the user of websites using Cloudflare (a list can be found here, but famous ones are Uber, 1Password, Hacker News, …) here are some example of potentially leaked data:
HTTP requests content
Credentials / Authentication token
Personally identifiable information
Cookies
Etc.
There is, unfortunately, no way to know for sure if your data was exposed.
So, what can you do?
CloudFlare user checklist To make sure none of your account gets compromised, you need to: Reset your passwords on the impacted websites you connected to between the 2016-09-22 and the 2017-02-18
Reconfigure your device based 2FA (e.g. Google Authenticator, but not text message based 2FA) on websites if you configured it between the 2016-09-22 and the 2017-02-18
If you are using any other secret from these websites (e.g. a Slack token, secret question, etc.), you also need to replace it.
As a developer using Cloudflare on my website, what should I do?
If the website you own is using Cloudflare, your users, and therefore your application, is at higher risk.
Everything you provide to your users needs to be considered at risk:
Technical data: API keys, API tokens, URL based secrets to your users,
Cookies
User credentials.
If you are using 3rd party services that rely on Cloudflare (performance monitoring, exception management, log storage, business data…), this may also put your infrastructure at risk.
My website uses HTTPS, does it mean I’m safe?
No. Cloudflare decrypts your SSL traffic just as it reaches CloudFlare’s infrastructure. All the data processed by Cloudflare and hence impacted by this bug are impacted, whether you use HTTPS or not.
CloudFlare application owner checklist If any service in your company uses Cloudflare, ask your colleagues to reset their password.
Tell your users their data has been potentially compromised.
Ask your users to change their passwords if they logged in between the 2016-09-22 and the 2017-02-18. If you handle highly sensitive information, you may want to proactively lock their accounts and send them a mail to reset their password.
User using 2FA that did the setup between the 2016-09-22 and the 2017-02-18 should redo their 2FA setup.
Conclusion
Cloudflare’s “Cloudbleed” is a major security issue that affected millions of Internet users and application developers. We explained the Cloudbleed bug and its’ implications for internet users and developers regarding data privacy and security.
Analyzing the root cause of this issue raises the question of redirecting web app traffic to try to protect them against attacks.
CDNs and web application firewalls are great solutions to mitigate risks such as denial of service (DoS, DDoS). But there are better ways to protect applications against application vulnerabilities without redirecting traffic.
At Sqreen, we enforce security from inside the application.
Sqreen relies on existing frameworks for parsing the incoming HTTP requests. This has many advantages:
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The NHL salary cap will likely see a marginal increase of one per cent, pushing the maximum team payroll up by $900,000 to $57.7 million US for the 2010-11 season, Hockey Night in Canada analyst Glenn Healy said during Saturday's Hotstove segment.
"Mostly because of the strong Canadian dollar," Healy said, noting that the increase is still dependant on the accuracy of playoff revenue projections.
The Montreal Canadiens are waiting for the final word about the salary cap so they can solidify a new deal with forward Tomas Plekanec.
The 27-year-old centre has had a strong offensive season, with 69 points (24 goals, 45 assists) in 78 games heading into Saturday's action.
"[Plekanec and his agent] have had good talks with the Canadiens," HNIC's Scott Morrison said. "They are on the same page in terms of the financials."
"It looks like something will get done."
Meanwhile, the future whereabouts of the Phoenix Coyotes continues to be a hot topic.
The two potential owners, Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Edge Holdings, are waiting for Glendale city council to decide on a proposed new lease agreement.
Morrison said a decision could come by the end of next week.
But that doesn't mean Winnipeg will be left out in the cold.
Reports surfaced this week that billionaire David Thomson was interested in purchasing the team and resurrecting the Jets back in Manitoba.
Although NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has publicly stated his desire to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz., Healy suggested that moving the team to Winnipeg could be Plan B.
As for keeping the team in the desert, it seems that the city favours Reinsdorf's proposal, Morrison said.
"Everybody who is surrounding it seems to think so because his financing seems to be a little bit more stable than the other group."
"The sense is that if Reinsdorf gets it, there will be an out clause in there after a couple of years, if they don't meet certain revenue targets," Morrison said.
That would open the door for Reinsdorf to sell the team to Thomson.
While the NHL continues to work on solving the Coyotes' issue, it is also fighting a battle on another front, across the Atlantic.
The Swedish hockey federation has sent a note to its junior players telling them to sign a contract with the national program if they wish to play in international tournaments. The catch: once they sign, if they choose to leave the country to play in North America before age 22, they will face a $100,000 fine.
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Starry stonewort, an invasive algae, was found for the first time in Wisconsin in Little Muskego Lake in Waukesha County in September. Local residents with the help of state Department of Natural Resources plan to use divers to hand pick the stonewort throughout the infested area to keep it from spreading. Credit: Scott Brown
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After the discovery in September of the invasive starry stonewort in Little Muskego Lake, community members and the state Department of Natural Resources are beginning a counter assault on the destructive aquatic plant.
The form of algae was reported for the first time in Wisconsin last year in 506-acre Little Muskego Lake in Waukesha County.
A property owner, Lisa Niles, said she was saddened when she heard about the plant and the effect it has had on other lakes.
"It's really such a fragile ecosystem," said Niles, vice president of the Little Muskego Lake Association. "You hate for something like this to happen. It really upsets the apple cart."
Beginning next month, divers will try to remove all the plants, which are scattered in patches over the 3-acre area of the lake, Niles said.
A hitchhiker from Europe and Asia, it has wreaked havoc on Michigan lakes and prompted an expert on the topic to tell the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last year that some lakes in Michigan "almost look like an underwater golf course."
Sarah LeSage, aquatic invasive species program coordinator for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, said starry stonewort has spread rapidly since it was found in 1986 in Lake St. Clair near Detroit.
The plant is known to inhabit more than 250 lakes in Michigan.
In Wisconsin, the plant is one of more than 30 invasive aquatic species to attack state waterways. In the case of the starry stonewort, dense mats crowd out native plants, wiping out habitat for juvenile fish.
In June, scuba divers trained by the DNR will start to pick up the plants from the bottom of Wentland Bay on the west side of the lake. Niles said that divers need to make sure they remove the entire plant, including the root system, otherwise it will grow back.
Buoys in the bay with signs will ask boaters to avoid the area. City of Muskego employees and volunteers will staff the busiest boat landing, Idle Isle, on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays — the three busiest days for lake traffic — to inspect boats coming in and out of the lake for signs of the plant.
In August, divers from a commercial company will begin vacuuming plants from the lake bottom.
"We think we really have a good chance of controlling it," Niles said.
In Michigan, officials say the plant has been hard to eradicate. It can regrow from pieces not harvested.
Lisa E. Huberty, who works on aquatic invasive species for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, said the use of mechanical harvesters in Michigan has been counterproductive.
The harvesters seem to be spreading infestations on some lakes.
Because of starry stonewort's limited distribution in Little Muskego Lake, the DNR thinks hand pulling and vacuuming will be more effective than using chemicals.
The cost of the project will be shared by the city, lake association, DNR and Little Muskego Lake District, Niles said.
In recent years, the DNR and Little Muskego Lake Association have stocked 3,000 young walleye on the lake. Working with the Wisconsin Bowfishing Association, more than 3,500 carp have been removed.
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Sepp Blatter could, finally, be frozen out by FIFA.
The 17-year leader of world soccer’s governing body has reportedly been suspended for 90 days after FIFA’s ethics committee met on Wednesday to discuss allegations against both Blatter and his close ally Michel Platini.
[ MORE: Chung to sue Blatter ]
Reports suggest that the decision to suspend the Swiss official still needs to be formally ratified by the adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee, but it is highly likely that Blatter will be suspended until January 2016.
Blatter, 79, has been at FIFA for over 40 years but under his stewardship the organization has been riddled with allegations of corruption as current investigations from both the U.S. and Swiss authorities continue. The longtime FIFA official is suspected of “criminal mismanagement or misappropriation” by the Swiss authorities after a payment of over $1.9 million is linked to Blatter and the current president of UEFA, and FIFA presidential candidate, Platini.
[ MORE: How will USA line up vs. Mexico? ]
Klaus Stoehlker, who formerly advised Blatter, has told Sky News that the ethics committee “made the ruling pending further investigations by the Swiss attorney general” and the verdict was “pending” but that “no negative finding had been made against the head of world football’s governing body.” It is believed that the 90-day suspension is the maximum amount of time the ethics committee can suspend any individuals while an investigation is ongoing.
It has been reported that the head of FIFA’s ethics committee, Judge Hans Joachim-Eckert, has told Blatter of his suspension.
The leader of FIFA, who will stand down following the next presidential elections on Feb. 26, 2016, has been defiant in recent weeks despite growing pressure from corporate sponsors of FIFA for him to resign.
On Wednesday he spoke out and denied he will quit, while at the Leaders’ in Sport Summit in London another presidential candidate ,Chung Mong-joon, declared that he will sue Blatter for “at least $100 million” and believes the FIFA president and his “cronies” are deliberately sabotaging his own presidential campaign.
UPDATE: The following statement has been released by Blatter’s lawyers, via the AP’s Rob Harris:
“We issue this statement in response to press reports about the FIFA Ethics Committee. President Blatter has not been notified of any action taken by the FIFA Ethics Committee. We would expect that the Ethics Committee would want to hear from the President and his counsel, and conduct a thorough review of the evidence, before making any recommendation to take disciplinary action.”
Follow @JPW_NBCSports
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If you are an STI owner, you're likely all too familiar with the 'clunk' from the factory struts. The rear struts on my 2005 STI began binding after only 20K miles or so. The dealership would not replace them under the new car warranty despite a Technical Bulletin, and so I've lived with the annoyance for another 60K miles now.
