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Grant Hackett tells family he is safe after going missing earlier in day Updated Grant Hackett has contacted his family to tell them he is safe, after they issued a public plea for help to find him when he went missing this morning. The Hackett family took to the media to raise their concerns for the welfare of the 36-year-old Olympic champion, after he checked out of a Gold Coast hotel this morning and vanished in what his father Nev Hackett described as a "disturbed" state of mind. Mr Hackett said police had found his son after a member of the public called to tell them where he was. "Police officers are happy he's alive and sober," Mr Hackett said. "He's told the police officers he just wants to hide from everybody." He said Grant sent his mother a text message to tell her he loved her, but could not talk any further. "He's in hiding from everybody, including us," Mr Hackett said. "I think he's very, very embarrassed, but let's see how things go." He said things had been "pretty tough" for the family today. "I say we were ready for the worst, so yeah pretty tough," he said. "I'd hate it to get any worse because my wife's a wreck, as expected." Mr Hackett thanked the media for helping to locate his son. The swimmer was arrested yesterday after an altercation at his parents' house in the Gold Coast suburb of Mermaid Waters. He was later released without charge. But by this morning he could not be found. "We're extremely worried about him," Mr Hackett said earlier. Sorry, this video has expired Video: Nev Hackett issues a public plea for help to find his son (ABC News) "His doctor can't find him, he hasn't kept an appointment with his lawyer. When we spoke to him several hours ago he just hung up when we asked him where he was. "His mates are out there looking for him but we need more help." Grant's brother, Craig Hackett, said on Wednesday his brother was "a danger to himself". 'People need to give him space and time to heal' Former Australian teammate Libby Trickett also expressed concern for Hackett's welfare, saying the transition to life after swimming could be incredibly difficult. "He's obviously vulnerable right now," she said. "I hope he's just somewhere safe with other friends and family, that might be protecting him right now and giving him space outside the public eye. "I think people just need to give him a lot of space and a lot of time to heal, because this is a mental health issue." Topics: olympics-summer, missing-person, mental-health, swimming, sport, southport-4215 First posted
Episode 25 – The show starts with Big John & Sean talking with Casey Oxendine, CEO of Arena Combat – a new 2-on-2 MMA promotion operating in the US. The guys ask Mr. Oxendine some tough questions about his promotion, the response he's received from athletic commissions, the future of 2-on-2 MMA, and more. We also discus Anderson Silva's one-year suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and much more. Finally, Big John answers your questions and we do our weekly poll: “Do you fell that Anderson Silva’s 1 year suspension issued by the Nevada State Athletic Commission was: Too Lenient, Correct, or Too Severe?” Submit your answers on our website. You can find the show at www.LetsGetItOnPodcast.com or at facebook.com/letsgetitonpodcast and on Twitter at @PodcastMMA – plus, you can find Big John McCarthy at @JohnMcCarthyMMA and Sean Wheelock at @SeanWheelock
It’s all in the song, Kayla Moleschi explains. The Williams Lake-raised rugby sevens star is now inside two days to launch in Rio. Moleschi and her Canadian teammates are loose and upbeat — just like their favourite song, Hey Brother, by Swedish DJ Avicii. Hey brother! There’s an endless road to rediscover Hey sister! Know the water’s sweet but blood is thicker Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do “It’s who we are,” Moleschi said over the phone from Rio on Thursday. “We’re just a bunch of gals who love to represent our country.” The song is almost three years old, but it’s still one the team connects on. “It has this huge amplifying feeling,” she said. “It’s the build-up of the song.” “We’ve got a lot of good memories of dancing in the change room to it. “When we were getting ready to run out at Langford (last year), the song came on and the fans were singing along, it was amazing.” The Canadians kick off pool play on Saturday vs. Japan at 8:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. local). The team has played full-on scrimmages in preparation, with “kickoffs” at the same time as their three scheduled pool games. (Canada’s second game on Saturday is vs. Brazil at 3:30 p.m. PT.) They’ve also played in three-day events before — events on the Women’s World Series are usually two days — so the Rio schedule won’t be a problem. The Sunday game vs. Great Britain (8:30 a.m. PT) will likely settle first and second place in the group. Their quarterfinal match will go later on Sunday, either at 1:30 or 2 p.m. PT, depending on their final placing. Either way, the path to the semis is clear: they’ll play the second place team from either group — most likely the USA and either France or Spain — teams the Canadians have generally handled well in series play the last three seasons. Hey brother! Do you still believe in one