Split (1)

train · 8.01M rows

text stringlengths 316 100k
1st Ever National GEA Geothermal Energy Summit August 19th, 2011 by Zachary Shahan I saved 4 emails on this in the most important area of my email inbox, so that I would try to make sure to write on it. It was the 1st national Geothermal Energy Summit hosted by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). I know, geothermal isn’t as sexy as wind or solar, and many of you probably don’t even know what geothermal energy is. But I think geothermal has a ton of potential and I think it’ll be a much more important part of our energy mix before long. So, I’m a little disappointed that I never got around to highlighting the conference before it happened… but in place of that, I’m going to post the news release that followed it (via the GEA). Check it out, if you haven’t been keeping up with geothermal news and didn’t make the conference: Reno, Nev. (August 18, 2011)— The GEA’s Inaugural National Geothermal Summit culminated on Wednesday after two days of intense discussions related to large scale exploration, equitable tax treatment, reducing development times, funding science and education needs and clearly defining geothermal’s intrinsic attributes and how the industry should market that to potential off-takers. More than 300 policy and industry leaders gathered in Reno for a successful session on moving utility scale geothermal energy forward despite challenging issues facing the industry. “The geothermal industry has the ability to provide a significant portion of home grown energy to U.S. households but we need three things: certainty from policy makers, permit streamlining, and constructive partnerships between business and policy leaders to expedite the process,” said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell. “Megawatt for megawatt, geothermal employs four times as many Americans as natural gas, and the industry is creating thousands of jobs, even as other industries suffer. This means taking communities out of crisis and providing substantial revenue to local government.” The GEA National Geothermal Summit discussed the outlook for Washington D.C. and the western states, building new transmission projects in the west, new renewable energy policy developments in California, and moving geothermal forward on public lands. Panelists included John Wellinghoff, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC); Karen Edson, Vice President, Policy and Client Services, CAISO; Kathleen Benedetto, Legislative Staff, House Subcommittee on Energy & Mineral Resources; and V. John White, Executive Director, Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies (CEERT). Paul Thomsen, GEA Board President and Director for Ormat Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Reno, Nev., said, “This summit created the foundation for state and national dialogues that will continue to educate agencies, utilities, developers and others as to the important role this industry will play as the industry continues to move forward. We expect there will be follow up on almost every critical issue that was raised. We see real dialogue between state officials to get the job done.” Stoel Rives LLP, also a gold level sponsor for the Summit, is uniquely connected with and involved in renewable energy in general and geothermal energy in particular. “The first National Geothermal Summit in Reno was a tremendous success and very valuable for the industry,” said John McKinsey, Partner, Stoel Rives, LLP. “Stakeholders from all aspects of the renewable energy industry met and truly advanced the agenda of how important baseload, sustainable geothermal power is in helping the United States find balance in its electricity supply while achieving energy independence.” An Expo Hall featured government agencies, universities and leading geothermal developers from the growing geothermal industry including: Allied Washoe Petroleum; Arizona Geological Survey; Building and Construction Trades Council No. NV; Bureau of Land Management; City of Reno; Ecology and Environment, Inc.; EMPSi; GE Power & Water; Geothermal Development Associates; Helidyne; Horizon Well Logging; JBR Environmental Consultants; Laborer’s Union Local 169; National Geothermal Academy, Nevada Division of Minerals; Nevada Geothermal Power; Pratt & Whitney Power Systems; Rain for Rent; Rockwell Automation; Sierra Environmental Monitoring; SpecTIR; Stoel Rives LLP; TAS Energy Inc.; ThermaSource; Truckee Meadows Community College; U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technology Program; Western Cultural Research Management, Inc. (WCRM); Western Environmental Testing Laboratory (WetLab). Looks like it was a good conference. And for any of you familiar with the needs of wind and solar energy in the policy arena, you can see that geothermal is in the same boat as those clean energy options. It has a lot to offer (clearly, on the job front, it beats fossil fuels!), but it needs policy stability. What will bring about stability and security and allow geothermal to expand? The same things that will do so for solar and wind — a national clean energy and climate change bill; a national renewable energy standard (RES); fewer crazies in political power. Let’s hope we can get all of those soon. Image via Gretar Ívarsson, geologist at Nesjavellir
“Water quality of River Ganga is showing presence of bacterial contamination besides reporting of presence of trace pollutants like heavy metals and pesticides in some of the studies,” CPCB said in the report filed in pursuance to the NGT’s September 6 order. (Source: PTI) Water quality of river Ganga shows the presence of bacterial contamination besides traces of pollutants like heavy metals and pesticides, says the apex pollution monitoring body CPCB. In a detailed report covering various aspects of contamination in the river, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has informed the National Green Tribunal that the Ganga, spanning a distance of 543 km between Haridwar and Kanpur, was affected by 1,072 seriously polluting industries which are releasing heavy metals and pesticides. “Before many years/centuries, the river was not blocked for any purpose and due to limited habitation on the bank of the river, hardly there was disposal of any waste into the river. Now, the River Ganga is blocked/dammed at many places (upper Himalayan stretches and on the plains such as Haridwar, Bijnor, Narora and Kanpur) and water has been diverted for various uses. As a result, the water quality and ecological sanctity is threatened. “Water quality of River Ganga is showing presence of bacterial contamination besides reporting of presence of trace pollutants like heavy metals and pesticides in some of the studies,” CPCB said in the report filed in pursuance to the NGT’s September 6 order. At present, 823.1 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage and 212.42 MLD of industrial effluent flows into the river while three of the four monitored Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) were non-compliant with the set standards, it said. With regard to Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) by industries, CPCB said it has already directed them to achieve ZLD in distillery, tannery and textile units as it was mandatory that pollutants like chromium, total dissolved solid and other chemicals are separated before they are disposed of. “All the industries discharging industrial effluents should transmit online data of their effluent quality on uninterrupted basis to CPCB and SPCBs. These industries should also submit fortnightly data of effluent quality based on samples collected manually and getting it analysed through laboratory recognised under Environment Protection Act,” it said. On the issue of sewage management, the NGT was informed that at present 823.1 MLD sewage was being discharged without treatment directly into the river and the gap will be fulfilled after construction of proposed STPs. “30 storm water drains carrying sewage and sullage (waste water) and other wastes joining Ganga at various locations, should have flow measuring systems at the terminal points for assessing the quantity of waste water being discharged. “The identified 30 sewage carrying drains joining Ganga should be hygienically maintained and properly dredged at regular intervals. Dredged material should be disposed off properly without having any environmental impacts,” it said. With regard to water quality assessment, the pollution monitoring body said that keeping in view that water quality of Ganga indicates presence of high number of fecal coliform bacteria monitoring of water quality of the river at various locations would be carried out on regular basis and monthly data be published on its website. “Till full-fledged STP are set-up, concerned bodies should set up temporary treatment systems within next six months to reduce existing pollution load,” it said. CPCB said that on experimental basis, UP Irrigation Department will release some more quantity of water into Ganga from Narora barrage and monitor whether it has any consequences on other users like farmers. “The Irrigation Department will submit fortnightly report to the Ministry of Water Resources indicating the quantity of water released and quantity of water flowing in the river in various locations from Narora to Kanpur,” it said. The green panel had divided the work of cleaning the river into different segments — Gomukh to Haridwar, Haridwar to Kanpur, Kanpur to border of Uttar Pradesh, border of Uttar Pradesh to border of Jharkhand and border of Jharkhand to Bay of Bengal. On December 11 last year, the tribunal had imposed a complete ban on use of plastic of any kind from Gomukh to Haridwar along the river from February 1 and decided to slap a penalty of Rs 5,000 per day on erring hotels, dharamsalas and ashrams spewing waste into the river.
This is all your fault, America Well, everyone can just go ahead and give up now because Doritos is releasing a line of Doritos that are based on the Doritos Locos Tacos with those Doritos shells. Doritos. Doritos Doritos? Doritos Doritos Doritos! And the fat snake of capitalism feasts rabidly on its own tail. First, there came the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco, and a joyful nation rejoiced in its cheese dust-covered muu-muus. But soon we demanded more and our Frito-Lay overlords were only too happy to oblige us with the next generation Cool Ranch taco creation. And now...there's this. Doritos revealed the next generation chip abomination on its Facebook page today. Basically they are Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch chip bags each mixed in with "Crunchy Taco"-flavored chips. So now there's no reason to ever eat the real Doritos Locos Tacos because now it can be delivered to you in convenient chip form! DO YOU SEE WHAT YOUR GLUTTONY HATH WROUGHT, AMERICA?!? You couldn't leave well enough alone with your onion ring, chicken cola and sriracha flavored chip gimmicks. Now we're trapped on an endless Möbius strip of junk food branding and rebranding and rerebranding. Up next, Dr. Pepper-flavored Doritos Locos Tacos Doritos, with microwaveable spicy "cheese" dipping sauce! It's a tie-in for the new 3-D Great Gatsby movie! OPEN WIDE AND TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!
To the Editor: Re “Secret Papers Detail U.S. Aid for Ex-Nazis” (front page, Nov. 14) That American intelligence officials created a “safe haven” for Nazis in the United States should come as no surprise. The ground was prepared by Congress in the McCarran-Walter Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which defined Communism as a totalitarian system but ignored Nazism entirely. The I.N.A. is usually discussed in terms of its loosening of racial quotas. Of equal importance was the reordering of United States political priorities that it represented. While neither Nazis nor Communists were explicitly excluded from the United States under this law, consular practice was to require all visa applicants to swear an oath of non-allegiance to Communism, setting the stage for an individual’s exclusion and deportation by way of fraud in the event a person was subsequently identified as a Communist. Seven years after the conclusion of the war against Germany, no such oath regarding nonparticipation in Nazi activity was required. There can be no doubt that many individuals who were involved in Nazi atrocities were freely admitted to the United States, because immigration law did not exclude them. Judith Laikin Elkin Ann Arbor, Mich., Nov. 14, 2010 The writer was United States vice consul in London, 1954-56.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday announced her support for an upcoming bill from Vermont’s independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders said in March that he would follow through on his long-held support for single-payer insurance by introducing a bill extending Medicare-like coverage to achieve universal health care. The bill, which is still being crafted, is due to be unveiled Wednesday Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, shared the news with her supporters in an email that began, “I’m co-sponsoring Bernie’s Medicare-for-All bill.” Warren follows California Sen. Kamala Harris, who recently backed the Sanders bill at an Oakland town hall. The three senators are considered top-tier contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, should they decide to run. Warren’s support of the bill unites the two most powerful members of the party’s left flank, which used to be called the “Warren wing” before being rechristened the “Sanders wing,” given his surprisingly close contest with Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. To have Sanders, Warren, and Harris on the same bill sends a signal that this is the central Democratic vehicle for health care policy reform going forward, which stretches the contours of a debate that previously excluded single-payer. “There’s a lot of potential to really grow this idea if you have six or seven Democrats all talking about why we need a single-payer system,” said Josh Miller-Lewis, a spokesperson for Sanders, on the Warren endorsement. “This is a big moment.” Miller-Lewis added that the bill was still being written. Signing on to a single-payer bill with momentum may seem like an obvious political move for Warren, but it’s not that simple. Warren has achieved stature in Congress; signing on to a colleague’s bill rather than drafting one to her own specifications is a concession to Sanders. The move is a nod to Sanders’s elevation within the progressive movement. Indeed, embedded in Warren’s letter to supporters is a note that Sanders’s bill is “one way” to address health care policy. “Medicare for All is one way that we can give every single person in the country access to high quality health care,” she wrote. “Everyone is covered. Nobody goes broke paying a medical bill. Families don’t have to bear the costs of heartbreaking medical disasters on their own.” Warren has also had a complicated past political relationship with single-payer schemes. During her 2012 campaign for the Senate, her opponent, Republican Scott Brown, criticized her for backing single-payer, while Warren’s leftist primary opponent criticized her for not backing it. “I made a clear statement I’m the only candidate in this race who supports single-payer,” Marisa DeFranco, Warren’s challenger from the left, told MassLive.com. “No one disabused me of that notion.” Warren never explicitly backed single-payer in that campaign, instead saying that the focus needed to be on defending the Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama’s signature health care reform law. Brown, however, based his charge of Warren’s support for single-payer on a chapter in a 2008 book she co-authored with Deborah Thorne, a University of Idaho professor. In the book, “Health at Risk: America’s Ailing Health System — and How to Heal It,” edited by Jacob Hacker, who would later become known as the father of public option, they wrote: “We approach the health care debates from a single perspective: maintaining the financial stability of families confronting illness or injury. The most obvious solution would be universal single-payer health care.” Thorne and Warren, then a professor at Harvard Law School, added that such a solution may be “politically unacceptable.” It’s not anymore.
It's become something of a truism that Hillary Clinton is more electable than Bernie Sanders. Even among Democrats, this trope persists. In an interview on ABC's “Good Morning America,” Sanders pushed back, pointing to his head-to-head poll numbers against leading GOP candidates. George Stephanopoulos asked the Vermont senator what he thought of the assumption, echoed by the Clinton campaign, that he can't win a general election. His response was straightforward: Advertisement: “Well, I would suggest that Secretary Clinton look at the last Quinnipiac poll, which has me leading Trump by a significantly higher margin than she does, and that's true of other polls as well...I think we can do better against Trump or other Republicans than can Secretary Clinton...The No. 1 reason I think is that the issues we are talking about, the disappearing middle class, massive levels of wealth and income inequality, the fact that Wall Street's greed has had a huge impact on the lives of millions of people. People want leadership now to stand up to the big-money interests, protect working people. That's what I've done my whole life.” Sanders has a point. According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, he is doing considerably better in head-to-head surveys against Trump, the clear Republican front-runner. Currently, Clinton is leading Trump 47–40, while Sanders tops Trump 51–38 percent. Against Cruz and Rubio, arguably the second and third most likely Republican nominees at this point, Clinton is comparatively stronger, although not by much. Sanders trails Rubio 42–45 and is essentially tied with Cruz, receiving 43 percent to Cruz's 44 percent. Clinton is even with Cruz (tied at 44 percent) and leads Rubio only by 1 percent (44–43). These numbers are closer than most imagine, and there are reasons to think they'll continue to narrow in the coming weeks and months. Clinton may well be the safer general election candidate, but Sanders' message is resonating, and the grass-roots excitement his campaign is creating is very real. And in any event, he's energized the Democratic base in such a way that Clinton will need something beyond the general election narrative to sway primary voters. It's worth noting, though, that Sanders hasn't received nearly as much scrutiny and attention as Clinton has over the years. She has been a political pinata for decades. Republicans have lobbed every attack imaginable at her, and she's still standing — that counts for something. Sanders, on the other hand, has been in politics for a long time, but he was never a prominent national figure. He has yet to earn the sustained ire of the right-wing propaganda machine, as Hillary has. That ought to trouble Democrats because, fair or not, Bernie will make an easy target. He self-identifies as a Democratic Socialist, a term most of the country doesn't understand and is thus ripe for demagoguery. And while Sanders can – and has – explained how mainstream Democratic Socialism really is, the term “socialism” remains hopelessly loaded and misunderstood. So far the Republicans have focused mostly on Clinton, as she appears to be the most likely nominee. Sanders name is scarcely mentioned at the Republican debates. Should things change, or should Bernie win the nomination, the fear-mongering and distortion from the right will be overwhelming. Sanders could still win a general election, particularly against Trump or Cruz, but I suspect the race would be closer than the current polls suggest.
(KUTV) A Utah couple left their child behind. A 3-year-old boy was -- and the parents didn't realize he was gone until Tuesday morning. It happened at the Crazy Corn Maze at 8800 South and 4000 West. The boy was found at about 7:30 p.m. in the front entrance area by a woman, called a "Good Samaritan" by police, who brought the boy to the corn maze staff. Police said it wasn't until Tuesday morning when they got a call from the family. They reported the child was missing and they believe they left him at the corn maze. "Sounds like this is a dwelling with multiple families and a lot of children living in the same home," said Sgt. Joe Monson with the West Jordan Police Department. He said there is still an investigation that needs to take place. "The fact that it took so long for them to realize the child was missing -- was it purely an accident? What where the circumstances? These are all questions [investigators] want to ask." According to staff at the Crazy Corn Maze, the boy was emotional, but finally calmed down when a West Jordan officer put a movie on her laptop for the child. "They got him to say his brothers name and that was about it," said Josy Schmidt, part owner of the maze along with her husband. Schmidt said they did everything they could to try and locate the parents, including getting on a bull horn and walking through the maze. But the parents could not be found anywhere. So after closing, the officer turned the child over to the Department of Child and Family Services. DCFS is not saying if it still has the child or have returned him to his family. "What's odd to me is they didn't notice when they got home, or noticed by bedtime, or noticed in the night," Schmidt said.
The search engine portal – which had been hoping to bring in annual revenues of $800m as a result of the deal – has been left in the lurch after its larger rival walked away from their agreement over regulatory fears. Google, which first announced its intentions on its corporate blog, cited the US Department of Justice's desire to block the deal as the main reason for pulling out. "After four months of review, including discussions of various possible changes to the agreement, it's clear that government regulators and some advertisers continue to have concerns about the agreement. Pressing ahead risked not only a protracted legal battle but also damage to relationships with valued partners," read the statement. The agreement between the two companies included a clause which gave the pair 100 days from signing in June to establish the regulatory response, and for either side to pull out if the response was negative. In its statement, Yahoo! said it was "disappointed" by Google's decision, and indicated it would have been willing to fight the block in the courts if necessary. Yahoo! now finds itself in a precarious position, given that co-founder and chief executive Jerry Yang used the Google venture as the main defence against Microsoft's $47.3bn takeover offer. Mr Yang chose Google over Microsoft as it allowed the company to remain independent, and to focus on its strengths in display advertising. It now has to decide whether to locate a new merger partner or attempt to continue as a stand-alone operation. The prospect of operating as a single entity is something unlikely to please shareholders, including activist investor Carl Icahn, who has a 5pc share in Yahoo! and won a seat on the board as a non-executive director after a bitter struggle for control earlier in the year. Yahoo!'s main options for a merger are with Microsoft or AOL, which is part of Time Warner. However Henry Blodget, the former Wall Street analyst turned blogger, believes that bringing Microsoft back around the table might be difficult. "If Yahoo! can get Microsoft back to the table to discuss a search deal, we expect the terms it gets will be significantly worse than the ones it passed on last summer. And that's if Microsoft comes back. Microsoft might just want to see if Yahoo! just completely implodes," he noted on Silicon Alley Insider. But shares in Yahoo! traded up by 7.3pc as optimistic investors hoped that the end of the Google deal would bring some form of merger closer to fruition.
(CNN) A British man based in Tokyo is spreading Christmas cheer in a very unique way. Joseph Tame, who runs a small video production and digital media business, is dressing up as a Christmas tree -- equipped with lights and decorations -- and running through the streets of Japan's capital. "There are many areas of the city that are beautifully illuminated with Christmas decorations, but there are also areas where there are not, so I thought wouldn't it be great to take the fun and wonder of these illuminations into those areas and spread the Christmas cheer," he tells CNN. "I like to make people laugh and smile where they don't expect it." Tame built the Christmas tree by using an aluminum frame wrapped with two rucksacks and inserting the branches from two fake Christmas trees into them. The costume required 99 batteries, 30 meters of wiring and 60 days to make. Read More
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said Wednesday his chamber would not follow the House of Delegates in passing what he called a "sanctuary state" bill. The Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee is whittling away at their version of the legislation, which was introduced as the Trust Act. In its current form, the bill would explicitly bar police from questioning people about immigration or citizenship status. It also would bar jail officials from holding people past their release date for immigration purposes, unless federal officials present a warrant signed by a judge. And it directs the state attorney general to create guidelines to limit immigration enforcement at schools, hospitals and courthouses. The bill would allow local jails to continue programs that partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify possible immigration violators in custody. Gov. Larry Hogan has promised to veto the bill if it is passed by the legislature. Miller said Maryland would not become a "sanctuary state." "Our churches are not sanctuaries, our colleges are not sanctuaries, our cities are not sanctuaries," said Miller, a Calvert County Democrat. "The bill as it passed the House is not going to pass the Senate," he said. Miller added that he does want to protect immigrants from intrusive inquiries. "We need to protect all citizens, no matter how they got here, from being hindered while going about their lives," he said. Miller said he has not been lobbying members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, who are reviewing the bill. CAPTION Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Governor Larry Hogan, and Speaker of the House of Delegates Michael E. Busch sign bills in the Annapolis State House. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun video) Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Governor Larry Hogan, and Speaker of the House of Delegates Michael E. Busch sign bills in the Annapolis State House. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun video) CAPTION Governor Larry Hogan, House Speaker Michael E Busch, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller participate in a bill signing ceremony the morning after the General Assembly finished. (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun) Governor Larry Hogan, House Speaker Michael E Busch, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller participate in a bill signing ceremony the morning after the General Assembly finished. (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun) The committee spent nearly an hour wrestling with the the legislation Tuesday night, going section by section and discussing which parts to keep and which to remove. They held off on taking a final vote. Sen. Bobby Zirkin, the committee's chairman, said it was most important to him to make clear that police can't stop people for the purpose of inquiring about immigration. Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat, said he doesn't want police to arrest individuals as a pretext to ask them about immigration. Though Zirkin said the practice is already prohibited by a Supreme Court ruling, "there's a statement to be made to reinforce that in state law." Some on the committee are not convinced the bill is a good idea. Sen. Michael Hough, a Frederick County Republican, said the bill "completely ties the hands of law enforcement." If the Senate passes a different version of the bill than the House, the two chambers would have to reconcile the differences before the end of the General Assembly session on April 10. pwood@baltsun.com twitter.com/pwoodreporter
Packing for the parks We’ve been to a lot of theme parks over the last few years and have fine tuned what I carry (I do most of the carrying). It’s difficult to balance the need to take everything and the practicality of not wanting to carry it around all day. We are heading off to Disneyland Paris in a few days and decided to share what we pack in our park bag. If you think we are missing a key piece of kit, or have any other ideas please let us know in the comments! The Essentials A good bag - First we need a decent bag to put everything in, it has to be strong and sturdy and have enough pockets for all your stuff. We use this Toy Story bag for our trips, it’s great and lightweight. Vans has stopped selling it though you can still buy a different Toy Story version. Though we do also have a collapsable North Face bag which is even lighter and can be folded up into a pocket when you don’t need it. It’s great if you are planning on shopping, or to just take your layers/raincoats in for the evening. Water bottle - Most theme parks provide free water, whether you have to ask or they have fountains. It’s always a good idea to make sure you are hydrated, you will be out all day in the sun and walking quite a bit. The best way to access the free water is through a water bottle. Our water bottle is a Camelbak Eddy Insulated, it means the water stays slightly colder for longer. Appropriate clothing - Jumpers, coats or jackets always remember to take appropriate clothing. We have a couple of ‘pac-a-macs’, jackets which fold into small pouches. These are great if it rains, or for water rides, plus they give you an extra layer if it gets chilly at night. Medical Supplies - Some basic medical supplies are always handy, like plasters and pain killers. There is nothing worse than waiting in line with a headache. A clear plastic bag - Ideally with a zip lock acts as a great waterproof bag. Put your phone/money in before going on those wet rides and it should keep everything nice and dry. Sunscreen - Remember to take plenty of sunscreen, even if its not sunny. Technology Camera & accessories - If you don’t have a camera already do yourself a favour and invest in one. Mobile phones are still no match for a good dedicated camera. I typically take two, a Sony RX100 M3 and a GoPro Hero Session for our ride shots. Don’t forget a spare battery and memory card if you need them. Portable Charger & Cables - These chargers are versatile and can be used to charge your mobile, camera or any other electronic device which supports USB charging. Be careful when taking a charger, so can weigh a lot. I’ve found the Anker Powercore Slim to be the best balance of weight and power. It can charge my iPhone almost twice. Optional Paper & Pen - For those autographs you always wanted. Tripod - Even the best photographers still have shaky hands, if you want to get good quality shots at night consider investing in a tripod. A Gorilla Pod is a great everyday tripod, but if you want something more substantial I would recommend the Manfrotto befree one. It’s not the lightest, but it’s very sturdy and fits into my rucksack. Hand sanitizer - Alongside some tissues great for dealing with the spills of those Dole Whips.
In abrupt reversal, Anthem covers transgender care By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon One of Colorados largest health insurance companies has reversed itself and is now covering care for transgender patients. Kelly Costello, 32, of Denver, received stunning news last week. One day after getting a formal notice that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado would not cover chest reconstruction surgery, the company abruptly overturned its decision. Costello received a written notice that Anthem has reversed its decision and now will cover some or all of the services. Costello had paid about $8,000 in out-of-pocket expenses for the surgery he underwent in April. Costello is overjoyed. Im excited that were starting to set a precedent for access to trans-inclusive health care in Colorado, said Costello, who came out as transgender at age 23 and recently decided to proceed with surgery. Kelly Costello as a child. Raised in Philadelphia by supportive parents, Costello didnt come out as transgender until his early 20s. I basically had been given the message that I could do whatever I wanted to do and be whatever I wanted to be, Costello said. I didnt have a strong gender structure to rebel against. We deal with a world that is still largely transphobic. Jokes and violence continue to persist, Costello said. Health insurance policies that have explicitly prohibited care for transgender people have led them to have very low expectations for getting decent care, Costello said. This decision may improve access to appropriate health care so transgender patients can feel like a whole person. In March, Colorados Division of Insurance issued a bulletin barring health insurance companies from discriminating against people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. While the transgender community is small and not everyone will seek out surgery or hormone treatments, Costello said the bulletin and subsequent rulings have been groundbreaking. Since March, patients and insurance companies have been sorting out how the bulletin would affect patient care. Solutions last week chronicled the story of Alex Manigault, a transgender teen who fought for health coverage and settled a civil rights case with Kaiser Permanente, another one of Colorados largest health insurance companies. (Click here to read Transgender teen settles landmark health case) Costello also had filed a complaint with Colorados Division of Civil Rights. Like Manigault, Costello contended that he was receiving unequal health care specifically because he is transgender. Costello, however, did not file his claim within the required 60 days of being denied health care services and, based on this technicality, the Civil Rights Commission will not rule on the merits of his complaint. Anthems decision could have reverberations throughout the insurance industry. Its parent company, WellPoint, is the second biggest insurer in the U.S. behind UnitedHealthcare. Industry wide there have historically been exclusions regarding gender reassignment surgery, but now with guidance from the Division of Insurance, those policies are changing, Anthem spokeswoman Joyzelle Davis said in a written statement. Anthem is in the process of changing its systems and policies in accordance with the bulletin. With nearly 1 million members in Colorado, Anthems about face could sway companies that otherwise might have fought the new bulletin. Davis said Anthem was the first carrier in Colorado to offer domestic partner coverage for small groups starting in 2007. Prior to the March bulletin, LGBT Coloradans could be charged higher rates for health plans, and sexual orientation could be used as a pre-existing condition to limit or deny coverage. Under Colorados statutes, transgender status is included under the definition of sexual orientation. Costello reviews appeals he filed with both Anthem and Colorados Division of Civil Rights as he sought coverage of chest reconstruction surgery. For Costello, who was braced for a long fight, the timing was a surprise. Last Tuesday, he received a denial of his appeal for coverage. He expected it, but still the news stung. It felt defeating. As someone who has the resources, the energy and the time to fight this, I still could feel the emotional impact of the denial, Costello said. Then to so quickly receive a letter saying, Never mind. Ignore that, is amazing. I finally feel like my health care is a priority. Costello still doesnt know whether the full cost of his surgery will be covered. In order to pay for the surgery, he had sought donations through the crowdsourcing website, Indiegogo. Once Costello receives reimbursements, he plans to follow up with donors to identify an appropriate use for the money, possibly offering refunds or donating the money to charitable organizations. I want to make sure this is benefiting the community, said Costello, who manages grants for the Denver-based Gill Foundation, which advocates for LGBT equality. I received so much support from my family and friends. This fight is bigger than my own. Unlike many transgender people, Costello said he has not suffered grave consequences regarding his transition. An only child of supportive parents, Costello has always been known as Kelly and received a powerful message growing up as a girl in Philadelphia. I basically had been given the message that I could do whatever I wanted to do and be whatever I wanted to be, Costello said. I didnt have a strong gender structure to rebel against. He wasnt a girly girl. Nor was he a tomboy. He didnt wear makeup and mostly wore comfortable clothes from shorts to pants to skirts. All the kids in the neighborhood boys and girls grew up playing in the streets outside their homes. Later during his teen years and early 20s, Costello found himself in settings where he clearly had to identify himself as female. At a summer camp where he went for years and eventually worked as a counselor, everyone called him Aunt Kelly. He knows that people wondered about his sexual orientation, but at camp no one ever dared to ask. Even if they did, he might not have had an answer for them. I hadnt shaved my legs in years and would wear mismatched clothes. It was important to me to show a different kind of femininity, to be a different kind of role model for girls. Then he worked at an elementary school where students called him Miss Costello. I didnt feel like I had a lot of room to ask the internal questions, Costello said. To figure out his gender identity, Costello had to break free from those places where gender seemed set in stone. He said he didnt feel alienated as a girl, but by his early 20s, he knew that he wanted to identify as a male. It wasnt until college when I met other transgender people and when I was out as queer that things started to click a bit, Costello said. Finally, while living with new friends in Chicago, Costello remembers the moment when his identity became clear. Costello as a toddler with his maternal grandparents. Costello said his grandfather, now in his 90s, was the first in his family to adapt to calling Costello a he instead of a she. Hes amazing, Costello says of his grandfather. Sometimes you find allies in really unlikely places. It was about 5 a.m. I was sitting in my roommates room when I first acknowledged it out loud. After talking in circles, I finally said, Im a boy. Many friends and family members were supportive, albeit slow to adapt. Most surprisingly, Costellos grandfather who is now in his 90s, was the first in the family to shift pronouns. An unexpected and painful indignity came when a family member withdrew an invitation to a wedding. The message was that I no longer have a place in my own family, Costello said. I wasnt in a place emotionally that I felt I could fight it. I just accepted it. Costello wished at the time that other family members could have been more vocal in their support. By 2005, Costello had started taking testosterone, which deepened his voice and allowed him to grow a neatly trimmed beard. Transitioning was both a relief and a challenge. Any major change in someones life is emotional. It takes a lot of energy and there are a lot of implications with family and friends. When I first started transitioning, there were times when people were having a lot of trouble getting my pronouns correct. It was definitely a challenge and a lesson in patience. At the same time, it was a big relief. I was able to focus on being myself and be less concerned with what other people were thinking, Costello says. Hes now very comfortable identifying as a short, queer guy who likes to square dance. While Costello began his transition nearly a decade ago, the timing wasnt right to have top surgery until this year. Theres no checklist for trans people. Some people may just change their names. Some may go on hormones. Some may have surgery. Others may not. We have varying degrees of discomfort, or not, with our bodies. People get to make whatever choices feel comfortable for them, Costello said. Having top surgery has given Costello a sense of peace. I didnt realize how big of a change it would be. My level of comfort and ease in the world post-surgery is just amazing, he said. Costello said hes grateful to have avoided some of the stress and rejection that other transgender people have faced. In a lot of ways, my transition has gone really smoothly. A lot of that is due to the fact that there have been transgender people doing amazing work before me. Im also really lucky to have an incredible community around me. There have definitely been painful moments during this process. At the same time, I feel really grateful to have had a tremendous amount of support. Now I can live a life of integrity. I have room to continue to grow.
Fergal Roche, The Key chief executive, said: "School leaders are already struggling to retain staff and manage their teachers' workload, so add thousands more pupils arriving ill-prepared for the classroom to the equation, and the burden placed on our schools will be huge. "An agreed definition of what 'school-readiness' means, could be the first step to helping schools, parents and early years practitioners identify what national or localised support is required to meet this growing issue." Gareth Jenkins director of poverty policy at Save The Children said the report "provides yet further evidence that too many children are not getting the support they need to thrive in their early years". He said: "Research for Save The Children has shown that falling behind in their early years can drastically limit a child's chances of success later on, affecting results throughout school, and even earnings as adults.” Last year, a leading child psychiatrist suggested parents enforce a “talk not tap” rule at the dinner table to stop smartphones and tablets taking over children’s lives. Dr Hayley Van Zwanenberg, of the Priory clinics, warned that children “transfixed” by social media and messaging risk growing up emotionally stunted and unable to cope properly with the real world. Today’s research comes after the Department for Education halted its controversial attempts to measure the abilities of four- and five year-olds as soon as they start school. Teachers and unions had said children starting school were too young for the baseline tests designed to see how pupils developed through primary school.
VAN MORRISON Live The Coconut Grove Ballroom, Santa Cruz, CA. (SBD) 1978 Download: FLAC/MP3 The Warner Bros. 1978 Wavelength Tour Promo Video Dvd SBD Audio Capture w Total Recorder Pro > Wave > Sony Sound Forge Pro > Flac(6) Notes: This NOT the Audio bootleg of the same name. This is a DVD SBD Audio Capture of “The Taping Of Our Times” Warner Bros. Promo Video for the begining of the 1978 Wavelength Tour Track List 01 – Wavelength – Van Morrison (5:32) 02 – Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison (5:02) 03 – Checking It Out – Van Morrison (3:40) 04 – Kingdom Hall – Van Morrison (5:39) 05 – Caravan – Van Morrison (6:10) Total Time 26:05 FFP, MD5, auCDtect Flac Report, Original and New Art work included. Lineage: DVD Audio Capture to Wave w Total Recorder Pro to PC system soundboard> Wave> Sony Sound Forge Pro 10 > Flac Level 7 > You FreeMorrison Notes: Although these files pass the auCDTect Flac Report and report 100% Flac, they are indeed MPEG sourced. I belive I just got lucky with the setting in Total Recorder Pro and got some excellent wave files to create the Flacs. There are SBE’s – but as this is the way the audio was played from the DVD I decided not to fix them, as the tracks flow seamlessly. (If you want to fix the SBE’s – feel free) Notes from Mat: FreeMorrison may no longer be posting or commenting here but that doesn’t mean his boots don’t live on. If you are out there FM, thanks for all the great tunes.
The number of posted tech jobs rose by 10.7% in the first half of the year from 2016 in the Seattle area, as eight tech hubs continue to dominate the U.S. technology industry, according to a new study by Indeed. But while Silicon Valley retains its spot as the premier technological center in the U.S., tech listings plunged by 5.9% in the western and southern valley around San Jose in the first half of the year, and an even higher 7.8% in San Francisco and along the eastern Bay Area, Indeed said. Raleigh, NC, saw the largest plummet, with tech listings dropping by 14.6%. Why it matters: Together, the eight hubs account for a whopping 27% of U.S. tech job openings. But housing costs may be driving greater tech job growth in Seattle, Baltimore and Washington, DC, while Silicon Valley is losing.
USC quarterback Cody Kessler may have the NFL Draft to worry about in a few months, but first he wants a bowl win under his belt. Kessler will play in the Holiday Bowl against No. 23 Wisconsin on Dec. 30 despite injuring his thumb on his throwing hand during the Trojans’ loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 title game. MORE: Top 10 college football moments of 2015 "He's one of those — he's going to play no matter what," USC coach Clay Helton said, via the Los Angeles Times. "You could probably cut his right wrist off and he would still play." Kessler has 28 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2015. He was the Offensive MVP of last year’s Holiday Bowl with 321 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-42 win over Nebraska.
Iranian blogger Mehdi Khazali has been sentenced to 13 years and 10 months in prison and 10 years in exile. In his blog, Khazali has criticized Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Iran's state policies. Khazali’s lawyer told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that he will appeal against the sentence. Khazali was arrested about a month ago and is currently on a hunger strike. The outspoken blogger and ophthalmologist has been detained a number of times in the past two years. Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have arrested several people over alleged links to the BBC's Persian service, Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency reported on February 6. Quoting an unnamed “informed source,” Mehr said the detainees produced content and reported to the BBC. It is not clear how many people have been arrested. In London, the BBC said in a statement it has "no BBC Persian staff members or stringers working inside Iran." The BBC said the report "should be of deep concern to all those who believe in a free and independent media.” In October, Iran released two filmmakers who were jailed on similar charges. Last week, the BBC accused Iran of pressuring the staff members of its Persian service by targeting their relatives in Iran.
A steady drizzle did not deter a large turnout for the Monday PEGIDA Walk. The Livestream video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3IhMgUrAQY&app=desktop Timeline translated from The Epoch Times 6:30 It's raining in Dresden, a constant drizzle. Speakers: Tatjana Festerling, Sigfried Däbritz and “Ed the Dutchman” who was arrested yesterday in Holland for wearing a pink plush hat with pig's snout and face. He was still wearing it in Dresden! Another guest speaker is Lothar Hoffman, former head of the police union in Saxony-Anhalt. One banner seen: “People, wake up already!” 6:45 Siegfried Däbritz opens the rally “If you see the news flow, it is only a cold horror. Germany is isolated, Merkel is moving like a ghost rider and is a threat to peace across the continent. Time has run out. We can not wait until the election in 2017, that will be too late." Everything Pegida predicted a year ago would happen, has occurred. For the sake of retaining power, the critical voices were ignored, were defamed and criminalized, says Däbritz. He quotes from Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan: Democracy is just the train, on which we ascend until we have arrived. The mosques are our barracks, the minarets our bayonets, the domes our helmets and the faithful our soldiers. Däbritz reports that Finance Minister Schaeuble said today: "We must do everything so that no more people come to Europe." Schäuble became a xenophobe with this statement. He is now looking at options of what surrounding countries have done: Switzerland, Norway and Britain. 7:05 The next speaker is Ed the Dutchman. He congratulated Geert Wilders for the 10th anniversary of the existence of his Freedom Party. "We Dutch have a big problem. There is a so-called emergency decree that the police can arbitrarily blow off events and arrest demonstrators.” Therefore, he was arrested this weekend for wearing a pig hat (pictured right), which he also wore during his short speech. He suggests that Pegidans wear it as a sign of resistance to Islamization. 7:07 The next speaker is Lothar Hoffmann, former head of the police union in Saxony-Anhalt. He is part of the organizing team "Democratic Awakening" in Sebnitz in Saxon Switzerland. The promise of the Federal Government to stricter border controls and limiting illegal entries was a farce. There is not a single case where an apprehended asylum seeker was sent back again, said Hoffmann. Addressing Merkel he explains: "Recognize finally and take note:. Your European policy has failed" The Eastern European Alliance shows quite clearly that they are no longer willing collaborators in Merkel's "disastrous" policy. "We want a new, free Europe [...] "We do not want abolition of national self-determination. We say no to TTIP and CETA, no to negotiations with Turkey." "We want no flooding and no increase in crime by criminal asylum seekers. Women and children are also not fair game. It is bad enough that there are criminal Germans. Do we need additional criminal foreigners? I say no," said the ex-cop. "We do not want mosques in Germany, Islam does not belong to Germany, let alone an Islamic party". The mulitkult mania must come to an end. The recently adopted "asylum package II" was "ridiculous and only opium for the people". He asks how deportation of offenders would be done if their countries of origin and identities can not even be clarified. And what is it with the hundreds of thousands in hiding, of which no one knows either their location or the source of their livelihood? On all these questions citizens receive no answer. "We do not want our police overstretched, which is allowed by the policy in the lurch," said Hoffman. He believes that the police could no longer protect citizens. The security of citizens is disappearing daily. He thanked the police who were protecting the demonstration. "We want to preserve our culture and tradition. I am proud to be a German, I say it openly, honestly and consciously". He is also proud to live in Saxony. He hopes that one day "our grandchildren" will thank the Pegida, and other demonstrators who went week after week on the road for freedom and democracy and against foreign domination. Addressing the government, he says: "The intellectual arsonist for excesses in Germany are not in Pegida, but they sit in Berlin." (Applause) "Your failed refugee policy is to blame for the current situation." 7:18 Siegfried Däbritz opened the walk after some words about Dresden Mayor Hilbert. 8:10 Tatjana Festerling is greeted with a chorus of "Festerling, Chancellor!" She mentions Clausnitz and what caused the demonstrators to block the refugees' bus. The phrase "We are the people" is nothing other than a finding of fact. "I stand fully behind the Clausnitzer and I will justify it in this speech,” said Festerling. She warns, "it is self-evident" when an alleged 15-year-old asylum seeker in Clausnitz uses an "IS [ISIS] Cutthroat gesture" towards his hosts. She quotes the philosopher Peter Sloterdijk on the refugee crisis. "The Europeans have to find new thoughts about their own attractiveness for refugees". There are different models but "an overly attractive nation must erect a defense system, just as a well-tempered cruelty is necessary." That was the main problem, because: "The Europeans define themselves as benign and not cruel." About the media outcry over Clausnitz, she says: "For Heaven's sake, the citizens now go to the barricades. And yes: It's bad that it had to come so far. But what other choice remains?" asks Festerling. How should citizens who "were relegated to being forced hosts" defend themselves? The protest of Clausnitz was nonviolent. Neither firecrackers or incendiary bottles were thrown, and there were no metal rods in use, as come from the left fascist perpetrators of violence at demonstrations against Pegida. "There is no moral obligation to self-destruction,” she quoted the philosopher Sloterdijk. If now we take to the street, this is "our gasp" against the post-democratic Europe. For umvolkung, which is currently taking place, there is no legitimacy. [Great! Umvolkung generally means for a German to become less German, to assimilate more with non-Germans, including loss of language and origin. The term was used in N-S Germany.] 8:16 "I am not ashamed for the Clausnitzer. On the contrary, I understand and respect the courage of citizens because there are citizens who take responsibility for their immediate environment", said Festerling. People who knew beforehand that "the bloodhounds of the press" would fall on them. [She continues in this vein about Clausnitz; it is idiomatic and hard for me to make sense of.] Festerling states: "Muslim criminals are protected. For non-violent, patriotic German, there is no mercy. " 8:25 To the tearful television appearance of the 15-year-old immigrant from the Clausnitzer bus, Festerling says: "The strategy with the kid's tears is known, for example, as a strategy of Hamas - For years exploited in Israel, where Islamic guerrillas deliberately bomb hospitals, kindergartens and schools to lead the world to condemn the brutality of the Israeli army. [Not sure this is correct.] [...] "Do we seriously believe that resistance to the asylum disaster and the associated turbo-Islamization of our country is a walk [easy]?" asks Festerling. 8:26 The National Anthem is sung, led by Ramona. Flashlight ritual. Däbritz declares the event ended after he has asked to please still bring relatives, friends and family next Monday. Demonstrators shouting "We'll be back!" flow off. It is still raining.
In the China of the 21th century, the one where all is about reckless growth, competition and the inevitable slide down into vicious consumerism of colossal proportions, there is still a big portion of it that has not caught up with the craze and preserves its most traditional qualities almost untouched. Along the paved road that links the fast-growing cities of Zhangye in Gansu and Xining in Qinghai, lies the Hui village of Menyuan. It sits at about 9500ft, on the north-eastern tip of the Tibetan plateau. Stuck in time, villages like Menyuan allow us to travel back a few hundred years, where carriages pulled by donkeys are still the main mean of transport. The Hui are Chinese speaking Muslims and rank among the 56 recognized ethnic minorities by the Chinese Government. Hui people are descendants of the merchants of various middle-eastern origins who transited the Silk Road between Europe and China. Some merchants stayed behind and married Han Chinese. They adopted the Chinese language but retained their Muslim faith. Until this day, they preserve the practice of their religion untouched and their diet, dress code and daily practices follow lines prescribed by the Quran. Hui people pass their tradition from generation to generation and even young teenagers seem proud about it. Most seem willing to extend it into the future generations, despite the clash of cultures and the rapid westernization of the China. The Hui’s diet follows Islamic strictures. They do not eat pork and fast during Ramadan. Hui butchers keep their stores and practices as precarious – from a western perspective – as possible. No need for refrigeration, no need for an enclosed space. Beasts are slain open-air and chopped on-demand. Carcasses hang off hooks pretty much as shiny Armani suits hang from the luxurious stores of Shanghai. Chinese traditional medicine and herbal treatments have been adopted by the Hui and roots are sold everywhere on the streets. Anything can be made into a store. A whole family can make a store out of a simple box of metal and passively sit all day at its front door, watching life go by and of course do some business. In Menyuan, the atmosphere is nothing short of relaxed. People sit around the streets conversing for hours and people-watching and gossiping are every day’s main entertainment. Hui lifestyle, like any religious society, is a conservative one. Even though not as strict as other Muslim groups, Hui tend to segregate women on one side and men on the other. Women dress traditionally with the local cap-like chador and are usually in charge of taking care of their little kids. Men, on the other hand, hang out among talking and discussing local events. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nicolas Marino is a 33 year-old architect and photographer currently based in Chengdu, China. For the last 6 years he has chosen a bicycle as means of transport to reach the most remote regions of the world where he focuses most of his documentary work. Some of his journeys include a 10.000km ride from Tehran to Shanghai and several trips around remote and rural China where he has now cycled over 8000km.
" " This NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory view of the sun highlights the magnetic solar corona and a powerful solar flare erupting on the limb. NASA/SDO The sun is an extreme cosmic environment where superheated gases broil and solar flares explode with the energy of millions of nuclear warheads. Recently, astronomers have discovered Rossby waves rippling through this hellish environment. These planetary waves were first identified in Earth's temperate atmosphere in 1939, and they're immense — think global scale rather than beach scale. What's more, the discovery of Rossby waves in the solar corona eventually could help us forecast when the next big solar storm will bear down on us. The astronomers published their findings in Nature Astronomy on March 27, 2017. Before we get into Rossby waves, here's a little backstory: The Earth and sun have a complex and often violent relationship. Our nearest star continuously pumps huge quantities of hot, ionized gas (called plasma) into space as the solar wind, and all the planets in the solar system feel the impacts of this steady stream. One beautiful effect is the interaction between solar wind particles and Earth's upper atmosphere – ions rain down at high latitudes, creating often spectacular aurorae, commonly known as the Northern and Southern Lights. But explosive events, like solar flares and coronal mass ejections — basically huge bubbles of magnetized, superheated plasma — can have dramatic and often unpredictable impacts on our planet's magnetosphere (the global magnetic field) when it gets hit. These effects are collectively known as "space weather." At the extreme end of the scale, solar storms can wreak havoc — killing satellites, knocking out global communications and even overloading power grids. Little wonder then that solar astronomers have been studying our sun in greater detail than ever before to predict what our sun might throw at us next and help us prepare for inclement space weather — just as a meteorologist would warn us of an incoming hurricane. An Unprecedented Solar View The detection of these waves on the sun didn't come as a surprise to solar physicist Scott McIntosh, who works at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, and is the study's lead author. "It's a big rotating ball after all," he explains, referring to the fact that Rossby waves naturally form from the Coriolis force that acts on large rotating spheres of fluid, like Earth's atmosphere and oceans. They powerfully affect our climate and weather systems, and are associated with high-altitude jet streams and pressure regions. Rossby waves have even been spotted on Mars and Venus. On the sun, however, these waves aren't driven by atmospheric pressure systems but rather by magnetic activity – activity that is a driver of space weather. Our view of the sun has been a decidedly Earth facing view for a long time but with the addition of STEREO we have for the first time, a whole sun view. This is critical if we are ever to truly understand the workings of the sun's magnetic fields, the drivers of space weather. C. Alex Young, Solar Physicist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Until now, tracking waves of this scale on the sun has been very difficult, so McIntosh's team turned to observational data from the twin NASA Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). That data gave McIntosh's team a 360-degree view around the sun to track the motions of coronal "brightpoints" from all sides simultaneously. Those brightpoints McIntosh's team focused on pepper the entire solar corona and are related to small magnetic regions in the sun's lower atmosphere. When McIntosh and his team analyzed data from 2010 to 2013 from STEREO and SDO, making simultaneous measurements from all sides of the sun, vast wave-like pulsations were tracked in the sun's lower atmosphere over many months. Groups of brightpoints were moving westward faster than the underlying material; typical behavior for Rossby waves. Space Weather Triggers OK, so now that we're sure Rossby-like waves ripple around the sun, how can we use them? "We know that big flares and CMEs cluster in longitude, latitude and time – their clustering is closely tied to surges in [magnetic] flux emergence – those surges are likely to do with the fact that the bulk of magnetism emerges where there already is strong magnetism," he adds. "So, if you know where the field is, and where it's most likely to erupt, you can get a good basis for ... where eruptions are most likely to occur." The sun undergoes an approximate 22-year cycle, waxing and waning in magnetic activity, from "solar minimum" (when the number of sunspots and flaring activity is low) to "solar maximum" (when the sunspot number reaches its peak and flaring activity is high) and then back to solar minimum again. The brightpoints ripple through the corona during this cycle and are, interestingly, most abundant during solar minimum. As these features are intimately related to the internal magnetic dynamo of the sun and its natural cycle, this study links the internal magnetic activity with activity on the surface, potentially the key to refining space weather forecasting. "Our view of the sun has been a decidedly Earth facing view for a long time but with the addition of STEREO we have for the first time, a whole sun view," solar physicist C. Alex Young, at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, tells HowStuffWorks. "This is critical if we are ever to truly understand the workings of the sun's magnetic fields, the drivers of space weather." McIntosh agrees, pointing out that continuous, 360-degree views of the sun are essential: "We NEED to do this, make the magnetic field measurements ALL the time to get ahead of the space weather 'problem.'" Unfortunately, NASA lost contact with one of the STEREO spacecraft in 2014. Although limited communications with the probe was recently re-established, its useful life is likely over. Regardless, the confirmation of these monster waves meandering through the corona underscores the need for continuous monitoring of the sun if we are to truly become accurate solar meteorologists.