I figure I got my money outta them, so time to put an end to the racket. After researching several after-market alternatives, I decided to purchase OEM. The re-valved set from Feal have received positive reviews on the Subbie boards, and include a Zerk fitting to allow periodic greasing, which KYB forgot in their original design.
As of this writing - I am finally 'clunk-free'
So let's get you started..
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At this weekend’s NHL Draft, we were able to catch up briefly with Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault. We didn’t have the time for a full-length interview but we got a few thoughts from him on zone starts, along with two young players in the Canucks’ system in Zack Kassian and Nicklas Jensen. Questions and answers are edited for grammar.
Cam Charron: You deploy your players so much differently than any other coach in the league. How involved do you get in the player selection process?
Alain Vigneault: Not at all. This is all the amateurs [scouts]. I don’t see any of the games as far as the potential players that come to our organization so we’ve got a great amateur scouting staff that do a great job and it’s all up to them.
CC: When you get a guy into your line up like Manny Malhotra, do you know from the pro scouting staff that he’s a guy that can start, say, 90% of his shifts in the defensive zone?
AV: Well, the guys that are pro obviously I know a little bit more and I feel certain guys are better suited for different situations. I like my offensive players to, if I can, start them in the offensive zone and my more defence-oriented guys I’d start in the defensive zone. I just feel it gives us a better chance in such a competitive league.
CC: Is that your own individual belief? Because in the organization, it seemed that Scott Arniel and Claude Noel were doing the same things when they got their NHL jobs.
AV: I think each guy has his own mindset and really, what his team can do the best. And then you just got to put the players in situations where they can succeed if that’s the case guys have confidence and they go out and they do their jobs.
CC: What’s your opinion on big-body guys from the OHL because the team is seeming to collect a whole bunch of them?
AV: As far as the kids you’re talking about right now? Yeah, I haven’t seen any of them, but our guys this year felt they were the best guys to help the Canucks become a Stanley Cup team and I’ve got full confidence and full trust in them.
CC: Well you’ve seen Nicklas Jensen and Zack Kassian.
AV: I have, yeah. In that case, those guys are – in my mind – going to be great players in this league. I’m confident that with a lot of work on their part with us, we’ll get them to that next level.
CC: Where do you see Kassian in the lineup next season?
AV: I think he’s got a legitimate chance of becoming a top-six forward. So where exactly is he going to fit in on which line I’m not quite sure but I’ve been hearing that he’s working real hard and that’s why we go to training camp.
CC: Last one, Jensen’s kind of at odds with his OHL club, it’s either the NHL or Sweden for him, do you see him coming up?
AV: You know I heard that from through Mike [Gillis] and Laurence [Gilman] that he was thinking of other avenues. I really like that kid. This is my seventh year, he’s probably one of the best players that I’ve seen come through our organization. I loved his training camp last year, I heard when he went to Chicago and I’m talking to Mac-T [former Wolves coach Craig MacTavish] he had a real good stint there and I’m really looking forward to see what he can do with our team next year.
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Missouri’s public libraries are in trouble. Big trouble. Missouri’s governor, Jay Nixon, is withholding the vast majority of state funding from its public libraries.
Last year, the Missouri House and Senate debated and eventually passed a budget for 2015. The governor then signed this budget. This approved budget allocated $3.5 million to public libraries. It also allocated $3.1 million for Internet and digital services for libraries. Of that $6.6 million, Governor Nixon has only released $724,000 and only to libraries serving communities of less than 40,000 people.
What’s more, the Missouri House and Senate are currently debating the budget for the next fiscal year and Governor Nixon has proposed ONLY $724,000 for libraries next year. For the Kansas City Public Library alone, the cuts remove $100,000 from their annual budget. This will lead to reduced collections and reduced staffing. Smaller libraries will feel this budgetary pinch even worse.
Libraries across this state that I call home are worried. Steve Potter, the CEO and director of Mid-Continent Public Library, recently wrote a plea for help on his official blog. There are petitions to be signed on both iPetition and Change.org.
During Spring Break for the Kansas City Public School district, the Kansas City Public Library gathered up a large group of teens and took the two-hour trip down I-70 to Jefferson City, the capitol of Missouri. Crosby Kemper, the director of the Kansas City Public Library, along with Wick Thomas, a youth specialist for the library, took the teens to visit with multiple Senators and representatives. Through nine appointments with these leaders, the teens were polite, respectful, and expressed their passionate views on why libraries are important.
When the time came to meet with the governor, however, things turned dark. Without having a chance to plea their case or even see Governor Nixon, they were thrown out of the office. While Nixon’s office is saying that the teens were too loud, Wick Thomas was there and describes what he felt rather differently:
Shock, more than anything. Teens were asking questions that Nixon’s office just did not want to answer. (Director Crosby) Kemper was in the room, so they would not have been too loud with the library director in the room. It was being thrown out, definitely. It was a state trooper that escorted us out and he said he would call backup if we didn’t leave immediately.
Crosby tried to cooperate, asking if Nixon or his representatives would meet the teens and discuss the library issue outside, where they would not interfere with office business, but their request was declined.
Libraries are a fundamental pillar of the community. They offer a safe refuge for children to learn. They provide Internet access to those who cannot afford it at home. They protect our greatest literary treasures. Librarians, the saints that they are, are the keepers of keys to the world of books. They are the ones who take someone who liked The Hunger Games or Harry Potter and help guide them into lifelong readers. Libraries, like education, cannot provide a hard-and-fast return on investment. Funding a library is funding the future.
So what can we do to help?
Sign the two petitions on iPetition and Change.org.
Call Governor Nixon’s office at 573-751-3222.
Send letters or postcards to Nixon’s office: Office of Gov. Jay Nixon, P. O. Box 720, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
Head over to http://www.governor.mo.gov/ and click “Get Involved.”
Use the hashtag #SaveMOLibraries on social media.
According to Wick Thomas, the time is now to convince Nixon to save the libraries:
Contact local senators and representatives, especially since (Nixon’s) recommended the same cuts next year and they’re currently debating the budget. Keep calling. Sign the petition. The end of the fiscal year is in June.
I’m signing. I’m calling. I’m mailing. Please join me. Help save Missouri’s libraries.
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What Is SoundExchange, ASCAP, BMI, PROs, HFA And How To Get All Your Royalties
A lot of noise has been made about Adele's decision to withhold her new album 25 from streaming services (at least for the time being). To not get into the hairy mess once again, it did illuminate some massive holes in many musicians' knowledge base during the debates concerning what royalties can be earned from all the new digital platforms. A 2015 Berklee College of Music report found that anywhere from 20-50% of music payments do not make it to their rightful owners. The indie publishing powerhouse Kobalt calculated that there are "over 900,000 distinct royalty payments for artists and songwriters." What are these royalties? Where do they come from? And most importantly, how do you get them? I'm not gonna lie, it's complicated, but I'm going to attempt to lay all of this out as simply as possible. In plain English. I'm here for you. We'll get through this together. Bookmark this page and take a deep breath.
This is an excerpt from my book How To Make it in the New Music Business
Ok, let's go.
As you study more about the music business, you'll see the distinction over and over again between "artist" and "songwriter." It's an important distinction to make because the royalties for "artists" and the royalties for "songwriters" are completely different.
The reason I'm putting quotes around "artists" and "songwriters" is because so many of us are both. And many of us use these terms interchangeably. And back in the day, when labels started signing artists who also wrote their own songs (which, at the time, was quite unique), they put in clauses in the contract to limit the royalties they'd (legally) have to pay out to their newly signed artists/songwriters. One of these clauses is the infamous Controlled Composition Clause. The major labels have always tried to screw artists out of money. They look out for their own best interests and use artists' ignorance (and blind pursuit of fame) to manipulate and deceive. This is part of the reason why so many established artists and songwriters have jumped ship from their major labels (and major publishers) and headed over to Kobalt. Just take a look at their roster. It's the who's who of music.
To not get into too much history, and really just cut to the chase, before the digital age, royalties were difficult to track, but there were fewer platforms to consume music, so there were far fewer royalty streams to worry about.
With physical sales plummeting, and people shifting from downloading to streaming (like Spotify and Apple Music) and the rise of digital radio (like Pandora and Sirius/XM), there are many more royalties out there, but they can be tracked much easier through sonic recognition and content ID software.
We're not quite there yet, but we're getting closer every day.
For indie artists without a label or a publisher, you have to know what these royalties are and know where and how to get them.
So let's break them down.
First some terms you need to understand:
Artist
Artists record sound recordings. Rihanna is an artist. She did not write her song "Diamonds." So she is not the songwriter. Record labels represent artists. A band is an artist. A rapper is an artist. A singer is an artist. Typically whatever name is on the album, is the artist.
Songwriter
Songwriters write the compositions. "Diamonds" was written by 4 songwriters: Sia Furler, Benjamin Levin, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen. Publishing companies represent songwriters.
Sound Recording
Some call this the "master." It's the actual recording. The mastered track. Traditionally, labels (because they own the master), collect royalties for sound recordings. Sound recordings are not to be confused with compositions. Artists record sound recordings.
Composition
This is the song. Not the recording. Traditionally, publishing companies (because they own the composition and represent songwriters) collect royalties for compositions. Songwriters write compositions.
PRO
Performing Rights Organizations. In the US, these are ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. In Canada this is SOCAN. These organizations represent songwriters NOT artists. These are organizations that collect performance royalties (NOT mechanical royalties - we'll get to those in a bit). The way these PROs make money to pay their songwriters and publishers royalties is PROs collect money from thousands of venues (radio stations, TV stations, department stores, bars, live venues, etc) by requiring them to purchase "blanket licenses" which gives these venues permission to play music in their establishment (or on the air). The PROs then pool all of this money up and divide it amongst all of their songwriters and publishers based on the frequency and "weight" of each song's "public performance." The PROs then pay the publishing companies their 50% and the songwriters their 50%. PROs split "publishing" and "songwriter" royalties equally. 50/50. This is not a deal you negotiate. This is just how they do it for everyone from Taylor Swift down to you and me. 50/50. Any songwriter in the US can signup for ASCAP or BMI without being invited or having to apply. ASCAP and BMI are both not-for-profit organizations, SESAC is for profit and you must be accepted.