another? Hey sister! Do you still believe in love? I wonder Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do “We’ve got an ‘as one’ attitude,” Moleschi said. It was hard to see friends come up short on selection, Moleschi admitted, “but you know what they’ve put in.” “We’re here because of that,” she said. “We’re not a team of seven (on the field), of 12 (in the Olympic squad), we’re 26.” Head coach John Tait assembled a large training group at Rugby Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Victoria. “The girls at home, they made this happen,” Moleschi said. “Any one of us could have come up short. Every time you put on that jersey, you’re reminded of who has come before.” The team has settled nicely into Olympic Village life. They flew down to Rio last weekend after a final training week in Toronto. This week has been about acclimating to the weather: it’s been mid-20s all week and, of course, humid. Temperatures this weekend are expected to climb into the high 20s, possibly even creeping into the 30s. “We’re doing a really good job managing everything,” Moleschi said. “We’re trying to treat it like any other tournament.” But there’s no denying the unique atmosphere of the Village, with athletes from all over the world, from a plethora of disciplines, coming and going. There’s been plenty of pin trading and “there’s more characters than you can imagine.” “We ran into Haley Wickenheiser, got a team photo,” but they’ve not been star-struck. “It’s busy, but we’re working with that. We’re a tight-knit group. “I’m star-struck by our team, I’m in awe of what we’ve accomplished so far.” What if I’m far from home? Oh brother, I will hear you call! What if I lose it all? Oh sister, I will help you hang on! Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do And while the focus is keeping things as they always are, Moleschi figures that the idea they’re really at the Olympics will set in this weekend. “We’re striving for gold,” Moleschi said firmly. “We’ve got the right people. It’s about sticking to roles.” pjohnston@postmedia.com twitter.com/risingaction facebook.com/tryandtackle
After appealing to the public for help, Vancouver Police have successfully identified a pedestrian who was hit by a car and suffered serious injuries on Thursday morning. According to VPD, just after 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, an elderly man was struck by a vehicle near the SkyTrain station at Slocan and East 29th Avenue. He was taken to hospital, but the man was not carrying identification, leading the VPD to reach out to the public in the hopes of locating his family. In a statement Friday, police said the public appeal had been successful, and the injured pedestrian had been identified as a man in his 80s. “The man’s family has been contacted by investigators, his injuries are still considered serious and he remains in hospital,” said police in a news release. “The investigation continues and there is no further information to release at this time.” hmooney@postmedia.com CLICK HERE to report a typo. Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.
This article is about the capital city of Greece. For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation) . For other uses of Athina, see Athina (disambiguation) Capital and largest city of Greece Capital city in Central Greece, Greece Athens (;[3] Greek: Αθήνα, Athína [aˈθina]; Ancient Greek: Ἀθῆναι, Athênai [a.tʰɛ̂ː.nai̯]) is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years[4] and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.[5] Classical Athens was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus, which had been a distinct city prior to its 5th century BC incorporation with Athens. A center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum,[6][7] it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy,[8][9] largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular the Romans.[10] In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2012, Athens was ranked the world's 39th richest city by purchasing power[11] and the 67th most expensive[12] in a UBS study. Athens is a global city and one of the biggest economic centres in southeastern Europe. It has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe,[13][14][15][16] and the second largest in the world.[17] The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens) had a population of 664,046 (in 2011)[2] within its administrative limits, and a land area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi).[18][19] The urban area of Athens (Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus) extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits, with a population of 3,090,508 (in 2011)[20] over an area of 412 km2 (159 sq mi).[19] According to Eurostat[21] in 2011, the functional urban area (FUA) of Athens was the 9th most populous FUA in the European Union (the 6th most populous capital city of the EU), with a population of 3.8 million people. Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland. The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of Ottoman monuments. Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery. Landmarks of the modern era, dating back to the establishment of Athens as the capital of the independent Greek state in 1834, include the Hellenic Parliament and the so-called "architectural trilogy of Athens", consisting of the National Library of Greece, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Academy of Athens. Athens is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics, making it one of only a handful of cities to have hosted the Olympics more than once.[22] Etymology [ edit ] In Ancient Greek, the name of the city was Ἀθῆναι (Athênai, pronounced [a.tʰɛ̂ː.nai̯] in Classical Attic) a plural. In earlier Greek, such as Homeric Greek, the name had been current in the singular form though, as Ἀθήνη (Athḗnē).[23] It was possibly rendered in the plural later on, like those of Θῆβαι (Thêbai) and Μυκῆναι (Μukênai). The root of the word is probably not of Greek or Indo-European origin,[24] and is possibly a remnant of the Pre-Greek substrate of Attica.[24] In antiquity, it was debated whether Athens took its name from its patron goddess Athena (Attic Ἀθηνᾶ, Athēnâ, Ionic Ἀθήνη, Athḗnē, and Doric Ἀθάνα, Athā́nā) or Athena took her name from the city.[25] Modern scholars now generally agree that the goddess takes her name from the city,[25] because the ending -ene is common in names of locations, but rare for personal names.[25] During the medieval period, the name of the city was rendered once again in the singular as Ἀθήνα. However, after the establishment of the modern Greek state, and partly due to the conservatism of the written language, Ἀθῆναι [aˈθine] became again the official name of the city and remained so until the abandonment of Katharevousa in the 1970s, when Ἀθήνα, Athína, became the official name. According to the ancient Athenian founding myth, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, competed against Poseidon, the god of the seas, for patronage of the yet-unnamed city;[26] they agreed that whoever gave the Athenians the better gift would become their patron[26] and appointed Cecrops, the king of Athens, as the judge.[26] According to the account given by Pseudo-Apollodorus, Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a salt water spring welled up.[26] In an alternative version of the myth from Vergil's Georgics, Poseidon instead gave the Athenians the first horse.[26] In both versions, Athena offered the Athenians the first domesticated olive tree.[26][27] Cecrops accepted this gift[26] and declared Athena the patron goddess of Athens.[26][27] Different etymologies, now commonly rejected, were proposed during the 19th century. Christian Lobeck proposed as the root of the name the word ἄθος (áthos) or ἄνθος (ánthos) meaning "flower", to denote Athens as the "flowering city". Ludwig von Döderlein proposed the stem of the verb θάω, stem θη- (tháō, thē-, "to suck") to denote Athens as having fertile soil.[28] In classical literature, the city was sometimes referred to as the City of the Violet Crown, first documented in Pindar's ἰοστέφανοι Ἀθᾶναι (iostéphanoi Athânai), or as τὸ κλεινὸν ἄστυ (tò kleinòn ásty, "the glorious city"). In medieval texts, variant names include Setines, Satine, and Astines, all derivations involving false splitting of prepositional phrases.[29] Today the caption η πρωτεύουσα (ī protévousa), "the capital", has become somewhat common. History [ edit ] synoikismos ("dwelling together")—the political unification of Tondo of the Aison Cup, showing the victory of Theseus over the Minotaur in the presence of Athena . Theseus was responsible, according to the myth, for the("dwelling together")—the political unification of Attica under Athens. The earliest coinage of Athens, circa 545-525/15 BC The oldest known human presence in Athens is the Cave of Schist, which has been dated to between the 11th and 7th millennia BC.[5] Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 7000 years.[30][31] By 1400 BC the settlement had become an important centre of the Mycenaean civilization and the Acropolis was the site of a major Mycenaean fortress, whose remains can be recognised from sections of the characteristic Cyclopean walls.[32] Unlike other Mycenaean centers, such as Mycenae and Pylos, it is not known whether Athens suffered destruction in about 1200 BC, an event often attributed to a Dorian invasion, and the Athenians always maintained that they were pure Ionians with no Dorian element. However, Athens, like many other Bronze Age settlements, went into economic decline for around 150 years afterwards. Iron Age burials, in the Kerameikos and other locations, are often richly provided for and demonstrate that from 900 BC onwards Athens was one of the leading centres of trade and prosperity in the region.