For most of this month, sports fans who complain that golf is boring could have had that opinion confirmed by the so-called “feud” between Tiger Woods and the Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia. It began during the Players Championship, when Woods and Garcia were paired together, and Woods apparently reached for a club from his bag while Garcia was taking a shot on the other side of the fairway, causing a bit of commotion that Garcia suggested as the reason for his poor shot. That decidedly tame scandal was fanned for a while by reporters, who kept asking the two about each other, and then writing down the barely barbed things they said. “He’s not the nicest guy on tour,” said Sergio of Woods. “Not real surprising that he’s complaining about something,” Tiger said of Sergio. Even for golf, this squabble seemed tame. That is, until Tuesday, when Garcia, answering a reporter’s question about the current status of the golfers’ relationship, said, “We’ll have him ‘round every night. We will serve fried chicken.” Fried chicken has long been associated with the retrograde racial stereotyping of African Americans, often in bitter and clumsy forms of parody. Shortly afterwards, Garcia issued an apology: “I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.” Woods responded on Twitter: “The comment that was made wasn’t silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate…” Later, though, Woods tweeted again, saying that he believed that Garcia felt “real regret.” On Wednesday, Garcia held a news conference, during which he offered another apology, and attempted to explain himself: “As soon as I left the dinner, I started getting a sick feeling in my body. I didn’t really sleep at all. I felt like my heart was going to come out of my body. I’ve had this sick feeling all day.” Part of Garcia’s “sick feeling” must surely, if we are to take him at his word, stem from his regret at offending people—though his claim that he felt swiftly guilty does undercut the argument that he was unaware of the racial connotations of the reference. That visceral, sudden sinking feeling also suggests something else: that Garcia, a veteran global sports celebrity, knew almost instantly that his offensive words were something that would very likely remain with him for the rest of his career and beyond, regardless of the passing of time and the force or number of subsequent apologies. Until this week, Garcia was mostly known as the best current player never to win a major tournament. Now, in addition to that, and to his various successes, he is the third featured actor in the ongoing contemporary story of professional golf and race. The next time a golfer says something ugly and racial, or the sport otherwise gets caught in the push and pull of its troubled past and somewhat more open present, Garcia will have his own sentence, at least, in the stories about it. How can we be sure? Well, because a similar thing happened this week, when writers immediately drew a line from Garcia to the last famous golfer who made a public joke about Tiger Woods and fried chicken. In 1997, as a twenty-one-year-old Woods had steamed his way toward his first Masters title, Fuzzy Zoeller, a former Masters champion, was asked what he made of the young star. “The little boy is driving it well, he’s putting well,” Zoeller told reporters, adding, “You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year.” He then walked away, but turned back and said, “Got it? Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.” A week later, Zoeller was on to the apology portion of the tour, telling CNN: “My comments were not intended to be racially derogatory, and I apologize for the fact that they were misconstrued in that fashion.” He called himself a “jokester,” and lamented that is was “too bad that something I said in jest was turned into something it’s not.” Zoeller’s spin on what he had, or had not, really meant was not widely believed; soon after, he lost his sponsorship deal with Kmart. And now, when people think of Fuzzy, they think of a bigoted remark about fried chicken. This week, as Sergio scrambled to explain himself, and save his own endorsement deals, Zoeller’s quote loomed down there a few paragraphs below the top, giving the latest story context and the weight of history. It appears, typically, in a familiar formulation—the same one as above—with the outrageous quote annotated by the fact that the person later apologized. It’s not that a statement gets taken out of context, exactly, but it goes from being a moment in time to a fixed event in history. The people behind notorious quotations live on beyond them, though. And sometimes those people are changed—better—in ways they would not have been had they never said what they did. This effect was illustrated recently when the N.B.A. player Jason Collins announced that he was gay. Many of the stories (mine included) that noted Collins’s bravery pointed to the negative things that former player Tim Hardaway had said in 2007 about the prospect of gay players in professional basketball. Hardaway later apologized. But unlike some athletes who do only what they have to in order to save what they can of their careers, his was not just the compulsory apology. He went on to work with gay-rights groups, to learn why what he said was wrong and to make a real effort to atone for it. He had undergone, as he said in 2011, a true “change of heart.” Recently, he told the Palm Beach Post, “What I did say was terrible, and it was bad and I live with it every day. It was like a bully going to beat up people every day.” And in April, he reached out to Collins and offered him his support. Now, when gay athletes come out of the closet, there will be a sentence about Hardaway and what he said—but below that, there will be another, about what he has done, and said, since. His cruel statements cannot, and should not, be erased, but they mean something different today than they did then. Fuzzy Zoeller is still around, too. This week, he was in Indiana, to promote Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka, which is sponsoring a car in the Indianapolis 500. When asked about Sergio, Tiger, and chicken, Zoeller stuck to his initial apology, and seemed to show little interest in making real amends or reshaping his place in the story. “Mine was a joke that went bad,” he said. “What the hell, I paid my dues.” Photograph by Richard Heathcote/Getty.
Not to be confused with For leftist political theory, see 'Duumvirate' redirects here. For the Roman offices held by duumvirs, see Duumviri Not to be confused with coregency , any temporary joint rule over a monarchy.For leftist political theory, see Dual power A diarchy (from Greek δι-, di-, "double",[1] and -αρχία, -arkhía, "ruled")[2][a] or duumvirate (from Latin duumvirātus, "the office of the two men")[4][b] is a form of government characterized by corule, with two people ruling a polity together either lawfully or de facto, by collusion and force. The leaders of such a system are usually known as corulers.[5] Historically, diarchy particularly referred to the system of shared rule in British India[2] established by the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935, which devolved some powers to local councils, which had included native Indian representation under the Indian Councils Act 1892. 'Duumvirate' principally referred to the offices of the various duumviri established by the Roman Republic.[4] Both, along with less common synonyms such as biarchy[6] and tandemocracy,[c] are now used more generally to refer to any system of joint rule or office. A monarchy temporarily controlled by two or more people is, however, usually distinguished as a coregency. Corule is one of the oldest forms of government. Historical examples include the Pandyan dynasty of Tamilakam, Sparta's joint kingdom, the Roman Republic's consuls, Carthage's Judges, and several ancient Polynesian societies. Systems of inheritance that often led to corule in Germanic and Dacian monarchies may be included as well, as may the dual occupants of the ranks of the Inca Empire. Modern examples of diarchies are Andorra, whose princes are the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell in Spain; San Marino, whose republic is led by two Captains Regent; and Eswatini, where sovereignty rests jointly in the king and his mother. Formal use [ edit ] Current diarchies [ edit ] Andorra [ edit ] Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality. Its princes are (ex officio) the French president and the bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. Since 1962, the French president has been elected by universal suffrage within France. The bishop of the diocese of Urgell is appointed by the Roman Catholic pope. Bhutan [ edit ] The 2008 Constitution affirms Bhutan's commitment to a traditional dual government sharing power between the Druk Gyalpo ("King") and the Buddhist religious authorities led by the Je Khenpo. In practice, however, the religious leaders function more as advisors to the kings than as corulers. Northern Ireland [ edit ] Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement intended to end conflict in Northern Ireland, the First Minister and deputy First Minister serve as joint heads of the area's executive. Both positions exercise identical executive powers; however they are not heads of state. San Marino [ edit ] The captains regent (Italian: Capitani Reggenti) of San Marino are elected every six months by the Marinese parliament, the Grand and General Council. They serve as heads of state and government and are normally chosen from opposing parties. Eswatini [ edit ] The Kingdom of Eswatini is a diarchy in which the King (Ngwenyama) rules in conjunction with his mother, the Queen Mother (Ndlovukati). In practice, however, most power is vested in the King, though it is often argued that the giving of authority wholesale to the royal male in this way is a neo-traditionalistic as opposed to truly traditional custom.[citation needed] Historical diarchies [ edit ] Sparta [ edit ] The office of king in ancient Sparta was divided between two kings from separate dynasties, each holding a veto over the other's actions. Roman Republic [ edit ] Following the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the Romans established an oligarchic Roman Republic which divided supreme executive power (Latin: imperium) between two consuls, both elected each year and each holding a veto over the other's actions. The historical duumviri were not rulers but magistrates, performing various judicial, religious, or public functions. Hungary [ edit ] The Hungarians originally possessed a system of dual kingship, with religious authority vested in the kende and military authority vested in the war-chief (gyula). When the kende Kurszán was killed c. 904 a little after the arrival of the Hungarians in Pannonia, his role was usurped by the war-chief Árpád, establishing the Hungarian monarchy. Medieval Europe [ edit ] A paréage was a feudal treaty recognizing the "equal footing" (Latin: pari passu) of two sovereigns over a territory. The most famous such arrangement was the 1278 treaty that established modern Andorra. Others include Maastricht, which was shared by the Duke of Brabant and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. After the establishment of the Dutch Republic, it became a condominium of Liège and the United Provinces, which administered it through the States General of the Netherlands until 1794. Japan [ edit ] During Japan's shogunate, the emperor was notionally a supreme spiritual and temporal lord who delegated authority for joint rule to the shōgun. In practice, the shōguns' power was so complete that they are usually considered de facto monarchs rather than viceroys or corulers. Tibet [ edit ] Between 1642 and 1751, political power in Tibet was shared between the 5th, 6th, and 7th Dalai Lamas who headed the realm's Buddhist state religion and various secular rulers known as desis. The growing power of the desis caused the 7th Dalai Lama to abolish the post and replace it with a council known as the Kashag, permitting him to consolidate his authority over the realm. A similar system arose in Bhutan, with the Wangchuck governor (penlop) of Trongsa becoming the Druk Desi and Druk Gyalpo in 1907. In contrast to Tibet, the dynasty eventually consolidated its power and now rules as the kings of Bhutan. England [ edit ] After the 1688 Glorious Revolution and the overthrow of James II and VII, his daughter Mary II and nephew William III acted as joint rulers of the Three Kingdoms (England, Scotland and Ireland) until Mary's death in 1694). Canada [ edit ] The colonial Province of Canada was usually governed by two joint premiers from 1841 to 1867. Usually, one was chosen from the English-speaking Canada West and the other one from the French-speaking Canada East. Russia [ edit ] Between the February Revolution in March 1917 and the October Revolution in November, political power in Russia was divided between the Russian Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, a condition described by Vladimir Lenin as "Dual Power". He elaborated the situation into a dual-power doctrine, whereby Communists collaborated with and then supplanted existing bourgeois forms of government. India [ edit ] Named as the India Secretary for the Lloyd George ministry, Edwin Samuel Montagu made the "Grand Declaration" on 20 August 1917 that British policy would henceforth be "increasing association of Indians in every branch of the administration and the gradual development of self-governing institutions". Montagu and Viscount Chelmsford, the Governor-General of India, then made an extensive tour of the subcontinent in 1917 and 1918. The Montague–Chelmsford Report's recommendations formed the basis for the Government of India Act of 1919 that established "diarchy" in British India. Under that act, the executive was to be headed by a governor appointed by the Secretary of State, who could consult the Governor General. The governor was responsible to the Secretary of State for acts of omission and commission. He was to maintain law and order in the province and ensure that the provincial administration worked smoothly. In respect of transferred subjects, he was to be assisted by his ministers whereas reserved subjects were to be administered by the Governor General and his executive council. The members of the Executive Council were to be appointed by Secretary of State and were responsible to him in all matters. There were certain matters that he was to administer at his own discretion, in which he was responsible to the Secretary of State. Each councillor was to remain in office for a period of four years. Their salaries and service conditions were not subject to the vote of provincial legislature. All decisions in the council were to be taken by a majority of votes, the Governor being able to break ties. Samoa [ edit ] During the establishment of the modern state of Samoa in 1962, power was shared between the two chiefs Malietoa Tanumafili II and Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole. Meaʻole died the next year, after which the country functioned as a monarchy until the death of Tanumafili and a republic thereafter. Informal use [ edit ] Informally shared power [ edit ] Owing to Confucian notions of filial piety, Chinese and Japanese emperors were sometimes able to 'retire' but continue to exert great influence over state policy. In Indonesia, Sukarno and his vice president Mohammad Hatta were nicknamed the Duumvirate (Dwitunggal), with Sukarno setting government policy and rallying support and Hatta managing day-to-day administration. More recently, the great influence of Vladimir Putin over his successor Dmitry Medvedev was considered a duumvirate or tandemocracy until Putin's resumption of the office of president established him as the greater figure.[10] Within electoral politics, governments, coalitions and parties may sometimes have two fairly equal leaders, as with: Religious leaders [ edit ] In addition to actual sharing of political power between religious and military leaders, as occurred in Tibet and Bhutan, the great soft power of a religious leader such as the Pope of the Catholic Church over a devout country can sometimes be described as a form of diarchy or corule. Influential outsiders [ edit ] The status of monarchs is sometimes impugned by accusations of corule when an advisor, family member, lover, or friend appears to have taken too great a hand in government. Lü Buwei in Chinese history and François Leclerc du Tremblay in France are famous examples of "éminences grises" who controlled much of their countries' policies. In British history, George VI's reign was mocked as a "split-level matriarchy in pants" owing to the supposed influence of his mother, Queen Mary and his wife Queen Elizabeth.[11] Bureaucracy [ edit ] Shared power arrangements within a modern bureaucracy may also be known as a "diarchy" or "duumvirate". Examples include the joint authority of the Chief of the Defense Force and the Secretary of the Department of Defense over the Australian Defence Organisation. In fiction [ edit ] Umbar, in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, was ruled by a duumvirate. The Omaticaya, the Na'vi clan at the center of the film Avatar, are traditionally led by a pair of married tribal chiefs. One of them, the husband, oversees political and military matters while the other one, the wife, is in charge of spiritual and otherwise ceremonial affairs. The orbital colony New New York, in the Worlds trilogy by Joe Haldeman, is jointly governed by an elected Policy Coordinator and Engineering Coordinator. See also [ edit ] Directorial system Monarchy, rule by a single person Coregency, temporary rule over a monarchy by two or more people Triumvirate, joint rule by three people Tetrarchy, joint rule by four people Decemviri, joint rule by ten people Notes [ edit ] ^ dyarchy,[2] as in the Encyclopaedia Britannica article on the colonial British institution.[3] Occasionally misspelledas in thearticle on the colonial British institution. ^ Occasionally in the mistaken form duovirate. ^ tandemokratiya ( тандемократия ). The pun 'tandemocracy' particularly refers to the Putin–Medvedev diarchy, as it is a calque of Russian ). References [ edit ] Citations [ edit ]
Small gang fleet commanders make lowsec go around. They are the everyday heroes of space that bring content and social interaction, without them lowsec wouldn’t be half the place it is today. There is only one problem, there isn’t nearly enough of them. As I was reading Mangala Solaris’ excellent article on higher level fleet command I found myself thinking of the initial threshold that all FC’s must overcome. To get to the point where Mangala’s words of advice will serve you well you must first wet your feet, and this first step has proven to be the bane of many a pilot with fleet command on their mind. Taking the step from grunt to FC can feel like a difficult transition, one that a majority of pilots never make. There is however no component to lowsec PvP more important than the small gang FC and today’s Lowlife gives you the tools to take the step from content consumer to content creator. Fear of flying “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” – Bene Gesserit Litany, Dune Everyone has been there; sitting in station, spinning your ship and wondering if someone’s going to form a fleet. The key to changing that is reducing the primary deterrent for FC’s: fear of responsibility. Cheap T1 frigates or destroyers are the solution, lowsec is filled with PvP content for these ships and people willing to fly them. Costing no more than a few million ISK a piece, they are the perfect platform to pick up new skills on. The best way to get undocked and flying together is to start small and with low expectations. Defusing the fear of being an FC starts by asking for a wingman or two in corp or alliance and undocking a handful of cheap derp ships. The goal is not to get everything right, but to undock, find something to kill and learn by getting it wrong. Because everyone does. You will die in horribly stupid ways, a fact that is best accepted when hitting the ‘undock’ button. There is no replacement for learning by doing however, moving from theory to instinct is the hallmark of true skill and going balls deep is the proverbial Autobahn between rank-and-file and respected FC. Keep it cheap As a green FC it is good practise to enforce the golden rule of ‘keep it cheap’. Allowing blinged out faction frigates in a tiny Rifter fleet is going to add a lot of unnecessary stress, and stress can cripple the mind’s ability to take action. A good way to ensure that this rule is followed is to simply fit up a number of cheap ships and hand them out before the fleet undocks. A lot of meta 3-4 modules will give 90-95% of the performance of their tech II variants at a fraction of the cost. When learning to FC it is vitally important to do it under as little pressure as possible and these modules get the job done while being easily replaceable by anyone. Keep it simple Although mixed fleets can create some interesting situations it is best to adhere to some basic doctrine principles. The two most fundamental concepts of fleet PvP are propulsion and engagement range, tank type and logistics are of little concern at this level. A small fleet consisting of a mix between afterburners and microwarpdrives is going to get separated and picked off quickly. Keeping the engagement range and speed of the fleet relatively similar means that it is a lot easier to command as a unit, a vital quality of any fleet, but especially so for those who lack experience. If the fleet is together and the FC can target and shoot something, the rest of the fleet can too. When it comes to engagement range typically the fleet should be fit for either brawling (short range, high DPS), kiting (long range, low-moderate DPS) or sniping (outside of point range with medium-high DPS or high alpha damage). Of these brawling is the simplest to master and recommended for beginners. There are of course a myriad variations but it is good to start with the basics. Stay on target “Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War The singularly most important factor in a fleet is keeping it together. A close second is making sure the fleet is doing the same thing and behaving as a unit. Voice comms are unmatched in this regard and a vital component for any fleet. Demanding comms for each and every pilot in the fleet is a basic rule that should be adhered to. Separation is fleet death, easily exploited by the enemy. Taking some extra time to make sure everyone is in the same place and knows where to go next is an investment well placed and worth practising. Being in the wrong place together is better than being in a bunch of right places separated. Indecisiveness is dangerous and FC’s should not be afraid to give orders even if they aren’t certain it is the right thing to do. Keeping orders simple and repeating them goes a long way towards turning a gang of ships in the same vicinity into a fighting force. The primary reason for doing this is to allow effective target calling. Calling targets has been proven to be one of the things most new FC’s find difficult. It is infinitely more valuable for a fleet to all be shooting at the same target than spending precious seconds finding the right target. Keep it simple. Sort by range, name or type and call the target on voice comms, clearly and repeatedly. Above all ensure that everyone is shooting the same thing. It may seem obvious, but it remains one of the most common mistakes made in fleets. Be aggressive “I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture… and kill them.” – Private Joker, Full Metal Jacket Aggression is one of the more underestimated disciplines in small gang fleet fighting. Taking the offensive often has a shock effect to it and puts strain on the enemy FC. Speaking from experience I have seen decisive aggression in tandem with crisp target calling break fleets that could have easily held their own. The budding small gang FC is in a unique position to try this tactic on for size due to the cheap ships mentioned above. Pulling it off is an amazing feeling and does wonders for confidence, while failing provides valuable lessons at minimal cost. Let me give you an example: The other day we (Villore Accords) were flying one of our typical Thrasher fleets, about a dozen strong with a few support frigates along. Stopping by Kinakka we found a SniggWaffe fleet set up inside a plex, about equal in number and composed primarily of Wolf assault frigates and some fast tackle. Risking only a few million ISK per ship we took the fight on a moments notice, knowing full well that there was a very good chance we would lose. Jumping in together, the FC picked a primary and we let the guns rip in unison. Had the enemy FC realized we were in fast-locking artillery Thrashers earlier he might have adjusted his tactic – the infamous ‘cockbags’ have zero tank and the correct way to engage them with DPS-heavy assault frigates is free fire while keeping transversal up. Our blitzkrieg approach and the simple facts of being together and shooting at the same thing at the same time allowed us to destroy well over 400 million ISK in ships while losing a mere 12 million ourselves. Had we been more hesitant that opportunity may have never presented itself. The cheap ships allowed us to be aggressive whilst taking little risk ISK-wise, and the fight was won simply by sticking to some very basic rules. Being aggressive and fearless within reason as an FC in training whilst using cheap ships is a win-win situation. At worst you die cheap and learn a lot, at best you pull off a crazy win. Chewing the fat “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” – Winston Churchill After a fight it is good practise to safe or dock up and talk it over with the fleet, making sure to take full advantage of the lessons learned. What went right? What went wrong and why? How was the enemy fit and what is a good counter to that? At this time it is essential to be humble and accept criticism. Many a young FC have faltered because they could not take the critique of their actions. It is however an essential component of learning and it is good practise to step back and look at it objectively, leaving ego at the door. Rolling with the punches and coming back for more pain in the next round is what seperates the men from the boys. Iron sharpens iron and any prominent FC today will happily tell you how horrible they were when they started out. The first step to success is accepting defeat and growing from it. Keep it fun “Oh, but you can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.” – Dennis, Monty Python and the Holy Grail Nothing kills fleet morale faster than people who take it too seriously and it is something that should be avoided at all costs for those taking out their first fleets. Keeping it light and fun allows for creativity and learning, that’s why the ‘keep it cheap’ rule is so important in this scenario. A key skill to develop as an FC is not only to accept criticism, but to be able to deliver it in a positive and constructive way. Maybe one of the guys was chattering on comms so the rest of the fleet could not hear orders, perhaps primary targets aren’t being followed by some of the fleet members or something else is not working as it should. It is important to remember that almost everyone wants to do better. Being positive and suggesting change to a certain behaviour will often give a lot better results than scolding and blame. A good FC will first admit their own shortcomings and take responsibility before lecturing the fleet on what they did wrong. A brilliant FC with a massive ego and a bad temper will quickly lose members to a decent FC that is humble and fun to fly with. I think Joe Rogan puts it best with his favorite saying: don’t be a cunt. Taking command EVE Online needs more FC’s, and the primary target in that engagement is fear. Fear of mistakes, fear of ridicule, fear of weakness and fear of work. Trying your hand at FC-ing is stressful at first, there are no two ways about it. Following the guidelines in this article will help you minimize that stress and make it easier to handle. So next time you find yourself spinning your ship, wondering if this or that FC will get something going, just fit up a Rifter or an Atron and ask if anyone wants to fleet up for some laid-back pew pew. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish with a few friends, a good attitude and the undock button. If anything, remember the golden rules of learning to FC: Keep it cheap Keep it simple Keep it fun Happy hunting!
Newly appointed FCC chairman Ajit Pai has already chipped away at net neutrality, slowed a program that assists low-income households with broadband access, and hurt efforts to reform exorbitant calling fees for inmates — and that’s just his first two weeks on the job. The chairman of the FCC has exceptional power over what the commission does and how it functions. And that means Pai, more than anyone else right now, has control over the fate of not just hot-button issues like net neutrality, but the competitive landscape of the cable and wireless industries. Net neutrality is already being stripped away Pai’s oft-repeated mission statement has been to “[eliminate] unnecessary and burdensome rules” at the commission. But so far, that’s meant scaling back vital protections for the internet that advocates and millions of consumers loudly fought for and won. Last week, he both eased transparency requirements and approved efforts from AT&T, Comcast, and others to divide up the internet. As Pai continues to tweak regulations, he has the ability to undermine core tenets of net neutrality and broadly reshape the FCC in the process. Some Republicans have long hoped to turn the FCC into a toothless management office, and these early actions demonstrate Pai’s power to help them do it. The people responsible for enacting net neutrality rules are already worried. In a conversation with Backchannel last week about rumors that Trump’s transition team wants to “modernize” the FCC, former commission chairman Tom Wheeler called the efforts “a fraud” meant to please telecom companies. A former counselor to Wheeler, Gigi Sohn, gave the same warning just last month. "You're gonna hear a lot ... in the next six months about restricting and reforming the FCC,” Sohn said at the State of the Net conference. “What that really means is that folks want to eliminate the FCC's role in promoting competition, and protecting consumers, and promoting fast fair and open networks." Some proposals would significantly weaken the commission There are two ways Republicans can go about curtailing the power of the FCC. The more transformative method is to overhaul telecom law in order to strip out its strength as a regulator and its mandate to look out for the public good. But even with Republican control of Congress and the presidency, supporters of net neutrality and the FCC suggest it would be a challenging and time-consuming process. The easier, if less transformative method — since core functions of the FCC are ultimately dictated by law — would be to have the FCC reorganize itself, which it can do in small ways on its own and in larger ways with a nod from Congress. The Trump administration and Republican members of Congress have already expressed interest in pursuing both avenues for reform. Trump's transition team has recommended an agency restructuring with a focus on deregulation, according to Multichannel News. Pai hasn’t specifically addressed restructuring the commission, but he has signaled a disinterest in blocking mergers and said that “removing unnecessary regulations” is something he’s “touted on a perpetual loop” since taking the job. “It never has gone beyond ‘there needs to be a rewrite.’” And despite the apparent difficulty, Republican members of Congress plan on rewriting telecom law. "It is clearly time for FCC reform," Senator Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Senate's Commerce Committee, said during a conference last month. "We have had many conversations about improving the agency, and this year presents a real opportunity to turn those conversations into solutions." Determining what that means for the future of the FCC is tricky. The last update to the Communications Act was passed in 1996, and ever since then, there’s been constant talk about reforming the FCC, but relatively few concrete proposals on what a truly reworked law and commission would look like. “I'm open to be part of that conversation, but it never has gone beyond ‘there needs to be a rewrite,’” says Representative Eshoo (D-CA), who until this year was ranking member of the House subcommittee that oversees the FCC, in a phone call with The Verge. “I really think that nothing has gone beyond those sentences being stated many many times by many members.” Without anything firm, we’re left divining possibilities from existing statements and proposals. Existing suggestions for FCC reform have been fairly small in scope. Recent bills included language that would require the agency to publish its pending rules earlier (Pai is now putting this into practice) or give the commissioners flexibility to meet in private to discuss their work. Some suggestions, like improving the commission’s ability to hire engineers and economists, even have a degree of bipartisan support. There’s also a common refrain among Republicans that current telecommunications law is dated, because it hardly mentions the internet (leading to outcomes favored by net neutrality supporters, like service providers being controlled by utility-style rules). There’s an idea that the commission’s regulatory distinctions between cable, radio, wireless, and so on ought to be streamlined so that it isn’t controlling services that increasingly used for similar purposes — like watching TV — in different ways. How any of these changes are implemented could lead to very different results. Chris Lewis, VP of the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, says the specific implementation of reforms is going to make all the difference. "We advocated a few years ago that the rules around [TV distributor] competition and consumer protection should be extended ... to online video distributors," Lewis says. "If you're talking about that sort of streamlining [regulations], then yes, that makes sense. But if you're talking about streamlining that strips out basic consumer protection and competition, then really the devil is in the details." Eshoo has a similar warning. “If in fact there is an undertaking to do any kind of rewrite, you have to have a solid foundation that's established in terms of operating principles. What exactly do we want to reform?” asks Eshoo. “Otherwise, it'll become a Christmas tree with goodies hanging all over it for what every lobbyist in town wishes for.” Trump’s transition team mostly wants the FCC to manage spectrum Early indications are that the Trump administration is hoping for broader changes, with little interested to consumer protections or regulating the telecom industry. Multichannel News reported that the new president’s transition team has recommended streamlining the agency so that it no longer regulates communications methods like cable and wireless in different ways. That, on its face, sounds reasonable, except the transition team reportedly also wants the FCC's ability to review mergers and encourage competition handed off to the Federal Trade Commission. That would strip the agency of its most powerful protective tools. In a conversation with The Verge last week, University of Florida professor Mark Jamison, who worked on Trump's FCC transition team, said he'd like to see the commission limit its scope to the "management of radio spectrum and, if you're going to have subsidies for rural broadband, that would be by this agency as well." Regulating telecom competition would still be part of the commission's duty, but Jamison imagines the commission using this power "only if there's a monopoly," and not as a preventative measure, the way it does now. That combination would essentially make the commission into a clearinghouse for wireless spectrum, with little ability to protect consumers or direct the market to a more competitive place. Jamison declined to discuss the transition team's recommendations, saying that they were confidential, but his remarks align with some details of the report. "Of course, carriers want [telecom issues] to get lost in that morass." Senator Thune was also critical of the FCC’s regulatory abilities during a speech at State of the Net, saying the commission has “the ability to overregulate the digital world” and that November’s election proves consumers are tired of it. That’s almost certainly a poor conclusion to jump to — Trump lost the popular vote by a large margin, and the 2014 net neutrality proceedings revealed strong public support for keeping the internet open — but Thune is using Republicans’ position of power to advocate for change nonetheless. “One way for us to address this concern in the digital space is to both modernize how the FCC operates and to reform what the FCC is allowed to do,” he said. A spokesperson for Representative Walden (R-OR), chairman of the House subcommittee on communications and technology, which oversees the FCC, did not respond to requests for comment. This handing off of the FCC’s regulatory abilities under the pretense of “modernization” is exactly what Wheeler, the former chairman, was calling a fraud. "The FTC has to worry about everything from computer chips to bleach labeling," Wheeler said. "Of course, carriers want [telecom issues] to get lost in that morass." The biggest changes need to come from Congress That kind of change can’t just happen with a directive from Pai. An agency restructuring that would strip it of antitrust abilities in theory requires an act of Congress. “It’s difficult for [the FCC] to say, ‘Well this doesn't work anymore,’” Jamison says. “The law is still there, so that's really up to Congress to update those laws.” And rewriting telecom law isn’t easy. It’s traditionally been a bipartisan effort, and given the margins in Congress, it would have to be here, too. "I assume any effort to update the Telecommunications Act would end up being bipartisan again this time around for it to be longstanding and have the consensus of what all stakeholders want," says Lewis, of Public Knowledge. "It will take some time because it's a complicated and long act." “Do you know how many years it took to write the Telecom Act of 1996?” Eshoo asks. “Oh my God. It was at least a decade.” Correction February 10th, 2:34PM ET: Representative Eshoo is no longer ranking member of the subcommittee on communications and technology, as this article initially stated. She remains on the committee, but left the leadership position this year.
Next month’s UFC Fight Night 109 lineup in Sweden is set with 13 bouts. Officials today announced the final addition to the lineup: welterweights Omari Akhmedov (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC). Dutch site madna.nl first reported the matchup. UFC Fight Night 109 takes place May 28 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. The card airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. Although the lineup was mostly set on UFC.com, officials recently told MMAjunkie one main-card addition was still to come. Akhmedov vs. Alhassan is that addition – and is slotted as the third bout on the FS1-televised main card. Akhmedov, a 29-year-old Dagestani fighter, recently halted a two-fight skid and moved his UFC record above .500 with a unanimous-decision win over vet Kyle Noke, who then announced his retirement, in November. A bout prior, the former middleweight picked up his second career “Fight of the Night” bonus in a losing effort against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. He now meets Alhassan, a 31-year-old Ghanaian fighter who previously competed with organizations such as Bellator and Legacy FC. In his UFC debut, he scored a 53-second knockout win over Charlie Ward at UFC Fight Night 99 and picked up a “Performance of the Night” bonus. He now has seven first-round knockouts in seven career wins. In UFC Fight Night 109’s headliner, former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who’s No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings. takes on No. 5 Glover Teixeira (26-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC). Rounding out the main card are No. 9 light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov (13-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), welterweight vet Ben Saunders (21-7-2 MMA, 8-4 UFC) vs. Peter Sobotta (16-5-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC), 170-pounders Emil Meek (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Nordine Taleb (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC), and middleweights Jack Hermansson (14-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Alex Nicholson (7-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC). The full UFC Fight Night 109 lineup includes: MAIN CARD (FS1, 1 p.m. ET) Alexander Gustafsson vs. Glover Teixeira Misha Cirkunov vs. Volkan Oezdemir Ben Saunders vs. Peter Sobotta Omari Akhmedov vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan Emil Meek vs. Nordine Taleb Jack Hermansson vs. Alex Nicholson PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1, 11 a.m. ET) PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 9:30 a.m. ET) For more on UFC Fight Night 109, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
When I was a kid, I remember the spark in the air the night before a snowfall. We would be jumping out of our skin, listening to the radio and hoping for a snow day, with enough of the white stuff that my dad would have to create tall mounds of it as he plowed the parking lot. For those of you who didn’t grow up in the north, high snowbanks are perfect for sledding and digging forts. Now that I’m an adult, snow has lost its allure. In fact, I hate the stuff. One of the biggest advantages of moving to southern Virginia from Pennsylvania was the slightly warmer climate and lack of snow. This past weekend, though, I felt like a kid again. They predicted anywhere from 6-15 inches of snow for Norfolk, and while that would normally make me groan, I realized… my fiance and I didn’t have anywhere we needed to be from Friday to the following Wednesday. Our house was stocked with supplies, our sidewalk was salted, and our Netflix was filled with movies we had been meaning to see. Being snowed in wouldn’t be so bad, I thought… in fact, it might be downright cozy, like a little stay-cation! And what is a snowed-in holiday without a big mug of hot chocolate? This hot chocolate is rich without being too thick, and sweet without being cloying. It uses two kinds of chocolate and is perfect with a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top, and then of doused in chocolate sprinkles and mini marshmallows. You can also customize this hot chocolate to be more/less rich based on how much water you add. For the kids, water it down and pour huge piping mugs to warm them up after an afternoon of building snowmen. For the adults, add only a little water a pour smaller mugs to enjoy by the fire with a good book. If you don’t have the ambition to make homemade whipped cream, you can use the store-bought stuff… but once you made it yourself, you’ll never go back! It is super easy to make and so much better than the whipped cream that comes in a can. Plus, you can adjust the sweetness level. Ready to pour yourself a serving of hot chocolate? Here’s the printable recipe: Print Triple Hot Chocolate with Homemade Whipped Cream Ingredients Hot Chocolate: 1 14- oz can sweetened condensed milk 14 - 28 oz water 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1 Tablespoon cornstarch Whipped Cream: 1 cup heavy cream 1-2 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Optional toppings: miniature marshmallows chocolate sprinkles crushed pieces of cookie drizzle of chocolate/caramel syrup crushes pieces of peppermint Instructions Pour sweetened condensed milk into a medium-sized saucepan. Add water (I use the milk can to measure). 14 ounces (1 can) will create a very rich hot chocolate, while 28 ounces will create a less rich version. You can add more water if desired. Add the chocolate chips, cocoa, and cornstarch to the saucepan and heat slowly, whisking as the mixture comes to a boil. When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, remove from heat and whisk for an additional minute. Allow to cool slightly, then whisk again before serving. While the hot chocolate is cooling, make the whipped cream by adding the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla to a small mixing bowl. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Add the hot chocolate to mugs and dollop whipped cream over top. Top with marshmallows, sprinkles, or other toppings. Need some more treats for a chilly winter day? Here are a few others I recommend if hot chocolate doesn’t fit the bill… Ginger Tea with Honey and Lemon: Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake with Chocolate Drizzle: Save Save
Story highlights Israel approves 2,500 new housing units Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel will "continue to build" Jerusalem (CNN) Just days after US President Donald Trump was sworn into office, Israel approved the construction of approximately 2,500 new housing units in West Bank settlements Tuesday, according to a statement from Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We are building - and we will continue to build," said Netanyahu in a tweet. The planned new homes mark one of the largest settlement expansions since 2013, according to the settlement watchdog Peace Now. It comes just days after Trump's inauguration and two days after he spoke with Netanyahu, a conversation which Trump described as "warm" and during which he invited Netanyahu to the White House early next month. Trump press secretary Sean Spicer was asked about the new housing units Tuesday at the White House press briefing. "Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States," Spicer said. "(Trump) wants to grow closer with Israel to make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East." Read More
Something to Think About In Week 11, the Chicago Bears fell to the Super Bowl Champions, the Denver Broncos by a score of 17-15. The stats for both that game and the Super Bowl were eerily similar for both the Bears and the Panthers. Doing a little stat comparison: Both Jay Cutler and Cam Newton threw for 265 yards. Both Carolina and Chicago had five sacks on the Denver quarterback (Brock Osweiler in Week 11). Plus, Denver had six or more penalties in both games. The two biggest differences between the Super Bowl and the Week 11 matchup? The Carolina Panthers turned the ball over four times while Chicago turned it over only twice. Newton was sacked six times for 64 yards while Cutler was sacked twice for four yards. What’s the morale of the story? Games are won in the trenches, and ball security is of the utmost importance! Look for these qualities in players in the draft… Fundamentals make a difference! Looking at Round Two Just a reminder, the Chicago Bears have nine picks in the 2016 draft. One pick in rounds one through seven, plus two additional picks in round six. Thank you to the Carolina Panthers, and the New England Patriots for your draft picks. Looking at round one it’s hard to tell who exactly Ryan Pace and company will draft. They could go get another pass rusher, possibly Shaq Lawson from Clemson (did not mention in Round One but still a possibility). They could go offensive line as that is a point of concern as well. Those are safe bets as to what positions they will draft. So let’s take a look at some of the top prospects for round two that the Chicago Bears should keep an eye on. Just like in the first round, these guys are in no particular order of importance. I Have My Eye On… Kentrell Brothers, ILB, Missouri University Tigers The inside linebacker position for the Chicago Bears, was in my opinion, the worst position on the field. I don’t think that fixing the problem starts in the draft. I think fixing this position is to start immediately in free agency due to the lack of success Shea McClellin and Christian Jones have brought. If the Chicago Bears decide to fix this problem in the draft, I think that Kentrell Brothers is a good building block. Standing roughly six feet and weighing around 235 pounds, Brothers finished his senior year at Missouri with 152 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and he also had 2 interceptions. He has a strong football IQ and knows where the ball is going. Brothers takes good routes to the ball and looks to get the ball instead of just making the tackle. While he may not be the fastest guy on the field, he knows how to use his skill set to his strength. The best part is, he is a born inside linebacker. He won’t have to switch positions and learn on the fly, he already has strong knowledge of the position. That is what the Bears need at the inside linebacker position. Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State University He’s not a household name, but Carl Nassib definitely could work his way into the rotation early for the Chicago Bears. Standing 6’7 and weighing 270 pounds, Nassib has the frame to excel in the 3-4. He finished his senior year at Penn State with 46 total tackles and 15.5 sacks in 10 games. He did not play in the last three games for Penn State due to a hamstring issue. Those tackle numbers may not stand out, but those 15.5 sacks look really impressive in just 10 games. I would say his progression would be similar to that of Eddie Goldman. Goldman was on a continuous upward trend throughout the 2015 season and I think that Nassib could follow in his footsteps. Being as tall and lengthy as he is that is going to be a big asset to the Chicago front line. William Jackson III, CB, Houston University William Jackson had a strong senior season finishing with five interceptions, including two in the bowl game against Florida State. Much like Adrian Amos, Jackson is not afraid to lay down the big hit. The Bears could use another “big hitter” in the secondary to put some fear into receivers as they go up for the ball. Jackson not only can lay a lick on the opponent, but he is also very quick. He will be able to keep up with a lot of the speedy receivers in the NFL. Plus, his height is an advantage to him as well as he is 6’1. Compared to other guys in the draft at his position, Jackson is one of the few seniors. His experience might be valued higher than some of the other corners. In the second, or even third round, Jackson could be a solid pick. O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama University The national title game on Jan. 11 was a perfect time for O.J. Howard to have a breakout game. He hauled in his first touchdown receptions since 2013 and had 208 yards receiving. However, instant gratification for Howard at the collegiate level does not translate into instant success at the NFL. He has the frame of a hybrid tight end at 6’6 and he showed off his speed in the national championship. Keep in mind that his two touchdown receptions against Clemson were his first in two years. Having that knowledge, his skill set may not be fully developed as a pass catcher or route runner. He has been blocking for stud running backs in his time at Alabama like T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry. He could be utilized as a blocking tight end or even be used as a fullback if the Bears went with some jumbo set on the goal line. With an uncertain future ahead for both Martellus Bennett and Zach Miller, there isn’t really a “go-to” tight end. If Miller returns, I believe that Howard and Miller can shoulder that load together next year. Dowell Loggains can shape this kid into a legitimate hybrid tight end and he can be a real force to defend once he breaks out in the NFL. Put him into the right system and I think that Howard will thrive, and with the uncertainty that surrounds this position, his time may be coming soon in Chicago. Wrapping Up Round Two Just a reminder: these guys are in no particular order. Three out of the four guys on this list are on defense. That is because I would like to see the return of the Monsters of the Midway. The offense has some solid pieces right now, so I don’t think that too much needs to be added. Once we get closer to the draft this list will be updated…
Former coach of Andre Agassi, Darren Cahill believes Nick Kyrgios can match anyone in the world, despite not having a coach. The 21-year-old has won three ATP titles and is currently a world number 13 – all of which he achieved without a coach. While Kyrgios's talent is undeniable, he is prone to controversy, which may set him back in his quest to be world number one. Kyrgios previously mentioned he does not love the game of tennis while he was suspended for eight weeks following the 2016 Shanghai Masters for "conduct contrary to the integrity of the game." In the 2017 Australian Open, Kyrgios crashed out in the second round to Andreas Seppi despite a two set lead, where the Australian committed two code violations, including a point penalty. Following his exit, the youngster admitted that he may need a mentor. Former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt recently revealed Kyrgios was speaking to one or two guys to become his potential coach. Cahill – a former coach of Hewitt's – however, believes no coach is necessary for the 21-year-old to reach the top. "It sounds like he's starting to search for a coach, that would be a good thing if he's a ready to take one on, but if not his game is not in a bad spot, his game is great really," Cahill said as quoted on Brisbane Times. "We've seen his talent and when he's a fit and healthy and mentally strong he can match it with anyone in the world. "With Nick it sounds like he's making some good decisions, he's taken on a strength and conditioning trainer but it's going to take some time." Cahill conceded that Kyrgios won't become world number one overnight but believes if he is fully committed, he will benefit. "Part of the reason we don't see a lot of the teenagers breaking through and winning majors anymore is because the game has become a lot more physical, which Nick is starting to invest," he said. "But it doesn't happen in six months, it takes two or three years of consistent work and if Nick commits he will get great benefits out it. "At the moment I think be patient with him and over the next two or three years, if he does the work off the court we'll definitely see more consistent results from him," he said.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Sunday vowed to veto a House Democratic state budget bill if it gets to his desk, setting up a potential election-year blame game against Speaker Michael Madigan should public schools throughout Illinois fail to open this fall. The threat came as Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel ratcheted up their battle over the governor's Friday veto of a bill that would have created a new funding timetable for Chicago police and fire pensions. Emanuel labeled a city property tax hike that now could be needed to fund pensions a "Rauner tax," while the governor faulted the mayor for failing to come to Springfield to work for comprehensive reforms. The continued rhetoric over the Memorial Day holiday weekend symbolized the wide gap that remains between the Republican governor and Democrats who control the legislature over efforts to end an impasse that has kept the state without a formal budget for nearly a year. The spring session is scheduled to end at midnight Tuesday, but Madigan said Sunday that the House would remain in "continuous session" past the deadline — the same term he used at the end of May 2015 when the stalemate started — and disregarded Rauner's call for a quick grand compromise that included elements of the governor's pro-business agenda, parts of which would come at the expense of Democratic allies in organized labor and civil liability attorneys. Rauner, the first-term governor, and Madigan, the nation's longest-serving House speaker, are the principal combatants in the impasse, which carries heavy overtones leading into the Nov. 8 general election, when all 118 House seats and 40 of the 59 state Senate seats are before voters. The governor has committed to use his wealth to erode the Democratic legislative supermajorities in each chamber. There is another important deadline on Tuesday. That's when lawmakers will find out whether local party organizations will field candidates to oppose them in the fall if no challenger filed for nomination in the March 15 primary election. Lawmakers may feel freed up to take controversial votes if they know they don't have an opponent. Following a brief afternoon meeting of the four legislative leaders and the governor at the Capitol, Rauner and Madigan accused each other of taking hostages during the lengthy impasse. Rauner accused the Democrat of holding "schoolchildren and our teachers hostage throughout the state" by refusing to send him a bill that separately funds grade and high schools for the coming year. Last year, Rauner vetoed the entire Democratic-passed budget, except for the portion funding elementary and secondary education. "This year, (the Democrats) decided, well, they don't want I as governor to be able to have the schools open again, so they put the schools into one large deficit-spending bill because they don't want the schools to open without forcing a massive tax hike," said the governor, acknowledging the potential political blame. Still, Rauner said, "I would veto that bill" if lawmakers send it to him. The House Democratic-passed budget plan, while providing several hundred million dollars to schools, including to cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools, is an estimated $7 billion short of what the state is expected to bring in. Madigan has accused Rauner of pushing an agenda that would "sacrifice the interests of the middle class" on wages and standard of living and said the budget plan the House sent to the Senate last week "does not hold hostage those who want an education, does not hold hostage those who want health care, does not hold hostage the vulnerable in our society." The speaker sought to portray his Democratic majority as continuing to participate in smaller bipartisan "working groups" of rank-and-file lawmakers looking for compromise on Rauner's call for changes in workers' compensation and collective bargaining rights as well as a freeze on local property taxes. "At the request of the governor, we're going to start surveying our members, working through the members of the working groups," the veteran Southwest Side Democrat said. "I would say my designees to the working groups are very desirous of a compromise." Rauner accused Madigan and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of "slowing down the process" of working to reach agreement on his agenda. The governor has made approval of his agenda a prerequisite for his support of a tax increase or new revenue sources to prop up state spending. Both sides acknowledge that heavy cuts also would be required. But even as Madigan denied dragging out negotiations on Rauner agenda items, the speaker indicated there would be no resolution on them anytime soon. "We are not slow-walking anything. We are participating in all the working groups. Our people worked through the weekend. They're here today. They'll be here tomorrow, Tuesday and through the remainder of the summer," Madigan said. Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont, who on Friday accused the Democrats of pulling out of negotiations, said Sunday she would hold her "skepticism at bay" for now about Democratic intentions to move forward on negotiations. "I think the most important thing to remember, at the bottom line, is if we have to impose a tax hike on the people of Illinois, they have to have some hope that the reforms we've adopted along with that are really going to set the state straight in the long run," Radogno said. "So phony reforms, partial reforms, things that sound good but don't really meet the minimum bar aren't going to be acceptable," she said. "Taxpayers will not accept it." Rauner also defended his Friday afternoon veto of a bill that would have reduced in the short term how much Chicago taxpayers contribute to the retirement funds of Chicago police and firefighters by hundreds of millions of dollars a year. But drawing out the pension payments would cost billions of dollars over the long term while the city's pension debt continued to grow. Emanuel on Sunday continued to lash out at Rauner's action, calling the veto a "callous decision" and saying the governor "should have the courage to stand behind his decision" after having once indicated support for the measure. The mayor, who has mostly bit his tongue during the Springfield standoff in the hopes of helping craft a compromise that would help the city, got personal on Friday. He brought up the fact that an early childhood education organization run by Illinois first lady Diana Rauner joined a lawsuit seeking to have social service agencies paid by the state during the impasse.