ASCAP
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers represents 550,000 members (songwriters and publishers) and over 10 million compositions. ASCAP is owned and run by its songwriter and publisher members with an elected board. They have paid out over $5 billion in the past 6 years. They represent songwriters like Katy Perry, Dr. Dre, Marc Anthony, Chris Stapleton, Ne-Yo, Trisha Yearwood, Brandi Carlile, Lauryn Hill, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers, Carly Simon, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, annnnnd Ari Herstand. That's me. Duh.
BMI
Broadcast Music Inc. represents over 700,000 members (songwriters and publishers) and over 10.5 million compositions. They represent songwriters like Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Maroon 5, Michael Jackson, Linkin Park, Sam Cook, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Fats Domino, Rihanna, John Williams and Danny Elfman.
SESAC
SESAC is not an acronym... really. It represents over 30,000 members (songwriters and publishers) and over 400,000 compositions. They represent songwriters like Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, RUSH, Zac Brown, Lady Antebellum, The Avett Brothers, Shirley Caesar, Paul Shaffer and Thompson Square.
You can only sign up for one PRO. You cannot be a member of ASCAP and BMI. You have to choose. Find out what the PROs are in your country and pick one and sign up.
**It’s important to note that if you sign up with ASCAP as a songwriter, you also need to register a "vanity publishing company." That means, just make up a name (mine is Proud Honeybee Music) and register your publishing company with ASCAP. You must do this to get paid all of your money. If you don’t have your vanity publishing company registered as a corporation (like an LLC), or have a bank account under its name, make sure to tell ASCAP you are “doing business as” the vanity publishing company so they can write the checks appropriately. You can also sign up for direct deposit which expedites this entire process. ASCAP pays out 50% of the total money to the songwriter and 50% to the publisher. If you don't register a publishing company, you will only get half of your money.
If you are an unaffiliated songwriter with BMI, you don't need to register a vanity publishing company. BMI will pay you 100% of the money.
HOWEVER, If you sign up for an admin publishing company (like CD Baby Pro or Tunecore Publishing), they will collect your publishing money from ASCAP or BMI, take their commission (10-15%), and pay you out the rest. So, you don't need to register a vanity publishing company (if you're with ASCAP) or register it as an LLC or open a bank account. This is a far easier option.
CD Baby Pro vs Tunecore Publishing (The Full Report)
I recommend you make sure all of your songs are registered with ASCAP or BMI (or SESAC) and that you work with an admin publishing company. If you distribute through CD Baby, use CD Baby Pro. If you don't, use SongTrust or Tunecore Publishing. If you haven't registered with a PRO yet, signup for an admin publishing company FIRST - they will then register your songs with a PRO (save some time and steps!)
Digital Distribution Company
Some people call them digital aggregators. These companies are how you get your music into iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, Deezer, Tidal and 80 other digital stores and streaming services around the world. The biggest digital distribution companies for indie artists are CD Baby, DistroKid and Tunecore. I reviewed them and 6 others in this piece.
HFA
Harry Fox Agency. HFA handles US mechanical royalties (what are mechanical royalties? Patience young grasshopper. We'll get to it). They are hired by companies like Spotify to calculate and pay out mechanical royalties to publishers. HFA represents 48,000 publishers. HFA also has streamlined licensing services (their program is called Slingshot) for companies needing to license music.
HFA calculates, collects and pays mechanical royalties. They also issue "mechanical licenses." You can't signup for HFA unless you are a publisher and have songs released by a third party label (not self released).
BUT you don't need to signup with HFA to collect mechanical royalties. Admin publishing companies like SongTrust, CD Baby, Tunecore and Audiam will collect mechanical royalties for you if you signup for their publishing programs. Read my comparison between CD Baby Pro and Tunecore Publishing.
Fun fact, HFA was recently bought by SESAC.
Admin Publishing Companies
Admin stands for administration. All publishing companies have an admin department. They also have a synch licensing department. An A&R department. And many other departments. But, admin publishing companies have started popping up over the past few years to help unrepped songwriters (like you and me) collect all the royalties out there from around the world.
Again, companies like SongTrust, CD Baby, Tunecore and Audiam are some admin publishing companies who will do this. (Note, Audiam technically describes itself as a digital rights management company - but they will collect your mechanical royalties and YouTube money).
Synch Licensing
Synch stands for synchronization. A synch license is needed to synch music to picture. TV shows, movies, commercials, video games all need a sync license to legally put a song alongside their picture (get it? "synching" audio to picture). Technically, so does YouTube and Facebook (and you, when you make a cover video and upload it). Fun fact, virtually every YouTube cover is illegal. A publisher (remember, publishers represent songwriters and compositions), could legally get YouTube to remove your cover if they wanted. But no publishers are really doing this because YouTube is now monetizing cover videos and getting the publishers (and songwriters) paid through ad revenue.
You can now get paid for your YouTube covers if you use the service WeAreTheHits. This is one of the few ways indie artists can get covers up legally without contacting the publishing company first or becoming a YouTube partner.
Facebook on the other hand has no license in place with publishers so if you put up a cover on Facebook, as of today, it will most likely get ripped down.
Licensing Company
Licensing companies work to get your music placed in TV shows, movies, trailers, commercials and video games. Independent licensing companies have been popping up left and right over the past 10 years. Before that (and still currently) all the synch licensing was done within publishing companies. All publishing companies have synch licensing divisions.
Licensing companies typically take 30-50% of the up front synch license and master use license fee. Some take a percentage of your PRO backend royalties as well, others don't.
Licensing companies typically only represent artists who are also the sole songwriters. Licensing companies are one stop shops for music supervisors. They want to make it easy as possible for the ad agency or TV show to use the song. Licensing companies can clear the songs immediately for the music supervisors.
So if you co-write with anyone, FIRST make sure they are NOT signed to a publishing company (if they are, it makes things very difficult and will almost certainly prevent a licensing company from working with you - or rather repping that song). And make sure you get in writing (email is fine), that you have full rights to the song to license without getting permission from your co-writers.
Word to the wise NEVER pay a licensing company money up front to go pitch you. If they believe in your music, they will pitch you and work solely on commission. You can purchase a music licensing directory containing most licensing companies, publishing companies, music libraries and music supervisors from The Music Registry here for $100. Many of the biggest licensing companies mostly won't take submissions directly from artists. It's best to get someone they trust to refer you (like another artist on their roster, a manager or lawyer).
Also, there are music library and licensing companies (like Triple Scoop Music, Audiosocket and Music Bed) that specialize in issuing inexpensive synch licenses for wedding photographers, corporations (for in house training videos) and indie film makers. This can help you bring in some extra dough. These kinds of companies are definitely worth looking into. They don't work to get you the $200,000 Verizon commercial spot, they're soliciting wedding photographers to pay $60 to license your song in their personal use wedding video. But these can add up. There are a bunch of these music library companies out there. Just Google around a bit "music for wedding video" or "license music for indie film" or "license music library" and these companies will populate. Most are quite selective about what songs they bring on (to keep their quality up). But they all take applications from unknowns. If the quality is there (and it fits their format - they're probably not going to take death metal or gansta rap for a wedding video licensing business). Most are non-exclusive, meaning you can work with a bunch of them.
Again, DO NOT pay anything up front. If any company charges you up front for these services it's a scam. Run away (to this comment section and let us know who these scam artists are!)
SoundExchange
A lot of people confuse SoundExchange with PROs. Because technically SoundExchange IS a performing rights organization, but I'm not including them in the "PRO" classification out of clarity (and when most in the biz discuss PROs they are just referring to the aforementioned ASCAP, BMI, SESAC). SoundExchange represent artists and labels whereas (the other) PROs represent songwriters and publishers. Over 110,000 artists and rights owners (labels) are registered with SoundExchange and they have paid out over $3 billion since inception.
Unlike the 3 PROs in America, SoundExchange is the only organization in America that collects performance royalties for "non-interactive" digital sound recordings (not compositions). "Non-interactive" means you can't choose your song. So, Pandora radio is non-interactive, whereas Apple Music and Spotify are "interactive." Beats 1 (within Apple Music) is digital radio (non-interactive). Spotify's Pandora-like radio service is also non-interactive, but more on that in a sec.
But, SoundExchange has agreements with 20 foreign collections agencies. When your music is played in their territory, they pay SoundExchange, and SoundExchange pays you.
Like the PROs, SoundExchange issues blanket licenses to digital radio (non-interactive) platforms (like iHeartRadio and Sirius/XM) which gives these outlets the ability to play any song they represent. Like the PROs, the outlets pay an annual fee for the blanket license.
BUT, SoundExchange ONLY collects digital royalties. The PROs collect both digital, terrestrial (AM/FM radio) and live royalties.
There's a weird copyright law still on the books (and lobbied heavily by Big Radio) that makes it so AM/FM radio only has to pay composition performance royalties and NOT sound recording royalties. Makes no sense. The US Copyright Office has recommended that this law be changed, but thanks to the Big Radio, it hasn't. This, unfortunately, can only be changed by passing a bill in Congress. And our current American Congress doesn't pass sh*t. Pardon my American English.
So, again, SoundExchange = digital sound recording royalties for non-interactive plays.