[33] The leading position of Athens may well have resulted from its central location in the Greek world, its secure stronghold on the Acropolis and its access to the sea, which gave it a natural advantage over inland rivals such as Thebes and Sparta. By the 6th century BC, widespread social unrest led to the reforms of Solon. These would pave the way for the eventual introduction of democracy by Cleisthenes in 508 BC. Athens had by this time become a significant naval power with a large fleet, and helped the rebellion of the Ionian cities against Persian rule. In the ensuing Greco-Persian Wars Athens, together with Sparta, led the coalition of Greek states that would eventually repel the Persians, defeating them decisively at Marathon in 490 BC, and crucially at Salamis in 480 BC. However, this did not prevent Athens from being captured and sacked twice by the Persians within one year, after a heroic but ultimately failed resistance at Thermopylae by Spartans and other Greeks led by King Leonidas,[34] after both Boeotia and Attica fell to the Persians. The decades that followed became known as the Golden Age of Athenian democracy, during which time Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece, with its cultural achievements laying the foundations for Western civilization. The playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides flourished in Athens during this time, as did the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, the physician Hippocrates, and the philosopher Socrates. Guided by Pericles, who promoted the arts and fostered democracy, Athens embarked on an ambitious building program that saw the construction of the Acropolis of Athens (including the Parthenon), as well as empire-building via the Delian League. Originally intended as an association of Greek city-states to continue the fight against the Persians, the league soon turned into a vehicle for Athens's own imperial ambitions. The resulting tensions brought about the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), in which Athens was defeated by its rival Sparta. By the mid-4th century BC, the northern Greek kingdom of Macedon was becoming dominant in Athenian affairs. In 338 BC the armies of Philip II defeated an alliance of some of the Greek city-states including Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea, effectively ending Athenian independence. Later, under Rome, Athens was given the status of a free city because of its widely admired schools. The Roman emperor Hadrian, in the 2nd century CE, constructed a library, a gymnasium, an aqueduct which is still in use, several temples and sanctuaries, a bridge and financed the completion of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. By the end of Late Antiquity, the city experienced decline followed by recovery in the second half of the Middle Byzantine Period, in the 9th to 10th centuries CE, and was relatively prosperous during the Crusades, benefiting from Italian trade. After the Fourth Crusade the Duchy of Athens was established. In 1458 it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and entered a long period of decline. Following the Greek War of Independence and the establishment of the Greek Kingdom, Athens was chosen as the capital of the newly independent Greek state in 1834, largely because of historical and sentimental reasons. At the time, it was reduced to a town of about 4,000 people in a loose swarm of houses along the foot of the Acropolis. The first King of Greece, Otto of Bavaria, commissioned the architects Stamatios Kleanthis and Eduard Schaubert to design a modern city plan fit for the capital of a state. The first modern city plan consisted of a triangle defined by the Acropolis, the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos and the new palace of the Bavarian king (now housing the Greek Parliament), so as to highlight the continuity between modern and ancient Athens. Neoclassicism, the international style of this epoch, was the architectural style through which Bavarian, French and Greek architects such as Hansen, Klenze, Boulanger or Kaftantzoglou designed the first important public buildings of the new capital. In 1896, Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games. During the 1920s a number of Greek refugees, expelled from Asia Minor after the Greco-Turkish War, swelled Athens's population; nevertheless it was most particularly following World War II, and from the 1950s and 1960s, that the population of the city exploded, and Athens experienced a gradual expansion. In the 1980s it became evident that smog from factories and an ever-increasing fleet of automobiles, as well as a lack of adequate free space due to congestion, had evolved into the city's most important challenge. A series of anti-pollution measures taken by the city's authorities in the 1990s, combined with a substantial improvement of the city's infrastructure (including the Attiki Odos motorway, the expansion of the Athens Metro, and the new Athens International Airport), considerably alleviated pollution and transformed Athens into a much more functional city. In 2004 Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics. Geography [ edit ] View of Mount Penteli , the second tallest mountain surrounding Athens. Athens sprawls across the central plain of Attica that is often referred to as the Athens or Attica Basin (Greek: Λεκανοπέδιο Αττικής). The basin is bounded by four large mountains: Mount Aigaleo to the west, Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Pentelicus to the northeast and Mount Hymettus to the east.[35] Beyond Mount Aegaleo lies the Thriasian plain, which forms an extension of the central plain to the west. The Saronic Gulf lies to the southwest. Mount Parnitha is the tallest of the four mountains (1,413 m (4,636 ft)),[36] and has been declared a national park. Athens is built around a number of hills. Lycabettus is one of the tallest hills of the city proper and provides a view of the entire Attica Basin. The meteorology of Athens is deemed to be one of the most complex in the world because its mountains cause a temperature inversion phenomenon which, along with the Greek Government's difficulties controlling industrial pollution, was responsible for the air pollution problems the city has faced.