Some Uber observers were sarcastically relieved that new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s first meeting with employees on Wednesday went without a single sexist gaffe. That part of Uber’s history is probably behind it, given Khosrowshahi’s reputation for low-key level-headedness and the stellar record of his former company, Expedia, in hiring women (they make up 52 percent of its staff and a quarter of tech employees, compared with 36 percent and 15 percent respectively at Uber). But a less frat-like culture could make Uber a better employer without making it a more profitable company. On the business execution front, I have misgivings about Khosrowshahi at Uber. These misgivings aren’t about his worst business decision — to pass on the ground-floor acquisition of Booking.com because its margins were too low and Expedia was, he thought, doing fine buying and reselling rooms from big hotel chains. Khosrowshahi later admitted his error and introduced the Booking.com model at Expedia. He has been justly praised for that by Ben Thompson, who writes the Stratechery tech blog. Many people focus on Expedia’s stellar stock performance since Khosrowshahi’s overhaul of the platform and a series of high-profile acquisitions. But in terms of operational benchmarks, Expedia’s performance compares badly to that of Priceline — the company that did buy Booking.com. The hotel market sees the two firms as a duopoly in online bookings, and, after Expedia’s acquisition spree, they are roughly the same size in terms of revenue. They operate in the same market. Yet Priceline’s gross margin is consistently above 95 percent while Expedia’s is below 85 percent. Priceline has made almost $1.2 billion in net profit so far this year while Expedia has lost $29 million. Priceline does a better job managing costs and has significantly higher sales per employee. Uber has lived for years on vision and adrenaline. Until now, its business model was to throw a lot of investors’ money at markets where regulators didn’t clamp down immediately on its pretense of being a tech company rather than a taxi operator. The bet was that nobody else could burn so much cash, and competitors would give up. The strategy largely failed in two of the company’s largest markets, China and Russia, where Uber was forced to leave its business to local players in exchange for a share. If Uber goes ahead with the cash-burning strategy, it will fail in more places, because it’s unsustainable. Cash is finite, and regulation is inevitable. Uber desperately needs a workable business model on which to base an expansion model — if, in fact, it still wants to expand aggressively — and that means focusing attention on exactly those areas in which Expedia lags behind Priceline. To turn around Expedia, Khosrowshahi adopted, a little belatedly, a model on which Priceline bet with the Booking.com acquisition. In Uber’s case, there’s no one to imitate. The reinvention process needed to turn Uber into a properly functioning, profitable business is a dangerous, lonely undertaking. Uber, for example, likely faces some tough decisions concerning one of the early highlights of its offering — surge pricing. It doesn’t quite work for passengers, who hate it, or for drivers, who try to game it or, if they’re less greedy and more experienced, disregard it. Uber needs to differentiate itself from other services, which have copied the essential parts of the technology but avoided similar mistakes in setting up driver motivation. Uber has a confusing, frustrating, hard-to-track system of driver bonuses that could be better at turning a profit and at motivating drivers. Drivers like Lyft better, not least because its system is clearer and the pay tends to be better for a unit of work. Riders don’t see much of a difference between the two. The leadership of Uber now is a job of operational management and business model-tuning. It’s sort of like the handover at Apple from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook: Cook is not a visionary, but he is a financial, supply chain, and operational manager par excellence. But, unlike Apple at the time of that 2011 handover, Uber is a wildly unprofitable, undermanaged mess of demotivated workers and squabbling directors. It won’t be obvious anytime soon how good Khosrowshahi will be at Uber because success turns on under-the-hood changes that may or may not work. But I will feel better about the company’s future if I see Uber giving up Napoleonic world-domination plans, making more deals with strong local competitors, streamlining the driver compensation system without scaring off drivers, and generally paring down its operational losses. That may not be quite what investors expect of Uber after the previous CEO, Travis Kalanick, sold them a world conqueror’s vision. Coming down to earth might result in a lower valuation. But Uber is an intricate business, not a force of nature. Khosrowshahi still has to prove he has the skills to manage the intricacy —under less-than-ideal circumstances. This article was written by Leonid Bershidsky from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
Akron is in the final phase of its million-dollar plan to fully equip its police department with body cams. At a news conference Tuesday, Acting Police Chief Kenneth Ball and Mayor Dan Horrigan said the last of the specialty camcorders are on their way from the manufacturer. The announcement came as the November election is nearing with the city seeking a 0.25 percent increase in the income tax to pay for, among other things, improved police services. Horrigan was asked about the timing. “It highlights the importance of Issue 4," Horrigan says. "I don’t necessarily want to have that conversation about if it doesn’t pass. But we’ve made a commitment to use these., so we’re going to make it work either way.” The mayor said the progress with body cams shows the city is making good on promises to use tax dollars to keep the police force well equipped. But he said the project is more important because of the transparency it brings to local law enforcement. “We’ve made the commitment for that," Horrigan says. "This is how we need to do it. And I applaud all of our partners in being able to help—in getting community input. And everybody benefits on this." "Nobody likes to buy insurance, but this is insurance; and this is insurance for the community and all of us to say this is going to work and we’re going to use it this way.” Akron Police Lt. Mark Farrar, who is in charge of equipping all of the officers with body cams, demonstrated one that he was wearing and talked about what’s next. “The first phase was a hundred cameras," Farrar says. "And then the second phase was just ordered last week, which is an additional 145.” In 2013, Akron began studying options for equipping all officers with cameras as well as recording, storing and retrieving the video. The million dollar cost will be spread out over five years. And a federal grant of about $330,000 helped.
Along with the new functionality of Windows Server 2016, another essential element of any domain administrator — Active Directory — has been updated with some very important and great features. One of the updates that aims to improve the environment’s protection against external and internal threats to accounts is called privileged access management (PAM). This functionality is based on the idea of Just Enough Administration (JEA), which is a security technology that allows the delegation of administration rights with the help of PowerShell. The idea is to grant the administration rights only for a certain period. With PAM, we can set the time limit on a group membership by setting a Time to Live (TTL) value. In other words: You can add a user to a group that will be active for a limited time only. This comes in handy in situations when you need to grant access to your AD environment to a third party or to help desk personnel who are troubleshooting problems in the environment but don’t need elevated permissions on a permanent basis. And it’s only logical to limit the time they have the access rather than do the manual clean-up after they’re done, which is doomed to be forgotten. Let’s dive into the procedure. Be aware that, as with Active Directory Recycle Bin, this function is not enabled by default and once enabled, you can’t turn it off. Requirements and how to enable To enable PAM, we need to ensure that the forest functional level is at Windows Server 2016. You can do so like this: Get the Active Directory Forest functional level (Get-ADForest).ForestMode Get the Active Directory Domain functional level (Get-ADDomain) .DomainMode Get the Active Directory Domain suffix: Get-ADDomain \| Select-Object DNSRoot \| fl Enable "Privileged Access Management Feature" Enable-ADOptionalFeature "Privileged Access Management Feature" -Scope ForestOrConfigurationSet -Target SYSADMIT.lab Check "Privileged Access Management Feature" status: Get-ADOptionalFeature -filter {name -like "Privileged*"} If we try to activate this feature with a lower forest functional level than Windows Server 2016, we will get the error (see Figure 1). Figure 1: The error message in case of a wrong forest functionality level To increase the functional level of both the domain and the forest, there are several tools that we can use: Active Directory Domains and Trusts (domain.msc) — We can find this tool starting from Windows Server 2000 Active Directory Administrative Center (dsac.exe) — We can find this tool from starting from Windows Server 2008 R2 PowerShell (Active Directory Module) Since we’re on Windows Server 2016, we will use PowerShell to increase the domain and forest functional level. In the example, the name of the DC is S1 and the domain is SYSADMIT.lab. Raise the Domain Functional Level to Windows Server 2016 Set-ADDomainMode -identity S1.SYSADMIT.lab -DomainMode Windows2016 Raise the Forest Functional Level to Windows Server 2016 $ Forest = Get-ADForest Set-ADForestMode -Identity $ Forest -Server $ Forest.SchemaMaster -ForestMode Windows2016 Helpful things to know: To enable the PAM feature, you only need to raise the forest functional level to Windows Server 2016, but not the domain functional level. As a rule, Active Directory functional levels cannot be reversed. The exception would be Windows Server 2008 R2 where the forest functional level can be reversed back to 2008 level if the Recycle Bin hasn’t been enabled. In case of 2016, this operation would be irreversible. Special attention is required when raising a functional level for applications like Exchange Server. Each version of Exchange Server requires a specific functional level. Temporary group membership in action To run a quick test of the temporary group membership, we will create a group and a user who we will add to that group by setting a TTL value. Add AD User (in the example, the username is: Xavi) New-ADUser -Name "Xavi" -UserPrincipalName Xavi@SYSADMIT.lab Set AD user password Set-ADAccountPassword -Identity "Xavi" Add AD global group (in the example, the group name is: Temp-MemberShip) New-ADGroup -name "Temp-MemberShip" -groupscope Global Enable AD User Enable-ADAccount -Identity "Xavi" Add the User “Xavi” into “Temp-MemberShip” only for 2 days $variable = New-TimeSpan -Days 2 Add-ADGroupMember -Identity "Temp-MemberShip" -Members Xavi -MemberTimeToLive $variable That’s it! After two days, the user “Xavi” will no longer be a member of the group “Temp-MemberShip,” and no manual action is required. You can check the user group membership TTL value with the following command (see example in a Figure 2): Get-ADGroup "Temp-MemberShip" -Property member -ShowMemberTimeToLive Figure 2: Checking the TTL value Read more: GD Star Rating loading...
Earlier this month, managers at the subscription news site Law360 brought some high-priced consultants into the newsroom. Their purpose: to persuade employees not to unionize. Turns out that money could have been better spent elsewhere. In an election held over the course of several days this month, editorial staffers at the site voted in favor of joining the NewsGuild of New York, according to an email sent to staffers Wednesday from the site’s general manager, Scott Roberts. The results of the election have not yet been certified by the National Labor Relations Board. Roberts said in his note that once they are, the company will start bargaining with the union toward a first contract. The vote wasn’t close - 109 in favor, nine against - according to the union. But as of Wednesday afternoon, lawyers representing the company were claiming that a ballot box had been mishandled, suggesting Law360 may challenge the vote, said Nastaran Mohit, an organizer with the NewsGuild. “It’s fairly ridiculous,” Mohit said. “Even if those challenges were to hold up, those votes were not determinative. This was an overwhelming majority.” A Law360 spokesman declined to comment. If the vote gets ratified, Law360 will be added to a growing list of digital news sites that have gone union over the past couple of years, including Gawker, Salon, Vice, ThinkProgress, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America (before it folded). Editorial staffers at The Huffington Post also unionized, joining the Writers Guild of America, East, earlier this year, and are now bargaining toward a contract. As HuffPost reported earlier this month, Law360 was the first of those sites to throw serious resources at beating back the union campaign, whereas most others voluntarily recognized the unions. The election marks a significant win for the NewsGuild, which could add roughly 130 new members to its rolls.
Star Anise – Tamiflu’s Vital Ingredient Star anise, from China and Vietnam, has been known in the West for several centuries as a cooking spice and as an ingredient in anise-flavored liquors like Pernod. Now it has a new use – as the base for Roche’s bird flu drug Tamiflu. In fact, star anise has a long history in Chinese herbal medicines, being used to treat such ailments as colic in babies, stomach aches and indigestion. When brewed as a tea it helps clear breathing passages. In women it has been prescribed to facilitate birth and increase lactation. Unfortunately, the plant takes six years to flower, and it is difficult to cultivate. One estimate is that 10 years would be needed to produce sufficient quantities to treat just 20% of the world’s population. An excellent article on Tamiflu and star anise is at the Common Dreams website: The herb from which Tamiflu is made is grown in four provinces in China and "huge quantities" of its seeds are needed, according to the Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Roche. It is harvested by local farmers between March and May, purified and the shikimic acid extracted at the start of a 10-stage manufacturing process which takes a year. Only star anise grown in the four provinces of China is suitable for manufacture into Tamiflu and 90 per cent of the harvest is already used by Roche. The article also details the production process: Once shikimic acid is extracted from the seeds of star anise it is converted to epoxide in a process requiring three chemical steps carried out at low temperature on seven separate sites. The most dangerous part of the process involves the conversion of epoxide into azide in a reaction that produces highly explosive material. This is carried out by specialist companies that handle the material in small quantities to reduce the risk of explosion. Currently only one US company and two European companies are approved by the drug regulatory authorities in America and Europe to carry out the process. The final step involves the production of crystal strands of the active ingredient of Tamiflu, whose chemical name is oseltamivir, which are vacuum dried and converted to capsules. Another useful article is at the Everything2.com website. It warns against trying to use star anise itself or products derived from the spice to combat bird flu. Stocking up on Pernod as a remedy against the avian flu would be a grave mistake (pun intended)….The shikimic acid in your glass of Pernod may, together with its ethanol, calm you down and unrealistically allay your fears in the face of a flu pandemic, but it won't harm the H5N1 virus in the least. The extract it contains is just a distant raw material for the active drug itself. Martin Roth October 25th, 2005
Fritz Lang’s silent film masterwork Metropolis is probably the most influential sci-fi movie in history, and artifacts from the film are as valuable as they are rare – a single movie poster from the original release sold for $690,000 seven years ago, and is expected to fetch even more at an auction later this year. Now, a remarkable 32-page theater program from Metropolis' 1927 debut has surfaced at a well-known rare book shop in London, which scanned it and shared some pages with Wired. The program was created for the premiere of Metropolis at London's Marble Arch Pavilion, and it's packed with firsthand anecdotes from the making of the movie, and some stunning photographs. Only three surviving copies of this program are known to exist, according to the Peter Harrington rare book shop, which has its copy on sale for 2,750 pounds ($4,244). (All 32 pages are available for viewing.) The program reveals the intriguing backstory behind the German sci-fi epic, as told from the perspective of Lang, his wife and collaborator Thea von Harbou, and several members of the cast and crew. In the yellowed pages above, Metropolis' wily mad scientist Rotwang, played by Rudolf Klein-Rogge, discusses artificial life, which includes a heavy discussion of robots. The word "robot" had only been introduced into the popular lexicon seven years earlier, in 1920. Another essay discusses technical challenges with Metropolis' classic "Tower of Babel" scene, which required "6,000 baldheaded men"; because only a thousand baldheaded men could be found, they had to be filmed six times to create the illusion. There's also a look at Lang's hand-built "flying camera" rig, complete with several shots of the rig in action. All images courtesy of Peter Harrington Rare Books, London.
Get to know a few of the more than 245 API candidates are running for federal, state and local offices this year! Editor’s Note: Updated with election results. * denotes candidates who won. It’s been an extraordinary election season, and not just because of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. For Asian and Pacific Islander Americans participating in politics, 2016 has been a banner year. More than 245 APIA candidates are running for federal, state and local offices, according to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, the most in a year since the group started keeping track in 2012. “It’s expanding, so it’s not just on the West Coast. We’re getting people Minnesota, Utah and other places,” said S. Floyd Mori, president and chief executive officer of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). “We’re seeing a lot more presence of Asian Pacific Islanders getting into elected office and running for elected office around the country.” APAICS only tracks candidates for the November election cycle, so there could be even more APIA candidates in local and statewide races decided at other times of the year, Mori said. “For a number of decades, you had primarily Japanese Americans and Chinese Americans running for office,” Mori said, noting the diversity of recent API office seekers who are Hmong, Korean, South Asian and Vietnamese, among other groups. APAICS is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes API participation and representation in the political process. See its list of APIA candidates at here. Here are a few notable races around the country that include APIA candidates: Joseph Cao Louisiana, U.S. Senate Cao, a former Republican U.S. Representative, is in a crowded field of 24 for an open Senate seat in Louisiana. In 2008, he became the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress when he won a close race against a Democratic incumbent embroiled in a corruption scandal. But Cao lost an uphill 2010 re-election battle in the heavily Democratic second district in New Orleans, which before he won in 2008, hadn’t elected a Republican since 1891. Cao, 49, is an attorney and former Jesuit seminarian who holds a master’s degree in philosophy. Tammy Duckworth* Illinois, U.S. Senate U.S. Rep. Duckworth is in a tight campaign to unseat Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk. The race is one that Democrats view as a potential win as they attempt to take back a majority in the Senate. Duckworth, 48, whose mother is Thai, is the first Asian American from Illinois elected to Congress. As an Army National Guard helicopter pilot, she was shot down in Iraq, suffering severe wounds that resulted in her legs being amputated. If Duckworth wins, she would be the first Thai American Senator. Tulsi Gabbard* Hawaii, U.S. House of Representatives Gabbard is up for re-election as the U.S. representative for Hawaii’s second district. She made headlines in February by resigning as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee to endorse Bernie Sanders for president. She is the first American Samoan and the first Hindu member of Congress, and along with Tammy Duckworth, one of its first female combat veterans. Gabbard, 35, was the youngest state legislator in the country when she was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2002 at age 21. She is a member of the Hawaii National Guard and served two tours in Iraq. Sue Googe North Carolina, U.S. House of Representatives Googe has been called a gun-toting, Trump-loving Republican, and faces a tough race to unseat incumbent Rep. David Price in North Carolina’s heavily Democratic fourth congressional district. She’s running on a pro-business, smaller government platform shaped by her experience as an entrepreneur and small-business owner. Googe, 44, emigrated from China to North Carolina at age 28 for college and is a former software engineer. She faced accusations of trademark infringement early in her campaign for using a “Googe” logo that looked similar to Google’s. Colleen Wakako Hanabusa* Hawaii, U.S. House of Representatives The former U.S. representative for Hawaii’s first district is trying to win back her old job. Hanabusa, 65, an attorney and veteran Hawaii politician, won the Democratic primary and is the favorite to replace Mark Takai, who passed away earlier this year. In 2012, a gravely ill U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye made it known that he wanted Hanabusa to be appointed to replace him when he died. Instead, Gov. Neil Abercrombie picked Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz. Hanabusa gave up the first district seat in 2014 to challenge Schatz for Senate and lost. Kamala Harris* California, U.S. Senate California’s attorney general faces a fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, in the race for a Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Barbara Boxer. (California allows the top two finishers in primaries to move on regardless of party affiliation). Harris is a former San Francisco attorney general who opposes the death penalty, notably in a 2004 case in which she did not seek a death sentence for the killer of a San Francisco police officer. Harris’ father is Jamaican American and her mother is Indian American. She is the first black or Asian American California attorney general, and if elected senator, would be the first black or Asian American and the first female person of color to represent California. Harris, 52, has the support of the Democratic establishment, including endorsements from President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Boxer, and California’s other senator, Dianne Feinstein. Mike Honda and Ro Khanna* California House of Representatives U.S. Rep. Honda is in a fierce battle with challenger Khanna to represent California’s 17th congressional district in Silicon Valley. It’s been a no-holds barred race that’s included accusations of cyber theft. Honda filed a lawsuit that claims Khanna’s campaign manager illegally obtained private donor information and used it to contact Honda supporters. Both candidates are Democrats, and the race is splitting the vote between the party establishment that tends to support Honda, 75, and the technology and business interests that makeup Khanna’s base. Khanna, 40, is an attorney and former assistant commerce secretary in the Obama administration. This is the second time Khanna has challenged Honda, who won by 20 points in 2014. Redrawn boundaries changed the demographics of the district in Khanna’s favor, and he narrowly defeated Honda in this year’s primary. Pramila Jayapal* Washington, U.S. House of Representatives Jayapal won a nine-way open primary race as progressive candidate with 38 percent of vote to represent the seventh congressional district. Jayapal, 51, faces fellow Democrat Brady Piñero Walkinshaw for the open Seattle-area seat. The Indian American is a civil rights activist who founded an organization to combat hate crimes and discrimination against Arabs, Muslims and South Asians after 9/11. She was elected to the Washington state Senate in 2015. Jayapal was one of first congressional candidates to be endorsed by Bernie Sanders. Raja Krishnamoorthi* Illinois, U.S. House of Representatives Krishnamoorthi is running to replace Tammy Duckworth and keep an APIA representative in Illinois’ eighth congressional district. Krishnamoorthi, who is Indian American, lost the Democratic primary race to Duckworth in 2012, but she’s giving up the suburban Chicago seat to run for Senate. Krishnamoorthi, 43, is a former Illinois assistant attorney general and deputy state treasurer, and owns two high-tech companies. He faces Republican Pete DiCianni in November. Stephanie Murphy* Florida, U.S. House of Representatives Murphy is taking on Republican John Mica, a 24-year incumbent, in the race for Florida’s seventh congressional district, a contest that the Democratic party believes it has a chance to win. Murphy, 37, who is Vietnamese American, is business executive and a former Defense Department national security specialist. She entered the race for the Orlando-area seat a day before the filing deadline in June. Democrats are banking on Murphy’s moderate politics and new district boundaries that more evenly split along party lines to give her the edge on election day. + + + Harry Mok is a freelance writer and editor, and the former editor in chief of Hyphen magazine. Follow @harrymok on Twitter. Update: An earlier version of this article listed John Chiang as running for Governor of California. Chiang is running in 2018, not 2016.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz, two people the country wanted as their president even less than the two options we ended up with, will waste everyone’s time and whittle away at the precious supply of sanity we have left with a televised debated about the future of Obamacare. You’re probably asking yourself a few things. Are either of these men currently running for elected office? No, they are not! Then why do these motherfuckers look like Rocky vs Ivan Drago: the Advanced Political Years? Not sure! How exactly is this going to help anything except contributing to the already nonstop, vapid, sensationalist, bloated television news lineup? It won’t! Advertisement Are President Bannon and 45 going to watch the debate and change the one mind they share about Obamacare? I’m guessing not! One could argue Bernie is attempting to inform Americans, specifically Trump supporters, how much President Bannon is about to fuck them over with this repeal. But if that’s the strategy, (and it’s the only remotely helpful one I can think of) why the hell would you send Bernie Sanders to relay that message—and on CNN? There’s not some inviting blue dog Democrat who isn’t able to speak in a tone that’s not “YELL” to do this? Either way, one the world doesn’t need is any additional instances of old white men yelling at each other. Advertisement Ted Cruz needs to go get taken right after Liam Neeson loses his cell phone and Bernie needs to get the collective shit of the Democrats together and tell them to grow some goddamn spines and stop giving in to even a smidgen of President Bannon’s bullshit. Following Trump’s America’s Next Top SCOTUS Pick absurdity, networks like CNN need to stop using these very serious times to drive their fucking ratings with idiotic publicity stunts like this. One way to let them know that is to not watch this drivel when it airs next Tuesday. Besides, that’s when the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills comes on anyway. You know, quality programming.
Story highlights Singer, 53, was suffering from heart and liver conditions says coroner He was found dead at his Oxfordshire home on Christmas Day (CNN) Singer George Michael died of natural causes, it was announced Monday. A coroner said the star, found dead at his home in Oxfordshire on Christmas Day, had a heart condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis. The 53-year-old also suffered from a fatty liver, according to Oxfordshire's senior coroner Darren Salter. "Inquiries into the death of George Michael have been concluded and the final post mortem report received," the coroner said, in a statement reported by Britain's Press Association. "As there is a confirmed natural cause of death, being dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver, the investigation is being discontinued and there is no need for an inquest or any further inquiries." Read More
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had mortice and tenon locking catches to close them. Many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Torcs are found in the Scythian, Illyrian,[1] Thracian, Celtic, and other cultures of the European Iron Age from around the 8th century BC to the 3rd century AD. For the Iron Age Celts the gold torc seems to have been a key object, identifying the wearer as a person of high rank, and many of the finest works of ancient Celtic art are torcs. The Celtic torc disappears in the Migration Period, but during the Viking Age torc-style metal necklaces, now mainly in silver, came back into fashion.[2] Torc styles of neck-ring are found as part of the jewellery styles of various other cultures and periods. Terminology and definition [ edit ] The word comes from Latin torquis (or torques), from torqueo, "to twist", because of the twisted shape many of the rings have. Typically, neck-rings that open at the front when worn are called "torcs" and those that open at the back "collars". Smaller bracelets and armlets worn around the wrist or on the upper arm sometimes share very similar forms. Torcs were made from single or multiple intertwined metal rods, or "ropes" of twisted wire. Most of those that have been found are made from gold or bronze, less often silver, iron or other metals (gold, bronze and silver survive better than other metals when buried for long periods). Elaborate examples, sometimes hollow, used a variety of techniques but complex decoration was usually begun by casting and then worked by further techniques. The Ipswich Hoard includes unfinished torcs that give clear evidence of the stages of work.[3] Flat-ended terminals are called "buffers", and in types like the "fused-buffer" shape, where what resemble two terminals are actually a single piece, the element is called a "muff".[4] Bronze Age Europe and the East [ edit ] Unusually complex Swedish Bronze Age spiral ribbon torc in bronze There are several types of rigid gold and sometimes bronze necklaces and collars of the later European Bronze Age, from around 1200 BC, many of which are classed as "torcs". They are mostly twisted in various conformations, including the "twisted ribbon" type, where a thin strip of gold is twisted into a spiral. Other examples twist a bar with a square or X section, or just use round wire, with both types in the three 12th– or 11th-century BC specimens found at Tiers Cross, Pembrokeshire, Wales.[5] The Milton Keynes Hoard contained two large examples of thicker rounded forms, as also used for bracelets.[6] Two uncleaned Bronze Age twisted bar torcs with flared cylinder terminals, as often found folded up, with bracelets, England The terminals are not emphasized as in typical Iron Age torcs, though many can be closed by hooking the simple terminals together. Many of these "torcs" are too small to be worn round the neck of an adult, and were either worn as bracelets or armlets, or by children or statues. Archaeologists find dating many torcs difficult, with some believing torcs were retained for periods of centuries as heirlooms, and others believing there were two periods of production. Differing ratios of silver in the gold of other objects—typically up to 15% in the Bronze Age but up to 20% in the Iron Age—can help decide the question.[7] There are several flared gold torcs with a C-shaped section in the huge Mooghaun North Hoard of Late Bronze Age gold from 800 to 700 BC found in County Clare in Ireland.[8] To the East, torcs appear in Scythian art from the Early Iron Age, and include "classicizing" decoration drawing on styles from the east. Torcs are also found in Thraco-Cimmerian art. Torcs are found in the Tolstaya burial and the Karagodeuashk kurgan (Kuban area), both dating to the 4th century BC. A torc is part of the Pereshchepina hoard dating to the 7th century AD. Thin torcs, often with animal head terminals, are found in the art of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, with some other elements derived from Scythian art. Celtic torcs [ edit ] Gold Celtic torc with three "balusters" and decoration including animals, found in Glauberg , Germany, 400 BC Depictions of the gods and goddesses of Celtic mythology sometimes show them wearing or carrying torcs, as in images of the god Cernunnos wearing one torc around his neck, with torcs hanging from his antlers or held in his hand, as on the Gundestrup cauldron. This may represent the deity as the source of power and riches, as the torc was a sign of nobility and high social status.[9] The famous Roman copy of the original Greek sculpture The Dying Gaul depicts a wounded Gaulish warrior naked except for a torc, which is how Polybius described the gaesatae, Celtic warriors from modern northern Italy or the Alps, fighting at the Battle of Telamon in 225 BC, although other Celts there were clothed.[10] One of the earliest known depictions of a torc can be found on the Warrior of Hirschlanden (6th century BC), and a high proportion of the few Celtic statues of human figures, mostly male, show them wearing torcs. Other possible functions that have been proposed for torcs include use as rattles in rituals or otherwise, as some have stones or metal pieces inside them, and representations of figures thought to be deities carrying torcs in their hand may depict this. Some are too heavy to wear for long, and may have been made to place on cult statues. Very few of these remain but they may well have been in wood and not survived. Torcs were clearly valuable, and often found broken in pieces, so being a store of value may have been an important part of their use. It has been noted that the Iberian gold examples seem to be made at fixed weights that are multiples of the Phoenician shekel.[11] With bracelets, torcs are "the most important category of Celtic gold", though armlets and anklets were also worn; in contrast finger-rings were less common among the early Celts.[12] The earliest Celtic torcs are mostly found buried with women, for example, the gold torc from the La Tène period chariot burial of a princess, found in the Waldalgesheim chariot burial in Germany, and others found in female graves at Vix in France (illustrated) and Reinheim. Another La Tène example was found as part of a hoard or ritual deposit buried near Erstfeld in Switzerland.[13] It is thought by some authors that the torc was mostly an ornament for women until the late 3rd century BC, when it became an attribute of warriors.[14] However, there is evidence for male wear in the early period; in a rich double burial of the Hallstatt period at Hochmichele, the man wears an iron torc and the female a necklace with beads.[15] A heavy torc in silver over an iron core with bull's head terminals, weighing over 6 kilos, from Trichtingen, Germany, probably dates to the 2nd century BC (illustrated).[16] Many finds of torcs, especially in groups and in association with other valuables but not associated with a burial, are clearly deliberate deposits whose function is unclear. They may have been ritual deposits or hidden for safekeeping in times of warfare. Some may represent the work-in-progress of a workshop.[17] After the early period, torcs are especially prominent in the Celtic cultures reaching to a coast of the Atlantic, from modern Spain to Ireland, and on both sides of the English Channel. Some very elaborately worked torcs with relief decoration in a late form of La Tène style have been found in Britain and Ireland, dating from roughly the 3rd to 1st centuries BC. There may be a connection with an older tradition in the British Isles of elaborate gold neckwear in the form of gold lunulas, which seem centred on Ireland in the Bronze Age, and later flat or curved wide collars; gold twisted ribbon torcs are found from both periods, but also imported styles such as the fused-buffer.[18] The most elaborate late Insular torcs are thick and often hollow, some with terminals forming a ring or loop. The most famous English example is the 1st-century BC multi-stranded electrum Snettisham Torc found in northwestern Norfolk in England (illustrated),[19] while the single hollow torc in the Broighter Gold hoard, with relief decoration all round the hoop, is the finest example of this type from Ireland, also 1st century BC.[20] The Stirling Hoard, a rare find in Scotland of four gold torcs, two of them twisted ribbons, dating from the 3rd to 1st century BC, was discovered in September 2009.[21] scotiae terminals, and hoop decoration. At 1.812 kg (3.99 lb) the heaviest Iberian torc.[22] Torc from Burela , Galicia, with double mouldingterminals, and hoop decoration. At 1.812 kg (3.99 lb) the heaviest Iberian torc. The Roman Titus Manlius in 361 BC challenged a Gaul to single combat, killed him, and then took his torc. Because he always wore it, he received the nickname Torquatus (the one who wears a torc),[23] and it was adopted by his family. After this, Romans adopted the torc as a decoration for distinguished soldiers and elite units during Republican times. A few Roman torcs have been discovered.[24] Pliny the Elder records that after a battle in 386 BC (long before his lifetime) the Romans recovered 183 torcs from the Celtic dead, and similar booty is mentioned by other authors.[10] It is not clear whether the Gallo-Roman "Warrior of Vacheres", a sculpture of a soldier in Roman military dress, wears a torc as part of his Roman uniform or as a reflection of his Celtic background. Quintilian says that the Emperor Augustus was presented by Gauls with a gold torc weighing 100 Roman pounds (nearly 33 kilograms or 73 pounds),[10] far too heavy to wear. A torc from the 1st century BC Winchester Hoard, is broadly in Celtic style but uses the Roman technique of laced gold wire, suggesting it may have been a "diplomatic gift" from a Roman to a British tribal king.[25][26] A very late example of a torc used as ceremonial item in early Medieval Wales can be found in the writings of Gerald of Wales. The author wrote that there still existed a certain royal torc that had once been worn by Prince Cynog ap Brychan of Brycheiniog (fl. 492 AD) and was known as Saint Kynauc's Collar. Gerald encountered and described this relic first-hand while travelling through Wales in 1188. Of it he says, "it is most like to gold in weight, nature, and colour; it is in four pieces wrought round, joined together artificially, and clefted as it were in the middle, with a dog's head, the teeth standing outward; it is esteemed by the inhabitants so powerful a relic, that no man dares swear falsely when it is laid before him."[27] It is of course possible that this torc long pre-dated the reign of Prince Cynog and was a much earlier relic that had been recycled during the British Dark Ages to be used as a symbol of royal authority. It is now lost. There are mentions in medieval compilations of Irish mythology; for example in the Lebor Gabála Érenn (11th century) Elatha wore 5 golden torcs when meeting Eriu.[28][29] Shapes and decoration [ edit ] Elegant Bronze Age torc in striated gold, northern France, c. 1200–1000 BC, 794 grams Most Achaemenid torcs are thin single round bars with matching animal heads as the terminals, facing each other at the front. Some Early Celtic forms break from the normal style of torc by lacking a break at the throat, and instead are heavily decorated at the continuous front, with animal elements and short rows of "balusters", rounded projections coming to a blunt point; these are seen both on the sculpted torc worn by the stone "Glauberg Warrior" and a gold torc (illustrated) found in the same oppidum. Later Celtic torcs nearly all return to having a break at the throat and strong emphasis on the two terminals. The Vix torc has two very finely made winged horses standing on fancy platforms projecting sideways just before the terminals, which are flattened balls under lions' feet. Like other elite Celtic pieces in the "orientalizing" style, the decoration shows Greek influence but not a classical style, and the piece may have been made by Greeks in the Celtic taste, or a "Graeco-Etruscan workshop", or by Celts with foreign training.[30] Spiral ribbon torcs, usually with minimal terminals, continue a Bronze Age type and are found in the Stirling Hoard from Scotland, and elsewhere:[31] "Although over 110 identifiable British [includes Ireland] ribbon torcs are known, the dating of these simple, flexible ornaments is elusive", perhaps indicating "a long-lived preference for ribbon torcs, which continued for over 1,000 years".[32] The terminals were often slightly flared plain round cylinders which were folded back to hook round each other to fasten the torc at the throat. Other Celtic torcs may use various ways of forming the hoop: plain or patterned round bars, two or more bars twisted together, thin round rods (or thick wire) wound round a core, or woven gold wire. A rarer type twists a single bar with an X profile. Except in British looped terminals, the terminals of Iron Age torcs are usually formed separately. The "buffer" form of terminal was the most popular in finds from modern France and Germany, with some "fused buffer" types opening at the rear or sides. In both buffer types and those with projecting fringes of ornament, decoration in low relief often continues back round the hoop as far as the midpoint of the side view. In Iberian torcs thin gold bars are often wound round a core of base metal, with the rear section a single round section with a decorated surface. The c. 150 torcs found in the lands of the Iberian Celts of Galicia favoured terminals ending in balls coming to a point or small buffer ("pears"), or a shape with a double moulding called scotiae.[33] The pointed ball is also found in northern Italy, where the hoops often end by being turned back upon themselves so that the terminals face out to the sides, perhaps enabling closure by hooking round. Both of these mostly used plain round bars or thin rods wound round a core. In the terminals of British torcs loops or rings are common, and the main hoop may be two or more round bars twisted together, or several strands each made up of twisted wire. Decoration of the terminals in the finest examples is complex but all abstract. In these two types the hoop itself normally has no extra decoration, though the large torc in the Irish Broighter Gold hoard is decorated all round the hoop, the only Irish example decorated in this way. Gallery [ edit ] See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ]
Titans QB Zach Mettenberger laughs off "selfie" smack Zach Mettenberger offered up a smile on Tuesday, but it wasn't for a "selfie." The Titans rookie quarterback admitted he found humor in Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt calling him out about his social media pictures leading up to Sunday's game. "I just kind of laughed it off,'' Mettenberger said. "What can I say? The guy is the best defensive player in the NFL, there is nothing I can say to him. So I just need to keep progressing, keep working and we'll play them again." Following Houston's 30-16 win over the Titans, Watt criticized Mettenberger for not taking a more serious approach to his first NFL start. Watt said it bothered him to see Mettenberger taking pictures of himself and posting them on social media during the week. Climer: Have Titans waved with flag? Mettenberger took another "selfie" in the locker room before the game. After one of his two sacks on Sunday, Watt imitated Mettenberger by pretending to take a photo of himself. Titans tackle Taylor Lewan thought it was a clever move by the two-time All-Pro. "I think it is hilarious,'' Lewan said. "I am not going to sit here and say, "(Dang) you, J.J." I thought it was funny, it was well thought out. I am into that kind of comedy. I like well thought out funnies. The thing I don't like is (Zach) being sacked. We can't have that. …. Hopefully the next time we play them we won't put him in a position to have more selfie pictures. "But no one is calling for blood after a fake selfie." Mettenberger, who completed 27-of-41 passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, didn't agree with Watt's suggestion that he's not taking his job seriously, however. "He's entitled to his opinion, he is a great player and all that,'' Mettenberger said of Watt. "But I know how hard I work, and I know what I am doing here each and every day. And that's something that I can't be concerned about. If social media ever becomes a distraction for me, I just need to give it up. It never has been a distraction. "If guys in this locker room feel it's a distraction on my part, I'll tone it back. But I don't think that's a problem." Texans defensive end J.J. Watt pretends to take a selfie after sacking Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger in the fourth quarter. (Photo: Mark Zaleski / AP) Read or Share this story: http://tnne.ws/1u47C6w
Perhaps the ultimate gift for BVB Borussia Dortmund fans: A 3D selfie with their favorite player. Here are the facts you need to know. Get ready for a yellow and black explosion. BVB Borussia Dortmund just closed a deal with Doob, one of the largest companies operating in the 3D scanning and 3D printed mini-me segment. Together they are offering official 3D printed merchandising in Europe, the US and Japan. You now can buy your 3D selfie, arm in arm with your favorite player (image: BVB/Doob Group) Three nice options for BVB Borussia Dortmund fans Dortmund fans will be able to get 3D scanned in the trademark yellow and black colors of their team. They can do this right at the BVB Fanworld facility at BVB stadium. Also, you can purchase single 3D printed figurines of your idols. These include international stars such as Marco Reus, Mats Hummels, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrich Mchitarjan in multiple sizes. And the best option, when it comes to real fans: They will also be able to “connect” with their idols in the “fanDoobs” combination: Your 3D printed alter ego stands arm in arm with your favorite BVB player. Currently, there are no prices available. 3D Selfies are a worldwide trend – so sports teams are adding it to their merchandise (image: BVB / Doob) 3D Selfies: Next Step in Merchandise As Miki Devic from Doob Group explains, this deal will make Borussia Dortmund the first soccer club in the world to enjoy a “holistic 3D technology partnership”. The terms include the installation of a co-branded BVB-Doob Dooblicator Scanner at the BVB Fanworld facility, located right next to the BVB stadium and a more constant presence both at the stadium and in and mobile roadshows during the months to come. The company cofounded by current CMO Miki Devic has been expanding rapidly both through its Doob Stores in the centers of some of the biggest world capitals, and through B2B partnerships with companies such as clothing brand UNIQLO and, now, one of the top football franchises in the Germany and the world.