But, interestingly enough (I know this stuff is SOOO interesting - stay with me!), Pandora, pays BOTH digital sound recording performance royalties (to SoundExchange) AND digital composition performance royalties (to PROs), but, thanks to Consent Decrees (set by rate court judges and, once again, for which the practices can only be changed by Congress), pays about 10x more for sound recording royalties (to SoundExchange) than for songwriter royalties (to the PROs). The Songwriter Equity Act (bi-partisan) has been in Congress for about two years now to make this change. But Congress moves slower than an Adele ballad (but contains about the same number of tears shed).
And to just complicate matters worse, not ALL digital radio services work with SoundExchange (but 2,500 do). Some opt out (Spotify non-interactive radio has opted out) and they just negotiate rates directly with each label/distributor.
You can find a full list of who SoundExchange collects from here.
How To Signup For SoundExchange?
Go to SoundExchange.com. If you are both the performer (artist) and the owner of the sound recording (meaning you don't have a record label) simply select "Both" on the 2nd page of the registration when it asks you to select: Performer, Sound Recording Copyright Owner or Both. It's a long process and you have to submit a full catalog list. When I did this, I had to email in a complicated Excel doc with lots of info. Plan a weekend to do all of this. It's time consuming, but worth it.
Fun fact, I encouraged an Ari's Take reader and children's musician to signup for SoundExchange and the first check he got was for $10,000! Apparently Pandora had his songs included on all the most popular children's music radio stations and he had no idea. Boom!
SoundExchange will hold your back royalties for 3 years, so register now if you haven't already. And if you HAVE registered (maybe you did years ago), make sure you have also registered as the Sound Recording Copyright Owner (they previously called it "Rights Owner"). Because the "Both" option is very new, you may have missed it and are only receiving 45% of your total money. Why 45% and not 50%? Keep reading.
Session Musicians can get some of this money too!
If you are a session musician 5% of the total money earned for each song has been reserved for you. Contact the AFM to grab this moola! You can check to see if you have outstanding royalties here.
SoundExchange's breakdown for payment is: 45% to Featured Artist, 50% to the Sound Recording Owner (label - or you if you self released), and 5% to session musicians or, how they put it, "non-featured artists." Regardless if you have session musicians or not on your record, SoundExchange holds 5% of all royalties from everyone for them.
What About Canada?
If you’re a Canadian artist, you can signup with Re:Sound (which is Canada’s version of SoundExchange). And, best thing, Re:Sound (unlike SoundExchange) WILL collect royalties from commercial, terrestrial radio for you! And anywhere else your recording is played publicly (jukeboxes, coffee shop, at the gym, etc).
What About The UK?
If you're an artist in the UK you can signup with PPL (which is the UK's version of SoundExchange). And like Re:Sound, unlike SoundExchange, PPL WILL collect royalties from commercial, terrestrial radio for you.
What About The Rest of the World?
Many countries have their own version of SoundExchange (and ASCAP, BMI, etc). Check out this Wikipedia article for other country's organizations.
So, just to clarify, here is a breakdown for the royalties Artists and Songwriters earn (and how to get them):
Artist Royalties:
Sound Recording Digital Performance Royalties
These come from non-interactive (you can't choose the song) digital platforms like internet and satellite radio.
How To Get Paid: SoundExchange
Register for SoundExchange here.
Download Sales
These come from when someone downloads your music on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, etc.
How To Get Paid: Your Distribution Company
See the list of who to use (and not use) here.
**note: BandCamp and Loudr also sell downloads, but unlike iTunes, they are artist managed stores and you get sales revenue directly from BandCamp and Loudr.
CD Baby, Tunecore, DistroKid, Ditto, Loudr, MondoTunes, Symphonic, ReverbNation or...
Interactive Streaming Revenue
There's lots of different kinds of streaming revenue. But "interactive" (meaning you choose the song) streaming revenue (like from Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal) goes to the artist/label. But when these services claim they pay out 70% of all revenue, the 70% is for both the artist/label revenue AND the songwriter royalties (mechanicals). Streaming revenue to artists is WAY more than the mechanicals paid to songwriters.
How To Get Paid: Your Distribution Company
See the list of who to use (and not use) here.
YouTube Sound Recording Revenue
Technically there are a bunch of "assets" or streams of revenue for each YouTube video. To make it simple, we'll just get into how you can earn money. First, for the sound recording (we'll get into the composition in the next section). Any video that uses your sound recording you can make money off of (whether you uploaded the video or not) if you allow YouTube to put ads on the video (they call it "monetize"). Either videos you upload or fan made cat videos with your sound recordings can generate ad revenue that you can collect. YouTube splits the ad revenue 45%/55% in your favor.
How To Get Paid: Most digital distribution companies have this option via an opt-in check box. You can see which do and which do not on this chart. If your distribution doesn't handle this, you can signup for independent YouTube revenue collection companies like Audiam or InDmusic. But it's easiest if you keep everything under one roof.
If you want to get paid from your YouTube covers work with WeAreTheHits or an MCN (Multi-Channel Network) or, if you become a YouTube partner, YouTube will pay you directly for your covers.
CD Baby, DistroKid, Tunecore, MondoTunes, Ditto, Loudr, ReverbNation, Symphonic, or...
Master Use License
Any TV show, movie, commercial, trailer or video game requires both a master use license (from the artist/label) for use of the sound recording and a synch license (from the songwriter/publisher) for use of the composition. These days, most music supervisors (the people who place the music), will just pay you (an indie artist) a bulk amount for both the master use license and the sync license (because most indie artists wrote and recorded the song).
But if you're repped by a label and a publisher, the supe (that's short for music supervisor) will go to your label and pay for a master use license and then to your publisher and pay for a sync license. Usually it's the same amount, but not always. These monies range from a thousand bucks for background music on a cable TV show all the way up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for commercials and big movies/trailers.
How To Get Paid: Directly from the TV studio, ad agency (for a commercial), production company (for a movie or trailer), or game company. It's best to work with a licensing company for this.
How To Get Songs Placed On TV and in Movies
TV Royalties
If your music gets on a commercial, TV show, you can also earn SAG-AFTRA royalties. And these definitely add up. I was recently in a Bud Light commercial (as an actor - yeah I do a bit of that too, hell it's LA, why not?), and in SAG-AFTRA residuals, I got about $10,000 A MONTH for as long as it was on the air. That was for hanging out at a (fake) barbecue holding a can of Limearita and laughing on cue a lot. If your song gets in a commercial, you'll make about the same because you're treated as a voice over actor. Many commercials run about 6 months, that could be $60,000 just in SAG-AFTRA residuals.
How to get paid: SAG-AFTRA
If, however, SAG-AFTRA doesn't have your mailing address they won't know who to pay. You can check here to see if you have outstanding royalties. Or contact SAG-AFTRA directly and give them your info when you have music played on TV.
Songwriter Royalties
Composition Performance Royalties
These come from plays on the radio (FM/AM or digital), interactive and non-interactive streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music) live at a concert (yes even your own), in restaurants, bars, department stores, coffee shops, TV, literally any public place that has music (live or recorded) needs a license from ASCAP, BMI and SESAC to legally be able to play music in their establishment. The only exception is movie theaters. For some reason (politics), American movie theaters are exempt from needing a public performance license and no one gets paid when songs are played in movie theaters. On TV, yes. Movie theater, no. However, royalties are generated for Foreign (outside the US) movie theaters. And for an international smash, it could add up to be some serious cheddar. I've heard in the hundreds of thousands.
Of course if a coffee shop has the AM/FM radio playing, you won't get paid when your song is played there, but if they have Pandora or Sirius/XM on, this is tracked and you will (eventually) get paid on the plays. The system is currently being worked out and not everything is tracked yet, but eventually, say, in a few years, it will be. Kobalt is leading this front. Hopefully ASCAP, BMI and SESAC follow suit and improve their tracking systems. ASCAP uses a "sampling" method, where they use an electronic monitoring system, MediaMonitors/MediaBase, for sample performance data from commercial, NPR & NCR radio. The sample data is then loaded into ASCAP's Audio Performance Management system where it is (mostly) electronically matched to the works in the ASCAP database. ASCAP states that they supplement this data with station logs and other technology vendors and methods that capture ads, promos and themes and background music.
BMI also uses sampling. They say they use "performance monitoring data, continuously collected on a large percentage of all licensed commercial radio stations, to determine payable performances." They also use their "proprietary pattern-recognition technology." They call it a "census" and claim it's "statistical reliable and highly accurate." For college radio, BMI pays a minimum of 6 cents "for all participants." Not sure if that's per station or what.
***Update 11/25/15 - I originally had listed that ASCAP uses a human sampling system. They used to, but I've since been notified by ASCAP about their electronic sampling system. The information has been corrected and updated.
How To See Your Listener Data On Pandora
Personal Anecdote: My song "Young Blood Dig Down" was played as bridge music on NPR's All Things Considered (for 13 million people). I won't be getting paid for this. But, had ASCAP had a census (instead of sample) tracking system setup, I would have. Hopefully, this will change soon. BMI doesn't pay for "cue, bridge or background" music on radio, period.
How To Get Music On NPR
Tip: Both ASCAP and BMI have a program where you can import your setlist and venue information to get you paid for your live performance royalties (for performing your originals in a club, theater, grocery store, arena, wherever). They're called BMI Live and ASCAP OnStage. Last I heard, most indie artists playing under 500 cap rooms were making about $10 a show. It ain't much, but it can add up - especially if you're a live act playing 200 dates a year. Who couldn't use an extra $2K?
How To Get Paid: Your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN)
Visit each website (linked above) to join. Remember you can only be with one.
Mechanical Royalties
Mechanical royalties are earned when a song is streamed, downloaded or purchased (like a CD or vinyl). In America, the rate is set by the US government. It's currently 9.1 cents per download and it's a very complicated formula to figure out what you get per stream. But you can check out HFA's charts here to attempt to make sense of it. But, it's AROUND $.0007 per stream - but of course varies based on the streaming platform's user numbers, revenue, etc. Worldwide, it's about the same - about 8-10% of the total sale/stream.