[31] This issue is not unique to Athens; for instance, Los Angeles and Mexico City also suffer from similar atmospheric inversion problems.[31] The Cephissus river, the Ilisos and the Eridanos stream are the historical rivers of Athens. Environment [ edit ] By the late 1970s, the pollution of Athens had become so destructive that according to the then Greek Minister of Culture, Constantine Trypanis, "...the carved details on the five the caryatids of the Erechtheum had seriously degenerated, while the face of the horseman on the Parthenon's west side was all but obliterated."[37] A series of measures taken by the authorities of the city throughout the 1990s resulted in the improvement of air quality; the appearance of smog (or nefos as the Athenians used to call it) has become less common. Measures taken by the Greek authorities throughout the 1990s have improved the quality of air over the Attica Basin. Nevertheless, air pollution still remains an issue for Athens, particularly during the hottest summer days. In late June 2007,[38] the Attica region experienced a number of brush fires,[38] including a blaze that burned a significant portion of a large forested national park in Mount Parnitha,[39] considered critical to maintaining a better air quality in Athens all year round.[38] Damage to the park has led to worries over a stalling in the improvement of air quality in the city.[38] The major waste management efforts undertaken in the last decade (particularly the plant built on the small island of Psytalia) have improved water quality in the Saronic Gulf, and the coastal waters of Athens are now accessible again to swimmers. In January 2007, Athens faced a waste management problem when its landfill near Ano Liosia, an Athenian suburb, reached capacity.[40] The crisis eased by mid-January when authorities began taking the garbage to a temporary landfill.[40] Climate [ edit ] Athens has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). The dominant feature of Athens’ climate is alternation between prolonged hot and dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall.[41] With an average of 416.8 millimetres (16.41 in) of yearly precipitation, rainfall occurs largely between the months of October and April. July and August are the driest months, when thunderstorms occur sparsely once or twice a month. Owing to the rain shadow of the Pindus Mountains, annual precipitation of Athens is lower than most other parts of Greece, especially western Greece. As an example, Ioannina receives around 1,300 mm (51 in) per year, and Agrinio around 800 mm (31 in) per year. Daily average highs for July (1988–2017) have been measured at 34.4 °C or 93.9 °F,[42] but some parts of the city may be even hotter, in particular western areas due to a combination of industrialization and a number of natural factors, knowledge of which has existed since the mid-19th century.[43][44][45] Athens is affected by the urban heat island effect in some areas which is caused by human activity,[46][47] altering its temperatures compared to the surrounding rural areas,[48][49][50][51] and leaving detrimental effects on energy usage, expenditure for cooling,[52][53] and health.[47] The urban heat island of the city has also been found to be partially responsible for alterations of the climatological temperature time-series of specific Athens meteorological stations, because of its impact on the temperatures and the temperature trends recorded by some meteorological stations.[54][55][56][57][58] On the other hand, specific meteorological stations, such as the National Garden station and Thiseio meteorological station, are less affected or do not experience the urban heat island.[48][59] Athens holds the World Meteorological Organization record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe, at 48.0 °C (118.4 °F), which was recorded in the Elefsina and Tatoi suburbs of Athens on 10 July 1977.[60] Climate data for Downtown Athens (1988–2017), extremes from 1890 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 22.6 (72.7) 25.3 (77.5) 28.9 (84.0) 32.2 (90.0) 36.7 (98.1) 44.8 (112.6) 43.0 (109.4) 42.6 (108.7) 38.6 (101.5) 36.5 (97.7) 30.5 (86.9) 22.9 (73.2) 44.8 (112.6) Average high °C (°F) 13.4 (56.1) 14.3 (57.7) 17.1 (62.8) 21.2 (70.2) 26.6 (79.9) 31.7 (89.1) 34.4 (93.9) 34.3 (93.7) 29.7 (85.5) 24.1 (75.4) 18.7 (65.7) 14.4 (57.9) 23.3 (73.9) Daily mean °C (°F) 10.2 (50.4) 10.8 (51.4) 13.1 (55.6) 16.8 (62.2) 21.7 (71.1) 26.6 (79.9) 29.3 (84.7) 29.2 (84.6) 25.0 (77.0) 20.1 (68.2) 15.4 (59.7) 11.5 (52.7) 19.1 (66.4) Average low °C (°F) 7.1 (44.8) 7.3 (45.1) 9.2 (48.6) 12.3 (54.1) 16.9 (62.4) 21.5 (70.7) 24.2 (75.6) 24.2 (75.6) 20.3 (68.5) 16.0 (60.8) 12.0 (53.6) 8.5 (47.3) 15.0 (59.0) Record low °C (°F) −6.5 (20.3) −5.7 (21.7) −2.6 (27.3) 1.7 (35.1) 6.2 (43.2) 11.8 (53.2) 16 (61) 15.5 (59.9) 8.9 (48.0) 5.9 (42.6) −1.1 (30.0) −4 (25) −6.5 (20.3) Average rainfall mm (inches) 51.4 (2.02) 43.9 (1.73) 46.0 (1.81) 25.4 (1.00) 18.6 (0.73) 9.7 (0.38) 8.9 (0.35) 5.0 (0.20) 23.1 (0.91) 39.8 (1.57) 72.3 (2.85) 72.7 (2.86) 416.8 (16.41) Source: Meteoclub.gr[42] Climate data for Elliniko, Athens (rain data for Nea Filadelfeia, Athens) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °C (°F) 13.3 (55.9) 13.9 (57.0) 16.6 (61.9) 20.0 (68.0) 25.2 (77.4) 30.4 (86.7) 33.4 (92.1) 33.7 (92.7) 28.7 (83.7) 23.5 (74.3) 18.8 (65.8) 14.7 (58.5) 22.7 (72.9) Daily mean °C (°F) 9.9 (49.8) 10.2 (50.4) 12.5 (54.5) 15.7 (60.3) 20.5 (68.9) 25.5 (77.9) 28.5 (83.3) 28.6 (83.5) 24.1 (75.4) 19.5 (67.1) 15.1 (59.2) 11.7 (53.1) 18.5 (65.3) Average low °C (°F) 6.8 (44.2) 6.8 (44.2) 8.8 (47.8) 11.7 (53.1) 15.8 (60.4) 20.6 (69.1) 23.6 (74.5) 23.8 (74.8) 19.8 (67.6) 15.9 (60.6) 11.7 (53.1) 8.8 (47.8) 14.5 (58.1) Average rainfall mm (inches) 56.9 (2.24) 46.7 (1.84) 40.7 (1.60) 30.8 (1.21) 22.7 (0.89) 10.6 (0.42) 5.8 (0.23) 6.0 (0.24) 13.9 (0.55) 52.6 (2.07) 58.3 (2.30) 69.1 (2.72) 414.1 (16.31) Average rainy days 12.6 10.4 10.2 8.1 6.2 3.7 1.9 1.7 3.3 7.2 9.7 12.1 87.1 Average relative humidity (%) 70.7 68.9 67.0 62.9 59.5 52.6 48.7 47.6 57.2 64.6 71.9 71.8 62.0 Mean monthly sunshine hours 158.1 168.0 189.1 225.0 303.8 360.0 384.4 359.6 252.0 198.4 144.0 105.4 2,847.8 Source: Climatebase (temperatures, RH, and sun 1980–2000)[61] World Meteorological Organization (precipitation 1955–1997),[62] Climate data for Athens Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average sea temperature °C (°F) 15.4 (59.7) 15.0 (59.0) 15.2 (59.4) 15.7 (60.3) 18.5 (65.3) 22.6 (72.7) 25.7 (78.3) 26.3 (79.3) 25.0 (77.0) 22.2 (72.0) 19.1 (66.4) 16.6 (61.9) 19.8 (67.6) Mean daily daylight hours 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 15.0 14.0 14.0 12.0 11.0 10.0 10.0 12.2 Average Ultraviolet index 2 3 5 6 8 9 10 9 7 5 3 2 5.8 Source: Weather Atlas[63] Locations [ edit ] Neighbourhoods [ edit ] The municipality of Athens, the city centre of the Athens Urban Area, is divided into several districts: Omonoia, Syntagma, Exarcheia, Agios Nikolaos, Neapolis, Lykavittos, Lofos Strefi, Lofos Finopoulou, Lofos Filopappou, Pedion Areos, Metaxourgeio, Aghios Kostantinos, Larissa Station, Kerameikos, Psiri, Monastiraki, Gazi, Thission, Kapnikarea, Aghia Irini, Aerides, Anafiotika, Plaka, Acropolis, Pnyka, Makrygianni, Lofos Ardittou, Zappeion, Aghios Spyridon, Pangrati, Kolonaki, Dexameni, Evaggelismos, Gouva, Aghios Ioannis, Neos Kosmos, Koukaki, Kynosargous, Fix, Ano Petralona, Kato Petralona, Rouf, Votanikos, Profitis Daniil, Akadimia Platonos, Kolonos, Kolokynthou, Attikis Square, Lofos Skouze, Sepolia, Kypseli, Aghios Meletios, Nea Kypseli, Gyzi, Polygono, Ampelokipoi, Panormou-Gerokomeio, Pentagono, Ellinorosson, Nea Filothei, Ano Kypseli, Tourkovounia-Lofos Patatsou, Lofos Elikonos, Koliatsou, Thymarakia, Kato Patisia, Treis Gefyres, Aghios Eleftherios, Ano Patisia, Kypriadou, Menidi, Prompona, Aghios Panteleimonas, Pangrati, Goudi and Ilisia. Omonoia , Omonoia Square, (Greek: Πλατεία Ομονοίας ) is the oldest square in Athens. It is surrounded by hotels and fast food outlets, and contains a train station used by the Athens Metro and the Ilektrikos, named Omonoia station. The square is the focus for celebration of sporting victories, as seen after the country's winning of the Euro 2004 and the EuroBasket 2005 tournaments. Aiolou Street in the Centre. On the left is the building of the National Bank of Greece. , Omonoia Square, (Greek: ) is the oldest square in Athens. It is surrounded by hotels and fast food outlets, and contains a train station used by the Athens Metro and the Ilektrikos, named Omonoia station. The square is the focus for celebration of sporting victories, as seen after the country's winning of the Euro 2004 and the EuroBasket 2005 tournaments. Metaxourgeio (Greek: Μεταξουργείο ) is a neighborhood of Athens. The neighborhood is located north of the historical centre of Athens, between Kolonos to the east and Kerameikos to the west, and north of Gazi. Metaxourgeio is frequently described as a transition neighborhood. After a long period of abandonment in the late 20th century, the area is acquiring a reputation as an artistic and fashionable neighborhood following the opening of art galleries, museums, restaurants and cafés. [1] Local efforts to beautify and invigorate the neighborhood have reinforced a sense of community and artistic expression. Anonymous art pieces containing quotes and statements in both English and Ancient Greek have sprung up throughout the neighborhood, bearing statements such as "Art for art's sake" (Τέχνη τέχνης χάριν). Guerrilla gardening has also helped to beautify the area. Apartment buildings near Kolonaki Square. (Greek: ) is a neighborhood of Athens. The neighborhood is located north of the historical centre of Athens, between Kolonos to the east and Kerameikos to the west, and north of Gazi. Metaxourgeio is frequently described as a transition neighborhood. After a long period of abandonment in the late 20th century, the area is acquiring a reputation as an artistic and fashionable neighborhood following the opening of art galleries, museums, restaurants and cafés. [1] Local efforts to beautify and invigorate the neighborhood have reinforced a sense of community and artistic expression. Anonymous art pieces containing quotes and statements in both English and Ancient Greek have sprung up throughout the neighborhood, bearing statements such as "Art for art's