Alex Pietrowski, Staff Writer Waking Times Water is life, unless said water has been poisoned and is toxic, then water kills life. As the Standing Rock movement enters the next phase of their struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the world has for once mustered en masse for an environmental cause, many incredibly important battles for water and life are being lost around the nation, in want of attention and action, yet kept off the radar of public consciousness. Take for example, the ongoing disaster at Florida’s largest inland body of water, Lake Okeechobee, which is now a poisoned wasteland spreading deadly algae blooms from coast to coast. This event is the direct result of man-made activity, primarily the policies, politics and practices of surrounding sugar cane farming, although cattle ranching, suburban development, and golf courses are also major factors. “How many more marine animals must perish before we make a change in our water management programs? How many more ecosystems must be permanently damaged before our heads turn? How many communities must suffer from inadequate water conditions before we decide that enough is enough? The answers to these questions still remain unclear.” [Source] The lake, and many of the connecting bodies of water, all the way to both the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast, is so chemically out of balance it is producing dense, thick toxic green algae blooms, fueled in their growth by heavy fertilizer run off and heavy rains. The result is a creeping mass of choking, oxygen-less sludge that kills everything in its wake, including sea mammals, fish, and birds. “Local industry has long been using Okeechobee’s waters as a dumping ground for an assortment of chemicals, fertilizers, and cattle manure. David Guest, managing attorney of the Florida branch of the environmental law group Earthjustice, called the lake a “toilet.” While the pollution was once confined to the lake, it now flows toward Florida’s coastal communities via local rivers. The water, which is flowing out of the lake at 70,000 gallons per second, will soon pollute the ocean waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.” [Source] The series of levees, dikes, and canals that handle run off from the lake in times of heavy rainfall, such as earlier in 2016, are now suffering from extensive contamination and even though the public has at times rallied in protest for political change, the contamination continues in large part because of the political factors involved with the local industries. Recently, Weather.com published an authoritative article on the structure and struggles of the political grid lock that has prevented meaningful change in favor of a solution. “With the freshwater heart of South Florida pumping deadly toxins into the sea for the foreseeable future, the long, costly effort to turn swampland into cropland must find a way to overcome its own haunted history of hubris — a legacy whose dark underside includes death, destruction and despoliation.” [Source] They go on to describe the history of the issue which has been building for nearly a century, and is ever-exacerbated by the politics surrounding the sugar industry, which is extraordinarily profitable for a small handful of business magnates in the areas. “The roots of Florida’s toxic algae conflict lie in 19th century ambitions to transform vast swamps south of Lake Okeechobee, viewed as “worse than worthless,” into productive farmland. Remaking millions of acres, as explorer Buckingham Smith put it in 1848, would earn a settler “a high place in public favor, not only with his own generation, but with posterity. He will have created a State!” To accomplish the feat, farm settlers and engineers set themselves to the task of redirecting the natural flow of an almost unimaginable volume of Florida’s ground water, which had been until then southerly through the Everglades to the peninsula’s tip and into the Florida Bay. Initially, these early settlers fortified the southern shore of the lake with primitive muck levees that were easily overwhelmed by Florida’s rampaging storms. That led engineers to dig canals to carry excess water, when necessary, to the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, which run east and west, respectively. The St. Lucie drains into the Atlantic and the Caloosahatchee into the Gulf. There, the excess freshwater from the lake would be but a mere drop in the proverbial saltwater bucket.” [ Source Final Thoughts The fact that a lake the size of Okeechobee can be reduced to a toxic dump, killing wildlife and local industries like fishing, with only minimal coverage and minimal outrage says a great deal about the value our culture places on water and life. Some believe the damage can be reversed, in time, if only public policies were updated to stop the contamination and contribute to the rehabilitation of the lake, yet again, we find that life is not as well-represented in the halls of government as industry and money are. How much further can we venture down this path without suffering the most extreme of repercussions? Read more articles by Alex Pietrowski . About the Author Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and Offgrid Outpost, a provider of storable food and emergency kits. Alex is an avid student of Yoga and life. This article (Florida’s Largest Lake is Slowly Being Poisoned, a Victim of Politics as Usual) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Alex Pietrowski and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement. ~~ Help Waking Times to raise the vibration by sharing this article with friends and family…
The .45 Reising submachine gun was manufactured by Harrington & Richardson (H&R) Arms Company in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, and was designed and patented by Eugene Reising in 1940. The three versions of the weapon were the Model 50, the folding stock Model 55, and the semiautomatic Model 60 rifle.[4] Over 100,000 Reisings were ordered during World War II, and were initially used by the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and the United States Coast Guard, though some were shipped to Canadian, Soviet, and other allied forces to fight the Axis powers.[5] History [ edit ] The Reising submachine gun was innovative for its time, and in comparison to its main rival the famous Thompson Model 1928 submachine gun, it possessed similar firepower, better accuracy, excellent balance, light weight, plus a much lower cost and greater ease of manufacture. But poor combat performance of the Reising contrasted with favorable combat and law enforcement use of the Thompson forever mired the weapon in controversy.[4] Reising was an assistant to firearm inventor John M. Browning. In this role, Reising contributed to the final design of the US .45 Colt M1911 pistol, one of the most well-known pistols in history. Reising then designed a number of commercial rifles and pistols on his own, when in 1938, he turned his attention to designing a submachine gun as threats of war rapidly grew in Europe.[4] Two years later he submitted his completed design to the Harrington & Richardson Arms Company (H&R) in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was accepted, and in March 1941, H&R started manufacturing the Model 50 full stocked submachine gun. Months later, production began on the Model 55 (identical to the Model 50 other than having a folding wire buttstock, no compensator, and a barrel half an inch shorter); and the Model 60 full stocked semiautomatic rifle that also resembled a Model 50, but had a 7.75 inch longer barrel without cooling fins or compensator.[4] H&R promoted the submachine guns for police and military use, and the Model 60 for security guards. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 the US was suddenly in desperate need of thousands of modern automatic weapons. Reising's only competitor was the .45 ACP Thompson Model 1928A1 submachine gun.[4] The US Army first tested the Reising in November 1941 at Fort Benning, Georgia, and found several parts failed due to poor construction. Once corrected a second test was made in 1942 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. In that test 3,500 rounds were fired resulting in two malfunctions: one from the ammunition, the other from a bolt malfunction. As a result, the Army didn't adopt the Reising, but the Navy and Marines did, faced with insufficient supply of Thompsons[4] Design [ edit ] It was far less costly, costing $62 compared to the $200 for the Thompson. It was much lighter (seven vs. eleven pounds). And, the Model 55 was more compact (about twenty-two vs. thirty-three inches in length).[4] The Reising cost less than the Thompson because its metal components were mostly stampings instead of machined parts. This also allowed it to be lighter, as did its firing mechanism. Like the 1928A1 Thompson, its operating principle was delayed blowback, but the Thompson's Blish lock system was far less mechanically effective and so, like a simple blowback weapon, the Thompson was dependent on high bolt mass or more specifically bolt inertia to provide an acceptably low rate of fire. That is, a lighter bolt, as used in earlier models of the Thompson, would have reciprocated faster and produced too great a firing speed. This in turn meant that the Thompson could not be radically lightened without a deterioration in its controllability, as a heavy gun was necessary in automatic fire, to counteract and stabilize the effects on control and accuracy of its heavy bolt moving back and forwards. The Reising's bolt is much lighter due to its delayed blowback mechanism being the main determinant of the automatic rate of fire; and consequently the whole gun could be correspondingly light without detracting from accuracy and controllability. The mechanism works as follows: as the cartridge is chambered, the rear end of the bolt is pushed up into a recess, in a manner similar to tilting-bolt locked breech guns; but whereas such weapons rely on an additional mechanism to unlock them, in the case of the Reising the end of the bolt that pushes against the back wall of this recess, is subtly rounded, while the wall is correspondingly curved. On firing, the extreme pressure from the propellant gases is thereby able to force the bolt-end down, back to the horizontal. From here the bolt can move to the rear removing the cartridge from the chamber; but the combination of mechanical disadvantage and friction the force of the gases must overcome to push the end of the bolt down has achieved a delay of a fraction of a second, allowing pressure in the barrel to drop to a level sufficiently low for safe and efficient cartridge extraction. The Reising was more balanced than the Thompson because the barrel-and-receiver-group rested concentrically within the stock. It had smoother lines in that the stock was of conventional shape, and because the cocking handle (action bar) was placed inside the forearm. In addition, it was more accurate both in semi-auto and at the onset of automatic fire, because due to it being a closed bolt gun, only the hammer and firing pin moved at the moment the trigger was squeezed, whereas the Thompson slammed home a heavy bolt and actuator.[4] The Reising was made in selective fire versions that could be switched between semi-automatic or full-automatic fire as needed and in semi-auto only versions to be used for marksmanship training and police and guard use. The Reising had a designed full-auto cyclic rate of 450–600 rounds per minute but it was reported that the true full-auto rate was closer to 750–850 rounds per minute. At those rates, the twenty round magazine could be emptied in less than two seconds. In 1941, the Reising was priced at approximately $50 per weapon as opposed to $225 for the standard military issue Thompson submachine gun.[6] Variants [ edit ] Reising Model 65 training rifle There were four versions of the Reising, two selective fire models: the M50 and M55, and two semi-automatic only variants: the M60, a .45 ACP carbine,[7] and the M65, chambered for the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge designed for training purposes. Reising Model 55 with wire stock folded There were two differences between the M50 and the M55, those being the elimination of the compensator and the addition of a folding wire buttstock making the M55 lighter and shorter. M55 was originally issued to Marine parachute infantry and armored vehicle crews. The M60 was a long-barreled, semi-automatic carbine model designed primarily for military training and police use. However, few of these were ever sold. Although mechanically near-identical to the submachine variants, the concept was borne out from H&R's ill-fated .30 carbine light rifle prototype that was trialed against the M1 carbine.[8][9] The Marines used M60s for training, guard duty, and other non-combat roles. Some M60s were believed to have been issued to Marine officers at Guadalcanal.[10] The remaining guns were passed on to State Guards and civilian law enforcement agencies. The M65 was developed as a sub-caliber training rifle version of the M60, produced only from 1944 to 1946. H&R later made updates to the M65 and sold them on the civilian market (and to the Marines in small numbers) as the MC-58 and M150/151/165 Leatherneck.[11][12] USMC Deployment [ edit ] USMC Reising Model 60 carbine The Reising entered military service primarily because of uncertainty of supply of sufficient quantities of the Thompson submachine gun. In the testing stage, it won out over some other competing designs. It was very light and quite accurate in aimed fire, and "capable of intensive fire against personnel within a range of 300 yards."[13] This was attributed to its better stock fit and intricate closed bolt, delayed blowback design, though its firepower was somewhat limited due to the 20-round capacity of its largest magazine.[14][15] Most submachine guns fire from the open bolt position, meaning the full weight of the bolt slams forward when the trigger is pulled; with the Reising, only a lightweight firing pin striker moves when the trigger is pulled.[4] The U.S. Marines adopted the Reising in 1941 with 4,200 authorized per division with approximately 500 authorized per each infantry regiment.[16][17] Most Reisings were originally issued to Marine officers and NCOs in lieu of a compact and light carbine, since the newly introduced M1 carbine was not yet being issued to the Marines. Although the Thompson submachine gun was available, this weapon frequently proved too heavy and bulky for jungle patrols, and initially it too was in short supply.[14] During World War II, the Reising first saw action on August 7, 1942, exactly eight months to the day after Pearl Harbor, when 11,000 men from the 1st Marine Division stormed the beaches of Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands. This sweltering ninety-mile long mountainous island was covered with dense jungle and swamps, and was defended by Japanese troops. Since Guadalcanal had an airfield, the island had to be taken as Japanese aircraft from there could isolate Australia and New Zealand from America. To the Marines' surprise, as they stepped off their landing craft and their naval fire crept forward, they were met not by the Japanese, but by silence and shattered coconut groves that fringed the beach. Advancing cautiously into the dark, musky jungle, they pushed forward and took the airfield the following day. But Japanese warships and reinforcements were en route. That night, powerful shell fire swept the Marines as they were suddenly cut off from sea; to be locked in mortal ground combat with the Japanese 35th Infantry Brigade, and 2nd and 28th Infantry Divisions.[4] On the same date of Guadalcanal's invasion, the Model 50 and 55 saw action by fast-striking, camouflage-dressed, 1st Marine Raiders on the small outlying islands of Tulagi and Tanambogo to the north. Two companies of Marine paratroopers, "The Devil Dogs," dressed in olive drab jump smocks also used Model 55s to attack the island of Gavutu, between Tulagi and Tanambogo. Although Tulagi and Tanambogo were each secured in a day, the fighting was fierce. Japanese firing from caves and beach dugouts destroyed many of the raiders' assault craft before touching shore. At day's end, the raiders suffered 234 casualties from a 750-man force. The paratroopers fared worse. Of the 377 men who assaulted Gavutu, 212, roughly two-thirds were killed or seriously wounded, many because escorting warships couldn't provide close fire support in the uncharted waters, and bombers sent to assist the paratroopers dropped their ordnance short killing their own men. Following six months of intense fighting, Guadalcanal fell to the Marines on February 7, 1943, at a cost of 6,000 wounded and killed Americans as well as 20,000 dead Japanese. Guadalcanal's capture marked the beginning of the end of the Japanese Empire; other than minor advances in Burma and China, the Japanese were continuously pushed back to their homeland.[4] Although Paramarines and armored crewmen had been issued the folding stock M55, the weapon's poorly designed wire-framed stock tended to fold while firing and soon earned the M55 a poor reputation.[5] Moreover, the Reising was designed as a civilian police weapon and was not suited to the stresses of harsh battle conditions encountered in the Solomon Islands—namely, sand, saltwater and the difficulty in keeping the weapon clean enough to function properly. Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Benning Georgia had found difficulties in blindfold reassembly of the Reising, indicating the design was complicated and difficult to maintain. Many of the parts were hand fitted at the factory; this lack of parts interchangeability was not a problem for a civilian security or police firearm, but it was very problematic when Reisings were maintained in the field under combat conditions.[18] While more accurate than the Thompson, particularly in semi-automatic mode, the Reising had a tendency to jam.[14] This was in part due to its overly complex delayed-blowback design.[18] This design used a system of levers within the receiver to release a fragile firing pin that could break, rust, or freeze in the humid jungle climate. Another problem with this form of delayed blowback was the recess in which the bolt lodged when in battery. (See above.) If this accumulated dirt or fouling these could prevent the bolt from seating in it properly; and if this happened the trigger disconnector automatically prevented firing. In addition, the magazine was a staggered-column, single-cartridge feed design, and slight damage to the feed lips or debris in the magazine would render the magazine unusable. A partial solution to the magazine problem was the later introduction of a single-column magazine that reduced the capacity from 20 to 12 rounds.[4] The Reising earned a dismal reputation for reliability in the combat conditions of Guadalcanal.[19] The M1 carbine eventually became available and was often chosen over both the Reising and the Thompson in the wet tropical conditions, as the M1928 Thompson's built-in oiling pads in the receiver were a liability.[20] Withdrawal from the Fleet Marine Force [ edit ] In late 1943 following numerous complaints, the Reising was withdrawn from Fleet Marine Force (FMF) units and assigned to Stateside guard detachments and ship detachments.[21] After the Marines proved reluctant to accept more Reisings, and with the increased issue of the .30-caliber M1 carbine, the U.S. government passed some Reising submachine guns to the OSS and to various foreign governments (as Lend-Lease aid). Canada purchased some Model 50 SMGs and these were issued to 2nd Battalions in Canada where the 1st Battalions of regiments were serving overseas. They were issued along with .30-06 M1917 Enfields and .30-06 Lewis machine guns. One such unit to receive them was the 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. The Veteran's Guard of Canada were issued the weapon to guard German Prisoners of War.[22] Others were given to various anti-Axis resistance forces operating around the world. Many Reisings (particularly the semiautomatic M60 rifle) were issued to State Guards for guarding war plants, bridges, and other strategic resources. And after the war thousands of Reising Model 50 submachine guns were acquired by state, county, and local U.S. law enforcement agencies. The weapon proved much more successful in this role, in contrast to its wartime reputation.[4] Issues of reliability [ edit ] H&R was justifiably proud of the Reising's superior accuracy and balance, lighter weight, and ease of manufacturing when compared to the Thompson. However, the Reising's close tolerance and delicate magazine proved unreliable in the sand and mud of the Solomons—unless kept scrupulously clean. The gun quickly became despised by front-line Marines, and Lieutenant Colonel Merritt A. Edson, Commander, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, ordered that Reisings be flung into Guadalcanal's crocodile infested Lunga River, as his troops resorted to reliable bolt-action Springfield rifles.[4] This failure made a mockery of H&R's company slogan, "Six-and-one-half pounds of controlled dynamite. The H&R Reising will get a bullet there when you need it!"[4] There are other reasons for its failure. Foremost was the Reising's complex design of many small pins, plungers, springs and levers. Disassembly and assembly was difficult even under normal conditions. Simple maintenance was problematic as there was no bolt hold-open device. Chambering a cartridge was awkward as the action bar was hard to grasp in the forearm and could be obstructed by the sling. Worse, the safety/selector switch couldn't be sensed by feel at night if it was in the safe, semi, or automatic position.[4] "Filing-to-fit" of certain parts during production limited interchangeability. The exposed rear sight had no protective ears and was vulnerable to breakage. The adjustable front sight could be lost if the retaining screw wasn't tightly secured. The weapon was susceptible to jamming if grime clogged the bolt's locking recess in the receiver. The two small magazine guide retaining pins and corresponding receiver stud holes were tapered allowing disassembly and assembly only from one direction—right to left for disassembly, and left to right for assembly; adding unacceptable levels of complexity in a combat environment. The retaining pins had to be delicately tapped out whenever the bolt needed to be removed for cleaning; again, an awkwardly involved task whilst under fire. And afterwards when the pins had to be put back during the reassembly process, if they were inserted either too far or not far enough, the receiver might not fit back into the tight confines of the stock.[4] Model confusion [ edit ] What constitutes a "commercial" and "military" Model 50 is amorphous. First, H&R never made a distinction; the distinction is made by collectors. This confusion stems from a period in production where early Model 50s were manufactured with commercial characteristics and H&R's wartime practice of randomly installing old parts in stock throughout production.[4] While there is not one factor that distinguishes the so-called commercial from the military model, the commercial model is usually blued. It commonly has a fixed front sight and a rear sight with no retaining screw. It often has 28 fins on the barrel, a one piece magazine release, no outward flanges on the safety/selector switch, and no sling swivels. Lastly, the commercial model commonly has a smooth take-down screw, a two-hole trigger guard, and serial numbers ranging from one to 20,000.[4] Military Reisings are usually parkerized. They often have an adjustable front sight with an Allen screw and a rear sight with a retaining screw. They routinely have 14 fins on the barrel, a two piece magazine release, outward flanges on the safety/selector switch, sling swivels, stock ties (crossbolts through the forearm), and a knurled take-down screw. Finally, the military model commonly has a three-hole trigger guard, proofmarks like "PH" or "Pm2" above the chamber, and serial numbers ranging from 20,000 to 120,000.[4] There are three types of H&R magazines. The first and second models are both smooth body, are blued, and are twenty-shot double column. The first model is distinguished by five cartridge peep holes on the left side, a feature eliminated on the second model to prevent mud and sand from entering. In contrast, the third model is parkerized, has two long indentations on the sides to reduce its capacity to a twelve-shot single column magazine because of feeding problems experienced with former models.[4] Post World War II [ edit ] Deputy sheriff with Reising M50 Production of the Model 50 and 55 submachine guns ceased in 1945 at the end of World War II. Nearly 120,000 submachine guns were made of which two thirds went to the Marines. H&R continued production of the Model 60 semiautomatic rifle in hopes of domestic sales, but with little demand, production of the Model 60 stopped in 1949 with over 3,000 manufactured. H&R sold their remaining inventory of submachine guns to police and correctional agencies across America who were interested in the Reising's selective-fire capability, semi-auto accuracy, and low cost relative to a Thompson. Then faced with continued demand, H&R resumed production of the Model 50 in 1950 which sputtered to a halt in 1957 with nearly 5,500 additional submachine guns manufactured. But just when the Reising story seemed to end, a foreign order was received in the 1960s for nearly 2,000 more Model 60s, but that order was finally the end.[4] Decades later, in 1986, H&R closed their doors and the Numrich Arms (aka Gun Parts Corporation) purchased their entire inventory. Acquiring a number of Model 50 receivers, Numrich assembled them with parts. These weapons all have an "S" preceding the serial number and were sold domestically in the early 1990s after reparkerization and fitting with newly manufactured walnut stocks. These stocks are distinguished from originals by their wider than normal sling swivels and buttstocks, by the fact they have no stock ties, and have H&R marked plastic buttplates (originals were unmarked metal).[4] Machine gun murders [ edit ] In New Zealand in December 1963, two men thought to have been operating an illegal beerhouse business were murdered execution-style with a Reising submachine gun. Machine guns were a type of weapon thought not to exist in the country at the time.[23] Users [ edit ] References [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ]
REVEALED: How Sikh temple shooter used the internet to immerse himself in white supremacy in the months leading up to vicious murders Wade Michael Page spent is believed to have been radicalized by online forums and sites dedicated to white supremacy in months prior to shooting Page killed six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August before turning the gun on himself The man behind the horrific shooting massacre at a Wisconsin Sikh temple last year was becoming increasingly more radicalized with the help of the internet, newly unsealed documents have revealed. Wade Michael Page, who killed six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August, was actively using online forums and websites to stoke his white supremacist beliefs in the months before the shooting. An unsealed FBI search warrant reveals that federal agents quickly collected evidence of Wade Michael Page's connections to white power groups. The documents say Page - who played guitar and sang in a became increasingly interested in conspiracy theories and videos online. Gunman: Wade Michael Page, who killed six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August, was actively using online forums and websites to stoke his white supremacist beliefs in the months before the shooting Girlfriend: Misty Cook told authorities that Page was an 'alcoholic skinhead' who pushed her to join a Chicago-based white power group known as Crew 38 Violence and hate: Wade Michael Page turned the gun on himself after being shot in the stomach by a responding police officer Connection?: Police in California are looking for a possible link between temple shooter Wade Michael Page, who played guitar in a band called End Apathy, and the California murders The warrant doesn't say what Page was viewing, but that it disturbed his girlfriend, Misty Cook, who told authorities that Page pushed her to join a white power group in Chicago known as Crew 38. She told federal authorities that Page was an 'alcoholic skinhead,' according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Citing documents, the paper reported that Page was typical of others who use the internet to become increasingly radical. Radicalized: Newly unsealed documents show that Wade Michael Page had become increasingly interested in conspiracy theories and videos he found online The warrants reads: 'FBI experts believe the Internet continues to serve as the primary radicalization instrument, used to recruit teenagers and young adults into the radical skinhead movement.' Cook, who is from Milwaukee, was arrested after a gun was found at her home. She and Page were said to have broken up shortly before the Wisconsin massacre. Page stormed into the temple on August 5, 2012, killing four people inside and two others outside. Four others were injured - including Oak Creek police Lt Brian Murphy - the first officer to arrive at the scene. Lt Murphy was shot 17 times, according to reports. Page himself was wounded as he was shot in the stomach by a second police officer, Officer Sam Lenda . Page then shot himself in the head. The FBI eventually concluded Page - a former member of the U.S. military - acted alone in the shooting rampage. A motive has never been established. Page was said to have harbored white supremacist views and would often rant about a 'racial holy war,' an former Army buddy told CNN two days after the shooting. Grief: Harpreet Singh and Amaradeep Kaleka mourn during a press conference on August 6, 2012, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin about the shootings Sunday at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin Remembrance: Six people were murdered after the shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin Love and support: People light candles during a vigil to honor victims of Oak Creek in downtown Milwaukee Christopher Robillard told the network t hat Page was his 'closest friend' in the military, but that even then he had troubling political beliefs. The future killer was 'a very kind, very smart individual' who 'loved his friends', according to Mr Robillard, who added that Page was 'one of those guys with a soft spot.' But Mr Robillard said that his friend was 'involved with white supremacy,' and continued: 'He would talk about the racial holy war, like he wanted it to come. 'But to me, he didn't seem like the type of person to go out and hurt people. 'I never pictured him as someone who would do anything. I thought maybe he was just saying it for attention.' Mr Robillard said that Page was kicked out of the military after showing up for a line-up while drunk. Prayers: Wisconsin Sikhs attend a memorial for victims of the shooting on Monday evening Crowd: The Sikh community has responded forcefully to the brutal mass killing in Oak Creek Victim: The president of the temple, Satwant Kaleka, was shot by the gunman as he tried to tackle him to the floor with a knife
Share “It is impossible to study such situations experimentally.” A team of scientists from Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Disney Research Zurich, ETH Zurich, and Rutgers University have created emergencies in virtual environments to investigate mass panic in the real world. “In the study of crowd behavior, emergency situations are the least understood … because it is very difficult to collect data,” Mehdi Moussaïd, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, told Digital Trends. “In the past, we have analyzed a few camera recordings of places where an accident happened, but they are always difficult to evaluate. “Furthermore, it is impossible to study such situations experimentally,” he continued. “It’s unethical and would be dangerous for our participants. Understanding precisely crowd behavior during emergencies with real-life data is a dead-end — at least with the existing methods.” So Moussaïd and his team created a virtual environment with doors as bottlenecks, red blinking lights as stressors, and fires that block certain exits. They gave 36 participants control of their own avatar and let them observe the movement of avatars around them, but restricted them from communicating with each other. “Everyone rushed to the exit, creating a panic-like movement.” With the virtual fires lit, the researchers ordered the participants to evacuate the building. “Everyone rushed to the exit, creating a panic-like movement,” Moussaïd said. “Some participants did not make it out the building … but of course, in real-life, everyone was just sitting in front of a computer.” Interestingly, participants in the virtual reality behaved a lot like people in response to real world emergencies. “We didn’t observe any significant difference between real and virtual settings,” Moussaïd said. For example, most people in the virtual world pass on the right-hand side, just like people in real life. Participants did, however, move more slowly with their avatars then people tend to in reality — perhaps because the flight response is less intense when the danger isn’t virtual. Moussaïd and his team hope that the data they collected will help other researchers understand crowd behavior but they are not done placing people in virtual danger. “We need to collect a large body of data about people’s behavior under a variety of emergency situations,” he said. “These will help us understand precisely what is going on. From there, we can start working on practical solutions to make stressful evacuations less dangerous.” Urban planners can use the simulation to design their own virtual environments and test the safety of a building before it is built. By simulating the layout and analyzing a crowd’s response to an emergency, architects can locate bottlenecks and areas of hazard, potentially making buildings safer in worst-case scenarios.
Advisory Modesto, CA – At 5:46 PM Deputies responded to several 911 calls reporting four pit bull dogs attacking a man in the 800 block of Glenn Ave. When deputies arrived, they found three of the dogs actively and viciously mauling a male victim in the backyard of the residence, with the fourth dog circling the victim. Deputies, fearing for the man’s safety, immediately shot and killed two of the dogs. The other two pit bulls fled to an adjacent residential yard at the sound of gunfire. Other responding deputies set up a perimeter around the adjacent yard in order to contain the other two pit bulls. With the dogs temporarily contained, deputies evacuated the male victim to waiting paramedics. In searching the residence, they also discovered an elderly female victim inside the residence who was suffering from multiple traumatic bite wounds. The female reported that she too had been attacked and mauled by the dogs. Paramedics transported both male and female victim to a local hospital. Both are in critical condition. The Sheriff’s Office is not releasing their names at this time. Once the victims were safely evacuated from the scene, deputies attempted to capture the remaining two pit bulls. Both were vicious, aggressive and charged the deputies. Fearing for the safety of others in the community, including children in the neighborhood should the dogs manage to escape containment, deputies shot and killed the remaining two pit bulls. The subsequent investigation continues at this hour with detectives working to identify the owner or owners of the dogs, locate witnesses, process the scene for evidence and work directly with Stanislaus County Animal Services to determine if these particular dogs have any history of biting humans or vicious behavior. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Greg Buck at (209) 525-7103 For information about this news release, contact Sheriff Adam Christianson at (209) 525-7216. --end-- Register to get free e-mail alerts and text messages directly from us via Nixle. Get detailed up-to-date e-mail and text messages specific to your community from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office by registering for “Nixle Alerts” at: https://local.nixle.com/register If you have any tips, you can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Tipsters can also e-mail tips at http://www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text them to CRIMES (274637) by typing "Tip704" plus the message and may be eligible for a cash reward. www.scsdonline.com Adam Christianson, Sheriff - Coroner Follow Us: http://twitter.com/StanSheriff “Like Us” on Facebook: http://facebook.com/StanSheriff Official YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/user/StanSheriff/
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have dismissed Special Teams coordinator Bruce Read on Sunday. Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley just released a statement that said the following: University of Nebraska head football coach Mike Riley announced Sunday that special teams coordinator Bruce Read has been dismissed from the staff, effective immediately. “I want to thank Bruce for his hard work and contributions to our football program over the past two years. I also appreciate the contributions he made while a member of my staffs prior to Nebraska,” Riley said. “As we continue to build our program with the pursuit of championships at the forefront of everything we do, we will look for a great coach, recruiter and teacher to join our staff.” Read, who came to Nebraska with Riley from his times before the Huskers staff, showed a lot of issues in his two years with the Nebraska staff. Many folks on social media teased the hire game after game with the notion of Read’s salary, which was $450,000 per season. No word on the replacement on the staff, but look for GA Tavita Thompson, who coached and helped on Tight End recruiting, to be in the mix.
When choosing office furniture, one has to take into account the fact that employees will be sitting for the majority of the day typing, drawing or writing, so providing a comfortable chair and a spacious work desk is top most priority of the organisation. Office chairs is not just an added luxury in a workspace , its a key element to maximizing productivity because employees are sitting for eight or more hours a day, which can make backs ache, necks and legs feel stiff and make workers feel impatient or easily irritated. With a comfortable office chair, they will be able to be relaxed and patient and ultimately produce better productivity & efficiency at the workplace. Office workstations are the second most important piece of furniture in a workspace. They must provide enough space for a computer system, a phone, filing cabinet, writing utensils and books, as well as, provide enough space for workers to be able to write down important information or work on a project. If employees don’t have the proper space their desks will be cluttered, important documents will be lost, productivity will go down and overall workers will not be efficient. Office Storages is the third most important furniture in an office or workspace because it helps keep workers organized. Storage equipment ranges from filing cabinets and bookcases to various types of shelving and desk drawers. All storage types help employees stay organized and prepared throughout all tasks they will perform in the workday. After the most important furniture is properly chosen to maximize productivity, organization and comfort of workers, it’s time to move on to colours. Colors help provide a positive workspace to workers and help to keep their moods positive throughout the entire day. This will also help motivate workers to continue with tasks longer before taking a break. Colors also give an aesthetic appeal to guests or business partners, so people will feel more comfortable and positive while visiting an office.
A new law on domestic violence, making it illegal for someone to exercise ‘coercive control’ over their partner, will be unveiled by the Government this week. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is expected to announce new powers allowing the police to prosecute those who are guilty of psychological and emotional abuse. It means for the first time men who control their partners through threats or by restricting their personal or financial freedom, could face prison in the same way as those who are violent towards them. Campaigners have long called for a change in the law to put psychological exploitation on a par with physical violence, in the hope it will encourage more victims to come forward and report abuse in the home. According to the charity, Women’s Aid, only 6.5 per cent of domestic violence incidents reported to the police result in a conviction, while a quarter of cases that are passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) result in no action being taken. It is thought as many as 1.2 million women experience some kind of domestic abuse in Britain each year. But many do so silently, having little faith they will be believed or protected if they go to the police. Those who do find the courage to report an abusive partner often do not do so until there have been at least 30 incidents. Tragically it can be too late for some as the escalating pattern of abuse and violence sees an estimated two women murdered by a partner or ex-partner every week in Britain. While the government’s definition of domestic violence recognises the impact of coercive control and threatening behaviour, this has not previously been reflected in law. Police investigating reports of domestic abuse, are often left frustrated as abusers are not prosecuted due to a lack of clear evidence or gaps in the legislation. In cases where perpetrators are brought before the courts, they are often only charged with isolated crimes, with years of psychological and emotional abuse not taken into account. The new law will be introduced as a series of amendments to the Serious Crime Bill, currently going through the House of Lords, and is expected to be on the statute books in the New Year. Under the terms of the Bill a person convicted of coercive control could face up to 14-years in prison and there will be no statutory time limit for the offences, meaning abuse dating back years can be taken into account. When similar laws were introduced in the United States it led to a 50 per cent rise in the number of women coming forward to report domestic abuse. Plaid Cymru MP, Elfyn Llwyd, who introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill on coercive control back in February, said he was delighted the government had recognised the urgent need for a change in the law. He said: “Following the Home Office's consultation upon the issue it is clear that there is a real and urgent need for this change in the law which will effectively underpin the definition of domestic violence adopted by the Association of Chief Police Officers, which already includes coercive control. “It is a fact that for every single act of abuse or violence there are usually thirty or more previous occurrences which have not been the subject of any reporting. “Coercive behaviour can be as insidious and as damaging as physical violence and this must be recognised in law.” Harry Fletcher, the director of Digital-Trust, who helped worked on details of the Bill said: “Any move to criminalise coercive control without time limits will be a major step forward. It will increase victims’ confidence in the system and lead to more successful prosecutions.”
A suburban Chuck E. Cheese with a history of 911 calls could be closed for good after a patron was shot in his vehicle, authorities said Monday. Christian Farr reports. (Published Monday, Dec. 5, 2016) A suburban Chuck E. Cheese with a history of 911 calls could be closed for good after a patron was shot in his vehicle, authorities said Monday. Oak Lawn Mayor Sandra Bury says the latest incident happened after the victim left the arcade and pizza place and headed into nearby Evergreen Park on West 95th Street. The shooting, along with a large fight outside the Chuck E. Cheese location in 2014, and more than 40 police calls to the establishment this year, have the mayor and trustees saying they want to revoke the restaurant’s license. “A car came up and shot their car up with bullets,” Bury told NBC 5. “I am hearing up to 13 bullets were put in the car—and I’ve learned today there were two minors in the car—that’s terrible.” Trustee and former police officer Terry Vorderer says he doesn’t know another solution to the problem. “It’s not my job to find a solution,” he told NBC 5. “It’s their job, it’s their business, it’s their business model—it’s my job to provide a safe environment for the patrons of Chuck E. Cheese.” Evergreen Park Police say the victim, a Chicago man, received treatment at Christ Hospital for injuries to his lip and lower back before being released. Police say the man would not make any further statements about the shooting and declined to sign criminal complaints. A Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson said in a statement that the company is aware of the shooting. “We have confirmed that there was no altercation or issue at our restaurant and we were not involved in this incident,” the statement reads. “As a long-time business in the community, we are fully cooperating with the Evergreen Park Police Department in their investigation. We also want to assure parents and caregivers that we take great measures to protect the experience that children and families have in our restaurants.” Evergreen Park Police say they are continuing to investigate the shooting.
The Great Barrier Reef is under attack from hungry hordes of Crown-of-Thorns starfish, but Australia has an answer: killer robots trained to recognize the many-armed menace — and administer a lethal injection. It sounds like the plot to a bad sci-fi movie, but it's very real. These starfish have multiplied in recent years, and are estimated to have caused 40 percent of the reef's coral loss. Divers regularly do sweeps for COTS, as they're called, but they don't call it the Great Barrier Reef for nothing — there's a lot of space to cover. Queensland University of Technology's Matthew Dunbabin and Feras Dayoub have created a submersible robot that patrols just a foot or two off the sea or coral floor, using a specially-trained computer vision program to watch for COTS. When it spots one, it will extend a syringe and give the animal a dose of bile salts, a poison that happens to be especially effective against the starfish. The robot also will try to minimize false positives: "If the robot is unsure that something is actually a COTS, it takes a photo of the object to be later verified by a human, and that human feedback is incorporated into the robot's memory bank," explained Dayoub in QUT's news release. You can see more pictures of the robot and what it sees when it's hunting at the project's Flickr page. "We see the COTSbot as a first responder for ongoing eradication programs," said Dunbabin, "Deployed to eliminate the bulk of COTS in any area, with divers following a few days later to hit the remaining COTS."
Jordan Burroughs Every collegiate wrestling season sees new young wrestlers with great talent, but being the best wrestler in America is very different from being the best wrestler in the world. Also, the transition from collegiate folkstyle wrestling to the international freestyle is not always smooth. Cael Sanderson for example, the only wrestler to not lose a single match throughout his entire collegiate career (a record of 159-0) struggled to the make the adjustment. In 2000 Cael Sanderson failed to make the US Olympic team and failed to medal in the 2003 World Cup, but went on to win gold in the 2004 Olympics. Jordan Burroughs is the best wrestler in the world at the 74kg (163 lbs) weight class. Fifty-six wins and no losses in international competition, Jordan Burroughs has won every international tournament and match he has competed in since he graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2009. Burroughs is a huge celebrity in countries like Iran and Russia where the sport of wrestling is more popular than in America. Opan Sat from Russia, ranked number one in the world at the 60 kg weight class, is seen snapping a picture of Jordan from a distance while Jordan is being interviewed in this video. In the same interview, Jordan compares participating in the World Cup of Wrestling in Iran to Justin Bieber walking through a high school: “Men were just crowding me, they just wanted to touch me, autographs, pictures, hugs, everything. It was sick and awesome. I loved it.” News coverage here. Burroughs didn’t start his college career as a champion. Burroughs earned a starting spot on Nebraska's team halfway through his first season and only won one match at the NCAA championship tournament that year. As a sophomore, Burroughs finished 3rd and subsequently won the tournament as a junior and senior. Burroughs won the Hodge Trophy in 2011, his senior year, for the most dominant college wrestler (the wrestling equivalent to the Heisman Trophy). After winning his 3rd US Open title in 2013: Interviewer: Why was it important for you to be here - you didn't need to? Burroughs: The fans, you see the fanfare...we don't get a chance to wrestle on American soil very often so anytime fans get a chance to see us compete I'm all for it. People wonder why the sport of wrestling isn't as big as it needs to be, but we only compete on US soil about once or twice a year. Interviewer: Jordan, you've done a lot of this in a very short period of time, it's only been a couple years. Does it blow your mind how fast all of this is happening? Burroughs: Oh yeah, I'm blessed, I'm just extremely blessed. I pray everyday, give thanks everyday to God for putting me in this position. I'm surrounded by a core group of people who are amazing – amazing coaches amazing family and all I had to do is work hard, so it's been a blessing for me. The website flowrestling.org has lots of footage capturing Burroughs' physical abilities and charismatic personality off the mat: Burroughs in a rope climbing competition, Burroughs kicking a 30 yard field goal, Burroughs in a backflip contest, etc. In this video, Burroughs easily rips a phone book in half. From this 2010 interview: Mark Bader: Do you get nervous before you wrestle? Burroughs: Sometimes - it depends on who I'm wrestling. You know, when you have a tough guy and it's going to be a one point, two point match I'm always nervous. I listen to my ipod right before the match, but once I step on the line and the ref blows the whistle, I go into a time warp so once I actually get to wrestling everything is different – I just get going and I'm not nervous anymore. Bader: Do you think much or do you mostly react out there? Burroughs: I just go. Anyone who wrestled can tell you – you know you've wrestled - when you're out there on the mat, time stops and you're in a completely different zone... On the mat, Burroughs is famous for his double leg takedown: The double leg takedown is similar to a football tackle. The attacking wrestler lowers his or her level to lunge at an opponent’s legs and then forces their way forward and up into the opponent's body. Successfully taking down a strong opponent is about creating an instantaneous vulnerability in which one's opponent is off balance or out of position and then capitalizing on that moment with perfect timing. In his matches, Jordan Burroughs creates a tremendous amount of motion, circling, pushing his opponent away, pulling on a head or arm and faking his shot to create an angle. Much of a wrestling match is usually spent in a sort of dance between two standing wrestlers who are looking to find an opening on their opponent. Among his many notable international wins is this one against reining world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia in the second round of the 2011 World Championships in Turkey. Andrew Howe, a senior from Wisconsin, was Burroughs primary competition for the United States World team in 2012. Howe took second at the NCAA tournament in 2009, won the tournament and 2010 and took third in 2011. Howe was the only college wrestler who was able to keep a match close with Burroughs in Burroughs' senior year at Nebraska. Howe likes to wrestle from a tie, bang and pull on his opponents head, and wrestler from a front headlock position where he'll spin behind and score. At the 2012 World Team Trials, Andrew Howe faced off against Burroughs in a best of three format to wrestle on the US National team and the London Olympic Games. The first match between Burroughs and Howe was close and exciting with constant attacking from both wrestlers and great scrambles. Howe accumulated four takedowns on Burroughs in that match but it wasn't enough to win. Howe suffered a knee injury in that match and was unable to return to the mat for a second. Kyle Dake The year that Burroughs entered the international wrestling scene was Kyle Dake's first year at Cornell University. Dake would go on to graduate Cornell in 2013 a Hodge Trophy winner and 2013 Sport's Illustrated Male college athlete of the year. Kyle Dake is the third wrestler of all time to win four NCAA championships in four years (Cael Sanderson and Pat Smith being the other two) and was the first wrestler to win four NCAA championships at four different weight classes. (Incidentally, he was also the first to win three NCAA championships at three different weight classes.) While still a senior at Cornell, Kyle Dake was Jordan Burroughs training partner for the 2012 Olympics in London. Former NCAA National Champion Jordan Leen of Cornell on Kyle Dake (interviewed by ESPN during the broadcast of the 2010 championship tournament): “When he came in this year, he walked into the room expecting to beat everyone. He expected to beat me - he expects to beat anyone that he wrestles, so when he doesn't he doesn't understand why and he takes it personally.” Dake wrestled at 141 pounds in his first season at Cornell and looked significantly bigger than his opponent Montell Marion in the NCAA Championship finals that year. Dake attacked in the first period but was unable to finish anything on Marion. Then, halfway through the first period Marion hit a beautiful inside trip which put Dake to his back and in danger of getting pinned. Dake defended by sitting to his butt and executing a spin-move where he basically slid out between Marion's legs to score in highlight-reel flurry of action. Dake rode Marion for the whole second period. In the third period, Marion went to work to try to dig himself out of a 5 – 1 hole. The third period was all attacks by Marion and defense by Dake who was visibly fatigued. Marion got in deep on a shot on three separate occasions: Dake defended the first attack from his butt, Marion scored on the second attack, and the third attack was cut short by the buzzer at the end of match. Dake won his first national title 6 - 3. Over the years at Cornell Dake grew and moved up through weight class after weight class while always managing to look bigger and stronger than his opponents. As a sophomore, Dake dominated Frank Molinaro for his second NCAA championship, winning 8 – 1 and amassing an absurd six minutes and seventeen seconds of riding time. By his junior year he was wrestling on a completely different level, giving up only one takedown on the season, outscoring his opponents 48-3 and giving up only one point for stalling in his championship match against Derek St. John of Iowa. At this point, Dake was notorious for his monstrous mat returns and throws and his amazing shot defense. More than others, Dake is strategic and patient in his wrestling; he can attack when he needs to and he can wait for his opponent to make the first mistake. Most wrestlers chose the down position when given the choice in a folkstyle match, but not when wrestling Kyle Dake. Never choose the down position against Kyle Dake. Kyle Dake scoring on a reversal and mat return against Tyler Caldwell. Dake is in the red singlet, Caldwell is in the orange singlet: Luke Thomas: So I cover MMA for a living. People are dying to know, do you have any interest at all in MMA? What do you feel about it? Dake: Not really for me. I've invested a couple hundred thousand at Cornell so... Thomas: You would never consider it? Dake: Well I might consider it if I had to, but right now I'm just going to focus on wrestling and if I have to, use my school work. Thomas: Biggest take away from training with Burroughs is what? Dake: He's a goer and he loves to win, so I have to step up my game if I want to compete. David Taylor From this interview with Kyle Dake:Dake graduated from Cornell with degrees in economics and behavioral psychology. Dake's 2011-2012 record breaking season wrestling as a junior at 157 pounds, shared the spotlight with another electrifying wrestler. David Taylor of Penn State was a phenomenal high school wrestler, winning four Ohio State Championships and countless accolades (all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA). Taylor is one of the most dynamic and versatile college wrestlers of recent memory. Taylor usually doesn't look stronger than his opponent but the speed of his movements and his ability to string together one attack after another allows him to wrestle at a completely different pace. In addition to his mat work and pinning ability, Taylor has a huge arsenal of takedowns and his ankle pick from a flurry of attacks inspires awe. In 2010 - 2011, Taylor had an undefeated regular season as a freshman at Penn State and came in second at the NCAA tournament. Taylor lost his championship match that year in a major upset to the senior Bubba Jenkins. Jenkins wrapped up a cradle on Taylor after Taylor fell out of position while in deep on a shot and was winning the match 1-0. As a sophomore Taylor moved up to the 165 lbs weight class and no one could touch him. Taylor was a first team Academic All-American and went undefeated the whole season. He pinned his way to the NCAA tournament finals and then tech-falled his opponent Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh by taking a 15 point lead in the match and finishing nine takedowns. By the third period Hatchett was looking immobile and miserable as Taylor repeatedly took him down and let him up again, basically toying with him without breaking a sweat (Taylor is in the blue Penn State singlet). The superduck takedown is widely considered to be one of the most slick and beautiful takedowns that a wrestler can execute. When executed cleanly, the misdirection allows the attacking wrestler to score a takedown while barely touching his opponent. At the 7:48 mark (about ten seconds into the third period) Taylor takes down Hatchett on the edge. At 7:57, Taylor lets Hatchett back up again. At 7:58 Hatchet turns to face Taylor. At 7:59 Taylor hits a beautiful superduck takedown on the edge - and the whole crowd "ooohs" in amazement. Taylor would win the Hodge Trophy that year. Dake and Taylor, wrestling at two different weight classes with two completely different styles, were the two most dominant wrestlers of the 2011-2012 season by far. Dake and Taylor were also childhood friends and the two families met in various major tournaments. From this Wrestling Insider Magazine article about the family's relationship: “When Kyle’s family would come to Ohio for the holidays, we’d meet Doug and Kyle somewhere up the road and bring Kyle home and let him stay with us four or five days, where they would train together at the house... It would kill me to have them wrestle now but they will some day,” added Dave Taylor, the father of the Penn State sophomore who finished second nationally last March. “But I’m sure it would be a lot easier than when they were kids. David Taylor on the left, Kyle Dake on the right. Kyle Dake and David Taylor both participated in the 2012 Olympic Trials that ended in Jordan Burroughs defeating Andrew Howe for a spot on the US Olympic team. Although it wasn't yet clear that Kyle Dake was going to move up a weight class for the collegiate season, both Dake and Taylor wrestled at 74kg in this tournament and faced off against each other after both wrestlers had already lost a match (Taylor lost to Howe and Dake lost to Trent Paulson). Dake beat Taylor handily in that match by a second period pin. There was some speculation that Taylor was wrestling hurt during the Olympic Trials Tournament but this is impossible to know because wrestlers never admit when they're injured and never make excuses for their losses. After that match Dake was asked if this would influence his decision to move up to 165 next year where he would face Taylor: Even if we never wrestled or if I lost to him it wouldn't have mattered. I just got to do whatever my coaches want me to do, whatever is good for the Cornell team. Later that same summer Dake was asked to talk about the difference between the international freestyle wrestling and the collegiate folkstyle wrestling and to predict how the match between him and Taylor would have happened if it was a collegiate match. Dake looked uncomfortable with the question and offered: "I mean...it's hard to project, we're both pretty different wrestlers when it comes to folkstyle...um...but I mean...it's hard to project really." If Dake stayed at 157 or if Taylor moved weights either up or down, the two greats would have avoided facing each other and both Dake and Taylor would probably have had another undefeated season of uncontested domination. When the 2012-2013 season began, Dake had officially decided to move up to 165 generating much anticipation for this “match up of the century.” The unstoppable force and the immovable object were poised to face-off for up to three folkstyle matches over the course of the college wrestling season. For many of the sport's fans, Dake and Taylor were the only two wrestlers at 165 that mattered. The first of Dake – Taylor matches was an exhibition match at the NWCA All-Star classic which kicks off the regular season each year. The MMA blog Bloody Elbow published a post titled "The Biggest College Wrestling Match Maybe Ever: Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor" describing NWCA All-Star classic event: There were ten enthralling matches in the main dual, but one in particular demanded the attention of the wrestling public. At 165 pounds, the wrestling match of the century was taking place between David Taylor and Kyle Dake...This is a true "planets aligning" situation as generational talents, such as these two, rarely lock horns as collegians. The eyes of the wrestling world were justly fixated on the mat in our nation's capital. Both athletes wrestled conservatively for this first match, careful not to make a mistake. Dake, looking bigger and stronger than the lanky Taylor went to a front-headlock position for much of the match. Dake scored first with an escape from the bottom position underneath Taylor, then David Taylor got in on a deep shot and a vicious scramble ensued but was cut short by the end of the second period. In the third period Dake executed a huge backlift and mat return landing Taylor on his head, but Taylor used the opportunity to escape from Dake and knotted up the score at one apiece. There were no takedowns for the duration of the match, and it went into two over times before finally being resolved in favor of Dake who was able to escape from underneath Taylor. This match foreshadowed how closely matched these two champions were and how exciting subsequent matches would be. The match of the century part II happened at the championship of the Southern Scuffle tournament and was a heart-pounding followup to their first encounter. Flowrestling's coverage of this match began with the camera trained on a pacing Dake while Mark Bader read twitter predictions about this match from behind the camera. Four seconds into the match Dake got in on a deep double leg shot from his knees and lifted Taylor off the mat, slamming him back down. A scramble ensued ending in both wrestlers doing a full split while each locking up the ankle of his opponent and the ref called a stalemate and brought them back to their feet – no score. In the third period Taylor scored a two point reversal giving him a 2 to 1 lead. With one minute left in the third period the ref called a highly controversial two point reversal in favor of Dake as the two wrestlers rolled far out of bounds. Taylor was now underneath Dake and had 39 seconds to escape for one point which would tie up the match and take it into overtime. With four seconds left in the match Taylor hit a perfect standing granby (basically a somersault from standing to get away from someone holding your waist) and was literally inches away from his escape, but time expired with Taylor on top of Dake and Dake holding on to Taylor's leg with just fingers. A mix of cheering and booing for the ref ensued. Joe Williamson interviewed Penn State coach Cael Sanderson after the match: Joe Williamson: Any comments on the second match between Kyle Dake and David Taylor? Cael Sanderson: Well you got it on film, so... [long pause] Williamson: (changing the subject) Alright, so where do you guys have to - Sanderson: But yeah, that's a great match. They are two of the greatest wrestlers in the history of college wrestling so it's good stuff. In February 2013 the International Olympic Committee recommended that Wrestling be removed from the 2020 Olympic games sending waves of panic through the wrestling community. As a result, a multi-national movement began to campaign on behalf of the sport of wrestling and adjust its rules to broaden its appeal and generate more excitement for the sport of wrestling. Part of this concerted effort was felt in the more theatrical atmosphere generated at the NCAA Championship tournament in March that year. March 23rd 2013, NCAA Championship Tournament, Iowa Events Center - a tremendous amount of hype was generated for the seemingly inevitable third and final matchup between Dake and Taylor. As expected, Taylor and Dake plowed their way to the championship with ease, with Taylor pinning every one of his opponents in the first period. The championship was set with Dake on a 76-match win streak looking to make wrestling history and the only person in recent memory with any chance of beating him. The NCAA adopted a “main-event” style format for this match. Instead of wrestling the championship matches in weight class order as usual, Dake and Taylor were slated for the night's finale and they were called out into a darkened arena to the dramatic announcement of their name, with theme songs blaring, spotlights and smoke machines. Flowrestling has "pre-match" footage of both wrestlers waiting for the end of the match before theirs – something that can happen at anytime and without warning. Anyone who has ever wrestled can recognize the extreme nerves and anxiety felt by both these wrestlers before the match of their lives. Both pace back and forth anxiously. Dake is bouncing around and shaking his arms and moving his head from side-to-side by the entrance to the arena deep in his own thoughts, surrounded by cameras and his coaching staff. An occasional hint of an excited smile can be seen on his face. At 2:15 into the video Dake starts singing along to his song "All I do is Win" by DJ Khaled. Taylor is wearing shorts and large headphones and his movements are punctuated by an occasional sucking in of a deep nervous breath or a sudden shout of excitement. Thirty seconds into the video Taylor takes off his headphones and starts to do light drilling from the standing position with assistant coach Casey Cunningham who is wearing dress shoes, a tucked in dress shirt, dress pants and a tie. When finally called out to the arena, his coaches lag behind as ESPN cameras hound him and Taylor bounces on his toes and yells excitedly. Both wrestlers looked better than ever before. Taylor scored first with a cross ankle-pick and shoved Dake out of bounds - the first takedown ever between these two in a folkstyle match (Taylor is in the blue). Taylor got in deep on other occasions but couldn't finish. Just as Taylor figured out how to wrestle with Dake from standing, Dake figured out how to beat Taylor in scramble situations: Taylor was trailing 4-2 late in the third period and struggled to get out from underneath Dake. With just 23 seconds left in the match Taylor executed a beautiful escape from his feet and the two scrambled out of bounds making the score 5-3 with Taylor getting one point for the escape and Dake getting a point for having ridden Taylor for more than one minute. With 19 seconds left and a fresh start on the center of the mat Taylor needed a takedown to tie the match. Taylor started attacking ferociously and Dake backed away to the edge of the mat. Taylor took a shot with eight seconds on the clock and got in deep on Dake and likely would have scored if the Dake hadn't backed all the way out of bounds. Dake's backing up resulted in Taylor being awarded another point making the score 5-4. With three seconds on the clock the two wrestlers lined up in the center of the mat. On the whistle Taylor took two steps forward, Dake took two steps backward and then Taylor stopped wrestling and bent down to take off his ankle bands conceding the bout. The International Scene The international wrestling season starts one month after the end of the collegiate wrestling season, so the following sequence of events happened quickly. April 20th 2013, US Open, Las Vegas, Nevada - Dake sat out of this tournament, possibly because of end of the semester school obligations. Taylor had a stellar performance, crushing his way to a championship match against Jordan Burroughs. No one but Burroughs was able to score a single point against Taylor. At one point, the second seed Nick Marable had the leg of a hopping David Taylor raised well over his own shoulder and Taylor made defending the attack and scoring his own takedown look effortless. Burroughs always seemed to be one move ahead of Taylor and beat Taylor 3 - 1 in the first period and 1 - 0 in the second period. Taylor scored a single one point push-out against Burroughs but no more. When Burrough's hand was raised, Taylor was bleeding heavily from underneath his right eye after having been head-butted from a Burroughs double leg. May 15th, Grand Central Station, New York City – At Rumble on the Rails, some of the best American wrestling talent faced off against the Russians and the Iranians in Grand Central Station. Taylor won his match against Dzhukaev of Russia with a second period pin. Burroughs beat Saba Ktubetzhty of Russia in a battle that cost him a tooth. And Kyle Dake was the only American wrestler to win a match against the Iranian national team. Burroughs and Taylor warming up for the event: June 7th - new rules for freestyle wrestling are approved by a FILA congress in Moscow to encourage faster pace wrestling matches. The new rules make freestyle wrestling more similar to collegiate folkstyle wresting with a cumulative score over two three minute periods, two points awarded for a takedown and overtime periods in the case of a tie. June 21st, World Team Trials, Stillwater, Oklahoma – In the battle to represent the United States on the world stage, Taylor's only loss came to Kyle Dake in a match that came down to a takedown attempt by Taylor in the final seconds of the match. In the wrestle-backs Taylor faced off against Andrew Howe for the “true-third” finish and quickly ended the match with a 7-0 tech fall in 50 seconds. As per custom, Burroughs got to sit out of the World Team Trials to face off against one opponent - the winner of the Challenger Tournament in a best-of-three match format. Dake won the Challenger Tournament beating David Taylor, Trent Paulson and Andrew Howe. The match between Dake and Howe was tied at 2-2 after six minutes of regulation wrestling and the two went on to wrestle for another 5 minutes and 45 seconds of over time before Dake scored off of a shot by Howe. Joe Williamson interviewed Dake before his next match against Burroughs: Joe Williamson: You're in a position now to take down an Olympic champ, is that something you've thought about? Dake: This is what I've been training for. I haven't been training to try to beat Paulson, I haven't been training to try to beat Taylor or Howe I've been training to beat Burroughs and that's what I'm going to do tonight. In a different pre-match interview Dake was asked about how he was going to beat the best wrestler in the world and without skipping a beat responded: “I'm the best wrestler in the world.” You have to go far back into Burroughs' college career to find the last time he lost and it's hard to imagine him ever losing. Wrestlers as strong as Burroughs seem as invincible as a comic book superhero. In Flowresting's pre-match analysis Joe Williamson comments: “I didn't think that Dake could roll with Howe – he gets the win and all of the sudden I start questioning what I think.” The two matches between Burroughs and Dake that day at the World Team Trials raised more questions than they answered about who is and will be the best wrestler at 74kg in America. Burroughs was fresh for the match and Dake was exhausted after having wrestled a long and grueling day which is comparable to wrestling while injured. In the first match, Burroughs took Dake down on demand and won with a 7-0 tech fall just two minutes into the first period. This match could not be more of a statement from the reigning World Champion and Olympian to this young and confident challenger. Kyle Dake's second match against Burroughs was an inspiring display of courage and grit. After getting steamrolled by his opponent in their first meeting, Dake made adjustments to his game such that this second match was tied 6-6 at the end of regulation and went into overtime – about the closest thing to a loss Burroughs has seen thus far at the senior level. Burroughs won the match but Dake showed the world something they had never seen before - Burroughs being picked up and thrown hard for three points. Looking Ahead What happens next? There can be no doubt that the great battles between Dake and Taylor transformed what could have been a “laid-back” senior year to a year of tremendous growth for both wrestlers. Dake-Howe in 2013 was completely different from Dake-Howe in 2012 and similarly, Taylor wrestled in the 2013 US Open and World Team Trials on a completely new level. Like the Dake-Taylor collegiate rivalry, a Dake-Burroughs rivalry is sure to sharpen to the skills of both competitors for the duration of their international careers. When, if ever, will Taylor get the victory over Dake which has been so elusive until now? Will Dake jump past Burroughs and arrive as a dominant force on the stage of international wrestling or will Burroughs do to Dake what Dake has done to Taylor and always stay one inch out of reach? Taylor has one more year of college wrestling ahead of him and his dominance seems all but guaranteed, but in the sport of wrestling nothing is guaranteed. Taylor was interviewed after the tournament: Interviewer: After winning what were your feelings? Taylor: It’s a grueling weight class, everyone knows how tough the weight class is. I was in on a shot to be in the final - I didn’t finish, I had to battle back through. It’s not easy when you lose these tournaments, when you win there's a lot longer rest. But there’s also a lot of relief, I’m on the national team as a college guy, I beat some good guys, I wrestled everyone in my weight class so I know where I am and I know what I got to improve on. Interviewer: If I can take you back to your match against Dake earlier, is there anything you would have done different? Taylor: I wrestled a good match, I was in on a shot to win, like I said – um, I didn’t finish. But, … [here Taylor's voice gets shaky and he pauses shaking his headed, apparently fighting back tears]…it’s been eating at me all day but I can’t change anything. I thought I wrestled a good match and gave myself an opportunity to win and that’s all you can really ask for. "You may not be the best in the world, but I guarantee that you will have no regrets.” Those words ring in my head each time I step on the mat. There are no promises in wrestling, or in life for the matter...Success is what you make it. Take comfort in knowing that if you gave your all and still didn't win, it wasn't meant to be. If you do win, recognize that hard work helped get you there. Win or lose, your family will still be your family. Your friends will still be your friends. Anyone who matters, will still be by your side just because you had the courage to go out and fight. The courage to put your foot on the line, under the lights, with no helmet, no teammates, and no pads. Not all superheroes wear capes. Some wear singlets. From Jordan Burroughs' blog
After weeks of keeping a low profile, Stephen Harper was spotted this week voting against the government's ways and means motion to cut income taxes for the middle class and raise them for high-income earners. Opposition Leader and interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose said the former prime minister plans to make some appearances in the House of Commons as the MP for Calgary Heritage. "He's a member of Parliament. Continues to be a member of Parliament. And wants to represent his constituents," Ambrose told reporters after question period today. "And what he's told me is that it's important for him as he remains a member of Parliament to be here for the important votes that matter to his constituents." When Harper arrived Wednesday to take his seat in the front row, next to Rob Nicholson, he was applauded by his caucus. Former prime minister didn't attend question period Thursday but voted on tax motion 1:08 Ambrose cautioned reporters not to read too much into that. "It's the first time that most of us had seen him, so of course we'll applaud him. We have a lot of respect for him," she said. Low profile Harper did address Conservative MPs at their first caucus meeting in November, which also included former MPs who lost their seats. That day he was spotted coming and going by a back entrance to Centre Block on Parliament Hill. This week, during the vote, Harper appeared at the last minute, from a door inaccessible to journalists. Ambrose was asked if Harper will ever come and go, like many other opposition MPs, by the front door. "I think he's done his time coming out the front door and doing scrums and holding media availabilities. So he remains a member of Parliament and he'll be here for votes but we'll allow him that discretion to decide if he'd like to be away from the limelight." Harper, in fact, rarely held scrums with the parliamentary press gallery while in Ottawa. It was also rare for him to go into the House of Commons every day for question period by the door where journalists congregate.