Worth noting, in the US, mechanical royalties get passed onto the label/distributor from iTunes, however nearly everywhere else in the world, mechanicals get collected by local collections agencies BEFORE the money gets to your distributor. That's why when you look at your statements, an iTunes download in the US nets you $.69 (70% of $.99 - Apple retains 30% from iTunes sales) whereas a download in England nets you around $.60. So if you don't have an admin publishing company you won't get any of your international mechanical royalties from download sales. Like SoundExchange, these international collections agencies will hold onto this money (for about 3 years) until a publisher comes and claims it. You technically could try to do this by calling up collections agencies in every country, but I just recommend going with an admin pub company - they already have all the relationships built (and they only take about 10-15%. Worth it).
How To Get Paid: Admin publishing company.
See my comparison between CD Baby Pro and Tunecore Publishing. There's also SongTrust and Audiam. And of course, Kobalt (but you have to be "signed" - anyone can signup for the others).
YouTube Performance Royalties
Because your music is being played on YouTube videos, it's technically a public performance. Any video on YouTube (by you or anyone else), cover, live performance, original recording lyric video, music video or cat video, with your compositions in it, earns a public performance royalty.
How To Get Paid: Your PRO
YouTube Composition Royalties
In addition to performance royalties, you can earn a percentage of the ad revenue generated from the video. Again, any video on YouTube that has your composition in it (uploaded by you or anyone else), can get an ad placed on it and start generating revenue. Your admin publishing company will handle this. I know you're wondering, but how will my admin publishing company know when Joe Schmo from Lincoln, Nebraska uploads a cover of my song? Especially because my song title is "She Loves You" (and it's not the Beatles song). Yeah, you can see the difficulty. YouTube's Content ID program doesn't catch these (because covers and live recordings are different sound recordings than the original) Some admin publishing companies and YouTube collections companies are better at tracking this than others. Some do manual searches/listen. Others have other systems in place. You can always ask your company how they do it.
How To Get Paid: Admin Publishing Company
Synch License
Like the master use license, any TV show, movie, commercial or video game requires a synchronization (synch for short) license to put the composition alongside their picture.
How To Get Paid: Directly from the TV studio, ad agency (for a commercial), production company (for a movie or trailer), or game company. It's best to work with a licensing company for this.
How To Guarantee Your Music Is Heard By A Film/TV Music Supervisor
***
You made it! See, I told you you could do it. You're now a royalty master. Now go educate all of your musician friends. Ok, yeah, that was a helluva lot of information. Bookmark this page so you can reference it. And make sure to signup for my email list below to get more tips like this to your inbox.
Any Questions?
If you have any questions, post them in the comments. I'll try to respond to everyone.
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Church members sometimes wonder if they should just leave evangelism to the “professionals.” After all, isn’t evangelism a spiritual gift? In this article I offer quick guide for pastors to know how to answer them. ANSWERING TWO COMMON ARGUMENTS Must every Christian evangelize? The scriptural answer is “yes.” But I have encountered two main reasons for why some argue the answer is “no.” 1. The Great Commission was only given to the apostles and therefore does not apply to us today. First, some argue that the Great Commission was only given to the apostles and therefore does not apply to us today. While it is true that contextually the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) was given to the apostles, it was not only for the apostles. The command “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” certainly includes the command to make disciples. D.A. Carson notes that the Great Commission does not record Jesus saying to the apostles, “. . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, except for this commandment to make disciples. Keep their grubby hands off that one, since it belongs only to you, my dear apostles.”[1]
What had Jesus commanded the apostles? Among many other things, he commanded them to preach the gospel to the whole creation. So this command of Jesus given to the apostles also applies to every believer today. In addition, should we try to limit Jesus’ promise “I am with you always, to the end of the age,” as only applying to the apostles, or does it apply to us today? Certainly it applies to us today!
2. Since only some people have the “gift of evangelism,” not everyone is obligated to witness.
Second, some claim that since only some people have the “gift of evangelism,” not everyone is obligated to witness. Space prohibits a full discussion on the topic of “the gift of evangelism,” but a few observations are in order.
First, evangelism is not recorded in the common spiritual gifts listings in Scripture; instead, the office of evangelist is mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. Some (myself included) question whether “evangelism” should be seen as a distinct spiritual gift, such as giving, serving, and so on.
In addition, even if evangelism is a spiritual gift, it is also a command for all believers, just like giving, serving, and so on. Not having “the gift of evangelism” does not excuse a believer from his or her call to share Christ with others.
FOUR BIBLICAL REASONS WHY EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD EVANGELIZE
Does Scripture mandate that every believer should evangelize? I argue “yes,” for the following four reasons.
1. The commands to witness are given to all followers of Christ
First, the commands to witness are given to all followers of Christ. Acts 1:8, for example, reads, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This verse gives a command from the risen Lord to all his followers. As John Stott argues, “We can no more restrict the command to witness than we can restrict the promise of the Spirit.”[2]
In writing to the Corinthian believers, Paul maintained,
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
It’s not only apostles that have the ministry of reconciliation and the role of Christ’s ambassadors—all believers do! Other verses that reflect on this ministry of witness for all believers include Matthew 5:14-16, 1 Peter 3:15, Philippians 2:14-16, Colossians 4:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9.[3]
2. The example of “ordinary believers” in the early church
Second, consider the example of “ordinary believers” in the early church. As we follow the storyline of the early church it is obvious that the apostles sought to evangelize and disciple others. But we see ordinary believers sharing the gospel as well.
Following the stoning of Stephen we read in Acts 8:1, “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” And what did those ordinary believers do? Acts 8:4 tells us: “Now those who were scattered went about preaching (euangelizomenoi) the word.” They went about sharing the gospel with others.
Noted historian Kenneth Scott Latourette makes this observation about the spread of the gospel:
The chief agents in the expansion of Christianity appear not to have been those who made it a profession or a major part of their occupation, but men and women who earned their livelihood in some purely secular manner and spoke of their faith to those whom they met in this natural fashion.[4]
3. The stewardship the gospel imposes on us.
Third, consider the stewardship the gospel imposes on us. Jesus reminds us, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). We have been given no greater gift than the gospel, and we have no greater stewardship than to share that message of good news with others. Paul expresses it well in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “for the love of Christ controls us.”
4. The “work of ministry” in Ephesians 4.
Finally, consider what Paul calls “the work of ministry” in Ephesians 4. In this chapter Paul notes different offices in the church (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers). He declares part of the reason God “gifts” the church with such leaders is so they will “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12). And we should certainly include evangelism in “the work of ministry.”
Ephesians 4 raises a challenge for pastors: Are we training our people to do evangelism? Are we setting an example for them in our own personal evangelism? Some people run from the idea of evangelism because they assume it means they must be obnoxious and pushy. There are many approaches to sharing the gospel. The only fixed method is the message: telling others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
LEAD BY EXHORTATION AND ESPECIALLY EXAMPLE
Pastors, we can say to our people with confidence, “you are called to be a witness for Christ in both word and deed.” As leaders, let us challenge other believers not only with our exhortations but also with our example.[5] And let us take great confidence in the gospel, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).
[1] D.A. Carson, “Ongoing Imperative for World Mission,” in The Great Commission: Evangelicals and the History of World Missions, edited by Martin I. Klauber and Scott M. Manetsch (Broadman & Holman, 2008), 179.
[2] John R.W. Stott, Our Guilty Silence (Inter-Varsity Press, 1967), 58.
[3] While the context of 1 Peter 3:15 is what can be called “passive evangelism” (responding to a question that an unbeliever asks), this command is clearly given to all believers “to be ready” to answer when asked.
[4] Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of the Expansion of Christianity (Harper & Brothers, 1937), 1:116.
[5] Among the many helpful resources for personal evangelism, I highly recommend: Will Metzger, Tell the Truth; Mark Dever, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism; and J.I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.
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A group of longtime Vancouver LGBT activists and community pioneers have launched a petition to counter Black Lives Matter Vancouver’s request to have the police removed from the Pride parade. These activists are concerned that the voices of older generations who helped found the communities and worked hard to develop relationships with the police are being ignored, in addition to others.
The counter-petition was launched on February 12.
The organizers of the petition are Velvet Steele, a Vancouver trans and sex worker rights advocate who was a member of the Trans/Police Liaison committee in the early 1990s; Gordon Hardy, a co-founder of the Vancouver Gay Liberation Front in the 1970s; Sandy-Leo Laframboise, a trans queer activist and Métis Two Spirit elder; and Kevin Dale McKeown, Vancouver's first out gay journalist and an LGBT columnist for the Georgia Straight in 1970s.
The petition cites the history of the relationship between the Vancouver Police Department and local LGBT communities.
“Vancouver’s LGBTQ community has a long history of positive engagement with the Vancouver Police Department, from the first Gay and Lesbian/Police Liaison Committee in 1977, through the 1980s with the work of community leaders like Jim Deva, Jim Trenholme, and Malcolm Crane, and continuing today as the LGBT/Police Liaison Committee. We've been doing this work for 40 years now.”
The petition organizers also note that the VPD and RCMP have participated in the parade since 2002, which “signifies the progress we have made in our struggle for LGBTQ equality”.
Just as the Vancouver Pride Society operations executive director Kieran Burgess told the Georgia Straight that their approach would differ from Pride Toronto’s to reflect the different history and population composition of Vancouver, the counter-petition organizers expressed a similar sentiment.