sake" (Τέχνη τέχνης χάριν). Guerrilla gardening has also helped to beautify the area. Psiri and Gazi – The reviving Psiri (Greek: Ψυρρή ) neighbourhood – also known as Athens's "meat packing district" – is dotted with renovated former mansions, artists' spaces, and small gallery areas. A number of its renovated buildings also host fashionable bars, making it a hotspot for the city in the last decade, while live music restaurants known as "rebetadika", after rebetiko, a unique form of music that blossomed in Syros and Athens from the 1920s until the 1960s, are to be found. Rebetiko is admired by many, and as a result rebetadika are often crammed with people of all ages who will sing, dance and drink till dawn. – The reviving Psiri (Greek: ) neighbourhood – also known as Athens's "meat packing district" – is dotted with renovated former mansions, artists' spaces, and small gallery areas. A number of its renovated buildings also host fashionable bars, making it a hotspot for the city in the last decade, while live music restaurants known as "rebetadika", after rebetiko, a unique form of music that blossomed in Syros and Athens from the 1920s until the 1960s, are to be found. Rebetiko is admired by many, and as a result rebetadika are often crammed with people of all ages who will sing, dance and drink till dawn. The Gazi (Greek: Γκάζι ) area, one of the latest in full redevelopment, is located around a historic gas factory, now converted into the Technopolis cultural multiplex, and also includes artists' areas, small clubs, bars and restaurants, as well as Athens's "Gay village". The metro's expansion to the western suburbs of the city has brought easier access to the area since spring 2007, as the blue line now stops at Gazi (Kerameikos station). Parks and zoos [ edit ] Parnitha National Park is punctuated by well-marked paths, gorges, springs, torrents and caves dotting the protected area. Hiking and mountain-biking in all four mountains are popular outdoor activities for residents of the city. The National Garden of Athens was complete d in 1840 and is a green refuge of 15.5 hectares in the centre of the Greek capital. It is to be found between the Parliament and Zappeion buildings, the latter of which maintains its own garden of seven hectares. Parts of the city centre have been redeveloped under a masterplan called the Unification of Archeological Sites of Athens, which has also gathered funding from the EU to help enhance the project.[65][66] The landmark Dionysiou Areopagitou Street has been pedestrianised, forming a scenic route. The route starts from the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, continues under the southern slopes of the Acropolis near Plaka, and finishes just beyond the Temple of Hephaestus in Thiseio. The route in its entirety provides visitors with views of the Parthenon and the Agora (the meeting point of ancient Athenians), away from the busy city centre. The hills of Athens also provide green space. Lycabettus, Philopappos hill and the area around it, including Pnyx and Ardettos hill, are planted with pines and other trees, with the character of a small forest rather than typical metropolitan parkland. Also to be found is the Pedion tou Areos (Field of Mars) of 27.7 hectares, near the National Archaeological Museum. Athens' largest zoo is the Attica Zoological Park, a 20-hectare (49-acre) private zoo located in the suburb of Spata. The zoo is home to around 2000 animals representing 400 species, and is open 365 days a year. Smaller zoos exist within public gardens or parks, such as the zoo within the National Garden of Athens. Urban and suburban municipalities [ edit ] Beach in the southern suburb of Alimos , one of the many beaches in the southern coast of Athens The Athens Metropolitan Area consists of 58[20] densely populated municipalities, sprawling around the municipality of Athens (the city centre) in virtually all directions. For the Athenians, all the urban municipalities surrounding the city centre are called suburbs. According to their geographic location in relation to the City of Athens, the suburbs are divided into four zones; the northern suburbs (including Agios Stefanos, Dionysos, Ekali, Nea Erythraia, Kifissia, Maroussi, Pefki, Lykovrysi, Metamorfosi, Nea Ionia, Nea Filadelfeia, Irakleio, Vrilissia, Melissia, Penteli, Chalandri, Agia Paraskevi, Galatsi, Psychiko and Filothei); the southern suburbs (including Alimos, Nea Smyrni, Moschato, Kallithea, Agios Dimitrios, Palaio Faliro, Elliniko, Glyfada, Argyroupoli, Ilioupoli, Voula and Vouliagmeni); the eastern suburbs (including Zografou, Dafni, Vyronas, Kaisariani, Cholargos and Papagou); and the western suburbs (including Peristeri, Ilion, Egaleo, Koridallos, Agia Varvara, Chaidari, Petroupoli, Agioi Anargyroi and Kamatero). The Athens city coastline, extending from the major commercial port of Piraeus to the southernmost suburb of Varkiza for some 25 km (20 mi),[67] is also connected to the city centre by a tram. In the northern suburb of Maroussi, the upgraded main Olympic Complex (known by its Greek acronym OAKA) dominates the skyline. The area has been redeveloped according to a design by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, with steel arches, landscaped gardens, fountains, futuristic glass, and a landmark new blue glass roof which was added to the main stadium. A second Olympic complex, next to the sea at the beach of Palaio Faliro, also features modern stadia, shops and an elevated esplanade. Work is underway to transform the grounds of the old Athens Airport – named Elliniko – in the southern suburbs, into one of the largest landscaped parks in Europe, to be named the Hellenikon Metropolitan Park.