Tuesday, February 12 12:00 AM EDT Geek Pickup Lines Part 5 11. My startup just got funded. 10. You </me> 9. I know of a good open wifi connection around here, want the SSID? 8. Wanna play with my Wii? 7. You're so beautiful you make my heart stop, wait here while I make a saving throw. 6. Have you ever been deep-linked? 5. I know what you're thinking and the answer is 'Yes, that is a 64-bit driver.' 4. Would you let me poke you in the Facebook? 3. Hi, what's your gamertag? 2. MySpace or yours? 1. I could see you reading my T-shirt from the other side of the LAN party. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 This one goes to 11. Previous Story: He's Got Some Spleenin to Do Next Story: Air Drums
I’m in Toronto, where I just received an honorary degree from the University of Toronto; and my thoughts have naturally turned, as they don’t do often enough, to matters Canadian. For it seems to me that Canada offers a useful test case for theories about what lies behind the Great Recession and the Not-So-Great Recovery. In its early stages, the slump was widely seen as essentially a banking crisis. This view in turn led some people — unfortunately, I believe, including some senior people in the Obama administration — to believe that the economy would bounce back quickly once banking was stabilized. In fact, however, banking was stabilized pretty quickly, and most measures of financial disruption look like this: Photo That is, a period of severe disruption in 2008-9, but a return to relatively normal conditions thereafter. Yet the economy remained depressed. As a result, many economists — myself included — turned to a view that stressed nonbanking issues, especially the broader effects of the collapsed housing and the overhang of private debt. Enter Canada. Famously, Canada’s old-fashioned, boring banking system avoided getting caught up in the global financial crisis. And for a while Canadian housing prices lagged those south of the border. Since then, however: Photo And Canadian household debt has kept rising even as the US level has declined: Photo So if the new, non-bank-centered view is right, Canada ought to be quite vulnerable to a big deleveraging shock despite its boring banks. Of course, people have been saying this for several years, and it hasn’t happened yet — but remember, the US housing bubble took a long time to pop, too. I’m not exactly making a prediction here; but I guess I believe in the debt overhang story enough to be worried, and Canada is certainly an important test case.
It’s been a long time coming, but Crash Bandicoot finally made his reappearance last month to much success. The remastered collection quickly reached the top of both the US and EU sales charts, proving that fans wanted more of the orange mascot. Recent leaks indicate that Activision may not be quite done with Crash for those on other platforms. While the evidence continues to mount for an Xbox One version of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, a new retail listing page has appeared online seemingly confirming that the remaster is arriving for Microsoft’s console. Over on base.com, the product page for Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has been recently updated to include an Xbox One specific version. Both feature the exact same box art and price. While Activision continues to remain silent on the subject for now, the listing features a December 8, 2017 release date for the Xbox One remaster, a date which has been seen before in other leaks as well. The retail related rumors really started around two months ago however, as a different retail listing first appeared online which showed off an Xbox One version that also had a planned launch date of December 8. Over on the official Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy website, the buy now section also gave fans an option to select a platform to purchase. However, for users that enabled the display hidden content box option in their browser settings, an Xbox One option appeared as well as a new deluxe option. While Crash is predominantly remembered as a Sony-specific mascot created by the talented folks at Naughty Dog, this latest title wouldn’t actually be the first time the character appeared on Microsoft’s console. After the deal between Sony and Vivendi Universal ended in 2000, Traveller’s Tales moved in to the development role to create Crash Twinsanity which launched for the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox. Crash of the Titans came a few years later and appeared on almost every available platform including Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, and more. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is available now on the PlayStation 4. Source: Base.com
LE BOURGET, France — The Paris climate talks are heading into overtime on Friday night, following an arduous all-night session on Thursday during which some countries allegedly teamed up together to cut out some of the more ambitious provisions in the draft text. Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Tony de Brum, who leads the new "High Ambition Coalition" that includes the U.S., Canada, E.U., Philippines and most recently Brazil, said it may take another all-night session to resolve remaining issues. De Brum told reporters that on Thursday night into the early hours of Friday, local time, a group of countries fought to strip out provisions relating to the temperature target in the climate agreement, as well as a long-term goal aimed at sending a jolt to the marketplace that decarbonizing the economy is now a global priority. "Our leaders gave us the strongest possible mandate last week, and last night we sat in a negotiating room listening to a coordinated campaign to gut the text of ambition," de Brum said. "These included interventions requesting the deletion of long-term emissions pathways, concrete language to land the 5-year revisiting of targets, and a refusal to recognize the science.” De Brum did not name the nations that were trying to weaken the text, although The Guardian as well as climate activists familiar with the negotiations going on behind closed doors have reported that they were Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Russia, plus China, India and Malaysia. “So we come again to sound a clarion call to the world to raise their voices and say we will not accept these divisions, deletions, we’re not hear to accept a minimalist Paris agreement, this is our red line,” de Brum said. Secretary Kerry Meets With French Foreign Minister Fabius Before a Bilateral Meeting in Paris. Image: Sipa via AP Images/Associated Press These countries sought to remove any references to a global warming target of 1.5 degrees Celsius, as well as provisions calling for a mandatory review of countries' emissions reduction plans. Notably, President Obama spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, after speaking with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These calls were part of the White House's engagement with the negotiations here in Paris, as the administration coordinates with the negotiating team on the ground, led by Secretary of State John Kerry. Tine Sundtoft, Norway's environment and climate minister, expressed Norway's support for the coalition, which may act as a loosely knit counterweight to some members of the Group of 77 developing nations plus China. “Our coalition needs to get bigger and stronger," she said. “We cannot leave paris without an ambitious agreement." “Paris must set the path to a low emissions society.” The draft agreement released on Thursday evening incorporated a temperature target of holding global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a target sought by small island states and many other countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, such as sea level rise. De Brum's home of the Marshall Islands already faces increased coastal flooding risk because of sea level rise, and this threat will only grow in the coming years if unfettered greenhouse gas emissions continue. Thursday evening's draft agreement aims for "carbon neutrality" toward the latter half of the century, without defining what that term means. It is possible that the final draft, which is still supposed to come out on Saturday, will refer to "greenhouse gas emissions neutrality," which is more precise and would necessitate a near-complete decarbonization of the world economy by 2100. Throughout the day Friday, countries were holding bilateral and multilateral consultations to try to arrive at compromise language that could be incorporated into the final draft. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who is the president of these negotiations on behalf of the host country, has said he intends to unveil a new draft Saturday morning with adoption of a new agreement to follow later in the day.
It was 15 years ago that New York entrepreneur Michael Panayiotis created Ebon-Aid. The orange box read: "The bandage exclusively designed for people of color," and they came in shades called black licorice, coffee brown, cinnamon, and honey beige. Johnson recalls the day she found Ebon-Aide in a Harlem pharmacy. She bought dozens of boxes. For her kids, but also to pack into the first-aid kits of the Harlem school where she worked as a director. "It was always a political statement for me," she said. But one day, Ebon-Aides disappeared from the shelves. Johnson reached out to the manufacturer repeatedly. Panayiotis remembers her requests. A Cyprus-born father of two, Panayiotis thought he had found a niche market with promising returns when he launched Ebon-Aide. Retail giants from Wal-Mart to Rite Aid agreed to carry his product. "We found out with our market research that between the African American market and the Hispanic market we would capture about 25 percent to 28 percent of the market," he said. "We wanted to do all the first-aid products in black." But Panayiotis was frustrated by the placement of his product, which usually ended up on separate shelves dedicated to satisfying the needs of Afro-American customers. "If you don't show it to people, how are they going to buy it?" he said. By late 2002, out of an original lot of 1 million boxes of bandages, he had sold only around 20,000. After losing his original $2 million investment -- including $600,000 to manufacture the product in South Korea and Canada -- Panayiotis' company folded. He stored his inventory in a 10,000-square foot warehouse, donating the bandage boxes little by little to whoever showed some interest, and selling the last lot to a Miami company. Panayiotis, now 65, has since moved on to run an IT service company. Los Angeles-based marketing consultant Harry Webber, who was responsible for the advertising of Johnson & Johnson's Band-Aid between 1963 and 1968, said that the product's flesh color was "a non-issue" during his years promoting it. "Johnson & Johnson's consideration was this was a mass market product, and as mass market product you look at what is the largest faction of that market and you create the product for that faction," he said. "So for non-whites, at that time being between 12 percent and 15 percent of the total population, there was no way anybody was considering making a Band-Aid Brand adhesive bandage to mask the color of skin that is the complete spectrum, from pink to ebony." Panayiotis, for his part, said the he felt the market was ripe for his product once more. "Still today, after so many years, I get phone calls and emails by people who want to see it." "You're going to see it in the market again," he said. We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
David Williamson, who worked as an attorney for PG&E for 30 years and refereed and coached rugby at both the national and local levels, died of heart failure June 29 at the age of 71. Williamson was born June 4, 1946, in Columbus, Ohio and moved to the California desert with his family when he was 12. He attended UC Berkeley from 1964 to 1968, earning a degree in criminology. He then headed to Hastings Law School and graduated in 1974 after a two-year detour to the Navy. Williamson had rowed crew at Cal but it was during his second year at Hastings that he discovered rugby, a passion that would continue all his life. “As a tall, graceful, athletic man, he was a perfect second row, despite his moniker of “Bunny,” his friends on NorCal Rugby wrote when they established a scholarship in Williamson’s honor. Williamson’s team played together for many years and changed its name as the players went out in the world. It was alternately called The Floating Rhinos, The Hastings Rhinos, and finally the HOBs (Hastings Old Boys.) The team played in England and Wales, Canada and Catalina. “A seemingly patient quiet lawyer at work, he came alive on the Hastings Rugby team on and off the field, as a fire-eating player and a boisterous singer at the post-match parties,” his friends wrote in an article on the NorCal Rugby website. “Rugby, he declared, was a lot more fun than rowing!” Williamson met his future wife Helen Marcus when they were both seniors at Cal volunteering as counselors at a freshman orientation program. They went out that night to celebrate Marcus’ 21st birthday and danced and drank the night away, only to discover that Marcus’ wallet with her ID was stolen while they were on the dance floor. They continued to date, interrupted only by Williamson’s stint in the Navy and Marcus’ attendance at the MBA program at Columbia University. They reunited in 1971, and a year later Williamson took up rugby. Marcus played as well, as second row for the San Francisco Women’s Rugby team. They married July 2, 1972, at the Rose Garden in San Francisco. Williamson died days before he and his wife would have celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. After living in San Francisco for 10 years, Williamson and Marcus moved to a house on Magnolia Street in Berkeley in 1982 and have lived there ever since. They had two sons, Marcus and Tyler, both of whom played rugby. Williamson eventually started to referee rugby at a national level and then started to coach referees one-on-one. In 2009, he switched to coaching the Berkeley Rhino Youth Rugby Club, made up primarily of Berkeley High students. After retiring from PG&E in 2005, where he spent most of his days indoors handling environmental cases and construction litigation, Williamson decided to spend as much time as possible outdoors. He loved taking solitary hikes at Pt. Reyes and kayaking in Sausalito. With friends, he went river rafting down the Colorado, Snake and Columbia rivers. He was also a big theater fan and had held season tickets to ACT in San Francisco since 1972. Williamson and Marcus also subscribed to Berkeley Repertory Theater and the Aurora Theatre and had recently sponsored plays for each of those companies. “Jazz music held a special place in his heart, having bought his first jazz records in high school,” according to his wife Helen. “He poured over the schedules for Yoshi’s and the SF Jazz Center and supported the Jazz School. “ Years ago Williamson wrote a memo entitled “Dave’s Demise,” where he said he did not want a memorial service. Instead, he asked there be a rock-and-roll party at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club. He also asked that his ashes be cast into the ocean on a whale-watching boat to Farallon Islands. Donations in honor of Williamson can be made to the David Williamson Referee Scholarship Fund.
[size=+2]READ THE WHOLE DESCRIPTION PARTICULARLY THE FILES AND FAQ SECTIONS[/size] [size=+1] If this mod has helped you please endorse so others can find it![/size] Dawnguard: Dragonborn: Hearthfire: What are the 'mesh replacments' and what are they for : How can I avoid the replacements being over-written by other mods? My game crashes on start-up with this mod loaded: Does this mod replace dwarven spiders? Will this mod replace spiders in X: [size=+1]UPDATE 11/16[/size]Console versions are buggy. Both Xbox versions work fine, but appear to result in occasional crashing. The PS4 Spider version dosen't work at all, but the Chaurus version does.I can't smooth this out now because I'm swamped with classes. I plan on trying to update/fix them over the winter. It will take awhile because I have no way to isolate what the issue is, so the only way for me to fix it is having people with both consoles doing trial and error until it stops crashing.If some of you can test everything besides the PS4 Spider version, which I know will crash, to let me know of any issues I'd appreciate it.The links are below. Expect instability until I can sort it out.[size=+1][/size]This is something that has been needed for a long time. There are a variety of mods that attempt to address the problems of those with Arachnophobia and Insect Phobias, and this mod is built off of them, but none of them support Dawnguard and all of them have little quirks that can weird someone out and make the game feel unnatural and strange.This mod takes no half measures, it takes a 'Burn the ground and salt the earth' approach to Chaurus and Spiders in Skyrim and provides support for Dawnguard and a Variety of Mods. It is fully modular and every part can be installed seperate. It also includes a NMM installer for easy selection of what you want installed.[size=+1][/size]The in-depth descriptions for what each file/plugin does is included in the NMM installer and the read-me tab. But here some abridged versions:Insects Begone - Spiders: Replaces all frostbite spiders and frostbite spider variants with 'Invading Bears'. Also replaces the loading screen, the harvestable egg sac, and the alchemy ingredient. Deletes all spider webs and spider static objects. Includes backup/plan b mesh replacments(see FAQ section),Insects Begone - Chaurus: Replaces all Chaurus and Chaurus variants with 'Invading Skeevers'. Also replaces the loading screen,, the harvestable egg sac, and the alchemy ingrediet. Deletes all Chaurus static objects. Includes backup/plan b mesh replacments(see FAQ section).insects Begone - Spiders and Chaurus: Both files above merged into one.Insects Begone - Dawnguard - Chaurus:Replaces the new Chaurus variants added by Dawnguard with 'Invading Skeevers. Replaces the Chaurus Hunter loading screen with a skeever one. Replaces the new Chaurus Hunter Alchemy Ingredient. Includes backup/plan b mesh replacments for all of these. Includes backup/plan b mesh replacments.Insects Begone - Dawnguard - One Stupid Spider:Dawnguard adds a single stupid 'Wounded Frostbite Spider' that is apparently used for a quest. This file replaces it with an invading bear. Woot.Insects Begone - Dawnguard - Chaurus and Spider:Both of the above files merged into one ESP.Insects Begone - Dragonborn - Spiders: Replaces the ridiculous amount of new Spider Variants added by the Dragonborn. 'Jumping' Spiders replaced with 'Invading Wolves'. 'Cloaking' Spiders replaced with 'Invading Cave Bears'. All other spiders replaced with 'Invading Mudcrabs'. Deletes the spidersackdead static object. Deletes an NPC that seemed like it was meant to be a bandit with a 'zombie spider' on it's face. This file will replace everything perfectly, but message me/comment if you see any strange anomilies or AI problems. Includes backup/plan b mesh replacments.Insects Begone - Dragonborn - Ashopper: Replaces the new Insectiod called 'Ashopper' added by the dragonborn DLC with a 'Foreign Wolf'. Also renames their dropped items to fit with the lore that these creatures are now extinct. Includes backup/plan b mesh replacements.Insects Begone - Dragonborn and Ashopper: Includes both files above merged into one.Replaces the Frostbite Spider and Chaurus trophys in the trophy room wing with Invading Bear and Invading skeever trophys. Includes backup/plan b mesh replacements for the trophys.[size=+1][/size]For every(and I do actually mean every) enemy/item/object/loading screen this mod replaces it also replaces the mesh/texture for that thing with something else. For Enemies it is always a fox, for objects it's usually another object, for items it's usually an apple, for loading screen backgrounds it's either a bear or a skeever,This is done for two reasons:A. In the event that this mod fails(which it should never do if installed right) you will not see whatever horror was originally there. For example, if bethesda updates the game to add a new Spider NPC that uses the frostbite spider texture and I don't catch it, when that enemy would appear instead of seeing a frostbite spider you will see a floating unanimated fox with the original name, sounds, and inventory instead of a frostbite spider.B. This provides partial support for all mods that add Spider/Chaurus NPCs, objects, loading screens, and items by making them visually appear as something else.In the event you see a mesh-replaced NPC/Object/item/thing, do the following: Open the command console with the tilde(~) key, click on the and seei where it is in your load order based on the first two numbers. If it is in the maingame/one of the DLC's message me/comment the reference ID that appeared. If it's from a mod message me/comment with the name of the mod or even better, upload the .esp/.esm and any master files it has to a file upload website and send me the link so I can cook up a full-replace patch for it.: When you install a new texture pack, re-install this mod in case the texture mod replaces spider/Chaurus textures.load the files in this mod close to last in your load order to make sure this mods changes override any other changes a mod might make to spiders/Chaurus.There are a couple of things that could be causing this:1. You are using an old version of skyrim (particularly a pirated old version).2. You have a module enabled but don't have the master file for that module(As an example: you have the dawnguard replacer enabled but don't have dawnguard)3. You have a mod-support module loaded but that mod has undergone an update that removes/changes the spiders or chaurus in that mod(might be the case with the better vampires module, not sure yet).What to do: If for any reason your game crashes on loading with this mod enabled message me or post in the comments with: The modules you have enabled, your Skyrim version, and any other relevant details.As of now, no. If there is enough demand for it I suppose I could try and replace them with more spheres and/or Falmer. But as of now my number 1 priority is getting a Dragonborn patch out.If the mod adds new Chaurus/Spiders with the default models, you'll see a floating fox instead. If the mod adds a new insect with a custon model it will not be replaced. These are very few and far between, however, and unless a mod specifically says it adds new creatures I doubt you'll need to worry about. Just to be clear:Any mod that edits spider/chaurus AI and Stats(difficulty mods, as an example). Just load my mod after them.Any mod that adds spiders/chaurus creatures with the default models.Moonpath to ElsweyrMonster ModReal WildlifeAny other mod that adds spiders/chaurus with new models[size=+1][/size]For a ridiculous amount of bug/beta testing in terms of crashes, a lot of progress I'm making on this mod would be impossible without Derppies dedication to the tedious process of bugtesting.Nuunna: For prolific reporting of tons of bugs in the V3 file, lots of the stuff would have gone unnoticed without thie users reporting.justinms66: For allowing me to include his No Spider Webs Mod. luthienanarion: For letting me use his Bear Spiders mod which I built this mod off of.. Link xBIGREDDx: For allowing me to include his No Spider or Chaurus Clutter mod as a failsafe.I had been waiting to make this for awhile, and spent the last couple of days on it. I waited until Tes5edit was released because in my experience the only feature that CK has is that it can crash and freeze better than most programs, an I didn't like the alternatives. Beleive it or not, it's actually my first published mod. I had worked with various FNV modders before, but never published my own mod. I just started on this a few days ago as something for myself, but it slowly grew and grew until I got invested in making a great mod for all Skyrim players with Arachnophobia and Insect Phobias.Please Endorse, Share, and/or Vote if this mod has helped you, or if you want others to see it.
You wake up in your New York City hotel room. Your agent and parents arranged for you to stay there the night before the NFL Draft. It's the biggest day of your life, and it will be filled with interviews, meet-and-greets, and finally the big event. You've heard whispers about going as high as No. 1 overall to the Texans, but the big problem is the public perception is that you're immature, a party animal. So what if you're a party animal? Show me one college junior who isn't. But in an abundance of caution, your agent booked you an alcohol-free hotel room, with security outside to make sure that you're on top of your game for the big night. Your dad calls you to say goodnight. "I love you too dad. Thanks for all of the support. You're truly a world-class dad and an A-1 roll model for me. I'm just going to finish reading 'Pride and Prejudice' and call it a night. Love you!" But you can't sleep. There's a knocking coming from the room next door that's been going on for the past eight hours. You stumble out of bed and rub your chin as you walk toward the adjoining door. You told your agent to fuck off when he asked you to shave the goatee. "Scouts don't like facial hair" he said. "They think you're trying to hide something." Well yeah, you are. You've still got a little bit of acne from your chinstrap that you've worn during film study, practices, wind sprints, you name it. That was your idea. You play in a helmet, why don't you practice in one too? The scouts thought that was idiotic. Shaving? Good idea. Wearing a helmet during pro-day? Bad idea. You feel good sober. You're not an alcoholic or anything, you just like to party and have sex with the most beautiful women in the state of Texas. But your mind is clear and ready for the task at hand. Every spot you fall in the draft costs you millions of dollars. And you really want to play in Houston. As you approach the door, you notice it's cracked open. You walk in and see the balcony was left open, and the wind is knocking the doorknob against the wall and keeping you up. You walk over and shut it. As you turn around, your eyes catch on the mini-fridge. Woah. You hear its low-fi hum, which might as well be a siren's song. You're a ship in the night. You walk over to it just to see what they have stocked. You're in the Waldorf Astoria; bet it's nice. Bet they have top-shelf brands that have never seen in the open horizons of College Station. You open it up and see a treasure trove of Belvederes, Cirocs, Bookers, Red Bulls, and Dom Perignon. You're Johnny Fuckin' Football. And you're thirsty. DO YOU A) Make yourself just one drink to help you sleep, OR B) Make yourself two drinks to help you sleep If you selected "A) Make yourself just one drink to help you sleep," start here: You wake up at 7 p.m. in your hotel room nude surrounded by movie cameras and the cast of the Entourage movie. You try to ask what's going on but every time Drama tries to answer you he just keeps saying "BRO!" and laughing like a maniac while scraping his butt along the carpet like a dog. This isn't good. Turtle's posting pictures all over Instagram left and right. You've got several dozen missed calls, and the hotel TV is tuned to the draft, where you watch Clowney go No. 1 overall. Return to start. If you selected "B) Make yourself two drinks to help you sleep," start here: The alarm's been going off for what seems like hours, but it's only been three minutes. Your room is trashed. You used lampshades and paintings as toilet paper to clean up fluids that are as varied as they are infectious. Maybe you shouldn't have had that third Four Loko last night, but what the hell you only get drafted once, YOGDO. You look across the room at your alarm clock, its shill beep splitting the middle of your head. Your phone's ringing. Which one though? You've got seven cell phones: one for texting, one for Snapchat, one for Tinder, one for Facebook, one for Twitter, one for your agent and one for, well, let's just say you hope no team executives find the seventh one. It's your dad calling. You know it's him even though you don't have his number programmed into your phone. As a matter of fact, the only number that's in your address book is your own. That's how a quarterback rolls. Contacts>1>Johnny Fuckin' Football. That way you don't even have to say numbers and shit to the girls that want your digies. Just hand them the phone and get another drink while they try to figure out how to save your info in their Galaxy. "Sup," you say as you pick up the call. The only issue with having a sweet-ass Drake ringtone is that you never want to actually answer the phone. "What's good," you say. You don't ask. You just say it. "Hey Johnny, good morning. How are you feeling?" No chance you're answering that question. You reach up and touch your head from the searing pain and your hand feels the familiar crunch of dried blood on your scalp. Shit. "Right. Well I'm downstairs with your agent. We want to go over some answers with you before you start your press interviews this afternoon." You hang up on that idiot and turn the shower on. You climb in without taking off your athletic shorts and t-shirt and lie down in the shower and fall asleep. Aloe Black is playing on your iPhone that you put in a ceramic cup to amplify the sound. SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH Your phone rings again. It's a 212 number. You remember something about running into Artie Lange at about 4 a.m. last night. Not really sure what happened next, but something about agreeing to go on the Howard Stern show? DO YOU A) Meet your dad and agent for a preparatory breakfast, OR B) Wing the interview with Stern behind your agent's back. You're a grown-ass man; you can do whatever you want. If you chose option "A) Meet your dad and agent for a preparatory breakfast," begin reading here. You meet your dad and agent downstairs. They've been down there for a while. Your agent is trying to talk to your dad, but Pops has his earbuds in, listening to "Little Red Corvette." What a nerd. "Johnny," your agent greets you, "you look terrible." "Shut up, nerd," you offer. You bet he hasn't been laid in, like, ever. The waitress comes by. "Can I get you gentlemen some coffee?" You order first. You're Johnny Fuckin' Football. "Gimme a double Bloody Mary. Go light on the Zing Zang." Your dad glares at you. "He'll have a green tea." You're a grown man. "Shut up, Dad, I hate you." Why is everyone so hard on you? You end up sleeping with the waitress and miss all of your interviews. Return to start. If you chose option "B) Wing the interview with Stern behind your agent's back. You're a grown-ass man, you can do whatever you want ," begin reading here You pick up the call. It's Howard on the other end. "We've got Johnny Football with us this morning. Johnny, how's it going?" "It's going good Howard," you say. "I'm a big fan, but, goddamn, am I hungover." "It's draft day, Johnny. Why are you hungover now?" "Fuck, I don't know." "All right. Well, be honest with me here. The Texans have the first pick, then you're looking at the Rams, Jaguars, and Browns. Where do you want to play?" "Shit, between Houston, Jacksonville, St. Louis, and Cleveland, I don't know if there's physically any room for me in those fat-ass towns. I mean, I'm sure they have beautiful women in Cleveland, but from what I hear, it sounds like they keep them all locked up in basements, Howard." Dead silence except Artie Lange is absolutely losing his shit All of your other phones start to ring. "Shit," you think, "this isn't good." You hear a faint rumbling outside your hotel room when the door comes flying open, tearing the deadbolt out of the frame. You hear a faint rumbling outside your hotel room when the door comes flying open, tearing the deadbolt out of the frame. Roger Goodell's on the other side with the sole of his wingtip still in the air from kicking it in. "Get! Off! The! Phone!" Goodell screams. He grabs you by the collar and drags you out into the elevator, throws you in the back of a town car, and rides with you all the way to Radio City Music Hall in silence. He locks you in the green room until, one by one, guys like Teddy Bridgewater, Jadeveon Clowney, and Sammy Watkins start showing up. They all just look at you and laugh. You bet they wouldn't laugh like that if Drake were here. You just sit there in silence singing "Timber" to yourself to pass the time. You only know the chorus but that's the best part. Actually you only know the "I'm yellin' timber!" part. Whatevs. Your family eventually joins you, as well. Your dad won't even look at you. What a dick. Your agent tells you that the Browns took you off their big board entirely. Like you wanted to live in Cincinnati anyways. Your head is just killing you, and you're starting to get the shakes. You text Pitbull to see what he's up to. Maybe he can help you out. "Wuts good Pit lol" "Chillin. Doin me fam. U?" "Bout to get drafted son" "For real thats wassup" "You think you can come through tho?" "Yea I can turn up real quick" "Aight" You sit around Radio City basically twiddling your thumbs for what seems like hours. Finally Pitbull shows up with at least a half-dozen dancers wearing Pepsi trucker hats. He hands you a cold Dasani. He warns you, "be careful with that, cuz." "No doubt." You smell the Dasani. Perfect mix to get you through the day. Smells about 65 percent, no, 70 percent, vodka and 30 percent DMT. Pitt's your guy. He doesn't even charge you, that's how much he's just 'bout that life. All about the party. You put it up to your lips when your agent taps you on the shoulder. It's the Jaguars. They want to meet with you. DO YOU: A) Sit down with Gus Bradley, Caldwell, and Khan, OR B) Blow them off and get turnt If you selected "A) Sit down with Gus Bradley, Caldwell, and Khan," start reading here: You leave your water bottle of goodies behind and sit down with the three amigos from Jacksonville. To be honest, it's kind of insulting that any team that doesn't have the No. 1 overall pick wants to sit down and talk to you. Like you'll be on the board by the time they're up. They get right down to business. "Johnny, we're thinking about moving up." "Yeah, no shit -- to LA or to London?" Well that meeting was over fast. You walk back out to the greenroom and see Jadeveon Clowney opening up your water bottle by accident. That son of a bitch. You grab the water bottle away from him and he just stares at you, like he doesn't know who you are. Time to keep it real. You punch Jadeveon Clowney in the face and his jaw breaks your wrist. You fall out of the first round and get drafted in the second by the Raiders, due mostly to Sebastian Janikowski lobbying for you so he can meet your DMT guy. You quit football rather than sign a second-round contract. Jadeveon drops to No. 15 overall because of character concerns. End. If you selected "B) Blow them off and get turnt," start here: You give yourself a few seconds for your agent to catch his breath. He can advise you all he wants. You're a grown-ass man. Nobody can tell you what to do. Turn up. You open the "water" bottle and tilt it back. Time to party. You tell your agent that you're not taking any meetings with anyone unless they're planning on selecting you No. 1 overall. A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of lions in inferior NFL Draft positions. One hour to draft time and you're fully turnt. Roger Goodell's been keeping an eye on you from a distance, making sure you don't do anything to embarrass the shield. Your phone rings. It's the Texans. They want to talk to you backstage. Dressing room No. 1. It's go time. You make your way backstage and the world seems to be moving in slow motion. As you're trying to elbow your way through the crowd, you get stopped by at least a dozen service members who Roger Goodell's invited. You stop and let them take your picture, but you're not going to try to look happy about it. You find yourself in the back hallways of Radio City and spot "dressing room No. 1." The door's ajar, so you let yourself into the dark room. There's one table, an overhead light bulb, and a stool. "Have a seat," a voice instructs. You sit down. Then nothing. "Whhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrr." You squint your eyes into the darkness as a motorized wheelchair slowly wheels into the light. A nice set of loafers consuming freshly starched argyle socks disappearing into khakis. "Hello, Johnny," a familiar voice calls out. It's your main man, George H.W. Bush. "President Bush. What it do, bruh?" You stick your hand out to shake his. He just stares at it until you retreat. "Johnny, I'm not going to lie to you. You're in trouble, son. You may have talked, drank, slept, and lied your way out of millions of dollars, son." "Yessir, I'm sorry, sir." "But I also think that the Texans could use someone like you. You see, Johnny, they've hired me to be their head draft investigator. And while I'm skeptical about your whole 'Johnny Football' persona, it might be just what I need." "Yessir." "Shut the fuck up, Johnny. As you know, I used to be President" "Get out!" "But before that, I was in the CIA. I know a good spy when I see one. The abilities to womanize, make friends, and not overthink things are valuable assets in the field, Johnny." You're not sure if it's the Vodka, the DMT, or something else, but you're into it. HW seems like a chill buddy. "You see Johnny. I need you as much as you need me. When I was President, the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl. It was right around the time I arrested my old buddy Noriega. When I brought his ass in, I took about a kilo of the finest Colombian you've ever seen off him and stashed it in the Lombardi. It was a new formula that I was going to ship off to the inner city, except it was more powerful and less addictive. It was undetectable in urine tests, as well, so politically it was useless to me. I need you to bring it back to Houston son. I can't have anyone else find that package with my fingerprints all over it. If you can promise me that you'll do that, well, I can make your life a lot easier by tellin' ol' Bill to take you No. 1. The old man's trying to play you. "I want half," you say. George looks over his shoulder at Barbara, who's pouring out the bucket they used to waterboard Bridgewater and Bortles earlier. She nods. "OK, son, I'll give you half. Deal?" You stick out your hand. He shakes it this time. You return to your seat, and the Texans are on the clock. The commissioner steps up to the podium. "With the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans have selected Johnny Manziel, quarterback, Texas A&M." You're going to get that damn Lombardi. And you're keeping it all for yourself.
The latest Plus models Audi added to its lineup — the TT-RS Plus and RS3 Plus — have both enjoyed some success, so the German automaker decided to treat another model to the Plus package. The next model to receive this treatment is the S3. Initial rumors about the model suggest it will be offered with a new four-cylinder turbo engine currently under development by Volkswagen Group. This new engine is rumored to deliver about 375 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, and will put the upcoming S3 Plus between the standard S3 and the upcoming RS3. Audi officials said that this new engine comes as a response to the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine offered by small Mercedes models. like the A45 AMG and CLA45 AMG. Of course, do not expect this new engine to be used only in the S3 Plus, as rumors suggest Volkswagen will also place this engine in the upcoming Scirocco and a new Golf R Evo, which is rumored to be unveiled in April at the Beijing Motor Show. The rumblings in the industry lead us to believe that the new Audi S3 Plus will be unveiled by the end of the year. Click past the jump to read more about the 2015 Audi S3 Plus. *Image Note: The above image is of the current S3, not the S3 Plus.
Desired Skills Shipped titles as a core tech engineer A passion for gaming and working knowledge of AAA products Experience with the C++ standard library (including the STL) Experience with C++ 11/14/17 Experience with multithreaded programming Experience with platforms or operating systems other than Windows Experience with physically based rendering techniques Experience with Vulkan or DX12 Experience with scripting languages, such as Lua or Python Experience developing for online multiplayer environment Experience in Max or Maya plugins Experience with game editor plugins/modification Click to expand... This one actually kind of surprised me.Bethesda put up a bunch on online multiplayer related jobs at their main branch, so I thought they might have just expanded mobile development from Montreal to Maryland, but this one is pretty explicit.They have previously said that they consider multiplayer at the start of every project, and that it was their most request feature along with dragons in The Elder Scrolls, but that it normally falls by the wayside.That said, they are getting pretty close to doubling the size of the studio relative to when Fallout 4 shipped, so presumably they found room to handle this.This is also interesting in that they were the last holdout among major traditional WRPG developers that wasn't adding multiplayer to their games, especially since CD Projekt is also doing so.Guerrilla would be the main new entrant that doesn't currently have multiplayer in their WRPG or open multiplayer jobs for the next one.But anyway, onto the jobs.First, the one that's explicitly a console game job.Senior Core Tech Engineer: https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1330 And then the ones that are presumably also in support of that, though not as explicitly for online multiplayer.Senior Server Engineer: https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1333 Backend Services Engineer - Golang Developer: https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1334
Workers Seek Fair Contract, Continuation of Negotiations (COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Members of Teamsters Local 284 employed at International Paper Corporation’s Delaware, Ohio, plant have gone on an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike. The ULP strike was caused by International Paper’s decision to unilaterally implement what it called its “last, best and final offer.” The implemented terms and conditions of employment include the right to schedule and work the Local 284 members up to 84 hours per week—seven days per week, 12 hours per day—under threat of termination. Local 284 maintains that the parties are not at an impasse in negotiations and is requesting the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service schedule additional meetings. Prior to going on strike, Local 284 filed an unfair labor practice charge against International Paper, alleging that its implementation of its last, best and final offer, as modified on April 6, 2015, was unlawful. That charge is currently pending at Region 8 of the National Labor Relations Board. Teamsters Local 284 and International Paper began negotiations in the spring of 2015 for a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expired on June 26, 2015. “Forcing these men and women to work 70, 80 or even more hours a week is anti-worker and anti-family. This is a matter that should be negotiated with due consideration for the needs of the workforce, their spouses and kids, not forced upon the workers without discussion. We are not going to allow this company to drag workers back to the 19th century,” said Paul Suffoletto, President of Local 284. International Paper announced at the first negotiation session that one of its core corporate positions was to eliminate any and all limitations on the number of hours employees can be forced to work. Under the collective bargaining agreement in place at that time, International Paper could require employees to work 12 hours of overtime Monday through Friday, and an additional 8 hours of overtime on up to 24 Saturdays. Workers were able the balance their job and family needs under the schedule the company now refuses to follow. “If a company believes it needs to force employees to work 70 or more hours week after week, then that company needs to hire more full-time workers,” Suffoletto said. “That’s good for the middle class and our communities. Besides, International Paper has set up plants in countries like France that have 35 hour weeks. The excuse that they need to stick it to American workers in order to be competitive doesn’t hold up. ” Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.teamster.org. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.
Example: Additional Syntax Supported: .equ Assign a literal value to a label. For example .equ answer 42 will replace all occurrences of answer (after its declaration) with the value 42. .org Set the program counter to the specified value. Can be used multiple times in a program. .list , .nolist Enable and disable actual code generation. Equates and macros are processed regardless. .include Takes a double quote enclosed string of a filename to include. .macro Preprocessor macros. Terminated with .end . Example: .macro SUM(x,y) x+y .end , then dat SUM(1,1) will produce 0x0002 . Macros can span multiple lines. .align Set the program counter to the next value such that PC % value is zero. .echo Print a string to stdout .error Print a string to stdout and halt assembly Character literals Single quotes around one character (e.g. 'a' ) will be translated to numerical literals. If the quotes are prefixed with character p, two character will be packed together. Repeated data .rep 2 dat 0xbeef .end will produces 0xbeef 0xbeef . The repeated block can be any instructions over multiple lines. Current address variable $ gives the address of the current statement. Packed Strings Prefixing a string with the character p will pack the data. p"1234" will produce 0x3132 0x3334. Local Labels Labels that start with '.' will be rewritten as global.local where local is the name after the '.' and global is the last declared label which does not start with '.'.
OUR LATEST VIDEOS OUR LATEST VIDEOS 2017 has seen an impressive resurgence in excellent film adaptations of Stephen King’s works. The Dark Tower, IT, Gerald’s Game, 1922, and despite a stumble, – cough The Dark Tower cough- this year reminded audiences that film adaptations can be faithful to their source material, and more importantly, enjoyable when placed in the hands of a visionary director. Set in Nebraska in 1922, Thomas Jane stars as Wilfred James, a simple yet proud farmer who cherishes his ability to pass on his country way of life to his teenage son, Henry (Dylan Schmid). But Wilfred’s wife, Arlette (Molly Parker) has other plans, having never taken to isolated country life, Arlette decides she will sell her family’s land -located adjacent to Wilfred’s which thwarts his plan to combine the two properties- and with the money move to Omaha with son Henry in tow. This threatens not only Wilfred’s way of life, but costs him his relationship with Henry, and that he cannot abide. His conniving side emerges and he conspires to murder his wife and entices his son to aide him in the sinful deed, but, as anyone familiar with Stephen King’s work will know, this evil will not go unpunished. What happens next is a tale of fathers and sons, entering manhood prematurely, and ultimately atoning for one’s sins. Also, spooky stuff. I would classify 1922 as psychological horror, as the film focuses on the inner turmoil of the characters and how they navigate poignant situations. This is more appealing than a reliance on jump scares and gore, though both are used here sparingly. Sprinkled into the turmoil of Wilfred and Henry are brief, but ghastly scares that capitalize on the film’s dedication to a tense and atmospheric look and feel. Director and writer Zak Hilditch (Transmission, These Final Hours) has done an impeccable job of creating a constant sense of unease and dread aided by cinematographer Ben Richardson and music by Mike Patton. A majority of the first half of the film is dedicated to not only introducing the characters but for building intensity that is felt early on. Hilditch and Richardson utilize Hitchcockian shots of innocuous environments, such as James’s cornfield with jagged string instruments playing in the background that is unsettling and highly effective. And yet, 1922 wouldn’t be nearly as compelling if it wasn’t for Thomas Jane’s career-high performance as Wilfred James. His co-stars adequately serve their purpose, but it is his dedication to perfecting midwestern mannerisms and dialogue that makes 1922 a one-man show. The film cuts between events transpiring in real time and Wilfred revealing his inner turmoil as he narrates events from the present. Every line Jane delivers has a purpose, but his story could just as easily be told through his constantly shifting and methodical facial expressions. His uneasy demeanor belies not only his character’s descent into paranoia and madness but the audience’s constant sense of unease and uncertainty. Almost unanimous praise aside, I will say that 1922’s final chapter does run a tad too long. The time dedicated to wrapping things up results in several drawn-out scenes that honestly could have been edited more succinctly. 1922 is very clearly based on a novella and not a novel, the difference being it doesn’t have the large setpieces or grandiose action of some of the more recent Stephen King adaptations. But what it does capitalize on is the root and themes of King’s best works. There are scares here, but they never outshine the attention paid to the inner struggles of the characters, ultimately leaving a larger impression of horror. It’s a simplistic story, but between Zak Hilditch’s excellent attention to detail and ability to make even the most mundane of settings unsettling, and Thomas Jane’s powerhouse performance, 1922 is yet another example of Netflix giving directors the means with which to create their uniquely memorable vision.