“While the objections that Black Lives Matter Vancouver makes against the presence of the Vancouver Police Department in the Vancouver Pride Parade reflect historic and ongoing injustices against the black communities in major American and Eastern Canadian cities, they do not reflect relationships between Vancouver’s LGBTQ communities with local law enforcement.”
The counter-petition is a reaction to BLM Vancouver’s petition launched on February 7 to request, for a second time, that the Vancouver Pride Society have the VPD withdraw all of its uniformed, armed officers from the parade.
Trans and sex worker activist Velvet Steele
By phone, Steele told the Georgia Straight that the counter-petition was launched in reaction to the Toronto police announcement that they would not be participating in Toronto’s Pride parade, which raised concerns that the same thing could happen here.
Steele concurs that Vancouver is different from other Canadian and U.S. cities. Although BLM Vancouver spokeperson Daniella Barreto told the Georgia Straight that her group perceives the VPD as representative of police institutions elsewhere, Steele disagrees with such a perception.
“As Canadians, we can’t compare ourselves to the States or make ourselves similar to that,” she said. “We have a very rich and diverse Asian community here in Vancouver and I think we need to be celebrating all different cultures and backgrounds and ethnicities and things like that, and the fact that we are living together so cohesively and so well and loving each other and enjoying the differences and the variations and everything else, that to me is exciting.”
She also expressed concerns about how the older generations who helped develop the local LGBT communities, including indigenous and Asian Canadian individuals, are being “systematically ignored and pushed out of the whole situation”.
Two-spirit trans activist Sandy-Leo Laframboise
Steele herself experienced discrimination from the police in both Toronto and Vancouver. In the 1990s, she said, Toronto police displayed a lack of response to physical assaults she experienced, including being stabbed or having her fingers broken, and made comments about her lifestyle, clothing, BDSM paraphernalia, and appearance. She also witnessed police discrimination against trans friends and acquaintances.
When she began to meet LGBT police officers and began to learn about their challenges, she became more involved in helping to educate them.
“It just strengthened my resolve to keep on working forward to educate them and sensitize them.”
Steele has worked with the Vancouver police in various capacities, ranging from appearing in the VPD’s Walk With Me video to working closely with the VPD’s LGBT liaison officer and more.
Video of Walk With Me - VPD Transgender Training 2016 Trans activist Velvet Steele participated in the 2016 Vancouver Police Department's Walk With Me video about transgender issues.
“It’s holding them to task and keeping them held to task and keeping them at the table, keeping them included in what’s going on,” Steele said. “The lack of inclusion of the negotiations here at the table is not a resolve. It’s not a process to solve anything or to move forward into the future.”
She said she now believes VPD is “one of the most progressive police forces in the country that is willing to work for resolve and work towards the future and to be very much a part of our community”.
That’s why she feels strongly that the police should be a part of the parade.
“The fact that they have come that far along in terms of acceptance and working hard to be by our side, they should have every opportunity to be there as well,” she said.
Vancouver's first openly gay journalist Kevin Dale McKeown
In comparison to how Steele and others worked to resolve relationships with the police, there are two aspects to identify in BLM Vancouver’s request.
One is BLM Vancouver’s objective, which is to raise awareness about issues of systemic racism, violence, and oppression within or by police institutions against black people.
The second aspect is how they have chosen to address these issues, which is their proposed solution—the removal of armed, uniformed police from the parade.
This approach is different from, for example, expressing concerns of discomfort and asking the VPS and the VPD to come up with a solution, or to propose to work with these groups to educate them and figure out a solution together.
Steele said she agrees with the first aspect—that anti-racism and anti-oppression work is important and needs to be addressed—but is opposed to the way in which BLM Vancouver is asking the VPS to agree to their solution.
“It’s not open-minded,” she said. “It’s demanding. It’s almost acting in a bullying manner.”
Vancouver Gay Liberation Front co-founder Gordon Hardy
She said she is also offended if critics tell her she cannot express her opinions because she is privileged simply because she is white. She said she experiences transphobic discrimination on a daily basis, has been denied employment, and has been isolated in hospitals from other patients because she is trans.
Unlike how the situation has been addressed in other cities, Steele said she would rather see Vancouver lead by example and set a precedent.
The counter-petition is available on the change.org website. The petition will be delivered to the VPS.
The petition will close on February 20, the day before the VPS is scheduled to meet with BLM Vancouver members on February 21. This year's Vancouver Pride parade will be held on August 6.
When the Georgia Straight asked the Vancouver Police Department for an interview about their involvement in Pride, VPD spokeperson Sgt. Randy Fincham issued the following statement on February 10: "The VPD is looking forward to working with our community partners with Black Lives Matter and the Vancouver Pride Society, and unless requested otherwise, have our volunteers and civilian and sworn staff walk with pride for our 21st year in the 2017 Vancouver Pride Parade, to show support for the entire LGBTQ2+ community."
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Analysis of FEC documents reveal scale of donations from lobbyists including Walmart and Goldman Sachs, which could pay dividends after the election
Clinton and Bush campaign war chests filled with help of corporate lobbyists
Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, the 2016 presidential candidates leading the money race in the Democratic and Republican fields, are amassing fortunes that will leave them politically indebted to some of the most influential lobbyists in Washington.
Disclosures to the Federal Election Commission reveal how lobbyists for Walmart, Chevron, Facebook and Goldman Sachs have been acting as fundraising captains for Clinton and Bush, bundling donations to channel to the two frontrunners.
FEC report: stars back Sanders, Goldman Sachs is Team Bush and other findings Read more
Lobbyists have long sought to maximise their impact over candidates by pooling donations from their deep-pocketed contacts, often by encouraging them all to make the maximum permitted donation.
A joint analysis of FEC documents by the Guardian and the Center for Responsive Politics reveals that in the current campaign cycle, Clinton and Bush have been the primary beneficiaries of the practice.
Although lobbyist bundlers helped raise only a slice of the two candidates’ overall cash hauls, their support could pay dividends, in terms of access and influence, should either be elected to the White House next year.
Clinton disclosed 40 named lobbyist bundlers who brought in, on average, $54,614. In total, lobbyist bundlers generated more than $2m for her campaign.
Bush revealed the identities of eight lobbyist bundlers, who between them raised $228,400 at an average of $28,550.
Although Bush had fewer lobbyist bundlers, who raised less cash, the figures in his case likely show only the tip of the iceberg. The former Florida governor has opted to make an allied Super Pac – rather than his official campaign fund – the principal recipient of money to back his White House bid.
This information will therefore remain behind a wall of secrecy. Super Pacs, unlike candidates, are not required to release lobbyist bundler names.
The only other candidate who benefited from lobbyist bundlers, according to FEC records, was the Florida senator Marco Rubio, who disclosed three, including one in-house lobbyist from Goldman Sachs.
Clinton cash
The registered lobbyist who bundled the most money for Clinton was Jackson Dunn, who works for K Street lobbying shop FTI Government Affairs. He raised $231,554. In the 1990s, Dunn worked in Bill Clinton’s White House; he now serves clients such as PepsiCo, Mastercard and Dow Chemical.
Another lobbyist playing an important role for Clinton is Tony Podesta, who has made millions from a family based empire and is considered one of the most influential Democratic lobbyists in the Beltway.
His brother, John Podesta, another alumni from Bill Clinton’s White House and a former lobbyist himself, is now Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman.
In addition to his brother, John Podesta can draw on the support of dozens of other lobbyists bundling donations, such as Andrew Smith, who looks after the interests of the Washington Redskins NFL team and raised $133,350, and Steven Elmendorf, a former Democratic operative who now lobbies for Facebook, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs. He helped pool $141,815.
David Jones, a partner at Capitol Counsel who includes Walmart in his long list of clients and was a member of Clinton’s finance committee in her failed run for the White House in 2008, raised $120,675, the FEC disclosures show.
Clinton amassed an additional $114,775 from inhouse Microsoft, Starbucks and Exxon Mobil lobbyists who collected bundles of donations from associates.
Family connections
Top row, left to right: Tre’ Evers, Al Cardenas, Ignacio Sanchez, Dirk Van Dongen. Bottom: Tony Podesta, Jackson Dunn, Andrew Smith, Steve Elemendorf. Composite: Guardian
The support from lobbyists bundlers comes against the backdrop of Clinton and Bush accumulating large war chests at the expense of mainly rich donors, many of whom are connected to formidable networks of wealthy contacts built by their families over decades in frontline politics.
Those networks are closely entwined with major corporations and their registered representatives in Washington. Bush’s two biggest lobbyist bundlers were William Killmer (who pulled together $36,200) and Dirk Van Dongen ($33,900). They lobby, respectively, for the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Association of Wholesalers.
Bush also counts on the support of Richard Hohlt, who works for Chevron and specialises in tax legislation, and Ignacio Sanchez, a former Rubio supporter who lobbies for Diageo, the drinks conglomerate.
However, Clinton and Bush’s success in tapping up wealthy donors – both lobbyists and the wider pool of wealthy contributors in Wall Street – has not been matched by support from small donors.
Small donations – of $200 or less, which are often made online – fuelled Barack Obama’s early campaign in 2007 and are considered one gauge of grassroots momentum for candidates who can claim to be comparatively free from corporate influence.
In a worrying sign for Clinton and Bush, both struggled to lure this kind support. Less than 17% of Clinton’s overall campaign tally of $47.5m came from people who gave less than $200. For Bush, who has raised $11.4m since announcing his presidential bid last month, the proportion was even smaller: just 3.2%. Indeed, Bush actually gave to his own campaign ($399,720) more than all of his small donors added together ($368,023),
Those figures stand in stark in contrast to candidates like Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who is mounting the most serious challenge to Clinton. He raised an impressive $15.2m mostly from donors giving less than $200, who contributed to more than three-quarters of his overall tally. No candidate did as well as Sanders in generating money from a broad array of small donors – his campaign said he had 284,000 individual donors whose average contribution was just $35.