CLOSE Rachael Gorsuch discusses how she got into hair braiding, and recent changes in a law preventing people from braiding hair without a license. (Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader) Buy Photo Greg Roling (left) and Larry Sandal take a stroll with their nine-month-old adopted daughter, Emmersyn, in southwest Sioux Falls on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. (Photo: Jay Pickthorn/Argus Leader)Buy Photo The Legislature this year weighed religious protections for adoption agencies, considered limits on gifts from lobbyists, and opened the door to a non-intoxicating marijuana extract. Those bills and dozens of others are set to take effect Saturday. Here's a look at some of the laws set to be enacted July 1: Adoption restrictions: Child placement agencies with sincerely-held religious beliefs will be guaranteed protections that allow them to continue granting adoptions based on sexual orientation, relationship status or religious beliefs. Groups like Catholic Social Services and Bethany Christian Services, which administer private adoptions, said they wanted to prevent laws like those approved in Massachusetts and Illinois that require similar groups to drop religious rules for child placement or lose state funding. No group that uses such policies currently benefits from state funding for their adoption services. Revolving door policy: The state's waiting period for lawmakers wanting to become lobbyists will expand to two years. Previously, legislators have had to wait one year. Lobbyist gift limit: Lawmakers and other elected officials will no longer be able to accept gifts from lobbyists valued at more than $100 each year. Legislators built in some caveats, however, allowing themselves to accept meals, beverages and invitations to certain events. South Dakota was the only state that didn't have a formal cap on lobbyist giving. New Dignity plates will be available for South Dakota drivers starting July 1, 2017. (Photo: submitted photo) License plates: The state will offer two new license plates beginning July 1: one for tribal veterans and another depicting the Dignity sculpture in Chamberlain. Mug shots: Have you ever noticed the photos we often use of alleged perpetrators making their way to court? Expect to see fewer of those and more formal booking photographs as state law will make felony offenders' mug shots open to public access. Buy Photo George Hendrickson gives his son Eliyah Hendrickson, 3, medication while picking him up from school Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, in the parking lot of Hawthorne Elementary School in Sioux Falls. (Photo: Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader) Marijuana derivative: Cannabidiol, an extract of marijuana used to relieve severe seizure disorders, will be reclassified as a Schedule IV drug. It will remain illegal under state law until a pharmaceutical company receives FDA approval for a drug containing CBD. Hair braiding: A South Dakota law will decriminalize the practice of hair braiding, which wasn't specifically mentioned in the state's cosmetology statute. Some called in unofficial braiders prior to the bill's passage, saying those who braid shouldn't be allowed to do so without a license. Government Accountability: A board tasked with policing those in the executive branch and fielding complaints from the public is set to be appointed by the governor soon after a law creating the Government Accountability Board takes effect Saturday. Abortion penalty: Lawmakers increased the penalty for those who perform an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy from a misdemeanor to a felony. Follow Dana Ferguson on Twitter @bydanaferguson, call (605) 370-2493 or email dferguson@argusleader.com Read or Share this story: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/30/religious-protections-marijuana-extract-and-lobbyist-gift-limits-look-what-becomes-law-july-1/436381001/
Ted is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles, with MacFarlane providing the voice and motion capture of the title character. The film tells the story of John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. However, in adulthood, Ted prevents John and his love interest Lori Collins from moving on with their lives. The film is MacFarlane's feature-length directorial debut,[2] produced by Media Rights Capital and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was the 12th highest-grossing film of 2012 and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. A second film, Ted 2, was released in 2015. Plot [ edit ] In 1985, eight-year-old John Bennett is an only child living in Norwood, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, who wished for his new Christmas gift, a jumbo teddy bear named Ted, to come to life and become his friend. The wish coincides with a shooting star and comes true; word spread and Ted was briefly a celebrity. 27 years later, John, now 35, and Ted are still living in Boston and are still staunch companions enjoying a hedonistic life. John is dating Lori Collins, who is from Philadelphia. As their anniversary approaches, Lori hopes to marry John but feels he could not move forward with Ted around. John is hesitant about making Ted leave, but he is persuaded to act when they find Ted at home with a group of prostitutes. John finds Ted his own apartment and a job at a grocery store, where Ted begins dating his co-worker Tami-Lynn. Lori learns that John has been skipping work, using her as an excuse, to continue to spend most of his time with Ted. John and Lori are invited to a party put on by Lori's womanizing manager Rex, but Ted lures John away to a party at his apartment with the offer to meet Sam J. Jones, the star of their favorite film, Flash Gordon. John intends to stay only a few minutes but gets caught up in the occasion. Lori finds John there and breaks up with him. John blames Ted for ruining his life and banishes him. John and Ted confront each other about their ruined friendship and they fight but manage to reconcile after a violent brawl in their hotel room. To repair John's relationship with Lori, Ted arranges for an old lover, singer Norah Jones, to help by having John express his love for Lori with a song during her concert. He does an off-key rendition of Octopussy theme song, All Time High, by Rita Coolidge and is booed offstage. Lori is touched by the attempt and returns to her apartment where Ted confesses to his role in John's relapse and offers to leave them alone forever if she talks to John. Lori is persuaded, but Ted is kidnapped by Donny, an obsessive stalker who idolized Ted as a child. Donny plans to make Ted his brutish son Robert's new toy. Ted manages to reach a phone to contact John but is immediately recaptured. Realizing Ted is in danger, John and Lori locate Donny's residence and track him to rescue Ted. The chase leads to Fenway Park, where John punches Robert, but during the chase, Ted is damaged and falls onto the field ripped entirely in half. A police car arrives, forcing Donny to flee. John and Lori gather Ted's stuffing and Ted relays his wish that John be happy with Lori before dying from his injuries. Unable to accept Ted's death, a distraught John and Lori attempt to repair Ted, which proves useless. Feeling saddened about the incident, Lori makes a wish on a shooting star. The next morning, John hangs his head while looking over Ted's dead body. Ted is magically restored and reconciles with John and Lori, encouraging them to resume their relationship. John and Lori are married (with Sam Jones as the presiding minister), and Ted comfortably accepts having a life of his own as he and Tami-Lynn continued their love affair. Sam Jones attempts to restart his career and moves into a studio apartment with Brandon Routh. Rex gives up his pursuit of Lori, goes into a deep depression, and dies of Lou Gehrig's disease. Donny gets arrested by the Boston Police Department for kidnapping Ted, but police cannot arrest him as kidnapping a toy bear is not illegal. Robert hires a personal trainer, loses a significant amount of weight, and goes on to become Taylor Lautner. Cast [ edit ] Production [ edit ] Seth MacFarlane wrote, produced, and directed the film, and provided the motion capture and the voice for the title character. Seth MacFarlane's directorial debut is a live-action effort, with computer animation handled by visual effects facilities Tippett Studio and Iloura. MacFarlane wrote the screenplay with his Family Guy colleagues Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild.[4] In a "behind the scenes" video, it was revealed that MacFarlane originally wanted to make Ted into an animated TV show, much like his previous works Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show. Originally, 20th Century Fox was offered to finance and distribute the movie, given its collaboration with MacFarlane for shows like Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show. However, MacFarlane wanted a $65 million budget for the movie, which Fox considered the price to be too high for the R-rated comedy film, let alone for a first-time director, and was skeptical about the film's future success owing to its R-rating. Subsequently, Fox backed out and MacFarlane began to take the project somewhere else.[5] On April 12, 2010, Universal Pictures announced that it had acquired the full rights to Ted after it agreed to a $65 million budget he requested.[6] On October 26, 2010, Mark Wahlberg joined in the project as the lead actor.[4] Two months later on December 14, Mila Kunis, the voice actress for Meg Griffin from Family Guy, also joined in the cast.[7] On February 23, 2011, Giovanni Ribisi joined Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in Ted.[8] Filming began in May 2011 in Boston, Norwood and other locations in Massachusetts.[9] The film was scheduled for release in the United States on July 13, 2012, but it was moved up to June 29, both to avoid competition with Ice Age: Continental Drift (20th Century Fox) and following the delay of G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Paramount Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).[10] Internationally, the film was released in Australia on July 5, 2012,[11] and on August 1, 2012 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[12] Soundtrack [ edit ] The film's soundtrack was released by Universal Republic Records on June 26, 2012. It features the score by Walter Murphy and songs by various artists such as Norah Jones and Queen. Seth MacFarlane co-wrote the opening theme "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" with Murphy.[13] The song was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 85th Academy Awards.[14] Track listing All tracks by Walter Murphy except where indicated. Other songs which do not appear on the soundtrack but are featured in the film include songs from Queen's Flash Gordon soundtrack: "Football Fight", "Battle Theme", and "The Hero", as well as the "Knight Rider Theme" by Stu Phillips, "Stayin' Alive" by "Bee Gees", "Kiss Kiss" by "Chris Brown" and "The Imperial March" by John Williams. The film trailers used the songs "Best Friend" by Harry Nilsson and "How You Like Me Now?" by The Heavy. Marketing [ edit ] To promote the film, Universal Pictures teamed up with Axe in a marketing campaign that involved the title character and the brand's hair care product Axe Hair.[15] In one commercial, Ted takes a woman on a date to a fancy restaurant, where he brings her to orgasm under the table before handing another man a box of Axe Hair gel.[16] In February 2013, Wahlberg and MacFarlane (as Ted) made an appearance at the 85th Academy Awards, which MacFarlane himself hosted.[17] Release [ edit ] Box office [ edit ] Ted grossed $218.8 million in North America and $330.6 million overseas for a total gross of $549.4 million, against a budget of $50 million.[1] It was Universal's highest-grossing film in 2012, ahead of Snow White and the Huntsman and Battleship[18] (the only one to pass $400 million[19]), and the 12th-highest-grossing film of 2012. Asia Ted debuted in first place in Taiwan and got the best comedy opening ever there.[20] It also debuted in Hong Kong, with $1.4 million, and grossed $571,000 in its first week in South Korea,[21] eventually grossing $8 million, $3.8 million and $1.8 million respectively.[22] It also grossed $2.1 million in both Indonesia and Singapore, and $1.4 million in Thailand.[22] In January 2013, the film opened at number one in Japan, its final market, with $4.5 million, the best start ever for an R-rated comedy there. In comparison, it grossed more in its opening weekend than The Hangover Part II made in its entire run.[23] The following weekend, it retained the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive frame, grossing $3.6 million at 137 dates, for a 10-day market cumulative total of $11.2 million.[24] By its third weekend, the film stayed at the No. 1 spot for a third week, with earning down less than 10%, pushing Ted's overseas total past the $300 million mark, and making it the top grossing R-rated comedy of all time in Japan.[25] It then had its fourth consecutive weekend at No. 1, drawing another $3 million at 354 locations in the country.[26] Its cumulative total stands at $44 million grossed.[27] Europe Ted debuted with $14.3 million in the United Kingdom, making it the third-best debut ever for a Universal film behind Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and King Kong,[28] eventually grossing over $48.9 million in the country. Ted was released in cinemas across the United Kingdom on August 3.[22] The film had a $7.4 million launch in Germany,[28] holding #1 spot for three-straight weeks,[29] eventually grossing over $31.4 million.[22] In Spain, it opened with $2.3 million, which is the highest ever for an original R-rated comedy there,[30] eventually grossing over $14.3 million.[22] The film also had the best Hollywood comedy debut ever in Russia, grossing $5.5 million,[28] eventually grossing $17 million.[22] Ted spent its first 4 weeks atop the weekend box office in both the Netherlands,[31] and Austria,[32] eventually grossing $8.4 million, and $6.2 million in those countries respectively.[22] The movie also opened at No. 1 in Belgium, with $587,000, eventually grossing $4.4 million.[22] In Italy, the film had a second place start, grossing $3.3 million in its opening weekend there,[33] moving up to no. 1 on its second week, with $4.2 million grossed.[34] It has since grossed $14.1 million there.[22] In France, the film debuted at No. 2, grossing $3 million in 348 theatres during its opening weekend,[35] eventually grossing $11.5 million in the country.[22] North America Ted earned $2.6 million in midnight showings in the United States and Canada.[36] For its opening day, Ted scored one of the best R-rated comedy debuts ever since The Hangover with an estimated $20.2 million.[1][37] The film earned a total of $54.4 million in its opening weekend, well over second-place R-rated Magic Mike's $39.2 million.[38] Its overall weekend gross set a record for the highest original R-rated comedy opening in history.[39] It was the first time two R-rated films grossed more than $21 million each during a weekend.[40] In Mexico, the film debuted in first place with $2.1 million,[19] grossing $13.4 million.[22] Oceania Ted also debuted at #1 in Australia and New Zealand, grossing over $35.5 million and $3.5 million respectively.[22] Its $13.1 million opening in Australia, of which $4.5 million were from previews, was Universal's biggest opening ever in the country.[20] In Australia, Ted was rated MA 15+,[41] whereas in New Zealand, it was rated R13 for its theatrical release and R16 for the DVD/Blu-ray release. South America In Brazil, the film opened with $1.4 million at 273 sites,[42] moving up to 1st place in the country on its third week of release.[43] It has since grossed $8.8 million there.[22] The film also grossed $4.6 million in Argentina, 2 million in Chile, 1.9 million in Peru, and 1.7 million in Colombia.[22] Critical reception [ edit ] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 68% based on 211 reviews with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ted's "romance versus bromance" plot is familiar, but the film's held aloft by the high-concept central premise and a very funny (albeit inconsistent) script."[44] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 62 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[45] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[46] Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, citing the film as "the best comedy screenplay so far [this year]," also praising the film on the fact that it "doesn't run out of steam."[47] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave the film a "B" grade.[48] Brent McNight of Beyond Hollywood commented on the jokes: "Some of these jokes hit, some jokes miss."[49] On the other hand, A. O. Scott of The New York Times called Ted "boring, lazy and wildly unoriginal."[50] Accolades [ edit ] Home media [ edit ] The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on December 11, 2012 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Both formats featured an unrated version of the film (112 minutes) and were also released in Australia on November 21, 2012, in an "Extended Edition".[66] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2012. On May 3, 2016, Ted vs. Flash Gordon: The Ultimate Collection was released on Blu-ray plus Digital HD, featuring Flash Gordon and the unrated versions of Ted and Ted 2.[67] Sequel [ edit ] During the 2012 American Dad! Comic-Con panel, MacFarlane stated that he would be open to a sequel to Ted.[68] In September 2012, chief executive Steve Burke said that the studio would be looking to make a sequel to Ted "as soon as possible".[69] On Anderson Live, Wahlberg confirmed that a sequel was in the works and that it would be the first sequel in his career, while also revealing that he and Ted (as voiced by MacFarlane) would appear at the 85th Academy Awards.[70] In February 2014, Deadline reported that Amanda Seyfried had been cast as the female lead, and that Kunis would not return.[71] On July 8, MacFarlane announced that work had officially begun on the sequel.[72] Ted 2 was released in the US on June 26, 2015.[73]
Rep. John Boehner John Andrew BoehnerEx-GOP lawmaker joins marijuana trade group Crowley, Shuster moving to K Street On unilateral executive action, Mitch McConnell was right — in 2014 MORE on Tuesday beat back a conservative rebellion and won a third and possibly final term as Speaker of the House of Representatives. In a public roll call, 25 House Republicans defected from the Ohio Republican, more than double the 12 who launched a failed coup attempt against him exactly two years ago. ADVERTISEMENT The anti-Boehner crowd’s message was simple: Don’t expect any cooperation in the 114th Congress — even with Republicans in charge of the Senate and holding the biggest majority in the House since the Truman administration. “The American people are very upset by this leadership. I mean, I have not had this many phone calls since the shutdown of the government. It’s just unbelievable,” said Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), who voted for Rep. Daniel Webster Daniel Alan WebsterLawmakers propose banning shark fin trade Republicans mull new punishments for dissident lawmakers Dems eyeing smaller magic number for House majority MORE (R-Fla.) and was one of the architects of the “fire Boehner” campaign. “The 25 of us who voted the way that we did represented the frustration of the American people,” he added. “I’m surprised we didn’t get 30, to be honest with you.” After the vote, GOP leaders sought to settle scores. Though the Speaker vowed last year he wouldn’t seek retribution against those who opposed him, Webster and Rep. Richard Nugent (R-Fla.) were kicked off the prestigious House Rules Committee after their votes against Boehner. The Speaker appoints members of his party to the panel, which controls how legislation is considered on the floor. It is highly unusual for lawmakers sitting on the panel to oppose their party’s leadership. Nugent said his staff told him of the decision after the vote. He declined further comment, saying he wanted to speak with Boehner. Other lawmakers also suggested they were the victims of retribution, though GOP aides dismissed their claims. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), a frequent antagonist of Boehner’s, said leadership stripped him of a subcommittee chairmanship after he reversed himself Tuesday by announcing he’d oppose Boehner. And Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), who also voted against Boehner, said he was removed as a lead sponsor of an energy bill that is heading to the floor this week. House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) acknowledged there had been an “open fight” among Republicans on the House floor, but he brushed off the consequences for those opposed to Boehner. “Our conference is going to find a way to get together, talk and heal itself, and it’s going to take us some time,” Sessions said. In a scathing statement, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), who didn’t vote for Boehner two years ago but supported him on Tuesday, described the vote as a poorly executed “mutiny.” He criticized the members who ran against Boehner for not doing so in November, when Republicans met behind closed doors to choose their Speaker. “That was the time to fight,” he said of the November vote. “But not a single person ran against Boehner. Not one. If they had, we could’ve had a secret ballot to find out what the true level of opposition to John Boehner was. He added that Gohmert was not a credible candidate and would “never” be Speaker, and suggested that Webster, while a “nice guy,” is not a true conservative given his lifetime score from conservative group Heritage Action of 60 percent. “Would the House really have been more conservative if he had won,” Mulvaney said. Boehner needed a simple majority of the 408 lawmakers present to secure another two years in the top job; he won 216, 11 more votes than was required. But a dozen Republicans backed Webster, the former Florida Speaker. Rep. Louie Gohmert Louis (Louie) Buller GohmertTrump met with group led by Ginni Thomas at White House: report House passes bill expressing support for NATO The Memo: Trump veers between hard-liner, dealmaker on shutdown MORE (R-Texas) received three votes, while Rep. Ted Yoho Theodore (Ted) Scott YohoThe new Democratic Congress has an opportunity to move legislation to help horses On The Money: Trump says he won't declare emergency 'so fast' \| Shutdown poised to become longest in history \| Congress approves back pay for workers \| More federal unions sue over shutdown The 7 Republicans who voted against back pay for furloughed workers MORE (R-Fla.) got two votes, including his own. Former Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) also received two votes, while Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) received one vote apiece. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) each received one vote. The Constitution allows lawmakers to vote for any U.S. citizen for Speaker. In addition, freshman Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) merely voted “present.” In recent history, no sitting Speaker has seen so many defections from his or her own party in the first vote of a new Congress. Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) saw nine defections in 1997, while Dennis Hastert watched five fellow Republicans cast votes against him in 2005, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro PelosiHouse to push back at Trump on border Governors bullish on infrastructure after Trump talks Pelosi attends signing of New York's new 'red flag' gun control bill MORE (Calif.) received 164 votes from her party. Four Democrats voted against her: Reps. Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Dan Lipinski (Ill.), Gwen Graham (Fla.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.). That’s fewer than the 20 Democrats who did not back Pelosi as their leader in 2011 after their party lost the House. At least 18 Democrats were absent from the vote, most of them New Yorkers who were attending Tuesday’s funeral for former Gov. Mario Cuomo (D). The absentees helped Boehner, as they lowered the number of votes the Speaker needed to retain his gavel. Boehner, who contemplated last year not running for reelection, will be looking to put Tuesday’s vote behind him as he and new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) turn their focus to their shared 2015 agenda. It will include approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, defining the workweek as 40 hours under ObamaCare and passing bills to help small businesses hire more veterans. Boehner didn’t stick around the chamber for the dramatic roll call. But when he returned as Speaker once again, he was visibly emotional, mentioning how he teared up when he saw his biggest fans outside the chamber: the young daughters of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). In a short address, Boehner was humble and poetic. “As Speaker, all I ask — and, frankly, expect — is that we disagree without being disagreeable. In return, I pledge to help each of you carry out your duties. My door, of course, is always open,” Boehner told lawmakers. Cristina Marcos and Mike Lillis contributed.
The Lasting Legacy of J.G. Ballard If you are looking literature with a distinct edge, then J.G. Ballard is your man. The legacy of this British author (1930-2009) has become a little clearer in the past couple of years. His books still have a following and interest has not dimmed. A new generation have picked up the likes of Crash to discover why this novel shocked their parents. Ballard wrote more than 15 novels and countless short stories. His style verged into the dystopian and bleak scenarios are commonplace. Crash and Empire of the Sun remain his best known works, but there’s plenty more - Cocaine Nights and Super-Cannes are also well worth a read. Crash was infamous for its subject matter, sexual desire stimulated by car accidents, and went on to become a controversial David Cronenberg film. Empire of the Sun was a story based on his childhood in a Japanese prison camp during World War II where he was interned for three years along with his parents and sister. Ballard published his first novel, The Wind from Nowhere, in January 1962 but he never liked the book even though it put his foot in the literary world’s door. His second novel, The Drowned World, established him as an up-and-coming figure among the so-called New Wave science fiction writers. Some people have said Ballard’s writing set the scene for Cyberpunk. This can be observed in many of his works including the often praised Vermilion Sands - where all of the stories are set in a desert town which features technologies such as bizarre poetry-composing computers and self-painting canvasses – or Memories of the Space Age which explores the psychological fallout from the space exploration frenzy of the 1960s and 1970s. Ballard’s continued to receive critical praise late into his writing career for novels like Cocaine Nights and Super-Cannes, which both feature communities with dark secrets. Ballard never shied away from controversy. Following the death of his wife in 1964, he began to write The Atrocity Exhibition. His publisher, Doubleday, was forced to destroy almost its entire original print run due to widespread criticism of the book’s content. With chapters entitled ‘Plans for the Assassination of Jacqueline Kennedy’, ‘Love and Napalm: Export USA’ and ‘Why I Want to F*ck Ronald Reagan’, The Atrocity Exhibition was considered a slur on the Kennedy legacy by the Americans. Ballard continued to write after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2006 and his autobiography, Miracles of Life, was published in 2008. J.G. Ballard's Novels J.G. Ballard's Short Story Collections What's the most memorable J.G. Ballard story plot? More Stories to Discover
Propaganda wars, require a propaganda machine to deliver the required message. And as Will Buxton posted in his recent blog article, “The Right Formula”, there are those in the F1 media who are helping spread a negative view of Formula One. In just 24 hours we’ve had a flood of headlines, “Audi entry would be ‘super’ for F1”, “Ecclestone predicts F1 strategy Group Flop” and the most dramatic today, “F1 race promoters demand ‘urgent’ engine rule change.” All these are from Motorsport.com. They, and a host of recent articles have been published there by Adam Cooper, Jonathan Noble and others. In most of Cooper’s recent articles he reveals he has had exclusive access to Ecclestone. To the casual observer, this may be perceived as a scoop. However, there is a clear polemic and platform being provided for Ecclestone by Cooper, who publishes these pieces without comment or opinion. Jonathan Noble, ex F1 correspondent of Autosport.com is now accredited with the latest of these shock and awe stories. “F1 race promoters demand ‘urgent’ engine rule change.” Noble reveals, “a direct request has been sent to motor racing’s governing body for it to back a rules overhaul”. Really? And how would Jonathan know this? Surely even the FIA wouldn’t leak to him bad publicity about their continued insistence that their new F1 engines remain. The letter has been composed by Ron Walker, the retired promoter of the Australian GP and a long-time friend and ally of Bernie Ecclestone. Walker is the nominal head of a loose organisation by the name of FOPA. (the Formula One Promoters’ Association). Ron Walker was still the promoter of the Melbourne race when the new V6 Turbo engines first raced in 2014. He was highly critical of them then and his views have not changed since he retired, However, if you look carefully at what the author Noble writes, the letter to the FIA is not from FOPA and “F1 race promoters” per se; it is a personal letter from Walker. It’s not hard to join up the dots. Copy of letter goes from Walker to Ecclestone, and from Ecclestone to Motorsport.com/Noble. So crisis over everyone – the circuit promoters are not in revolt. In fact a number of them who opposed the new engine formula, have changed their minds having seen parents bring more children to their events – no longer concerned their young ears will be shattered by the scream of wasted energy going up in sound. But at the heart of Walker’s engine overhaul proposal, lies the old chestnut that is the Christian Horner suggestion of a simplified V6 bi-turbo unit with a KERS battery bolted on the side. Ecclestone has backed this proposal from the start. This minutiae is drowned out by the 1,000 BHP headline soundbite and associated rhetorical distractions which dominate the article. Also unreported, is this power unit solution is not backed by any of the current F1 engine manufacturers. Even Horner’s engine partner Renault have stated this is not how they wish to see the development of future F1 engines. Christian has merely been flying a kite for Bernie. F1 writers obviously make money by providing stories for their paymaster’s publications and previously little known web sites pay established authors to gain credibility. But when a news outlet repeatedly becomes the mouth-piece of Ecclestone, there is more to this than meets the eye. In fact Motorsport.com, where many of Cooper’s recent articles have been posted, was recently sold. Joe Saward charts the changing ownership of the website in his Nov 2014 article entitled, “The bizzare world of the F1 media” The site was traded for little more than £20,000 then goes on a recruitment spree that will lead to a huge leap in cost base. One of those costs being a new large salary head above that of $6,640pm previously paid to Motorsport.com’s owner and producer of the GMM news stories. Avquiring the services of Autosport’s editor Charles Bradley, was the lynchpin which gives the website development project a degree of substance. Then Jonathan Noble, has been Autosport through since 1999 and so this career jump must have been a most attractive proposition. Adam Cooper writes almost daily for the site, along with other well known writers – though these individuals would most likely be on piece work or a retainer. So, where has all this big time investment come from. Mike Zoi, whoseT1T Lab LLC operation acquired Motorsport.com has expertise in “strategic development, branding, corporate alliances, corporate websites, and investor relations”. But why would he take on the financial might of Haymarket Publications who own Autosport, and have dominated this space for some considerable time? These are unanswered questions, because Zoi has made no comment on this project – though it is hardly insignificant. The tone of the articles prior to the big pow pow in Biggin Hill appeared to come straight from the FOM spin machine. Which gives an indication of where influence has been brought to bear. Motorsport.com appear to have been using some ‘interesting practices’. The week before the Biggin Hill meeting, some articles had hundreds of Facebook ‘likes’, whilst others just 2 and 3. Facebook ‘likes’ can of course be bought. The articles posted by Motorsport.com have never really attracted more than a hand full of comments. Then in early May, hundreds appeared below many of their posts. A closer examination of these long lists of apparent interaction with the site revealed they were lifted from a Facebook site. Clearly, those posting their opinions were not reading the content above where their comments appeared. It seems at times, nothing changes in F1-land – but knowing who is operating the megaphone helps us understand why we are hearing a particular message. Share this: Twitter Facebook Reddit Pinterest Tumblr Email Like this: Like Loading...
Smoke rises in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike. The hostilities between Hamas and Israel entered their second month with more than 1,900 dead. Aug. 9, 2014 Smoke rises in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike. The hostilities between Hamas and Israel entered their second month with more than 1,900 dead. Dusan Vranic/AP Talks to extend the three-day truce between Israel and Hamas were making little headway in Cairo. The 72-hour cease-fire, which took effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, was agreed to late Monday by both Israel and Hamas following talks in Cairo. The 72-hour cease-fire, which took effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, was agreed to late Monday by both Israel and Hamas following talks in Cairo. A three-day cease-fire that ended the round-the-clock carnage and terror in Gaza and southern Israel was holding Wednesday ahead of negotiations in Cairo on a longer-term truce and perhaps a broader deal for the ravaged Gaza Strip. Over the coming days, Egyptian mediators plan to shuttle between Palestinian and Israeli delegations to try to work out an agreement. U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, speaking in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp., urged both sides to take advantage of the Gaza truce to move toward broader negotiations. Asked whether he supported Palestinian demands for a lifting of Israel’s blockade of Gaza, Kerry said: “What we want to do is support the Palestinians in their desire to improve their lives and to get food in and to open crossings and to reconstruct and have greater freedom.” But that must come “with a greater responsibility toward Israel, which means giving up rockets,” he said, referring to the barrages unleashed by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip. “No country can live with that condition, and the United States stands squarely behind Israel’s right to defend itself in those circumstances. Period.” Kerry said all this would come together only with a “bigger, broader approach to the underlying solution of two states” that would provide security for Israel and “a better life and greater freedoms for the Palestinians.” After nearly a month of grinding war, Gaza and southern Israel were experiencing something new: calm. Since the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire kicked in Tuesday morning at 8 a.m., there have been no rocket attacks or missile strikes. No tunnel infiltrations or shelled schools. But there have not been any celebrations or declarations of victory, either. Just a single, haunting question: If this war is truly over, how long until the next one begins? Cars and donkey carts loaded with household goods and mattresses filled the streets of Gaza on Wednesday and people lined up at banks to withdraw money, witnesses said. Hundreds of people went to inspect their flattened homes. Both Israel and Hamas went into the fight seeking to change the underlying dynamics of a situation that has produced three rounds of combat in less than six years while crippling the Gazan economy. But after 29 days of fighting that claimed nearly 2,000 lives, it is far from clear that either side has succeeded. That could mean the next round of battle kicks off in the coming few years, months or even days if both sides do not get enough of what they want during the negotiations beginning Wednesday in Cairo. Hamas leaders have repeatedly said they seek an opening of Gaza’s border crossings, the release of Palestinian prisoners and international assistance in rebuilding the territory’s shattered economy, among other demands. Israel wants a demilitarization of the strip and a promise of an end to the rocket fire. Israel on Tuesday withdrew its remaining ground forces from Gaza just ahead of the 72-hour truce’s start time as both sides fired their final barrages. An Israel Defense Forces spokesman, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, said Israel “would continue to maintain defensive positions from the air, from the coast and from the ground” just outside Gaza and that all would be prepared to return fire if the rocket strikes resume. By Israel’s own admission, Hamas still has at least several thousand rockets despite firing 3,300 and losing an additional 3,000 to Israeli attacks. Hamas has reserved the right to dip deeper into its arsenal if Israel fails to yield to the group’s demands. “They are still intact,” Mkhaimer Abusaada, a political-science professor at al-Azhar University in Gaza, said of Hamas. “They are not broken. They did not wave a white flag. It’s still a very strong resistance organization.” In some ways, Abusaada said, the group is even stronger than it was at the war’s start, despite enduring weeks of Israeli bombardment. Hamas has used its decades-long fight with Israel to rally support, and when the war began, the group was badly in need of it. Diplomatically isolated from Arab powers and facing a financial crunch from the closure of its smuggling tunnels, the group could not even afford to pay its 44,000 government employees. But the four-week war, in which Hamas launched rockets deeper into Israeli territory than ever before and used tunnels to carry out deadly infiltrations, has boosted the group’s image among many Palestinians. It has also brought the group’s leaders to the negotiating table, where they will be able to make their demands and possibly win economic concessions that are now needed even more desperately. “Now, Hamas is no longer isolated,” Abusaada said. “The Americans are negotiating with them indirectly. The Israelis are negotiating with them indirectly.” But the Israelis are deeply reluctant to give Hamas anything that could be perceived as a reward for its militancy, and they hope that Gaza residents will ultimately blame Hamas for a war that has left approximately 1,800 Palestinians dead with little to show for it. An Israeli military official said Tuesday that Hamas had been badly depleted by some 4,800 Israeli strikes on Gaza over the past month. The attacks destroyed hundreds of Hamas command centers and weapons facilities and killed about 900 militants, Israel’s military says. Troops also dismantled 32 tunnels, 14 of which connected directly to Israel. By contrast, the official said, Hamas failed to land its punches. “They can tell a narrative that they did damage to Israel, but really the damage is quite limited,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record. Still, there was little sense of triumph in Israel on Tuesday, and not only because many are still mourning 64 dead Israeli soldiers and three civilians. On Israel’s political left and right, there were apprehensions that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not use the conflict to try to create a new order in Gaza that does not involve recurring bouts of war. The cease-fire was greeted with scorn by hard-line members of Israel’s cabinet who want the government to topple Hamas and put Gaza under an international mandate. “This situation of limbo — no war, no peace — is the worst scenario for Israel,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in an interview. “We can’t survive having another conflict every two or three years.” On the other side of Israel’s political spectrum, Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog said he, too, fears that the apparent end of this conflict could merely set the stage for the next. But he said Israel now has an opportunity to use the Cairo talks to empower the relatively moderate government of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and restore him to Gaza, seven years after his forces were routed from the territory by Hamas. Abbas’s government will lead the Palestinian delegation in Cairo, which will also include representatives of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group. “There’s a clear convergence of interests between Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf states, Israel and the Palestinian Authority in recognizing that we need to combat terrorism and move toward peace,” Herzog said. That’s also a U.S. goal, and Washington has sought ways to shore up Abbas’s credibility as the leader of all Palestinians. Economic or practical improvements for Gazans are one likely way to do that if Israel agrees and Hamas cedes greater control to its longtime rival. The United States would be expected to be a major donor and facilitator, but large questions remain about how economic development can coexist with security measures to partly demilitarize Gaza and prevent Hamas from re-arming. Israeli officials expressed skepticism Tuesday that the talks could succeed in delivering much more than a fragile and temporary truce. Hamas remains the de facto power in Gaza, they said, and the group has no interest in changing that. “A whole different relationship could be built, but the chances of that happening are not all that great,” said an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. The official said the one major difference between these talks and the Cairo-based negotiations that ended the last war between Israel and Hamas is that Egypt has a new government that is much more hostile to the Palestinian group. While Hamas was able to use tunnels beneath the Egyptian border to smuggle in weapons after the 2012 fight ended, that will be more difficult now that Egypt’s military-backed government has effectively shut the tunnels down. “That may be the game-changer,” the official said. “If there is one.” Raghavan reported from Gaza City. Deane reported from Rome. Orly Halpern in Jerusalem and Islam Abdel Karim in Gaza City contributed to this report.
Wednesday's Eagles-Browns trade announcement meant a lot of things to a lot of people, but from the perspective of a Cleveland fan one thing is absolutely clear: Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is completely invested in a rebuild. He is allowing the lieutenants he has put in charge to do whatever it takes to transform the franchise into a winner. That includes eschewing the popular Browns move of pacifying an unhappy fanbase by selecting a first-round quarterback. As we wrote previously, the strategy did not work with Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden or Johnny Manziel because the rest of the roster was not good enough to support a rookie passer (and other reasons with Manziel). The Browns now have six picks in the top 100 of the 2016 NFL Draft, and will essentially have two first-round picks in each of the next two seasons (the Patriots' forfeited pick gives the Browns No. 8 and No. 32 overall this year). Like the Titans, Cleveland has a barebones roster with stars at certain positions but too little depth to take them seriously in the division. Like the Titans, the Browns have made a massive investment in their future by pulling off a deal that could potentially revitalize their moribund team. Here are the winners and losers from the second-biggest draft trade of the season: WINNERS Carson Wentz and Jared Goff Both are now guaranteed to be selected either No. 1 or No. 2 in the NFL draft and one might even be in the type of dream scenario where he sits a year behind an established starter. Both players know they could do much worse than Los Angeles or Philadelphia. Why? 1. An Andy Reid-type system is a lifeline for quarterbacks. 2. Rams coach Jeff Fisher probably isn't going anywhere. 3. Both the Rams and Eagles have a stable of young talent, which means their rosters are not as depleted as a typical team picking at either No. 1 or No. 2. 4. They won't fight much over money. Last year, Jameis Winston signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $25.35 million deal with a $16.69 million signing bonus. Marcus Mariota signed a four-year, $24.214 million deal with a $15,870,164 signing bonus. 5. Neither team has to panic on draft day. Eagles executive vice president Howie Roseman most likely knows who Rams general manager Les Snead is snagging at No. 1. Robert Griffin III Unless the Browns take Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch with the No. 8 overall pick, Griffin will get every opportunity to edge out veteran Josh McCown and become a 16-game starter again. This seemed like a pipe dream in Washington last year, when Griffin was only active for a handful of games and took zero regular-season snaps. Browns coach Hue Jackson seems enamored by Griffin's potential and might be the perfect coach to lead this reclamation project. For Griffin, he will probably not have to deal with the pressure and aggravation that comes from a promising rookie biding his time on the depth chart. Paxton Lynch (and every other quarterback not named Wentz or Goff) Thought by many as the third-best quarterback in this year's draft, Lynch's stock has now skyrocketed. Some were projecting he would slip out of the first round altogether. But now? As former Bucs GM Mark Dominik posted on Twitter recently, it would be hard to imagine Lynch falling out of the top 10. The Cowboys, 49ers, Browns, possibly Bears, Jets, Bills and Broncos still need a quarterback and we might be reaching the frenzied pitch of 2011, when an epic and desperate run on quarterbacks saw teams taking players with second- and third-round grades in the opening round. Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta As we mentioned before, getting approval for a blockbuster trade means getting the green light to overhaul the roster in the right way. For years, Cleveland has been on a dangerous carousel, firing head coaches that were running vastly different schemes at a breakneck pace. Those coaches would all want to draft their own quarterbacks in an eventual death march that was depriving the organization of talented players at other positions. Now, they have a ton of chances to hit on good players, which can go a long way toward easing the skepticism surrounding the new regime. Eagles vice president of football operations Howie Roseman What a glorious return to power! Roseman broke free from the nether regions of the NovaCare Complex and in a matter of four months has undone just about everything ex-coach Chip Kelly installed -- in addition to acquiring the draft's No. 2 pick. Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers Depending on what the Cowboys' actual draft plans were -- did they want one of the 'big 2' at quarterback? -- talent evaluators cannot complain about having the two best overall prospects land at their feet without having the No. 1 or No. 2 pick. NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein doesn't have a quarterback until No. 8 on his top 100 prospects list. NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt does not have one until No. 7. That means offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil or defensive back Jalen Ramsey -- both players at huge need positions for the Chargers and Cowboys, respectively, who could have gone No. 1 and No. 2 in any other draft -- are right there for the taking. LOSERS Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Hoyer Both quarterbacks were considered the best remaining quarterbacks on the market, with Fitzpatrick continuing to play the long game against the Jets -- a team that doesn't want to sign him to an overly lucrative contract. Now, Sam Bradford potentially enters the fold. Roseman reiterated Wednesday that Bradford is still his starter, but how much of that can we believe when the Eagles are a week away from drafting a passer? Bradford is better than the other options on the market, which could cause the Jets and Broncos to shift gears -- or at least reorganize their priorities. Now, the Jets don't want to pay Fitzpatrick a boatload of money, so they likely wouldn't want to do the same for Bradford. Still, Bradford is entering Year 2 off an ACL tear, which, unless another injury occurs, is usually more productive than the season before. If nothing else, it's another element to consider. Could this ultimately harm Fitzpatrick and Hoyer's bargaining power? Sam Bradford At best, Bradford has a one-year window to prove he is a high-level starting quarterback in the NFL before the Eagles -- who have a signed backup in Chase Daniel -- do one of the following: 1. Finagle their way out of the remaining year on Bradford's deal and release him if he does not succeed. 2. Trade him in an effort to capitalize on a great 2016 and recoup some of the picks they lost for either Wentz or Goff. 3. Bench him for the rookie or Daniel if he does not perform well and let the market dictate what is next, ultimately harming Bradford's chances on the open market in 2017. Bradford has dealt with a completely unfair rash of injuries throughout his career and a slew of different schemes and coordinators. As we've seen with Carson Palmer, sometimes all it takes is one perfect fit. Bradford, it seems, will continue his search next year. San Francisco 49ers Coach Chip Kelly might still have a quarterback problem on his hands. If Colin Kaepernick wants out and the 49ers don't get fair market value for him and the team isn't enamored with Paxton Lynch, they'll be jammed between a few rocks and a hard place. A few days ago, they seemed to be in a decent position to get either Wentz or Goff. Trades by the Eagles and Rams have made that virtually impossible unless Los Angeles or Philadelphia is prepared to stun the world and not take a quarterback. With the board stacked against them, we can see one of three things happening: 1. The Blaine Gabbert hype train takes off at warp speed. NFL Media columnist Mike Silver noted that general manager Trent Baalke is thrilled with Gabbert's progress and sees him as a real success story. Could the 49ers start treating him the way that the Rams treated Case Keenum when it looked like there would be no better option? 2. Find some way to come together with Kaepernick. Though it seems unlikely given that Kaepernick showed up to offseason workouts still in recovery, perhaps there is room to mend broken fences. Kaepernick remains a dynamic athlete who would seem to fit beautifully in a Kelly offense. 3. Draft Paxton Lynch. Veterans on Browns' roster hoping to stick around long The club has already started sending this message (and perhaps the desire is partially mutual): Veterans hoping to hang with the Browns long past 30 should forget about it. The team is bringing in a small army of young players on controllable contracts with a head coach that loves teaching and building players from the ground up. It wouldn't be stunning to see Cleveland with the NFL's youngest roster by 2018.
Custom Search March 2013 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops Estimated Comics Shipped to North American Comics Shops Based on Reports from Diamond Comic Distributors Search for titles on Comichron! Search tips March was a blockbuster month relative to previous years. Shops in North America ordered $41.3 million worth of comics and graphic novels in March, beating the previous year's total by nearly 23%. Heavy discounting on graphic novels played a role. The first quarter of the year wasn't able to top the last quarter of 2012, but it made a good run at it, coming in at around $122 million versus $128 million for the fourth quarter. And whereas the first quarter of 2012 had 13 shipping weeks, the first quarter of 2013 only had 12, because the comics that shipped first week of January were invoiced to retailers in December and not counted with 2013. Guardians of the Galaxy #1 led the market, with orders topping 200,000 copies. Read more in our preliminary and final analysis posts for the month. You can also click to skip to the Top Graphic Novels for the month. —John Jackson Miller This list includes all items on Diamond's Top 300 charts, plus any post-#300 items from its Top 50 Indy and Small Publisher charts. If you don't see a book, Diamond released no data for it. Items marked with asterisks [*] had their reported orders reduced by 10% due to returnability. Distributor charts are regional commodity reports, not measures of a work's total reach. Read our FAQ. The links lead to current listings for each item on eBay. You can also find the books at your comics shop. March 2013 Graphic Novel Sales to Comics Shops Estimated Graphic Novels and Trade Paperbacks Shipped to North American Comics Shops Based on Reports from Diamond Comic Distributors This list includes all items on Diamond's Top 300 charts, plus any post-#300 items from its Top 50 Indy, Manga, and Small Publisher charts. If you don't see a book, Diamond released no data for it. The links lead to details about each title on Amazon. You can also find the books at your comics shop. #1 #2 #3 #4 The Top 300 graphic novels posted nearly $9 million in sales, the highest figure for that category ever. However, the figures this month were distorted considerably by heavy discounting. Marvel sold several million dollars worth of hardcovers to retailers in a sale, inflating the total retail value of books sold.
Abstract In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides public oversight of the safety and efficacy of drugs; medical devices; biologics like vaccines and blood products; cosmetics; radiation-emitting electronic products; veterinary products; and all foods, except meat and poultry (which are regulated by the Department of Agriculture). According to the FDA, the products it regulates account for more than one-fifth of U.S. consumer spending. In the area of medical products, the FDA is responsible for determining whether marketed products are both safe and effective before and after they have been marketed. In this paper, we will explore whether the policies of the agency itself are safe and effective. We stress two issues, one static and one dynamic. The static issue concerns the potential duplication inefficiency when product safety is protected not only by the FDA but also by the private sector through product liability law. Put another way, what is the rationale for using product liability and the FDA to regulate drug safety? While intuitively it may seem that two systems must be better than one in ensuring drug safety, each system comes with costs. We then turn to the dynamic issue, the speed-safety trade off, and consider the extent to which higher safety is achieved at a cost of later market entry of effective and even life-saving products. We assess the Prescription Drug User Fee Acts (PDUFAs), which increased the speed of the agency's regulatory process starting in 1992, although according to some, at the cost of reducing drug safety. We conclude by suggesting a research agenda for future work on the Food and Drug Administration. Citation Philipson, Tomas, J., and Eric Sun. 2008. "Is the Food And Drug Administration Safe And Effective?" Journal of Economic Perspectives , 22 (1): 85-102 . DOI: 10.1257/jep.22.1.85 Choose Format: BibTeX EndNote Refer/BibIX RIS Tab-Delimited
Earlier this year, news broke that Google was planning to bring some version of its auto insurance comparison and shopping tools that are already available in the UK here to the US. Now, it's official, at least for drivers in California — the newly-launched Google Compare for auto insurance lets you comparison shop and buy car insurance right through Google's search engine. If you start searching for car insurance-related terms in Google's search engine, you'll start getting options to see quotes and do comparisons right through Google itself (you can also just go straight to Google's comparison site). Then you put in your zip code, your car, and a whole host of additional info to hone in on accurate quotes from a number of insurance providers. Once that's done, you'll get a listing of quotes, but you don't actually complete the purchase on Google's site. Instead, you'l take that quote over to the insurance provider to sign up if you're so inclined. However, to make things easier, Google provides you with a reference number and a phone number to call if you want to finish your purchase over the phone. At first glance, it seems like a pretty useful tool if you're looking to save some cash on your car insurance policy — and while it's only useful in California right now, Google said it would roll it out to other states soon.
In part 2 he talks about Outfit Uniforms, you can check out part 2 by clicking here . Special thanks to Mod on the forums for tracking this down! Gamerlive.tv has up an interview with Matt Higby from GDC 2012. In it Matt talks about outfit customizations and he gives an example of setting up your outfit specifically to focus on Heavy Armor. He also talks about customizing Reavers so that you know they are from a specific outfit. Latest Comments 2012-03-28 09:50 PM Bags Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Mechzz Originally Posted by Heh. Good to hear a similar opinion from the other side. Looks like "grass is greener" syndrome is still on the go! 2012-03-28 11:01 PM RNFB Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC So wait, Outfits are going to give bonuses to combat stats? That's stupid. I shouldn't be penalized for being a lone wolf. 2012-03-28 11:02 PM Stardouser Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC RNFB Originally Posted by So wait, Outfits are going to give bonuses to combat stats? That's stupid. I shouldn't be penalized for being a lone wolf. 2012-03-28 11:04 PM Shade Millith Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Mechzz Originally Posted by Can't wait for our new lock on disco-ball dispenser Spoken like a true NC. You guys didn't have that awful penlight as your AV, you had a sweet video cam missile of death that killed more grunts than tanks. We poor VS got an underpowered flashlight. 20 shots to kill a Vanny I read somewhere! (felt like 40!)Can't wait for our new lock on disco-ball dispenser The Lancer was the best AV at medium to long range, hands down, bar none. Accurate, with super fast projectile speed. A Phoenix, while doing more damage per shot, did pitiful DPS using guided mode compared to a Lancer, and using unguided mode was a crapshoot to hit a moving target. The Striker basically TOLD the tank "Hey dude? You're going to get shot at, move behind a little cover to break the lock so you won't get hit". Gives them a big heads up to start heading to cover, even before they got hit. A Lancers only warning is "Hey, I just bitchslapped ya, and here's a few more" That abomination "lockon yarnball flinger" would be a massive step down for VS. Lancer was my waifu, and don't you insult my baby. 2012-03-28 11:09 PM RNFB Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Stardouser Originally Posted by You're not being penalized for being a lone wolf. 2012-03-29 05:24 AM I SandRock Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Matt is pretty good public speaker. He hardly has any nerd factor at all (except for the hair)! And he doesn't look bad either no-homo 2012-03-29 05:38 AM KALU Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im still hungry! 2012-03-29 05:59 AM Lorgarn Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC IDukeNukeml Originally Posted by I paused it at 19 seconds to post this and seen Higby blink 26 times in that time period. Dude. Buy some eye drops. You're going to cause a fucking stigmatism. Seriously though, I love Higby as sort of our official PS2 rep. He definitely has the ability to at least get me very excited for PS2. Even though the majority of what he's saying is not always "news" per se. He's a good public speaker and he knows a lot of both PS and PS2, which obviously is a good thing! Aaaaaand, sometimes it feels like he enjoys watching SC2 more than I do. (Big + right there!) 2012-03-29 06:19 AM Timealude Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC RNFB Originally Posted by If I'm not going to be able to kill people as fast as those in outfits? Yes, I am. 2012-03-29 07:08 AM cellinaire Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Lorgarn Originally Posted by He's flirting with the viewers! Blush Seriously though, I love Higby as sort of our official PS2 rep. He definitely has the ability to at least get me very excited for PS2. Even though the majority of what he's saying is not always "news" per se. He's a good public speaker and he knows a lot of both PS and PS2, which obviously is a good thing! Aaaaaand, sometimes it feels like he enjoys watching SC2 more than I do. (Big + right there!) I sometimes wish Qiu be the next host of another future PS2 videos lolz 2012-03-29 02:35 PM RNFB Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Timealude Originally Posted by Planetside isn't like a normal FPS, this game requires team work 2012-03-29 03:00 PM Stardouser Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC RNFB Originally Posted by I realize this, but an outfit isn't necessary for this for people like myself. I don't need some dude yelling at me over Vent to shoot the other guys and take the objective and support my allies. 2012-03-29 05:40 PM RNFB Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Stardouser Originally Posted by and it still won't be necessary, that's why the additional power, whatever it is, is called a bonus. You're not being punished, you simply do not receive the bonus as a result of not engaging in the activity which grants the bonus. 2012-03-29 05:53 PM Captain B Re: Gamerlive's Exclusive Hands On with PlanetSide 2 @ GDC Join an outfit and do whatever you want like most guilds/outfits on MMOs do, and just enjoy the bonuses. But this IS an MMO. Sadly, most people don't remember early MMOs where you had to work together with other people or you just died and got looted back-to-back, every damn day until you quit. MMOs now are just big lobbies where you can happen to bump into other players for grouping to get your phat lewts easier, and the result is this "I should lone wolf just as well as an outfit groups" mentality in a massively multiplayer game design. Rant aside, this looks extremely fun, though I'm still concerned about drivers also being gunners in tanks. 2012-03-29 06:22 PM
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Rev. Robert Nugent, a Roman Catholic priest who was silenced by the Vatican for his work with gay and lesbian Catholics, died Wednesday (Jan. 1) after a three-month battle with cancer. He was 76. In many ways, the scrutiny of Nugent’s activism symbolized the Vatican’s approach to all talk of homosexuality under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI — what one gay Catholic group called a “witch hunt” — compared with the more tolerant “who am I to judge?” tone set recently by Pope Francis. Nugent, a member of the Salvatorians religious order, co-founded the Maryland-based New Ways Ministry in 1977 with Sister Jeannine Gramick to build bridges between the gay community and the Catholic Church. Their activities drew repeated condemnation from U.S. Catholic leaders in the 1980s. “His ministry was more than a welcome,” said Francis DeBernardo, the group’s executive director. “He had the wisdom to know that the real moral problem in the church was not the lives of lesbian and gay people, but the ignorance and fear out of which many church leaders and officials operated.” Nugent served as a consultant for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on its 1997 pastoral document on homosexuality, “Always Our Children.” But two years later, after the Vatican ruled that Gramick and Nugent’s work was “erroneous and dangerous,” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) permanently banned Nugent and Gramick from working with the gay and lesbian community, saying their pro-gay work had “caused confusion among the Catholic people and have harmed the community of the church.” The pair were cited for refusing to accept church teaching on the “intrinsic evil of homosexual acts,” and Nugent was condemned for questioning “the definitive and unchangeable nature of Catholic doctrine in this area.” “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is obliged to declare for the good of the Catholic faithful that the positions advanced by Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father Robert Nugent regarding the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts and the objective disorder of the homosexual inclination are doctrinally unacceptable because they do not faithfully convey the clear and constant teaching of the Catholic Church in this area,” the decree said. In 2000, the Vatican issued a second decree, barring Gramick and Nugent from speaking about the 11-year investigation into their work; Nugent agreed to comply, but Gramick did not, saying: “I choose not to collaborate in my own oppression by restricting a basic human right. To me this is a matter of conscience.” While Nugent largely complied with the order and stayed in the shadows, Gramick continued to work and speak publicly on behalf of gay rights and other progressive causes. She remains listed as a co-founder of New Ways Ministry and now serves as executive co-director of the National Coalition of American Nuns, a small and liberal group of U.S. nuns. Gramick was by Nugent’s side when he died Wednesday at a hospice wing at a Catholic retirement community in Milwaukee. In 2010, New Ways Ministry again drew the ire of U.S. Catholic leaders for criticizing the hierarchy’s advocacy against same-sex marriage. “Like other groups that claim to be Catholic but deny central aspects of Church teaching, New Ways Ministry has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church and that they cannot speak on behalf of the Catholic faithful in the United States,” said Chicago Cardinal Francis George, then president of the bishops’ conference. YS/MG END ECKSTROM
BEAUMONT, Texas, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The owner of a Texas gator rescue said a record-breaking 13-foot, 8-inch alligator caught in a Liberty County lake is "the highlight" of his career. Gary Saurage and a crew from his Gator County rescue center and tourist attraction in Beaumont responded Wednesday morning to Champion Lake, north of Wallisville, on a report of a large nuisance gator. The group spent six hours working to capture the massive reptile, which weighs in at 900 pounds. Saurage said Texas Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed his catch broke the state record for an alligator captured alive. "And they let me know by record they don't see anything that's even been within 5 inches of this as far as being caught live. And, uh that makes me feel proud. I've been looking for this gator for a really long time. This is without a doubt the highlight of my career," Saurage told KBMT-TV. He said living in captivity will ultimately be the best thing for the large alligator, which was captured before it could do anything that would lead authorities to want it euthanized. "He's not going to be a dead alligator he's going to be a live alligator here so we can educate people and show people what they're like. And this is a magnificent beast, now people from all over the world will come and see even one that's bigger than Big Al, finally," Saurage said. Big Al, who measures 13 feet, 4 inches long, is now only the second largest alligator in the state. Saurage said Gator County is preparing a new habitat for the new arrival to keep him from crowding Big Al's area. "We are going to name the alligator but we are putting it out there on Facebook to let the community help us decide the name," Saurage told the Houston Chronicle. He said the person who submits the winning name will receive four lifetime passes to visit the gator park.
The Division has been delayed to 2016, Ubisoft has announced. The title is now targeting a release during the fourth quarter of Ubisoft's financial year, which runs from January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016. The new date marks the second major delay for The Division which was originally due to release in 2014. Ubisoft has yet to comment on the reason for the latest delay. Other Ubisoft titles, including Rainbow Six Siege and the recently announced Assassin's Creed Syndicate, are still on track for release later this year. "We believe we have a great title in our hands and we are giving additional time to our developers to fully fulfill their creative vision," Ubisoft said in a statement provided to VideoGamer.com. "This decision proved right on WD [Watch Dogs] which clearly outperformed the targets we had set up for its original FY14 launch more than compensating for the extra development costs incurred."
At a routine appointment a few days after my 40th birthday, my gynecologist gave me a prescription for a mammogram. There was no discussion, no explanation. Just a slip of paper, handed to me without a word as I left the examination room. When I asked the doctor what she’d just given me, she told me it was an order for a mammogram. I could call the number to schedule an appointment. “Wait—why should I get a mammogram?” I asked. “Because it could save your life.” Her voice conveyed a note of impatience. I wanted to make an informed decision, but she’d given me none of the information I needed to do so. It suddenly occurred to me—she doesn’t view this as a decision. As a journalist who has written about cancer screening for more than a decade, I’ve learned that every screening has the potential to spur a cascade of further testing, and I wanted to consider the possible consequences before proceeding. I had many questions. Why was my doctor recommending this screening for me? What did she expect the test to reveal? What’s the best case scenario? Worst case? What are other possible outcomes? And what happens if I don’t get a mammogram? I left without answers that day, because she never gave me a chance to ask. The moment I questioned her orders, my doctor’s defenses went up. I’d read the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, I told her, and they call for an individualized decision for someone my age. Shouldn’t we discuss this? Her tone became hostile. “I am discussing it. I’m telling you to get a mammogram.” This wasn’t the conversation I was seeking. She wasn’t listening to my questions; she was defending her authority. Here’s how she described the visit in my medical chart: “I gave the patient a form to have a mammogram performed. She has some concerns about starting mammography, and we discussed the risks and benefits. She will decide if she wants to have mammography at this point.” Reading this entry later, as I looked over the copy of my medical records I was taking to the doctor I chose to replace her, I was outraged. No—we did not discuss the risks and benefits. She told me to get a mammogram, and when I asked about the risks, she brushed me off. I’d read the major mammography studies published in the past decade, and I knew that the test that she was framing as an imperative was actually a choice. Given what I knew of the evidence, I was not inclined to start mammography, but my knowledge centered on the data. My doctor possessed clinical experience that I lack, and I wanted to include her expertise in my decision-making. After she denied me that opportunity, I sought answers on my own. First, given my health status and family history, was there reason to think that a mammogram was critical for me? The answer, I decided, was no. I was healthy and had no first-degree relatives with breast cancer, nor did I have any apparent symptoms of the disease. The National Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool1 estimated that my 5-year risk of developing breast cancer was 0.6%, “average” for a woman my age. Possible Outcomes A screening mammogram could result in 5 possible outcomes. Most likely, the scan would turn up nothing suspicious. I’d get some reassurance, but no certainty; 27% of the cancers in the mammography arm of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study2 were interval cancers, and these cancers, which appear in between mammography screenings, are most common for women in their 40s. A second possibility is that I’d be called back for further testing, perhaps even a biopsy, for something that was not cancer. In between the call-back and the results, I might have a few sleepless nights and perhaps some lingering worry afterward, but the relief I’d get from learning that it was nothing would probably overshadow this anxiety. A third possibility is that the mammogram would find a cancer that would have remained innocuous if not detected. In contrast to the “relentless progression” narrative put forth by some advocacy groups, not every breast cancer is fated to become deadly. Longitudinal investigations and autopsy studies have shown that some breast cancers lie indolent in the breast without causing harm. If a mammogram found one of these cancers (and right now it’s impossible to definitively differentiate them from the dangerous ones), I would be treated and “cured” for a cancer that was never destined to hurt me. If the mammogram found ductal carcinoma in situ, I’d face the difficult decision of whether and how to treat a condition that only rarely becomes invasive. The fourth possibility is that the mammogram could find a very aggressive, incurable cancer—the kind responsible for most deaths. In this case, I might be diagnosed sooner, but I’d ultimately die anyway, and I’d spend more of the years I had left receiving cancer treatment. Any benefits I might receive from the earlier diagnosis would probably appear larger than they actually are because of “lead-time bias,” an illusion that death is delayed, simply because the diagnosis is pushed forward. (With the diagnosis made sooner, the postdiagnosis survival period is extended, even if the date of death remains the same.) Finally, the mammogram could find a dangerous cancer that’s amenable to treatment, and my life would be saved. This is the potential outcome that spurred my doctor’s order, and it’s one that might compel me to comply. Probabilities With these possible outcomes laid out, I wanted to know their probabilities. An analysis published earlier this year calculated that having a yearly mammogram starting at age 40 years would give me about a 50/50 chance of a false alarm over the next 10 years.3 I’d also have a 6% to 8% probability of getting a biopsy to learn that I didn’t have cancer, and my risk of getting treated for an indolent cancer would be as high as 1.1%. The chance that a mammogram would prevent me from dying of breast cancer would be no greater than 0.16%. The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age, but the probability that a mammogram would help me avert a breast cancer death remains less than one half of 1% throughout my 50s and 60s. Once I’d put these numbers together, the decision felt easy—I’m opting out. But by the numbers, and my own values, the risks outweigh the benefits, by a mile. Whenever I write about mammography, I receive letters from women who tell me that a mammogram saved their life. Some of them are correct, but the inconvenient truth is that most of them are actually victims of overdiagnosis. In every decade studied—40s, 50s, and 60s—a mammogram is more likely to “cure” me of a harmless cancer (by subjecting me to life-disrupting and potentially harmful treatments like chemotherapy and radiation) than it is to prevent me from dying of breast cancer. For me, that’s a deal breaker. As a self-employed, self-insured person who’d almost certainly be unable to work or earn income to pay my bills if I had to take time off for cancer treatment, the desire to avoid unnecessary medical treatment isn’t just a quality of life decision, it’s an economic one. The Affordable Care Act protects me from losing my insurance, but I could lose my livelihood and meager assets if I were unable to work for an extended period. Looking at the numbers, it’s clear that the risk of a mammogram leading to unnecessary diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer is tiny, but the chance of a mammogram saving my life is even more miniscule. Cancer treatments have improved tremendously over the past few decades, and this has made early detection less important than it once was. If I ever find a lump or develop some other symptom, there’s no question that I’ll get it checked out immediately. But after much thought, I’ve decided to opt out of screening mammography. Not just in my 40s, but indefinitely. If new evidence shows that my risk of benefitting from a mammogram is greater than my likelihood of being harmed, I’ll reconsider. Until then, I’m saying no. Back to top Article Information Corresponding Author: Christie Aschwanden, 24621 Tannin Rd, Cedaredge, CO 81413 (christie@nasw.org). Published Online: December 1, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.6394. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.
Police in Mississippi charged a 22-year-old man with the murder of a gay mayoral candidate on Thursday, amid conflicting accounts about the nature of the two men’s relationship. WPTY-TV reported on Friday that Lawrence Reed was accused of killing 34-year-old Marco McMillian. Authorities found McMillian’s body was discovered near a levy hours after Reed was spotted by officials in McMillian’s SUV on Tuesday, after allegedly crashing it into another vehicle. Reed is currently listed in good condition at a local hospital and is being guarded by police. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reported that investigators believe Reed strangled McMillian before dumping the body in a levee. However, they are not treating the case as a hate crime. McMillian’s mother, Patricia McMillian, said in a Feb. 28 statement she did not think her son was killed because of his sexuality, saying, “He did not announce in public that he was gay.” According to Reed’s friends, WPTY reported, the two men became friends after meeting at a bar in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where McMillian was running as a Democratic mayoral candidate. They were supposed to go to a party on Feb. 25, when McMillian allegedly drove Reed to an unfamiliar area, at which point Reed called his girlfriend. “She said she was listening to everything that was going on,” said one friend of Reed’s, Derric Crump. “The guy was trying to get Lawrence to have a homosexual activity.” But one of McMillian’s friends told the newspaper that the former consulting firm CEO and Reed were romantically involved. “They were having an affair,” said the friend, Carlos Jones, adding that McMillian and Reed “got to tussling” before McMillian’s death. Reed is scheduled to make his first court appearance on March 4. Watch WPTY’s report on Reed being charged with McMillian’s murder.
Once a den for organised crime – from gambling to prostitution – Kings Cross still retains something of its gritty reputation. For now. In reality it is a social petri dish likely to yield results that will help buyers and others understand the process of gentrification occurring in many suburbs across Sydney. The last half-decade has seen the Kings Cross strip-joints increasingly lose their allure, making way for yoga studios, Italian snack bars and Parisian-style cafes. Developers, too, are starting to flock to the inner-city locale: last year, a cohort of 65 landowners clubbed together to put Kings Cross’s strip of nightclubs – dubbed the Golden Mile – on the market. Meanwhile, the slickly named Omnia development (marked green in this photograph) consisting of 135 luxury apartments, is currently being erected: in 2015, the three-bedroom penthouse, complete with killer views, sold for $11 million. Kings Cross, in other words, is gentrifying. For those buyers who got in early to the suburbs and streets surrounding the notorious neon Coca-Cola sign that is good news. Prices have soared. The proof is in the numbers: over the last five years, Darlinghurst median house prices have risen an eye-watering 124 per cent, according to the Domain Group (that compares with 82.5 per cent for the median house prices across Greater Sydney). Potts Point, meanwhile, is one of 12 suburbs, along with the likes of Bellevue Hill, Point Piper and Watsons Bay, with a median house price of a whopping $7 million. But the question remains: is rapid gentrification always in a property buyer’s interests? For those buyers invested in living in an area and contributing to the community – rather than buyers looking for an investment property with high returns – gentrification runs the risk of transforming into “blandification” as the hip kids, ever in search of the next best thing, move on to riper pastures. The pattern, says Eoghan Lewis of Sydney-based Eoghan Lewis Architects, is largely the same. “Where the conditions are right, young creatives and students move in: people with energy and time [to create] a community that is engaged. The key factor is economic conditions: affordability. The demographic slowly starts to change. These people make an area cool and the money follows,” he says. “New people to the area have more cash, are older and more sedentary in their behaviour. The economic conditions change and people are displaced. “It’s important to note that the people that make an area cool don’t own; they rent. They’re mobile not sedentary,” he adds. “Their relationship to place is pedestrian: they are present on the street and they are active in exploring its possibilities.” We’re talking about a caffeine-fuelled revolution Once upon a time living in the suburbs in Sydney was a luxury; today, the wealthy increasingly want to live in vibrant beach suburbs such as Bondi and Manly or inner-city locales – think Surry Hills, Redfern, Darlington, Chippendale, Rozelle, Kirribilli, Neutral Bay, McMahons Point and even Crows Nest — closer to the city centre. They are following in the footsteps of billionaires such as Judith Neilson, at one point Australia’s richest woman and founder of White Rabbit Gallery. She decided to build her multi-million dollar architecture-designed home, Indigo Slam, not in an elite harbour-side location but in the streets of concrete-filled, former working-class Chippendale. The shift is partly about prestige, partly about changing ideals over what ingredients make up a good lifestyle. In days gone by, the Great Australian Dream of a house of one’s own in the suburbs – featuring garage, garden and pool – was the ultimate proof that you had made it. Today buyers are happy to swap space for proximity to boutique shops, buzzy restaurants, and work opportunities. They are both attracted to, and are helping to drive, the caffeine-fuelled revolution: an abundance of hipster cafes – with lashings of turmeric lattes, acai bowls, active wear and smashed avocado – that are markers of gentrification. Moving to an apartment (Sydney today has over 100 suburbs where 50 per cent of the population lives in a flat) is, for many, no longer a compromise: it’s a considered choice. An increase in urban living Forcing the issue is Sydney’s burgeoning population. Immigration is at a record high in Australia: 28.5 per cent of the population, some 6.9 million people, were born overseas at the end of June last year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. As the country’s largest city, Sydney hit five million this year. Predictions are that the NSW capital will have a population of eight million as soon as 2050, helping it morph into an urban model more akin to London or Paris. “Sydney is going through an urbanisation change as it evolves from a ‘suburban’ city to an ‘urban’ city,” Chris Johnson, chief executive of Urban Taskforce Australia, a non-profit that represents property developers, says. “This is a product of size. When Sydney was three million people the suburban model was fine but at five million people a change occurs with a swing from house living to apartment living. “The suburb living style is very much about owning your own house, your own castle. Urban living is often in smaller homes but sharing common amenities… I think there is also more diversity in more urban areas with a mix of younger people, families and retirees.” As Sydney grows, he expounds, “we will become more diverse, we will own less and share more.” So, for every buyer who is looking in a wealthy enclave such as Cammeray, Northbridge, Balmain, Double Bay, Bellevue Hill or Rose Bay there are many more who are turning away from the strollers, SUVs and private swimming pools for a smaller home or apartment in grittier suburbs, like Summer Hill, Rosebery, Redfern, aircraft affected Marrickville, Enmore and even Westconnex-challenged Newtown, Camperdown, Erskineville and Alexandria; all of which are perceived by many buyers to have more pizzazz and, critically, “more soul”. The downsides of gentrification Is there a risk, though, that as the wealthy buy up Potts Point, it might turn into another staid Mosman or Cremorne negating the reason to move there in the first place? Will the weeds of vice – and all the accompanying character that comes with it – still grow through the pavements of Kings Cross long after the uber wealthy move into Omnia? “For people who already are fortunate enough to live in a place that is experiencing gentrification and are lucky enough to own their property, it’s a good news story as they’ll be benefiting from that process,” says Professor Hal Pawson, an expert in housing research and policy and associate director at the City Futures Research Centre at the University of NSW. Yet, Professor Pawson adds, “some may also see it a as a cultural downside even if the value of what they own is increasing. Those places become off limits to anyone who isn’t privileged really. There’s a certain better educated or better-trained, higher status population that will be more inclined to value an area that has other things [going for it] rather than just a ghetto for the rich.” Diversity matters To keep an area vibrant, then, diversity matters. “There was a lot of lower income housing in the inner-city that is progressively being wiped out. If you just leave that to run its course we’ll have a city in twenty years time which is much more starkly divided than it is now in the inner suburbs, with the centre entirely wealthy and lower income people pushed to the edges,” Professor Pawson says. Gentrification in and of itself isn’t always bad, points out Professor Alan Morris, a research professor at the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at the University of Technology Sydney. “In some ways it improves the area, in terms of amenities and appearance,” he says. “But it very often has very negative implications: rents increase, house prices increase, and people of a low income are displaced. You get increasing homogenisation and a very significant spatial divide based on wealth.” The case for affordable housing One way to avoid this – and to retain a suburb’s “soul”, while simultaneously helping to protect the pushing the poorest members of society – is affordable housing, traditionally a turn-off for some buyers. In European urban centres such as London, however, affordable housing targets in new developments sits at around 35 per cent. Public housing is also spread throughout the city, both in the centre and on the outskirts. By contrast in the massive 278 hectare Green Square development – one of Australia’s largest urban renewal projects – just three per cent of the residential floor space has being put aside for affordable housing. “Historically, in many cities, public housing has prevented total gentrification, because unless you have coercion like in Millers Point [where the government is controversially evicting tenants in order to sell land to private developers], public housing tenants are safe from gentrification,” Professor Morris says. In Australia however, market forces are king. “It’s the absence of policy that is a problem,” insists Professor Pawson. “If markets are left to their own devices it leads to segregated cities. Land-use planning has a very laissez-fair approach in Australia – you zone it, walk away, and let the market do the rest. A lot more could be done to require that when new developments are going up they include a proportion of affordable housing as a condition to getting permission to develop. That’s a completely routine thing in London or Paris or New York.” There is robust debate within government about upping affordable housing targets. But resistance is strong, Professor Pawson says. The reason is this: if a site owned by the government, as is the case with Millers Point, is put on the market with an obligation that developers must include a high-percentage of affordable housing, the value of the land is pushed down. “The government is being very resistant to committing [to affordable housing] because it will mean the land will be worth less and the treasurer will get a smaller capital receipt,” he says. But if the government is slow on the uptake, we at Curtis Associates have noted that buyers are changing their attitudes towards suburbs with higher concentrations of public housing. This, of course, has something to do with property price points: last year, property research platform Ripehouse.com.au found that properties located where 18 per cent of the street is public housing are valued at 20 per cent below the average rate. It is also, however, emotional: diversity, we are told time and again by buyers, means street life. Which means community. When an area becomes too upper-middle class, too staid and stagnant, it can throttle itself; we have noticed that there are some supposedly blue-chip suburbs where the demand pool for resale isn’t as good as it once was. It’s all about politics Affordable housing is one issue spearheaded by government. But there are other policies that are critical for creating the right environment for grassroots bottom-up change, allowing the small, the boutique, and the funky to flourish. “Consider the impact of the small bar license [in helping to foster street life] or lock out laws or the political decision to close Bourke Street to through traffic,” Mr Lewis says. “These decisions allow things to grow (or not).” Again, Kings Cross is a classic example, where political decisions have had both good and bad impacts (depending on who you ask). Mike Baird’s lockout laws were widely condemned by the nightlife industry as the death of the Cross; club revellers have by and large moved to Newtown and the inner-west where there are no such heavy restrictions on drinking and entry. Forcing out the down and dirty, however, has opened up space for all those yoga studios, marking a dramatic reduction in street violence and noise pollution. A 2015 NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report claimed that assault in Kings Cross was reduced by 32 per cent since the laws first came into play in 2014. The reduction in the numbers of revellers visiting Kings Cross to go out at night no doubt also played into this. As journalist Elizabeth Farrelly pithily described it in 2016, this was a case of “draining the ocean to prevent a shark bite”. That, in turn, has attracted a new, more moneyed crowd, largely young professionals (singles or couples) without children and retirees. As the Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2016, the lockout laws has had a direct effect on property prices: “The median price of units sold in Potts Point in the final six months of last year was $748,500, up 25 per cent from the six months before the laws came into effect in December 2014.” That compares with an 8.7 per cent increase of the median prices of units across the wider city. One example of positive knock-on effects following well thought through policy is the City of Sydney, Mr Lewis says: “Government only has so much control but the City of Sydney is an amazing case study, I think, in terms of creating the conditions where good things can grow. “Some of these things are obvious: like bicycle lanes, spending money on public and cultural buildings, park upgrades, playgrounds and amenity projects. Others not so: like [Lord Mayor of Sydney] Clover Moore’s ‘Design Excellence’ process that forces developers to enter design competitions, their ‘fine-grain’ agenda, pedestrian agenda, public domain improvements (spending an extra $200 million on George Street light rail over and above their commitment), matching grants for community project, green initiatives, etcetera.” A more pointed case of negative top-down, government led gentrification is again, Millers Point, the largest sale of public housing Australian has ever seen. By using forced evictions of tenants – many of whom have lived there for decades – the government hopes to raise up to $500 million. Working class Millers Point is, indeed, sought after by those who want to be smack in the centre of the city: last December one three-bedroom renovated terrace sold for $1.2 million, a $300,000 increase from two years prior. But part of what makes Millers Point attractive is not only its proximity to the Sydney Harbour and central business district – it is the people, high footfall and cosy sense of community. “Historically, this is an area where people had very few cars. People walked, caught the bus, caught the train,” Professor Morris says. As wealthier buyers move in, however, households with cars increase. “It’s become very individualised and privatised. Whereas before there was incredible interaction between the neighbours, because people saw each other on the streets, caught the bus together, went to the pub, now people don’t walk around. They drive around.” Density is no longer a dirty word Public transport, then, is one way to help foster and maintain positive gentrification, particularly in Sydney, a city traditionally hostage to the car (roughly 80 per cent of trips in the NSW capital are done by private vehicles). Good public transport means cross-fertilisation between suburbs. It also goes hand-in-hand with increasing density, a key factor for Australia. While Sydney is one of Australia’s most dense cities – with 1900 people per square metre according to think tank Demographia’s annual World Urban Areas survey, it ranks just 955 in the world’s most densely populated cities. “Australians don’t like density traditionally,” Mr Lewis says. “Being immigrants, many have come from poorer, more dense parts of Europe and Asia – they have wanted something that Sydney offers; a bit of land and space.” Yet density, if done right as in Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York or London, and if combined with increased access to better public transport, can help an inner-city area become attractive to buy in and to live – and can help a suburb to avoid solidifying into a more sedentary population. “Density can make a city very vibrant,” Professor Morris says. “Density can be very significant in terms of creating facilities and a particular atmosphere. Suburbia can be very bland.” Or, as Mr Lewis put it in an interview with the Financial Times in 2015, “Density is no longer a dirty word.” Gentrification: an ongoing process There are no absolutes in gentrification. Instead, it is a process formed and shaped by market forces, top-down intervention, government policies, public transport and density levels. Gentrify, as Mr Lewis notes, “is a verb: it’s a process, a kind of urban evolution; a continuum. To greater and lesser degrees it happens everywhere all the time.” Professor Morris agrees that “there’s a push and pull factor”. “Also it’s about stage in life. People who are single would prefer some areas, couples with kids prefer another area. Areas do lose their attractiveness, others become more attractive.” An elder Potts Point resident might love the crowd that frequents Fratelli Paradiso and Billy Kwong; and yet, her daughter could complain of the influx of the “grey brigade” in an area once dominated by the young. Where to buy now is a question of taste; predicting how an area might change is another thing entirely. This article was first published on Curtis Associates’ website. Chris Curtis is managing director of property advisory and buyers’ agency Curtis Associates. Tags: gentrification, kings cross, property
Fuck the Giants. In my entire life as a football fan I’ve never seen a season this bad. This is the nightmare scenario made real. I’ve been mad at the franchise, I’ve disapproved of the team, but I’ve never felt the level of disdain I felt for them these past two days. I own a lot of Giants clothing, namely hoodies, jackets, and hats. I wear them constantly. It doesn’t matter how bad they are or what, I just walk around in them. Tuesday, when I got home to change into my comfy lounge clothing, I pulled one of my hoodies out of the closet and for the first time that I can ever remember, didn’t want to wear it. Tuesday was the first time I can remember ever being genuinely embarrassed to root for the team. Every rationalization I’ve ever made about ownership, coaching, general management, all of it went out the window. How dare you do Eli dirty like that you fucks. The man has given you nothing but professionalism over the past 13 seasons. He’s never been the greatest QB of all time, but he’s gone out there every game 210 times in a row and given it his all each time. He’s never cared about padding his stats, he went out there to win, even when it made him make dumb throws and dumb mistakes. He is a franchise legend who helped bring two championships to the team, including one that is probably one of the greatest upsets and moments in sports history. He did it all with class in a media market friendly to no one. In a town critical of everything, Eli became a hero all Giants fans would stand up for. And you couldn’t even let the man finish the lost season on his own terms. When people from all over the league, from every fanbase, even people who hate him and think he’s a bad QB think that you’ve done the man dirty, you done fucked up. Eli means so much to this franchise and this has confirmed that Mara, Reese, McAdoo, Tisch and all of the top brass are exceptionally out of touch with the fanbase. Eli is beloved. He’s a goddamn hero to us. If there is a Mt. Rushmore of Giants it’s LT, Eli, Frank Gifford, and probably Michael Strahan. The ending of Eli’s tenure as a Giant was never going to be comfortable, but this is beyond what I thought the organization would do. I never thought they’d do this. He’s not hurt. He’s playing poorly, but he’s far from the biggest problem and he’s not really holding the team back. If you want to move on from Eli, then fine. That’s understandable. But not like this. He’s earned the right to start these last 5 meaningless games, get cut, and see what the future holds. Asking Eli to start one half to keep the streak going was a bullshit gesture. Ben McAdoo doesn’t get to give Eli that choice. If Eli wants to play out the rest of this worthless year as the starter, he’s earned that much. We’d all be sad at the end, but we’d understand. We wouldn’t be furious. Seeing what Geno Smith and Davis Webb have to offer while the season is lost also isn’t the biggest problem in a vacuum. But what’s the point of this now? If the Giants wanted to move on from Eli and see what Geno or Webb has to offer why haven’t we seen more of them before this, during some of the blowout losses? Also, Ben McAdoo has no goddamn chance of keeping his job, so what the fuck does he need to see the future for? Reese should be getting fired too, but now I’m beginning to doubt that happens. The more I see this nonsense unfold, the more Ben McAdoo feels like a different scapegoat puppet. Reese and Mara want to move on from Eli, and McAdoo is already hated, just let him appear to be the guy who decided it, make Ben fall on the sword. I hate Ben and want him gone, but I actually think Reese is the bigger fucknut in this. Mara too, for being so out of touch that he okay’d it. But really, what are we going to learn about Geno or Webb in these 5 weeks anyway? It’s not like the offense is good and is being held back by the QB play, the team is a mess. The WRs are dead. The o-line is patchwork. The run game is better now, but if this is to evaluate QBs the run game hardly matters. Geno and Webb are going to look like shit in this situation, almost any QB would. We really aren’t going to learn much about these dudes here. This should be the job of the next GM, next season. (As a side note, I have no issue with them starting Geno instead of Webb at first. Geno is 27 and although I’ve mocked him a lot, he was indeed given a raw deal on the Jets, and might have something worth looking at still. But this is not the situation to figure that out, this is setting the guy up to fail. I feel bad for Geno too. No one wants him out there for a number of reasons. This is not how you want to get the job.) When I was a kid and liked baseball more than football, my other favorite player was Cal Ripken, another Iron Man. I watched him end his streak on his terms. I watched what it should have been. This franchise owes Eli so much, and this is such a poor way to treat a Giants legend. I don’t know how he took the high road here, I don’t know if I could have done the same. Eli technically has 5 games left as a Giant, and theoretically could still be here next season, but it still feels like the end of an era came Tuesday. It ended the worst possible way. I’ve bought into the whole Giants “classy” mystique we all get fed over the years, but this, the Josh Brown thing, and the now very telling ousting of Tom Coughlin have proved to me that it’s all a load of bull. Mara is just as garbage as the other owners. The franchise isn’t the class of the NFL in any way. Mara is a silver spoon buttmunch who doesn’t deserve nearly the level of respect that Wellington does. Unless the team cleans house and actually makes strides this offseason, I’ll probably start hate-watching the team more than anything. I’m in too deep to change fandoms at this point, but the level of my loyalty has been shaken. I wish Eli nothing but the very best. I’ll save the less angry thank you Eli post for the official end of his tenure as a Giant/player, because right now it’s all too much anger at the franchise. If you want more righteous indignation the latest podcast episode should go live Friday, and having recorded it already, it is 1 hour of trashing the Giants. So if you’ve ever wanted that, be sure to listen in. Thank you, Eli. You deserved a better end than this.
Fake news is unavoidable. While the idea of “fake news” was born out of the very real instances of fake news stories helping sway the election in favor of now-President Donald Trump, it has since been co-opted by Trump’s administration to be used as a weapon to sow doubt in legitimate media stories that they find unappealing. But real fake news—not the kind Trump likes to point out on Twitter virtually every day—is pervasive. And if you care about reading truthful stories, you need to be on high alert. Facebook, a primary driver of traffic to publications, came under fire late last year for allowing the promotion of fake news sites that deal in conspiracy theories rather than facts. Some Facebook employees even reportedly revolted and took matters into their own hands before the company took steps to reduce fake news. Both Facebook and Google have responded by cutting these sites out of their advertising networks and otherwise making their stories harder to find. And PolitiFact, a Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking site, has launched a new section devoted to fake news. READ MORE: But fake news sites are still out there, and someone on your Facebook friend’s list is probably sharing one of their stories right now. If you want to check out whether a story is from a dubious source yourself, you can use one of these three Google Chrome plugins to check. Late last year, Melissa Zimdars, a media professor at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, compiled a list of “fake, false, or regularly misleading websites” that purposefully publish fake information or are otherwise entirely unreliable. The list, which was temporarily removed due to threats and harassment Zimdars says she received, also included sites that “may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information” or “sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions.” Of course, “real news” media outlets and journalists sometimes make mistakes, including us at the Daily Dot. And when we do, we issue corrections and take responsibility for those mistakes. Fake news sites make no such efforts toward accuracy and often invent entirely fictional stories, which is what puts them in a different category. Further, some fake news sites—particularly government-controlled media outlets—mostly publish factual news but mix in some fake stories for propaganda purposes. Below, we’ve compiled a list of 176 sites that Zimdars and the other researchers who created the list rank as straight-up “fake news.” The full list, which is hundreds of sites long, also includes “clickbait” sites, publications with heavy bias, satire, publications that promote “hate,” “conspiracy,” or “junk science, ”and those that specialize in rumors or unreliable information. To see the full list, click here. Next time you see a headline that just feels off, come back here and check if it’s from one of these popular fake news websites. Fake news sites 1. 70news.wordpress.com 2. 82.221.129.208 3. Abcnews.com.co 4. Alternativemediasyndicate.com Screenshot via Americannews.com 5. Americannews.com 6. Americanoverlook.com 7. Americanreviewer.com 8. Bighairynews.com 9. Bostonleader.com Screenshot via Cap News 10. Cap-news.com 11. Cbsnews.com.co 12. Channel-7-news.com 13. Cityworldnews.com 14. Civictribune.com 15. Clashdaily.com 16. Conservativebyte.com 17. Conservativedailypost.com 18. Conservativefighters.com 19. Conservativeinfidel.com 20. Dailybuzzlive.com 21. Dailyheadlines.com 22. Dailyheadlines.net 23. Dcgazette.com 24. DeadlyClear.wordpress.com 25. Denverguardian.com 26. Departed.co 27. Donaldtrumpnews.co 28. Drudgereport.com.co 29. Enabon.com 30. Enduringvision.com 31. FarmWars.info 32. Freedomdaily.com 33. Goneleft.com 34. Gopthedailydose.com 35. healthycareandbeauty.com 36. Healthyworldhouse.com 37. Immediatesafety.org 38. Infostormer.com 49. Interestingdailynews.com 40. Intrendtoday.com 41. Investmentwatchblog.com 42. Itaglive.com 43. ItMakesSenseBlog.com 44. Iwanttoexplore.com 45. Jewsnews.co.il 46. Konkonsagh.biz 47. Krbcnews.com 48. Ky12news.com 49. Ladylibertynews.com 50. Lastdeplorables.com 51. Learnprogress.org 52. Liberalplug.com 53. Libertyalliance.com 54. Local31news.com 55. Madworldnews.com 56. Maganews.co 57. Majorthoughts.com 58. Mediamass.net 59. Megynkelly.us 60. Mentor2day.com 61. Metropolitanworlds.com 62. Mpidailymagazine.com 63. Myfreshnews.com 64. Myzonetoday.com 65. Yourfunpage.com 66. Natives-today.com Screenshot via Nbc.com.co 67. Nbc.com.co 68. nephef.com 69. newpoliticstoday.com 70. news4ktla.com 71. newsbbc.net 72. newsbreakshere.com 73. newsbysquad.com 74. newsdaily12.com 75. newsfrompolitics.com 76. newsleak.co Screenshot via Newslo 77. newslo.com 78. newsmagazine.com 79. newswatch28.com 80. newswatch33.com 81. notallowedto.com 82. now8news.com 83. onepoliticalplaza.com 84. openmagazines.com 85. pakalertpress.com 86. pamelageller.com 87. politicalo.com 88. politicalsitenews.com 89. politicono.com 90. politicsusanews.com 91. president45donaldtrump.com 92. prntly.com 93. proamericanews.com 94. react365.com 95. readconservatives.news 96. reagancoalition.com 97. realnewsrightnow.com 98. redcountry.us 99. redrocktribune.com 100. religionmind.com 101. rogue-nation3.com 102. rumorjournal.com 103. socialeverythings.com 104. sputniknews.com 105. stormcloudsgathering.com 106. success-street.com 107. TDTalliance.com 108. teaparty.org 109. the-insider.co 110. thebigriddle.com 111. thecontroversialfiles.net 112. thefreepatriot.org 113. theinternetpost.net 114. themoralofthestory.us 115. thenet24h.com 116. thenewyorkevening.com 117. theracketreport.com 118. thereporterz.com 119. thetrumpmedia.com 120. theusa-news.com 121. thewashingtonpress.com 122. threepercenternation.com 123. times.com.mx 124. tmzworldnews.com 125. trueamericans.me 126. truetrumpers.com 127. trumpvision365.com 128. undergroundnewsreport.com 129. undergroundworldnews.com 130. unitedmediapublishing.com 131. universepolitics.com 132. usa-radio.com 133. usa-television.com 134. usa2016elections.com 135. usadailyinfo.com 136. usadailypolitics.com 137. usadailytime.com 138. usadosenews.com 139. usafirstinformation.com 140. usainfobox.com 141. usamagazinestudio.com 142. usanewsinsider.com 143. usanewspolitics.com 144. usanewstoday.com 145. usaphase.com 146. usapolitics24hrs.com 147. usapoliticsnow.com 148. usapoliticszone.com 149. usasnich.com 150. usasupreme.com 151. usatoday.com.co 152. usatodaynews.me 153. usatwentyfour.com 154. USAWatchdog.com 155. usconservativetoday.com 156. ushealthyadvisor.com 157. ushealthylife.com 158. usherald.com 159. usinfonews.com 160. uspoln.com 161. uspostman.com 162. usviewer.com 163. vigilantcitizen.com 164. viralactions.com 165. viralliberty.com 166. voxtribune.com 167. washingtonfed.com 168. washingtonpost.com.co 169. webdaily.com 170. weeklyworldnews.com 171. worldpoliticsnow.com 172. worldpoliticsus.com 173. worldrumor.com 174. worldstoriestoday.com 175. yesimright.com Editor’s note: This story is regularly updated with new information. Websites that no longer fit the criteria of “fake news” will be removed. If you notice a site on the list is no longer active or no longer qualifies, please email us at [email protected] or tweet at us at @DotLayer8.
Matt Hasselbeck explains that the top three teams in the NFC playoff picture have young QBs with no playoff experience, while the bottom three teams have QBs who have started in Super Bowls. (1:08) There's only one week to go in the regular season. How do all 32 teams compare to preseason expectations? Here's a rundown of the Week 17 Power Rankings as voted on by the ESPN power panel -- a group of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities -- with a look at how every team measures up to its preseason win total. ESPN Stats & Information's John McTigue contributed the following information. Preseason totals are from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Methodology: These rankings are based on which teams voters think would win head-to-head matchups. Higher-ranked teams would be favored against lower-ranked teams. Coming off a win doesn't guarantee a jump, and a loss doesn't guarantee a fall. Previous rankings: Week 16 \| 15 \| 14 \| 13 \| 12 \| 11 \| 10 \| 9 \| 8 \| 7 \| 6 \| 5 \| 4 \| 3 \| 2 \| Preseason 2017 record: 12-3 Week 16 ranking: No. 1 12.5 wins: New England has won 12 games for the eighth straight season, the longest streak of its kind in NFL history. A potential 13th win is on the line in Week 17 in Foxborough against the Jets. The last time Tom Brady lost a regular-season home game to the Jets: 2006. 2017 record: 12-3 Week 16 ranking: No. 2 10.5 wins: Pittsburgh ranks seventh in points scored and fifth in points allowed this season, so it's no surprise how well the team is doing. A Week 17 matchup against the winless Browns stands in the way of the Pittsburgh's first 13-win season since 2004 -- Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season. 2017 record: 12-3 Week 16 ranking: No. 4 8.5 wins: Minnesota blew by its projection back in Week 12. Case Keenum's surprise season keeps making waves, but give it up for Minnesota's defense. It ranks second in the NFL in both points allowed (16.1 per game) and yards allowed (280.9 per game). 2017 record: 11-4 Week 16 ranking: No. 5 6 wins: You know you're having a special season when you hit your preseason over/under halfway through the schedule. That's what Los Angeles did this year. And while Jared Goff's improvement has been key, give some love to Todd Gurley, who eclipsed 2,000 yards from scrimmage in Week 16. 2017 record: 13-2 Week 16 ranking: No. 3 8.5 wins: It took Philadelphia 10 games to pass its preseason projection. But now without Carson Wentz, who knows what will happen, but Philly is 2-0 since Nick Foles has taken over. Even accounting for Foles at quarterback, FPI rates Philadelphia as a top-three team. 2017 record: 11-4 Week 16 ranking: No. 7 8 wins: Drew Brees is still doing his thing and the defense is much-improved, but New Orleans set out to run the ball this season and run the ball it has. The Saints have accumulated 22 rushing touchdowns, their second most in franchise history. 2017 record: 11-4 Week 16 ranking: No. 8 9 wins: Cam Newton has had some of the best success of his career running this year, which has helped Carolina to 11 wins. Newton currently leads the team in rushing and has set a career high in yards on designed rushing plays. 2017 record: 9-6 Week 16 ranking: No. 10 9 wins: After a 5-0 start, it seems pretty crazy that Kansas City might not surpass nine wins. It seems even crazier when you take into consideration that, according to Elias Sports Bureau research, the Chiefs are just the second team with a 4,000-yard passer (Alex Smith), a 1,000-yard running back (Kareem Hunt), a 1,000-yard wide receiver (Tyreek Hill) and a 1,000-yard tight end (Travis Kelce). 2017 record: 10-5 Week 16 ranking: No. 6 6.5 wins: The Jaguars have cruised past their projected wins, but forgive fans for feeling a little uneasy after their Week 16 loss. The defense allowed 40-plus points to the 49ers while Blake Bortles threw his first pick-six of the year and had his first three-interception game since Week 3 of 2016. 2017 record: 9-6 Week 16 ranking: No. 12 8.5 wins: Baltimore hovered around .500 for a bit, but Joe Flacco and the offense have finally started holding up their end of the bargain. Over the past four weeks, Flacco has thrown seven touchdowns to one interception after throwing nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in the first 11 games of the season. 2017 record: 9-6 Week 16 ranking: No. 9 9.5 wins: The 2016 Panthers are the only Super Bowl loser in the past eight seasons to miss the playoffs the following year. Atlanta would need to lose to Carolina in Week 17 for that to be a possibility. A win would mean another shot at a Super Bowl run for the Falcons. 2017 record: 8-7 Week 16 ranking: No. 15 7.5 wins: The Chargers' record is still good enough to keep them in the postseason hunt. While Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon both have racked up 1,000 yards, it's the defense that is doing the best work. Los Angeles has allowed 17.5 points per game this season, its fewest since 1992. 2017 record: 9-6 Week 16 ranking: No. 11 10.5 wins: Seattle won't reach 11 wins, but a 10-win season could still get the Seahawks back into the playoffs for a sixth straight season. It all rests on Russell Wilson, who will likely finish as the team's leading rusher and has set an NFL record for fourth-quarter passing touchdowns, per Elias Sports Bureau research. 2017 record: 8-7 Week 16 ranking: No. 16 7.5 wins: Prior to Sunday's loss to Cincinnati, all of Detroit's losses had been to teams that have either clinched a playoff berth or are likely to do so in Week 17. But despite going over their projection, the Lions will not make the playoffs. 2017 record: 8-7 Week 16 ranking: No. 17 6.5 wins: Finishing above its projection is nice for Buffalo, but the team and the city would really love a playoff berth to go along with it. The Bills haven't made the playoffs since 1999, the longest playoff drought in the league. 2017 record: 8-7 Week 16 ranking: No. 13 9.5 wins: Dallas just didn't have the same magic it did in 2016. After throwing just four interceptions last year, Dak Prescott has thrown 13 interceptions this season, four of which were returned for touchdowns. 2017 record: 8-7 Week 16 ranking: No. 18 9 wins: Is Marcus Mariota actually holding back the Titans? In his past six games -- a stretch in which Tennessee is 2-4 -- Mariota has thrown six touchdowns to nine interceptions. To put that in perspective: Mariota threw nine interceptions in all of 2016. 2017 record: 7-8 Week 16 ranking: No. 21 7.5 wins: Washington has hovered around .500 ever since making Kirk Cousins the primary starter in 2015 but has yet to dip below. If the team wins in Week 17, it will mean a third straight season of .500 or better -- something Washington hasn't done since 1999 to 2001. 2017 record: 5-10 Week 16 ranking: No. 23 5 wins: Clearly the win total came well before the Jimmy Garoppolo deal. Garoppolo is now 4-0 as the starter in San Francisco, the only undefeated quarterback in the league since Week 13. 2017 record: 6-9 Week 16 ranking: No. 19 9.5 wins: Last year's 12-4 campaign seemed like a sign of brighter days ahead for the Raiders, but 2017 is making 2016 look like an aberration. Oakland's offense is averaging six points fewer per game this season, which has led to a 14th non-winning season in the past 15 years. 2017 record: 7-8 Week 16 ranking: No. 14 10.5 wins: The expectation was Green Bay would post yet another winning season, but heading into Week 17, the best-case scenario for the Packers is a .500 finish. Losing Aaron Rodgers hurt, and Brett Hundley's failing to throw a touchdown pass at Lambeau Field didn't help. 2017 record: 6-9 Week 16 ranking: No. 26 8.5 wins: Marvin Lewis got one last win in Cincinnati before his reported farewell from the team following Week 17. Win or lose next week, Cincy is finishing under 8.5 wins, but a few breaks here and there could have led to a different story. The Bengals have lost four games by four or fewer points this season, tied for second most in the NFL. 2017 record: 7-8 Week 16 ranking: No. 22 8.5 wins: Arizona has had an up-and-down season. The Cardinals have only one winning or losing streak of two games this season -- lost in Weeks 10 and 11 -- and have essentially alternated wins and losses all other weeks. Hard to go over 8.5 wins doing that all season. 2017 record: 6-9 Week 16 ranking: No. 20 7 wins: Miami has clinched its eighth non-winning season in the past nine years. Would things have turned out differently with Ryan Tannehill at the helm? Jay Cutler's Total QBR this season is lower than any season of Tannehill's career. 2017 record: 4-11 Week 16 ranking: No. 27 8.5 wins: Houston could have very well finished with a winning season had Deshaun Watson stayed healthy. Houston was 3-3 and averaging almost 35 points per game with Watson as the starter. In all other games, Houston has gone 1-8 and averaged 13 points per game. 2017 record: 5-10 Week 16 ranking: No. 25 3.5 wins: At first it looked like New York would finish well beyond 3.5 wins, starting the season 3-2. The team is just 2-8 since then, tied for the third-worst record since Week 6. Put it all together, though, and you still have a team exceeding expectations. 2017 record: 4-11 Week 16 ranking: No. 28 8.5 wins: Jameis Winston has lost his past nine starts, tied for the second-longest active losing streak among starting quarterbacks behind only rookie DeShone Kizer. Winston's numbers might not look bad, but more wins were expected following the additions of DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard. 2017 record: 5-10 Week 16 ranking: No. 29 5.5 wins: A trip to Minnesota in Week 17 could keep Chicago from reaching six wins, but the Bears are close to that mark thanks to Jordan Howard. If Howard can rush for another touchdown in Week 17, he'd be the first Chicago player with 1,000 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in a season since Raymont Harris in 1997. 2017 record: 5-10 Week 16 ranking: No. 24 8 wins: Denver's disappointing campaign can be boiled down to quarterback play. Broncos QBs have combined for 17 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. 2017 record: 2-13 Week 16 ranking: No. 30 9 wins: How bad has this season been for New York? A Week 17 victory over Washington would mean the Giants' fewest wins (3) since 1983, when they went 3-12-1. A loss would mean their fewest wins since 1974, when they went 2-12. 2017 record: 3-12 Week 16 ranking: No. 31 8 wins: Without Andrew Luck, the Colts' chances at an eight-win season took a serious dive. Since Luck was drafted in 2012, Indianapolis is just 9-15 (.375) without Luck and 43-27 (.614) with him. 2017 record: 0-15 Week 16 ranking: No. 32 4.5 wins: Switch that to 0.5. Does Cleveland go over? If it doesn't happen, the Browns would be the second team in NFL history to finish 0-16, joining Detroit's 2008 squad.