On the Republican side, Ben Carson and Rand Paul also raised most of their money from a wide base of donors giving less than $200.
The FEC figures, based on filings made by eligible candidates on Wednesday, cover financial activity between 1 April and 30 June.
They are obscured by the fact that Clinton, Bush and all other Republican and Democratic candidates except Sanders, who refuses to have an allied Super Pac, stand to benefit hugely from millions in uncapped donations pouring into allied political action committees.
Clinton’s Super Pac, Priorities USA, has reportedly raised an additional $15.6m. Bush, one of a slew of Republican candidates experimenting with transferring core campaign functions to their Super Pac, will benefit from the staggering $103m raised by Right to Rise.
Taken together, the combined Super Pac and campaign hauls – $63.1m for Clinton and $114.4m for Bush – eclipse the sums raised by their Democratic and Republican rivals.
Official FEC disclosures from Super Pacs, which are not bound by the same transparency laws as campaign funds, will be made public later this month.
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Japanese anime figure company, FIGUREX, previously announced that they will be making a life-size statue of Rem from Re:Zero. From the looks of things, they seem to be making good on their promise as their official twitter page has previewed that very life-size statue.
The statue measures in at 149cm and will cost a measly 1,480,000 yen! Pretty affordable! She will be sold between December 24 and February 2, and will be shipped out on August 2016.
FIGUREX is a company which specializes in life-size anime figures, and they are the same company responsible for Ayase Aragaki’s risque life-size figure. They also made life-size figures of Mr. Osomatsu’s sextuplets and Non Non Biyori’s Renge.
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Team SoloUber, off the heels of their medic ninjanick leaving for froyotech, has now decided on their own roster changes.
The team has been relatively quiet with roster changes under their current name, with their only recent one being before the season started when they brought in demoman star duwatna to play from his brief retirement following froyotech's disbanding due to their Season 20 playoffs loss. Of course, the team itself is a relatively new team, having been descended from Street Hoops eSports after several of their players had left following Season 19.
It appears that the team will be returning to its roots, once again going under the name Street Hoops eSports. To replace their outgoing medic ninjanick, cozen, known for making his Invite debut with the original Street Hoops eSports before defecting to rival Ascent, will be making his return. In addition, grape, who was brought onto the team as part of the transition to Team SoloUber, will be departing. Taking his place will be ash, who had stepped down from froyotech during its Season 20 playoffs loss and later joined Team SoloUber as a backup.
ash returns to active play with Street Hoops eSports (picture by Austen "tagg" Wade)
Team captain showstopper discussed the changes with us:
Nick leaving Team SoloUber was a mutual agreement—he saw a potential opportunity and he jumped on it. We support Nick's decision to join froyotech and wish him the best in the future and look forward to playing against him. grape has also decided to step down as he no longer enjoyed playing the game. We decided to pick up both cozen and Carter because of their 20b roots, and they were the best available options. We expect to turn this season around after our extremely disappointing start. Everyone on the team was a bit frustrated with our performance; especially after our 2nd place finish last season, we expected more out of ourselves. We look forward to finishing the season with this current roster, and have decided that we want to rebrand to Street Hoops eSports. #20believe
With these changes, the newly-rechristened Street Hoops eSports roster is:
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Residents in about 30 homes of Houghton Avenue North's neighbourhood were told to stay indoors after emergency crews responding to a call found a dead man and suspected hazardous chemicals inside a vehicle.
The fire department's hazardous materials response team was called in Monday after a 9:30 a.m. emergency call. Firefighters went door to door to homes in the area asking people to stay inside, said fire department spokesperson Claudio Mostacci.
Hamilton police media relations officer Const. Steve Welton said although the homes and nearby Delta High School were notified of the request to stay indoors, there was no evacuation.
"The materials were isolated to the inside of a vehicle and the conditions did not warrant an evacuation of the area," he said, adding later in the day that the fire department gave the all-clear earlier and any restrictions were done for scene security not for safety concerns regarding the materials.
Welton said the fire department had not yet identified the suspected chemicals found inside the vehicle, which was parked in the driveway of a home on Houghton Avenue North.
Mostacci and paramedics confirmed two paramedics and four firefighters, who were first on the scene, were taken to the hospital for assessment after "they were exposed to the vapours."
EMS's Hal Klassen said the paramedics and firefighters were sent to Hamilton General Hospital for being "potentially exposed to an unknown hazardous chemical."
All were released from hospital afterwards, he said.
Paramedics also treated and transported a patient in stable condition to hospital from the scene, he said.
Houghton Avenue, meanwhile, was closed to traffic between Dunsmure Road and Main Street East. Police were unable to say how long the road was to remain closed.
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Lawmakers seeking to prevent a repeat of the greatest financial meltdown since the Great Depression are considering ways to impose tighter regulations on big investment banks, where trading of credit default swaps and other derivatives reached unsustainable levels, helping bring the economy to the brink of disaster in 2008. Although they are commonly described as a form of insurance against defaults on home mortgages, the credit default swaps sold by A.I.G. and other firms became so widespread and complex over the past decade that it became almost impossible for the banks themselves, let alone outside regulators, to sort out the real value of these popular investments or assess the risk.
The rise in trading of derivatives — sophisticated financial instruments whose value is derived from something else such as home mortgages — also underscores how far so many banks have strayed from what should be their main mission of providing lending to individuals and small businesses to help support growth in the general economy. Critics note that derivatives trading escalated to a rapid back-and-forth exchange of paper certificates where the value often had little connection to real economic activity.
If “Too Big to Fail” and “Too Connected to Fail” have become the slogans justifying the repeated government bailouts of some major banks and insurers such as A.I.G., these firms’ continued resistance to tighter government restrictions might be summed up as “Too Complex to Regulate.”
That complexity is neither necessary nor useful, argue Robert Johnson, an EPI board member who previously served as managing director of Soros Fund Management as well as chief economist for the Senate Banking and Budget Committees; and Sony Kapoor, a former investment banker who now heads the international think tank Re-Define (Rethinking Development, Finance, and Environment). In recent interviews, Johnson and Kapoor discuss how Wall Street uses extreme complexity as a shield to pad its profits and keep regulators guessing, and why banks need to return to the sort of activities that serve people on Main Street.
Q. The trading of derivatives and credit default swaps, which are at the core of the current economic instability, are often presented as something that is too complex for the average person to understand. Why?
Johnson: They (the banks) make things hard to understand so they cannot be easily copied, which enables them to charge a higher profit margin. Complexity in and of itself doesn’t help them avoid regulation, but their declaration of instruments such as credit default swaps as stock when they are actually insurance contracts was a misnaming designed to avoid regulation.
Kapoor: Wall Street has a very strong incentive to make things as complex as possible. Complexity is used as a tool to fool regulators and to avoid tax. You set up new subsidiaries, you make new products that haven’t been addressed by regulations. Regulators are very hard-pressed to get any information.
Q. It’s been pretty well documented how the rise of credit default swaps contributed to the demise of some major investment banks. How have they contributed to the pain much of the rest of the country is feeling in the form of lost jobs, lost homes, and general economic instability?
Kapoor: Risk taking is essential to the creation of jobs and economic prosperity, but risks need to be taken by those who understand them and have the capacity to bear them. But in pursuit of profits, the banks ended up sending the risks to nontransparent corners of the market, and to less sophisticated actors who did not understand the risk, and to entities such as pension funds that did not have the capacity to bear it.
Johnson: There were two problems. First, the credit default swaps were commonly treated as income, rather than as the equivalent of an insurance policy, which might have to be repaid. And two, they were allowed to be written on third-party risks. It was as if I were allowed to bet on whether someone else’s house was going to burn down, which is not the way insurance usually works.
Q. At its peak, the size of the credit default swap market was $45 trillion. How did it get so big?
Johnson: It got so big because there were no transactional costs and no regulation. It was a completely unregulated market.
Q. What were the warning signs that should have been heeded?
Kapoor: When you have banks earning a 25% return on equity in an economy growing at only 3 or 4%, that is not just a warning bell, but a clanging fire alarm. Everybody rationally knew it was not sustainable in the long run but as long as the music was playing, the banks were going to keep dancing. It was not in their interest to stop, which is another reason you need regulation.
Johnson: Complexity was also a problem. When you shock a system, complexity makes it difficult to assess the counter parties. The other big institutions are also highly leveraged and you can’t assess whether they are solvent or insolvent. They become un-analyzable. They don’t even know themselves. When you have a situation where several big institutions are intertwined with each other and some are insolvent, there is a cascading effect that can make them all insolvent.
Q. What are your thoughts on the proposals put forth in the Obama administration to step up regulation?
Johnson: I think it is a step in the right direction, but it is probably not sufficient. The proposals for regulating over-the-counter derivatives favor the finance industry too much. I understand they are also considering a form of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to oversee derivatives trading, which would be a move in the right direction.
Kapoor: A lot of people are saying, let’s save the system first and then regulate. But in my understanding, these two issues are inseparable. Crisis came about because of a total breakdown of trust. That issue of trust cannot be resolved by going back to business as usual.
Q. The history of Wall Street seems to be a series of financial scandals, followed by calls for stricter regulation, and then a scandal of a different sort arising a few years later. Given the complexity on Wall Street, and bankers’ strong interest in avoiding regulation, can we realistically expect anything to change for the better? What is needed to accomplish meaningful regulatory reform?
Johnson: I would say that if you look at A Short History of Euphoria (John Kenneth Galbraith), it makes the point that financial markets are treated like they are rational, and yet the history of markets is one of boom and bust and crash. Many people prescribe remedies without accurately diagnosing the animal. Understanding that markets do not behave rationally makes you realize that they need much greater regulation. They need much greater capital set-asides.
Big banks should be like public utilities, where they perform a stable function. Casinos and hedge funds ought to be separate from the banks. In recent years, the banks used deposit insurance to get funds for their casinos. Society has been subsidizing the funding of these institutions and their volatile, risky activities.
Kapoor: Subsequent to each crisis, the regulatory reforms that have happened have addressed the particular cause of that crisis. None have addressed the fundamental instabilities that lie at the heart of finance. It is remarkable not how much it crashes, but how little it crashes.
We need to increase competitiveness and reduce barriers to entry in the finance system so that we have more institutions that are not too big to fail. We need a principle of diversity that prevents insurance firms, hedge funds, banks, a
nd Japanese housewives from engaging in all the same investing activities. We also need reforms to bring about simplicity since the financial system left to itself will make more and more complex products designed to maximize profits and minimize regulation. And we need more fairness: a system which in good times pays its fair share of taxes, so that in bad times, it doesn’t take the economy down with it and make taxpayers, workers, and investors pay.
Finally, we need an accountable financial system where it is not good enough to say to politicians, to labor unions, and to Main Street that this is too complex and if you touch it, it will explode. No one touched it, and it exploded anyway. If it is too complex to understand, it is too complex for stability.
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Introduction
This week Docker announced official base images for Go and other major languages, giving programmers a trusted and easy way to build containers for their Go programs.
In this article we'll walk through a recipe for creating a Docker container for a simple Go web application and deploying that container to Google Compute Engine. If you're not familiar with Docker, you should read Understanding Docker before reading on.
The demo app
For our demonstration we will use the outyet program from the Go examples repository, a simple web server that reports whether the next version of Go has been released (designed to power sites like isgo1point4.outyet.org). It has no dependencies outside the standard library and requires no additional data files at run time; for a web server, it's about as simple as it gets.
Use "go get" to fetch and install outyet in your workspace:
$ go get github.com/golang/example/outyet
Write a Dockerfile
Replace a file named Dockerfile in the outyet directory with the following contents:
# Start from a Debian image with the latest version of Go installed # and a workspace (GOPATH) configured at /go. FROM golang # Copy the local package files to the container's workspace. ADD . /go/src/github.com/golang/example/outyet # Build the outyet command inside the container. # (You may fetch or manage dependencies here, # either manually or with a tool like "godep".) RUN go install github.com/golang/example/outyet # Run the outyet command by default when the container starts. ENTRYPOINT /go/bin/outyet # Document that the service listens on port 8080. EXPOSE 8080
This Dockerfile specifies how to construct a container that runs outyet , starting with the basic dependencies (a Debian system with Go installed; the official golang docker image), adding the outyet package source, building it, and then finally running it.
The ADD , RUN , and ENTRYPOINT steps are common tasks for any Go project. To simplify this, there is an onbuild variant of the golang image that automatically copies the package source, fetches the application dependencies, builds the program, and configures it to run on startup.
With the onbuild variant, the Dockerfile is much simpler:
FROM golang:onbuild EXPOSE 8080
Build and run the image
Invoke Docker from the outyet package directory to build an image using the Dockerfile :
$ docker build -t outyet .
This will fetch the golang base image from Docker Hub, copy the package source to it, build the package inside it, and tag the resulting image as outyet .
To run a container from the resulting image:
$ docker run --publish 6060:8080 --name test --rm outyet
The --publish flag tells docker to publish the container's port 8080 on the external port 6060 .
The --name flag gives our container a predictable name to make it easier to work with.
The --rm flag tells docker to remove the container image when the outyet server exits.
With the container running, open http://localhost:6060/ in a web browser and you should see something like this:
(If your docker daemon is running on another machine (or in a virtual machine), you should replace localhost with the address of that machine. If you're using boot2docker on OS X or Windows you can find that address with boot2docker ip .)
Now that we've verified that the image works, shut down the running container from another terminal window:
$ docker stop test
Create a repository on Docker Hub
Docker Hub, the container registry from which we pulled the golang image earlier, offers a feature called Automated Builds that builds images from a GitHub or BitBucket repository.
By committing the Dockerfile to the repository and creating an automated build for it, anyone with Docker installed can download and run our image with a single command. (We will see the utility of this in the next section.)
To set up an Automated Build, commit the Dockerfile to your repo on GitHub or BitBucket, create an account on Docker Hub, and follow the instructions for creating an Automated Build.
When you're done, you can run your container using the name of the automated build:
$ docker run goexample/outyet
(Replace goexample/outyet with the name of the automated build you created.)
Deploy the container to Google Compute Engine
Google provides container-optimized Google Compute Engine images that make it easy to spin up a virtual machine running an arbitrary Docker container. On startup, a program running on the instance reads a configuration file that specifies which container to run, fetches the container image, and runs it.
Create a containers.yaml file that specifies the docker image to run and the ports to expose:
version: v1beta2 containers: - name: outyet image: goexample/outyet ports: - name: http hostPort: 80 containerPort: 8080
(Note that we're publishing the container's port 8080 as external port 80 , the default port for serving HTTP traffic. And, again, you should replace goexample/outyet with the name of your Automated Build.)
Use the gcloud tool to create a VM instance running the container:
$ gcloud compute instances create outyet \ --image container-vm-v20140925 \ --image-project google-containers \ --metadata-from-file google-container-manifest=containers.yaml \ --tags http-server \ --zone us-central1-a \ --machine-type f1-micro
The first argument ( outyet ) specifies the instance name, a convenient label for administrative purposes.
The --image and --image-project flags specify the special container-optimized system image to use (copy these flags verbatim).
The --metadata-from-file flag supplies your containers.yaml file to the VM.
The --tags flag tags your VM instance as an HTTP server, adjusting the firewall to expose port 80 on the public network interface.
The --zone and --machine-type flags specify the zone in which to run the VM and the type of machine to run. (To see a list of machine types and the zones, run gcloud compute machine-types list .)
Once this has completed, the gcloud command should print some information about the instance. In the output, locate the networkInterfaces section to find the instance's external IP address. Within a couple of minutes you should be able to access that IP with your web browser and see the "Has Go 1.4 been released yet?" page.
(To see what's happening on the new VM instance you can ssh into it with gcloud compute ssh outyet . From there, try sudo docker ps to see which Docker containers are running.)
Learn more
This is just the tip of the iceberg—there's a lot more you can do with Go, Docker, and Google Compute Engine.
To learn more about Docker, see their extensive documentation.
To learn more about Docker and Go, see the official golang Docker Hub repository and Kelsey Hightower's Optimizing Docker Images for Static Go Binaries.
To learn more about Docker and Google Compute Engine, see the Container-optimized VMs page and the google/docker-registry Docker Hub repository.
By Andrew Gerrand
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Back in 1967, the South African government took the decision to release a new gold bullion coin to help promote South African gold as an investment vehicle into the international markets. Named after the famous South African President and nature conservationist Paul Kruger and the South African monetary currency, Krugerrands have been produced since the first coin was struck on the 3 July 1967. Next year represents the coins 50th anniversary and the South African Mint are pulling out all the stops to make it memorable.
Of greatest interest to most people, the long-awaited debut of a silver version of the coin. Often associated with counterfeits, the coin is to become a reality after half a century. The famous springbok design has been used by AllCollect for a range of silver coins issued for another African state, the Republic of Gabon, but those were not related to the Krugerrrand in any way.
First thing to note with the silver coin is that it carries an actual denomination, 1 Rand, the gold never having done so. Apart from the inscriptions in the bottom half of the reverse face, the design remains unchanged from the original. For this 2017 coin, we’re going to assume that these will continue onwards unless they’re an unlikely poor seller, there is also a small privy stamp of the number 50 in a circle, the meaning obvious.
There are to be two versions. One struck to what the mint calls ‘Premium uncirculated‘ will be the bullion offering, with a mintage set at a million (corrected from 500,000). Also on offer will be 15,000 coins struck to a proof standard, a few of which will be mixed in with some gold anniversary sets. It’s been a long time coming, but this ultra-iconic design is now available to us in a hugely more affordable format. They should begin shipping in mid-November. But that’s not all….
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The smoke surrounding rumors of an Apple-branded vehicle has begun to thicken, as a new report says that Apple is indeed working on an all-electric vehicle that would take the shape of a minivan, with a huge team tasked to the project.
One of Apple's sensor-laden vans, spotted in Hawaii by AppleInsider reader matthawaii.
Apple has given the project codename "Titan," according to the Wall Street Journal. The company is said to have "several hundred" employees working in the group.Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly green-lighted the project almost a year ago, and company executives have already begun to meet with potential contract manufacturers, including Canadian firm Magna Steyr. Apple iPod and iPhone designer Steve Zadesky, formerly of Ford, is said to be running the project.The team— which has its own development facility away from the main Infinite Loop campus —could eventually swell to some 1,000 employees, and Zadesky has been given free reign to pull talent from any existing Apple group. Zadesky's group is reportedly researching "robotics, metals and materials consistent with automobile manufacturing."The Journal's report follows hours after a similar missive from the Financial Times, which revealed a "top-secret research lab" staffed with automotive executives. Among those who have made the move is former Mercedes-Benz R&D head Johann Jungwirth, who joined Apple as a Mac systems engineering leader last fall.Apple design chief Jony Ive is believed to have been personally recruiting automotive executives . Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed earlier that Apple has tried "very hard" to poach engineers from the electric carmaker, offering $250,000 bonuses and 60 percent pay raises.Rumors of an Apple-branded vehicle have been around for years, but began to gather steam when Apple was revealed as the company behind a fleet of mysterious sensor-laden vans which have appeared around the U.S. in recent months. Those vans, which are almost certainly designed for data collection to augment Apple's mapping service, are unlikely to be directly related to any potential vehicle project, which is likely years away from production.
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