In May, Google introduced a brand-new version of its Photos service that we called the best in the world. From the ashes of Google+ had come a full-featured service for storing, organizing, rediscovering, and more easily sharing all the photos in your life. It stripped out the social features that had constrained its growth and built a service that adopted privacy as a design principle. It offered unlimited uploads at a relatively high resolution. And it used machine learning to understand the content of your photos, allowing you to search for them via keywords. Since its launch, it's been a top 10 iOS app, and has been installed on Android devices more than 100 million times. And Google has added a rediscovery feature into the app, surfacing old photos on their anniversaries in the manner of Timehop. But today it's getting its first major update, adding Chromecast support and the ability to add name labels to Google's photo collections of your friends and loved ones. The company also announced that a feature for letting friends join and contribute to your albums, a la Apple's shared photo streams, will arrive later this year. Pause Chromecast sharing to hide bae's nudes Chromecast sharing is straightforward: when you are on a Wi-Fi network shared by a Chromecast, an icon will appear at the top of the photos app. Tap it and then tap a photo to broadcast it to the screen. (Videos and animations created by Photos can be broadcast as well.) You can also pause broadcasting temporarily while you swipe through your phone before finding the next image you want to share — helpful if bae sent you their nudes halfway through your recent vacation. Photos also now lets you label the collections of faces it built for you using machine learning. Importantly, the names are private and not used by Google for targeting purposes. But once you've added a few, they make search much more powerful: search "mom christmas" to see pictures of your mother during Christmas, for example, and Google will find them using just the label and its facial recognition technology. Making shared photo albums cross-platform But the most useful feature announced by the company is yet to come. By the end of the year, you'll be able to invite friends and family to contribute to your photo albums. After they join, they'll receive notifications whenever new photos are added, and they can add those photos to their own cloud libraries with a single tap. Users of Apple's shared photo streams will find this familiar. But Google notes that its version of shared albums is cross-platform — it works just as well on iOS as it does on Android. None of these updates sound particularly momentous, but they come after years of big tech companies ignoring consumer photo products altogether. Here's to many more of these steady iterations — and to more tech companies taking photos this seriously. See all of the Google news right here!
The idea of intelligent fundamentalists, like the theory of intelligent design, does not stand up to 30 seconds' scrutiny. I must, nevertheless, give credit to American evangelicals for showing belated glimmerings of sense. After decades of blindly endorsing evangelical politicians from the born-again Carter to the born-again Bush, they at last appear ready to look for more than religious dogma in a candidate. Richard Cizik, the Washington representative of the National Association of Evangelicals, has all but backed Obama. 'I'm a conservative, but it doesn't mean I'm going to vote that way,' he announced. 'I could disagree with Obama, and do, on same-sex marriage and abortion, but that doesn't mean I'll vote against him.' Cizik has been criticised by the American conservative press, but his abandonment of faith in the Republican party may be a sign of a wider disillusionment. Foreigners, who bought Michael Moore's cartoon version of America as a land dominated by quasi-fascist bigots, may not understand why, but Christian conservatives have good reason to feel cheated. The Republicans not only took their votes and left them with jobs that may vanish and homes the banks may repossess, but failed to deliver the conservative counter-revolution they promised. After eight years of Bush, abortion is still legal and the gay marriage movement is marching on. The congregations of Cizik's and other churches have every right to shrug their shoulders and vote Obama or give up on politics and stay at home. Evelyn Waugh complained in 1951 that the British Conservative party had 'never put the clock back by a single second'. We will have to wait until the votes are in, but American evangelicals could say the same about today's Republicans. The fate of the creationists shows why. Bush whipped up the futile passions of his supporters by encouraging schools to balance the teaching of the theory of evolution with the theory of 'intelligent design', which is nothing more than creationism dressed up in the language of pseudo-science to avoid America's prohibition on religion in the classroom. Creationists in Dover, Pennsylvania, took him at his word. With the shameful, but I suppose inevitable, support of an English academic postmodernist, one Steve Fuller of Warwick University, they argued that truth was relative. Teachers should not discriminate between evidence and superstition, but tell children that it was as reasonable to believe that a god-like intelligence designed life as to think that species evolved through undirected natural selection. A Republican in the White House did them no good. In September 2005, Judge John E Jones ruled that they were trying to slip the Book of Genesis into science classes and came down against them. Three years on from their defeat, and with the Democrats certain to dominate Washington, the hopes of the intelligent design movement appear dead. But ideas do not die, they spread and mutate. Creationism might be on the back foot in America, but it is blossoming elsewhere as Richard Dawkins discovered when Turkish readers told him they could no longer access his website. Dawkins's offence was to satirise Harun Yahya, the pen name of Adnan Oktar, the front man for a wealthy Islamic publishing house. Its lavishly illustrated Atlas of Creation spends 500 pages comparing fossils with present-day species to argue that evolution never took place. Dawkins looked at a picture of an ancient fossilised eel and a picture of what Yahya claimed was a modern eel and pointed out that it was in fact a sea snake. Yahya went on to represent the immutability of God's creation by claiming that a fossilised insect had survived unchanged for millions of years. Unfortunately, the modern version of the caddis fly Yahya chose to illustrate his point was not a fly at all, but a steel fish-hook with a fake insect on top to lure fish on to the line. Yahya is a joke, but few Turks are laughing. Index on Censorship reported last week that the Turkish courts and the Islamist government were banning Turks from accessing YouTube and the hosting sites Blogger and WordPress for various moral and political reasons as well as richarddawkins.net. When Bianet, a Turkish human rights group, published a critical piece, Yahya told its journalists: 'This is an insulting article, take it off the internet or we will have you banned like Richard Dawkins.' 'On the one hand, fundamentalists say all they want is a debate,' said Padraig Reidy of Index. 'But as soon as they get power, they close debate down.' Westerners say that Yahya reminds them of American creationists. The link is more solid than they know. In Atlas of Creation, Yahya acknowledges his debt to Duane Gish from the Institute for Creation Research in Texas. Gish has spent years arguing that the fossil record contains no evidence of species evolving and blustering whenever a palaeontologist contradicted him. As a Muslim, Yahya did not need to accept the institute's Protestant fundamentalist 'young-Earth' doctrine - the notion that God made the world in 4004BC or thereabouts. But he happily borrowed Gish's equally idiotic delusion that today's species cannot have evolved and must therefore be identical to their ancestors of tens or hundreds of millions of years ago. Vast sums of probably Saudi money are fuelling the move of creationism across the Atlantic. In Turkey and the Middle East, poor schools are grateful for Yahya's free books and scientists are becoming frightened of speaking out. Last year, the Council of Europe warned that Yahya was also targeting schools in France, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland. In Britain, academics talk of expelling mainly Muslim science students. They do not make a fuss about it in case post-modern relativists in the mould of Steve Fuller accuse them of religious discrimination, but say, very quietly, that if religion stops their students accepting evolution, there is no point in them staying at university. Maybe in a generation's time, Americans will patronise Europeans as quasi-fascist bigots. If we are to avoid their condescension, we must accept that creationism will not go down with the American conservative movement. It is evolving and its opponents must evolve, too, if they want to defeat it.
A snippet of a speech by LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard began making the rounds of the Internet yesterday, even though the original comments were made at a young adult devotional in Buenos Aires in February 2014. In particular, Elder Ballard’s remarks about Roman Catholics not knowing God, Jesus, or the Holy Ghost have raised hackles among Mormons and non-Mormons alike. The entire hour-long speech is available on YouTube here; Elder Ballard’s comments about Catholics begin around the 59 minute mark. Most people don’t know where they came from. They don’t know why they’re here, and they don’t know where they’re going. And if they have a Catholic background, they don’t know who God is. They don’t know who the Savior is; nor do they know who the Holy Ghost is. And we know who they are because Joseph knelt in the presence of the Father and the Son, and our Father introduced the Savior to him in these words: “Joseph, this is my beloved son. Hear him.” A boy, who then was nurtured and trained by the Savior of the world to restore the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. Elder Ballard then goes on to present Joseph Smith’s sterling apostolic creds—essentially out Catholicking the Catholics in the matter of ecclesiastical authority. Joseph was ordained by Peter, James, and John, who laid their hands on Joseph’s head. The good news is that the thirty-second clip that’s available on TubeChop is the only example in Elder Ballard’s entire hour-long speech of any disparaging remarks about members of other churches. (Though in other news, some listeners will likely object to the strong mandate he gives the young men in his audience to “GET MARRIED!” and start having babies ASAP, even if they can’t afford it.) The bad news—and it is discouraging—is that his remarks about Catholicism represent a regrettable step backwards in Mormon attitudes toward other faiths. In recent years, Mormon leaders’ rhetoric about other Christian faiths has been of the supersessionist variety: as President Hinckley put it in 1998, “Let me say that we appreciate the truth in all churches and the good which they do. We say to the people, in effect, you bring with you all the good that you have, and then let us see if we can add to it. That is the spirit of this work. That is the essence of our missionary service.” In Hinckley’s approach, other faiths are not laboring in ignorance or darkness. Their adherents are good people who enjoy the light of truth. Mormonism can add even more goodness to that (the supersessionist element) and another level of divine fulfillment—but the seeds of truth were already there. Supersessionism is still elevating ourselves above others, and we could have a long and fruitful discussion about whether that’s even helpful. But the supersessionist approach is a darn sight more sensitive than what Elder Ballard seems to suggest here, which is that Catholics have no knowledge and nothing to offer to Latter-day Saints, who already “know” all the truth we need. So let me testify right now of the beauty of Catholicism. I have learned as much about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit from Catholic thinkers as I have from LDS ones, and I am grateful for the truths that have been born from 2,000 years of Catholic wisdom and history. As a child and teenager, I learned about the Lord from our Catholic neighbors down the street, who were surrogate parents to me. When I went away to college, the mother prayed the rosary every day for her three children—and for me. Today I am happy to see my daughter enjoying the privilege of a loving, rigorous, and justice-oriented Marianist education. I would not be the Christian I am slowly becoming without the writings of James Martin, Joan Chittister, and Thomas Merton; the music of John Michael Talbot; or the respite of several meaningful retreats at the Abbey of Gethsemani. These are just a few of the gifts Catholicism has brought into my life. To say that Catholics “don’t know who God is. They don’t know who the Savior is; nor do they know who the Holy Ghost is” is simply untrue—and unworthy.
I first learned of the Aspen Institute's Franklin Project early in its gestation and found its vision compelling -- to engage one million women and men ages 18-28 in at least one full-year of service by 2023. This struck me as an enormously ambitious undertaking of equally huge potential if successful. The possibilities for William & Mary to become part of the project were intriguing, though uncertain. How could William & Mary best get in gear and help lead the way for the higher education community? In June 2013, I traveled to Aspen, Colorado, for the 21st Century National Service Summit. William & Mary had just weeks earlier signed on as a lead institution for the Franklin Project. Upon my return to campus, we went to work considering how to unite some of the pressing needs of the community with our university's intellectual resources and the passion of our students. William & Mary already enjoyed a highly engaged student body as well as long-standing community partnerships. Our students complete over 300,000 hours of service annually. Our Veterans Law Clinic assists veterans with filing claims for disability compensation. The Coverdale Fellows Program provides graduate school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers pursuing an MBA while concurrently completing an internship in the local community. This summer, our law school awarded $335,275 in Public Service Fellowships to 109 students assisting 98 organizations in 16 states, the District of Columbia and 15 countries. The Office of Community Engagement serves as the university's anchor for active citizenship. We saw partnering with the Franklin Project as opportunity to do even more. After careful consideration and much conversation, we decided to start by creating William & Mary Community Engagement Fellowships. This program will enlist four outstanding, dedicated graduates in service to the Williamsburg community, each with specific jobs designed to meet pressing local needs. The first cohort gets to work this year. Founded in 1693, William & Mary has a long and storied history. The call to serve is in William & Mary's DNA. From it we have gained a powerful sense of the importance of civic engagement and public service. Scores of W&M alumni have dedicated themselves to local communities all over the world by starting non-profits that meet critical human needs in the areas of education, public health and the environment. Nearly a third of our graduates, more than those of any other national university, entered service careers in the first decade of the new millennium.
The present within-subject contrast of dietary responses to isoenergetic solid and liquid loads of carbohydrate revealed this rheological attribute exerts a marked influence on energy regulation. During the solid load condition, subjects compensated for the provided energy by reducing free-feeding intake such that the overall compensation score was 118%. However, when a liquid load, closely matched for energy and macronutrient content, was included in the diet, no compensation was observed. In fact there was a slight increase in free-feeding intake such that the failure to compensate resulted in a score of −17% (ie the energy from the load was added to the customary diet which also increased slightly (17%)). These results agree with a meta analysis of 42 studies13 that found the mean compensatory dietary response error to solid food challenges was approximately 36% whereas the error for fluid vehicles was 109%. Because energy expenditure, as assessed by an activity questionnaire, did not change over the course of the loading periods, this dietary pattern resulted in increased body weight and BMI during liquid use. No significant changes were observed during solid load ingestion. Consumption of the solid load did not result in a macronutrient-specific response. During use of the solid load, the reduction in energy derived from the customary diet was achieved by significantly lower intakes of protein, fat and carbohydrate. Total energy, but not macronutrient compensation has also been reported by others conducting longer-term studies of free-living individuals using modified foods (eg Gatenby et al.23 With the liquid load, there was no change of non-sugar carbohydrate and a rise in protein and fat consumption. Only sugar use declined, probably due to sensory factors. This pattern of changes with the fluid load suggests the increment in energy intake was not simply attributable to the addition of the beverage energy. Rather, the beverage prompted a shift of food selection since there was no protein or fat in the provided beverages. This observation is consistent with earlier findings where ingestion of beer or cola resulted in increased protein and fat consumption and little change in non-sugar carbohydrate intake.13 Increases of protein and fat have also been reported on days when fruit juice is consumed.19 There are several mechanisms that may account for this phenomenon. The act of masticating the solid may provide an internal satiety signal not triggered by simply swallowing the liquid. Haber et al 24 reported higher satiety ratings from individuals consuming apple slices that had to be chewed when compared to ratings after eating apple puree or drinking juice that required less mastication. Both early pancreatic exocrine and endocrine responses to oral stimulation with viscous or solid stimuli are greater than those to fluids.25,26,27 Accumulating evidence indicates these early responses (eg insulin release) modulate postprandial metabolism (eg glucose tolerance28,29,30) with potential resultant effects on hunger and feeding. A cephalic phase release of the purported satiety promoting peptide, cholecystokinin (CCK), has also been demonstrated with a solid meal,31 but never contrasted to responses following oral exposure to a fluid. The large differences in the volume, energy density and osmotic properties of most liquids and solids could also be involved. Meals of larger volume, lower energy density and lower osmotic potential are emptied from the stomach at a more rapid rate.32,33,34 To the extent that gastric sensing elements for these properties generate signals influencing feeding, fluids may evoked weaker signals. The more rapid transit of fluids also results in a different time course of exposure of nutrients to purported nutrient sensors in the gut or proximal duodenum with possible implications for meal initiation.35,36 However, the limited data from experimental manipulations of these variables in humans have not been associated with consistent shifts in reports of hunger and satiety.34 Self-reported hunger and fullness ratings during the two treatment arms were also comparable in the present study. Cognitive influences could also contribute to the present findings. If solid foods are considered higher in energy content, this could lead to reduced intake. There are reports that the perceived energy content of a food is a better predictor of hunger and intake than true energy content.37 When questioned during screening, most subjects indicated compliance would be more difficult with the jelly beans because of their expected higher satiety value. After the study was completed, 12 of the 15 subjects maintained this was still the case. There was a noteworthy higher frequency of use of the solid load as a snack. Use patterns were not experimentally controlled because one aim of the work was to identifiy how such loads would be incorporated into the diet in free-living individuals. However, a recent review of the effects of eating patterns on energy balance indicates this is not likely to account for the more precise compensatory dietary response to the solid load.38 While the above hypothesized mechanisms focus on factors that may influence energy balance through modulation of hunger and feeding, discrepant metabolic and cardiovascular responses to liquid vs solid meals may contribute through an influence on energy expenditure. Metabolic rate and heart rate are higher acutely after ingestion of a solid meal as compared to an isoenergetic, high carbohydrate liquid meal.39 If true on a chronic basis, this could be a factor in the smaller increment of body weight during the solid load period. One methodological aspect of this study that could bear on the outcome is the fact that the forms of carbohydrate were not perfectly matched. The beverages contained high fructose corn syrup as the predominant sweetener,whereas the jelly beans were high in sucrose. Based on the glucostatic theory of hunger.40,41 the higher fructose-containing load (soda) should be more satiating. However, no differences in subjective appetitive responses were observed and the dietary responses were contrary to this expectation. Other recent work that documented differences in blood glucose levels after loads containing fructose vs glucose has also failed to reveal differential satiety or energy intake effects over a two hour period after these treatments.42 A second methodological issue concerns the use of 24 h food recalls to document dietary intake. While this is clearly an imperfect measure, it does not appear to pose a threat to the interpretation of the present data. First, because this was a within-subject design, individual reporting biases and inaccuracies would likely have held equally during both treatment arms. Secondly, subjects were unaware of the true purpose of the study so could not anticipate the expected outcome. Finally, the lack of sensitivity of recalls would be expected to mask treatment effects rather than produce them. Combined with other published data, this study indicates that compensatory dietary responses to energy-yielding beverages are less precise than those to isoenergetic solid loads. Whether this is contributing to positive energy balance and the recent increase of body weight in the population warrants careful consideration. Ingestion of a wide array of energy-yielding beverages has increased markedly over the past two decades.14,15,16,17 Alternatively, this lack of regulation may be used to advantage. If energy-yielding fluids evoke relatively weak satiety signals, they represent a vehicle for promoting energy intake by those in need.
When it comes to riding my bike on any road, it takes a lot to get me excited. There is an exception to every rule and my exception to my disdain for road biking involves the Blue Ridge Parkway \ Skyline Drive in Virgina. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs for 469 miles through Virgina and North Carolina while Skyline Drive is a 105-mile section of it that runs from one end of Shenandoah Park to the other. There are few National Parks in the North East and I’ve been to Shenandoah National Park a dozen times and it never seems to disappoint. Although I wanted to go up to watch the leaves turn color (late October) this year I was a month late and instead got up there just as winter was starting to set it. Although my expectations were low, there was something wonderful about ebiking 100 miles on the Skyline Drive with the gloomy hollows, sweeping views around every bend and the bitter freezing cold. This article will attempt to convince you to quit your job, sell your house and take your ebike to Virginia to ride it on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I decided to pack up my dirt cheap Orange Crush build (a $299 Bikes Direct crappy heavy monster with a 52T BBS02) and then just bring along all my ebike batteries that didn’t suck to see how far I could get. I brought my homemade 24Ah GA 52v pack and my Lunacycle 30Q 48v 21Ah pack, the 52v 6Ah 30q Mini Cube and two 52v GA 13.5Ah shark packs . Of those three packs, I have to confess that the homebuilt pack was the star of the show. It had very little voltage sag and it just seemed to run forever. My oldest 52v GA shark pack had noticeably less power storage capacity than my brand new one did, but with hundreds of charges and several years of abuse, that’s not surprising (I’m on the third case). I just threw all the batteries in the milk crate, donned two pair of thermal underwear and 5 shirts and a coat and my winter gloves and hat and started off at about 10:00 AM after a hearty home cooked breakfast. The Blue Ridge Parkway was built as a windy scenic road that follows the ridgeline through the mountains. There are about 70 overlooks, each one of them seem more breathtaking than the last. I have to admit that I got kind of lost in myself biking through the woods along the top of the peaks and time just seemed to fly by. I parked by the closed visitor center on the N end of the parkway where there were 2 heated bathrooms with outlets to charge my batteries. The two outlets are on separate circuits so I was able to charge 8 amps out of each one without blowing a breaker. I made a little note explaining that they were ebike batteries and that if they had any questions or issues that I was sitting in the blue van outside. A couple of people talked to me with questions, but no one messed with or tried to steal my batteries so that was pretty nice. I averaged about 15 mph over the day going over 30mph on the downhill sections and crawling at 10-15mph on the uphill grades. I only saw one other biker the entire time I was there and he was creeping uphill at a slow walking speed wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt. He was going to be dang cold when he finally hit a downhill section. I don’t see a lot of pedal bikers on the blue ridge parkway because many of the hills are insanely steep and go on for miles. I’ve ridden many sections of the parkway with a road bike and while the downhill sections are fun, the grueling uphill sections make you spend all your time wondering why you are doing this in the first place. It’s interesting to me how this trip helped put some perspective on the ‘claimed’ 50-mile range of pretty much every single ebike listed on every crowdfunding campaign ever. Even if the crowdfunded ebike is listed as having an 8.8Ah 36v pack (think Sondors) they still claim a 50-mile range, this works out to 6.3 Wh per mile (36 * 8.8 / 50). What I got on my trip was about 36.6 Wh per mile ((5213.5 + 5213.5 + 5224 + 4821) / 100). Although I could have gone a lot slower on my trip I’m not sure how you can claim ranges on your batteries which are close to 1/6 of what you would get if you averaged 15mph on the Blue Ridge Parkway like I did. Granted it was dang cold which can cut battery capacity way down and there were lots of massive hills, but it still seems like fraud to me . For motorcyclists the Blue Ridge Parkway is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful drives in the US. It runs for 105 miles and the speed limit is 35mph or lower. For a motorcycle 35mph seems a bit on the slow side, but for an ebike it is perfect. Even my crappy $299 Bikes Direct bike doesn’t feel totally sketchy at 35mph. I’m not sure why destination ebiking is not a thing, but if you’re looking to get the maximum enjoyment out of your ebiking experience, you’re probably not going to get that on your daily commute. As I was zoning out and thinking about that crazy youtube video where the downhill skater kid hits a deer at full speed and does this massive wipeout where he ends up sliding down the road on top of the deer. About one minute after I snapped out of it just as a giant full-grown buck jumps out of the woods in front of my ebike and then falls down trying to run on the slippery asphalt with his hooves. I had to swerve around him and was going 35 mph so boy was I glad when I missed him. A few minutes later a baby bear cub ran across the street and then sat on the side of the road where I could watch him. Every single trip I’ve ever taken to Shenandoah NP I’ve seen a bear, so this trip did not disappoint. The wildlife paled in comparison to the incredible sweeping views around every corner. The road surface was meticulously maintained and I did not hit a single pothole in the 100 miles of highway I traveled. With the road being in such good condition it freed up your attention to focus on the wildlife, the forests and the views. Because the speed limit is 35mph and everyone is there for a leisurely drive I have always found all the cars on the parkway to be exceedingly courteous. This is a far cry from the meth-necks from upstate NY who intentionally run you off the road on your bikes, laughing hysterically the whole time.true story By going in the offseason you avoid most of the traffic, I was shocked at how few cars there were in early December. What it lacked for in traffic, it made up for in cold. Because you are several thousand feet in elevation and the road is on a ridge top it is pretty cold and there was always wind. Even with winter gloves and a winter hat and about 5 layers on top, I was still pretty cold the entire time. Going out with any less is madness as you will really freeze when you hit a 4 mile downhill section where you don’t have to pedal at all. The best way to conserve battery life was to either not pedal or to turn the PAS way down. The 52T chainring on the BBS02 is the perfect commuting setup for a 26” tire as it allows you to pedal along comfortably at 35mph. This setup does not work very well for trailriding as your lowest gear is just not low enough (not that it stops me or anything, if you want to become a better trail rider then ride hard trails with a really crappy bike). When going on the steep uphills I would generally set it at about PAS5 which gave me about 500W of draw on average. When the road was level I would pulse it and get the bike up to about 20-25mph then stop pedaling and let it slow down. As soon as it slowed down I would start pedaling again and it would speed up again. This method is more energy-saving than just pedaling along at a constant speed and is called ‘pulsing’ by hardcore hyper-milers. How much energy you want to put into the bike depends on how much exercise you want to get. For the first several hours I found myself putting a lot of energy into pedaling, but for the last 25 miles or so I just stopped caring and found myself on power level 9 ‘clown pedaling’ ( I was moving my legs, but I wasn’t burning too many calories ). At the end of 7 hours of biking my legs were super sore and crampy and boy did my ass hurt. Whatever your most comfortable seat is, you should bring it and do yourself a favor and mount it on a Thudbuster LT (your ass will thank you for it). Were the sore ass and 4 dead batteries worth 100 miles of pavement with more beautiful vistas than you can shake a stick at? You bet it was. Ebiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway is something for every ebiker to cross off their bucket list. I’m glad I got it done now so I don’t have to suffer through it when I’m a grandpa . These are the kind of articles I should be writing, the ones that talk about what an awesome time I’m having while you’re suffering away at work sneaking peaks at my site while your boss isn’t looking. evil laugh The reality is more like I have to take trips like this in order to keep sane during the very long and not very sunny NY winters. Ride On.
Late last night on New Year’s Eve, when no news is supposed to be breaking, something big broke. eSportsObserver is reporting that Activision Blizzard has purchased “substantially all” of Major League Gaming’s (MLG’s) assets for $46 million. The report goes on to say that MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovanni has been removed and replaced by Greg Chisholm, MLG’s former CFO. The report cites that the sale was brokered all the way back on December 21st, and that a letter to investors went out the next day. An excerpt of that letter is posted on the site as evidence of this deal. This is a really odd situation. Right now, through everything I can find, this is still a single source story. Everything leads back to eSportsObserver. I have reached out to both MLG and Activision for clarification, but given the holiday I’m not sure when I’ll hear back. I’m treating this as a rumor until proven otherwise, though the document and story appear fairly convincing. Certain aspects of this make sense, while others don’t. It seems odd that this deal happened almost two weeks ago, with this stockholder letter issued shortly thereafter, and this is the first anyone has spoken publicly about it. And since this news broke, there has been no confirmation, and it remains the sole exclusive of eSportsObserver. But MLG selling to Activision Blizzard does make a certain amount of sense. Though MLG has been a huge force in eSports over the past decade, it’s been tougher for them to function as an independent North American eSports power with so many companies assuming direct control of their eSports operations from Blizzard to Riot to Valve. Activision purchasing MLG would be the most clear evidence yet of publishers wanting total control over their game's eSports operations, something people equate to say, the NFL outright owning a network like ESPN (insert "the NFL already does own ESPN" jokes here). MLG has been most closely tied with Call of Duty for a long while now (though recently Activision partnered with MLG rival ESL for a new COD league), and has a history with Starcraft 2, both Activision Blizzard titles. It could make sense that in order to bolster their eSports division, Activision would assimilate MLG, though parts of this sound more like a liquidation of assets rather than MLG continuing to operate under its own banner, just with a new owner. Many fans are wondering what would happen to non-Activision MLG games like CS:GO, which is supposed to have an upcoming major through MLG. It’s hard to know, but presumably Activision may go ahead with scheduled events, but then shift focus exclusively to its own titles, mainly Call of Duty, and I expect a big push for Overwatch eSports once that game is released this spring. While on the surface $46M seems like a pretty huge number, keep in mind that Activision just paid $5.9 billion for mobile giant King in 2016. So while $46M isn’t pocket change, it’s a pretty tiny deal compared to their latest acquisition. With that said, I wonder if Activision really needs to buy MLG at all, given that with their market position, they could probably just continue to develop eSports internally and be just fine. But again, it’s hard to know until the details of this alleged deal come out. I’m still not entirely convinced this is all genuine at this point. The holiday is making this more confusing, but so far, neither Activision or MLG has made a statement about this, either to the public or the press. This is ultimately one website reporting this, one that either has a huge scoop or possibly fell for a (weirdly specific and pretty convincing) hoax. Hopefully this will be cleared up shortly once representatives from either company comment on the story. For now, it’s possible to argue both sides of this. Given the history of the two companies, and the current states of each, this sounds entirely plausible to me, but I want to hear it from them directly, not a single source leak. Stay tuned for updates. Update: Ferguson Mitchell from eSportsObserver maintains the authenticity of the letter and story, which he relayed to me on Twitter: "Scoop is real. We had multiple confirmations of that letter, along with being given it in full." Still awaiting any word from Activision or MLG. Update (1/4/16): It's happening: Here's the full release. Congrats to eSportsObserver for a scoop well scooped: "SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced the acquisition of the business of Major League Gaming (MLG). MLG is a leader in creating and streaming premium live gaming events, organizing professional competitions and running competitive gaming leagues. The acquisition expands Activision Blizzard’s reach across the rapidly-growing esports ecosystem by adding proven live streaming capabilities and technologies to the Activision Blizzard Media Networks division, led by former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein and MLG Co-founder Mike Sepso. Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard, said, “Our acquisition of Major League Gaming’s business furthers our plans to create the ESPN of esports. MLG’s ability to create premium content and its proven broadcast technology platform – including its live streaming capabilities – strengthens our strategic position in competitive gaming. MLG has an incredibly strong and seasoned team and a thriving community. Together, we will create new ways to celebrate players and their unique skills, dedication and commitment to gaming. We are excited to add Sundance and the entire MLG esports team to our competitive gaming initiatives.” Sundance DiGiovanni, Chief Executive Officer and MLG Co-founder, said, “Our mission for over 12 years has been to promote and expand the growth of competitive gaming worldwide, and today the industry is at a key inflection point as its popularity soars and rivals that of many traditional professional sports. This acquisition and Activision Blizzard’s commitment to competitive gaming will expand the opportunities for gamers to be recognized and celebrated for their competitive excellence.” Mike Sepso, Senior Vice President of Activision Blizzard Media Networks and MLG Co-founder, said, “Sundance and I founded MLG to highlight the incredible talent of competitive gamers all over the world. Activision Blizzard’s esports leadership, incredible intellectual property and long history in competitive gaming create a perfect home for MLG’s capabilities. The acquisition of MLG’s business is an important step towards Activision Blizzard Media Networks’ broader mission to bring esports into the mainstream by creating and broadcasting premium esports content, organizing global league play and expanding distribution with key gaming partners.” MLG will continue to operate MLG.tv, MLG Pro Circuit and GameBattles platforms, and will continue to work with its partners and other publishers across the industry. MLG.tv is a premium online broadcast network for professional-level esports and the MLG Pro Circuit is the longest-running esports league in North America. GameBattles is the largest online gaming tournament system across consoles, PC and mobile platforms. With over 100 million unique viewers, the esports audience is estimated to be bigger than audiences for many professional sports leagues. Creating premium content for these audiences will provide significant opportunities in ticket sales, advertising, sponsorships, licensing and merchandising. By 2017, esports is projected to have over 300 million viewers1. For the past 12 years, MLG has helped bring esports into the mainstream with broadcasts of professional gaming competitions that rival traditional sports fan engagement." Follow me on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Tumblr. Pick up my sci-fi novels, The Last Exodus and The Exiled Earthborn, which are now in print and online. Why do people still love The Walking Dead? Watch below:
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If it looks like a hamburger, cooks like a hamburger and tastes like a hamburger, it must be a hamburger, right? Not necessarily. It's called the Impossible Burger and it's now being offered at Cleveland celebrity chef Michael Symon's B Spot chain of restaurants. The burger uses no meat. Instead, it's made with wheat, coconut oil, potatoes and a special ingredient, heme -- a bloodlike compound that gives meat its smell, sizzle and taste. "[It's] truly most amazing product I have seen in a decade," Symon says in a Facebook post. The Impossible Burger has been available since last year at places like Umami Burger in California, but B Spot is the first restaurant in the Midwest to serve it. The burger is available two ways: "Thin Lizzy" style with griddled onions, mayo, dill pickles and cheddar cheese for $9.99 or a build-your-own option that starts at $6.99. "What I love about Impossible Burger is that it's not an imposter burger," Symon says in a video promoting the product's launch. "You're taking something that is classic Americana and you're taking the beef out of it. "So, for a carnivore like me, there's going to be a little of skepticism there. But as soon as you take a bite out of it, it has texture, it has mouthfeel." Impossible Foods, the Silicon Valley startup behind the burger, says its plant-based burger uses 74 percent less water, 95 percent less land and 87 percent less greenhouse gases when compared to a beef-based burger. But how does it taste? On Twitter, early reviews have been positive. "The Impossible Burger was really really good though," user @elpoppunk wrote. "It's defo yummy and worth a try," chef Mario Batali, Symon's co-host on "The View," wrote. The Impossible Burger was really really good though -- el[?] (@elpoppunk) September 18, 2017 the impossible burger is available at my pal @chefsymon 's @bspotburgers starting today. it's defo yummy and worth... https://t.co/M69DsMN8hZ pic.twitter.com/oF9I5sLIfH -- Mario Batali (@Mariobatali) September 18, 2017 There are B Spot locations in Strongsville, Woodmere and Westlake.
After being bussed into sanctuary city Montreal after illegally crossing the Canada-U.S. border, illegal refugees are now complaining about lack of housing there. The illegals are provided with a tent upon entering Quebec from New York state and are then sent to Montreal’s Olympic Stadium or another temporary refuge, like a hotel or even a former convent. But the illegal migrants say they don’t like being moved around so much and are looking for accommodation in Canada’s second-largest city. Ahmed Iftikhar told The Canadian Press that he has been in three temporary shelters since he and his wife and four children marched illegally across the border. Not only are the asylum-seekers provided access to all municipal services in Montreal but they begin picking up their social assistance check within days of arriving in Canada — and are expected to spend some of it on room and board. Thousands of the migrants — mostly originally from Haiti but arriving from the U.S. — continue to stampede across the border every week, claiming their alleged refugee status is grounded in a belief that President Donald Trump will have them deported. Iftikhar, who was provided with a city transit pass and even a number of apartments to investigate, says he can’t find a place large enough for his family. “There is nobody to help,” he told The Canadian Press. “I want to leave here but I don’t know what to do.” Another illegal, who wished to remain anonymous, said it would be easier to get settled into Quebec if he had a cellular phone and a lawyer to help settle his refugee claim because “$600 or $700 isn’t a lot to eat with or to sleep with.” Almost 2,000 illegals arrived in the first week of August alone and the numbers are increasing. The reason for that, Haitian Marie-Junie Joseph says, is Canada’s perceived open-door refugee policy. “I came because the door is open here, because I heard Canada is open to immigrants.” Follow David on Twitter
crime Powai woman files rape case against neighbour, alleging that when he snuck into her bed, she had assumed it was her husband and hence did not protest when he began touching her Representation pic/Thinkstock Not having the lights on at home literally left a 26-year-old in the dark about the fact that the man she was sleeping with was not her husband, but her neighbour. The woman has filed a rape case, alleging that when her neighbour snuck into her bed, she had assumed it was her husband, so she did not protest when he began touching her. In her complaint to the police, the Powai resident said that the incident took place on Tuesday night, when she was alone at home. The accused, Vishwanath Kokin aka Vishnu (32), who lived just a few houses away, allegedly sneaked into her house and started molesting her and then went on to rape her. She did not protest as she mistook him for her husband in the dark. Also read - Mumbai Crime: Salesman offers woman 50 per cent 'partnership', rapes her Also read - Thane: Shiv Sena corporator accused of rape by housewife Later, however, as the man started putting his clothes on, she switched on the lights and was shocked to see that he was her neighbour. The woman narrated the incident to her husband, who suggested that she lodge a police complaint. Also read - Mumbai Crime: 22-year-old held for raping, blackmailing housewife An officer from Powai police station said, "The accused was booked under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC. Following the registration of an FIR, he was arrested on Wednesday and remanded in police custody. The accused has stated that he was framed by the complainant, with whom he had a past dispute. Investigations are ongoing."
This post is dedicated to the people who “get” social media in companies that don’t – and need some inspiration to bring about change. We all know the story. An oppressive regime suppresses the masses to the point where pockets of resistance emerge, an alliance of rebels forms, and a hero is revealed who defeats the evil Empire and brings freedom to the people. Are we really talking about Star Wars, or how your business views the use of social media in the workplace? “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” – Darth Vader The typical reason companies block access to social media sites is a concern regarding the negative impact on productivity access will have. Let me be blunt – Social media doesn’t kill productivity. Bad employees do. Bad employees are going to do what bad employees do – waste time, talk on the phone, distract others. That’s not a technology problem – that’s a hiring problem. It’s up to management to hold employees accountable to their actions – and to role model how to use social media effectively. Smart organizations encourage and trust their employees to use social media responsibly. Smart organizations also have simple to understand social media guidelines in place to make sure that while employees feel empowered to use the tools they want, they do so in a responsible fashion. “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.” – Princess Leia The more restraints an organization puts on social media usage, the more issues they’ll have with employee morale, engagement and retention. In fact, a 2011 study by Cisco shows that one of every three college students and young employees believes access to the Internet is as important as air, water, food, and shelter! And as this article from ZDNET demonstrates, the ability to use social media at work is a key factor for young professionals when it comes to deciding which job offer to accept. So while preventing access to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and more may seem like a good way of protecting your business from the potential harm from employees mis-using it, you only need to look at leaders in the social business space for evidence to the contrary. Sandy Carter – an early pioneer of social business – quotes IBM’s CMO Jon Iwata in her book “Get Bold“: “We discovered that the risks of not encouraging employees to engage in social media and the risks of not providing them with the tools and education they need greatly outweigh the risks [of trained participation]. Our assessment has provided even more evidence that encouraging employees to engage in social media is critical to our future success as a business.” “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi When a business prevents access to something, employees find other ways to get what they want. It’s not uncommon to walk through retail stores and customer service centers and see workers on their smart phones using Facebook, Youtube and Twitter and other tools that have a legitimate role in business. What’s worse, these devices aren’t governed by your IT department’s management tools or firewalls either – which means you don’t really know what they’re doing, which sites their visiting, and thus can’t be in a position to deal effectively when concerns of inappropriate use arise. “I want to learn the ways of the Force” – Luke Skywalker If your business prevents access to some or all social media sites, you have an opportunity to transform the organization. With one fell swoop, you can create trust with employees, engender better morale and offer a more compelling workplace for recruits. Of course, if you don’t have the right culture, this won’t be easy, and you can’t do it alone. Changing the perception of senior leaders can be a battle worthy of a space opera, and you’ll need an alliance of rebels to make it happen. “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” – Han Solo While Slideshares and Gartner reports about social media adoption in business can be useful, they aren’t enough to convince a leadership team that relaxing oppressive policies are the right thing to do. You need to show the business value of employees using these tools. Here are six tactics I’ve used at my company to get policies relaxed. Find fellow rebels. There is no such thing as a rebellion of one. Find other like-minded folks (the more senior, the better) who believe social has a natural role in business. Then inspire them to play a more active role in your efforts. Don’t spend time on non-believers. While this may seem backwards, you’ll get more success more quickly by focusing on the people who already get social. Once these folks see the real value social can provide (read this post for some help) they’ll find you. Start simple. Start with a small number of projects (1 blog, 1 Twitter account, etc) and make them successful. Otherwise, you’ll spread yourself too thin, and nothing you do will be successful. This has been particularly tricky for me, as I’m always looking to try new things. Create boundaries. As stated earlier, if you don’t help employees understand appropriate uses for the social tools you’re introducing, they’ll decide for themselves. Create simple to understand social media guidelines – with lots of input from other people in your organization. Find the right tools for the right people. Twitter isn’t for everybody. Blogging isn’t for everybody. Figure out how your thought leaders prefer to share their ideas. Many CEOs love sharing news and insights with their staff and customers. Twitter is ideal for that. Some VPs are natural story tellers. Blogs work best for that. The point is try and avoid forcing a fit – take your cues from their communication habits, and find the right social tool that compliments them. Schedule 1:1s. Find time for social media training with senior leaders in your organization. You might need to fight for this time. It’s worth the battle. Once they experience an “a-ha” moment as a result of your training – for example, hearing breaking news on Twitter before reading it on a website – towards the light side of the Force, they shall come. “Move along… move along.” – Stormtrooper If you have the courage of a princess, the cunning of a smuggler and most importantly – the patience and courage of a Jedi Master – you might bring peace to your enterprise once more.
ADVERTISEMENT In 1974, corporate behemoth GE moved its headquarters from Manhattan to the suburban Fairfield, Connecticut. Last week, it announced that it was leaving Fairfield for Boston's waterfront district. And as GE goes, it has people wondering whether the suburbs are going to lose their economic lifeblood. Mad Men reminded us that mid-century advertising executives worked in the heart of Manhattan, but slowly began their retreat to the burbs as crime exploded in New York City. The corporate offices followed them and their growing families in the 1970s and 1980s. It created an environmental effect. Westchester, New York, has IBM, Pepsi, MasterCard, Atlas Air. Fairfield has Time Warner Cable, WWE, Ethan Allen, Priceline and many more. This diffusion throughout the suburbs allowed executives to keep their family in one town for years, but still be able to change companies throughout their career. That trend is reversing in a major way. Violent crime has fallen for two decades, faster in some of the cities than elsewhere. Connecticut has really been hammered by the trend away from suburban campuses. Aetna demolished a 1.3 million-square-foot campus in Middletown in 2011. That site is vacant. Pfizer dumped a research campus in Groton after that. The suburbs around Chicago, which once gladly received Sears' corporate headquarters, may be hit next. Many trends could push corporate headquarters back into the cities and begin the impoverishment of suburbs. Environmental concerns may shift public policy to reduce subsidies to the high-carbon lifestyle of the suburbs, or further subsidize the lower-carbon lifestyle of mass-transport living in big cities. Younger people are overall delaying marriage and childbearing even further, and expressing their preference for the big cities over the suburbs. When GE announced the move to Boston, Jeff Immelt said that it wasn't about taxes and regulations as much as the "ecosystem," adding: "Greater Boston is home to 55 colleges and universities. Massachusetts spends more on research and development than any other region in the world, and Boston attracts a diverse, technologically-fluent workforce." In other words, GE has to compete for top talent coming out of universities. If they can't offer an urban workplace, they will lose out to tech-startups and other companies who do. The elite in our culture have almost always viewed the suburbs with some contempt. They are places scrubbed of physical danger at the cost of mediocrity, soulless consumerism, and despair. Further, the suburbs are now widely-condemned as the moral and policy expression of racism; created to accommodate white flight and to further impoverish blacks. The view that the suburbs are a moral and political hazard is seeping down. And so what we are seeing in America seems to be a shift to more European model, of fantastically wealthy cities and increasingly–slummy suburbs. The trend is truly exaggerated in Atlanta: Fully 88 percent of Atlanta's poor live in the suburbs, according to Confronting Suburban Poverty in America, by Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube of the Brookings Institution. Between 2000 and 2011, Atlanta's suburban poor population grew by 159 percent, while the city's poor population remained essentially flat. It's not just Atlanta — across much of the country, poverty is increasingly a problem found in the suburbs. The number of poor in the suburbs surpassed the number of poor in the cities in the 2000s, and by 2011, almost 16.4 million suburban residents lived below the poverty line, according to Kneebone and Berube. [The Atlantic] The same holds true in Washington, D.C. where gentrification keeps marching eastward across the city, pushing more and more poorer residents out to Prince George's county Maryland. Another possible accelerant of the trend is that pushing the poor into the suburbs also pushes crime into the suburbs. This may take a while to break through. The city's reputation for danger far outlived the reality. Suburban reputation for safety may hang on similarly, but between 2000-2010, homicides fell 16.7 percent in big cities, but they rose 16.9 percent in the suburbs. There are some potential breaks on this trend, namely the lack of affordable housing in many cities. Global cities that have experienced major booms in the past quarter century, like San Francisco, New York, London, and Dublin all have been very slow to allow the construction of new affordable homes for families, much to the delight of current property-owners in those cities. And it is still true that younger and larger families prefer the public schools available in the suburbs to those in the city. If crime returns to cities in any major way, that would also act as a major break on the re-urbanization of corporate America. But for now, the slow economic strangulation of formerly-affluent suburbs seems overdetermined. Some corporate campuses may remain for lower-paid back office functions, but American companies, and the economic elite who must captain them, are returning to the city.
When CBS’ new Sherlock Holmes series Elementary debuts this fall, you can expect a few changes to the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story. For one thing, the genius British detective will be solving crimes this side of the pond in New York City. For another, his trusty companion Watson…is a woman! We begin the countdown to Thursday’s Elementary Comic-Con panel (moderated by yours truly) with an exclusive new image of Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson. Apparently, they’re very into reading! Check out the photo below (and click on the link below that for a high res version), and for more news and views, follow me on Twitter @DaltonRoss. Image credit: Nino Muñoz/CBS©2012[/caption] Click here for a high-resolution version of the above photo.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

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