[68] Many of the southern suburbs (such as Alimos, Palaio Faliro, Elliniko, Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza) known as the Athens Riviera, host a number of sandy beaches, most of which are operated by the Greek National Tourism Organisation and require an entrance fee. Casinos operate on both Mount Parnitha, some 25 km (16 mi)[69] from downtown Athens (accessible by car or cable car), and the nearby town of Loutraki (accessible by car via the Athens – Corinth National Highway, or the suburban rail service Proastiakos). Administration [ edit ] The large City Centre of the Greek capital falls directly within the municipality of Athens, which is the largest in population size in Greece. Piraeus[70] also forms a significant city centre on its own, within the Athens Urban Area and being the second largest in population size within it, with Peristeri and Kallithea following. Athens Urban Area [ edit ] The Athens Urban Area today consists of 40 municipalities, 35 of which make up what is referred to as the Greater Athens municipalities, located within 4 regional units (North Athens, West Athens, Central Athens, South Athens); and a further 5, which make up the Greater Piraeus municipalities, located within the regional unit of Piraeus as mentioned above. The densely built up urban area of the Greek capital sprawls across 412 km2 (159 sq mi)[19] throughout the Attica Basin and has a total population of 3,074,160 (in 2011). The Athens municipality forms the core and center of Greater Athens, which consists of the Athens municipality and 34 more municipalities, divided in four regional units (Central, North, South and West Athens), accounting for 2,641,511 people (in 2011)[2] within an area of 361 km2 (139 sq mi).[19] Until 2010, these four regional units made up the abolished Athens Prefecture. The municipality of Piraeus, the historic Athenian port, with its 4 suburban municipalities make up the regional unit of Piraeus, which in turn forms Greater Piraeus. Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus combined make up the continuous built up Athens Urban Area (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Αθηνών), also called the Urban Area of the Capital (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Πρωτεύουσας) or simply Athens (the most common use of the term), spanning over 412 km2 (159 sq mi),[71] with a population of 3,090,508 people as of 2011. The Athens Urban Area is considered to form the city of Athens as a whole, despite its administrative divisions, which is the largest in Greece and one of the most populated urban areas in Europe. View of the Athens urban area and the Saronic Gulf Athens Metropolitan Area [ edit ] The Athens Metropolitan Area spans 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi) within the Attica region and includes a total of 58 municipalities, which are organized in 7 regional units (those outlined above, along with East Attica and West Attica), having reached a population of 3,737,550 based on the preliminary results of the 2011 census. Athens and Piraeus municipalities serve as the two metropolitan centres of the Athens Metropolitan Area.[72] There are also some inter-municipal centres serving specific areas. For example, Kifissia and Glyfada serve as inter-municipal centres for northern and southern suburbs respectively. Demographics [ edit ] Attica Basin from space The Athens Urban Area within thefrom space Athens population distribution Population in modern times [ edit ] The seven districts of the Athens municipality The municipality of Athens has an official population of 664,046 people.[2] The four regional units that make up what is referred to as Greater Athens have a combined population of 2,640,701. They together with the regional unit of Piraeus (Greater Piraeus) make up the dense Athens Urban Area which reaches a total population of 3,090,508 inhabitants (in 2011).[20] As Eurostat the FUA of Athens had in 2013 3,828,434 inhabitants, being apparently decreasing compared with the pre-economic crisis date of 2009 (4,164,175)[21] The municipality (City) of Athens is the most populous in Greece, with a population of 664,046 people (in 2011)[2] and an area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi),[18] forming the core of the Athens Urban Area within the Attica Basin. The current mayor of Athens is Giorgos Kaminis. The municipality is divided into seven municipal districts which are mainly used for administrative purposes. As of the 2011 census, the population for each of the seven municipal districts of Athens is as follows:[73] 1st: 75,810 2nd: 103,004 3rd: 46,508 4th: 85,629 5th: 98,665 6th: 130,582 7th: 123,848 For the Athenians the most popular way of dividing the city proper is through its neighbourhoods such as Pagkrati, Ambelokipi, Exarcheia, Patissia, Ilissia, Petralona, Koukaki and Kypseli, each with its own distinct history and characteristics. Population of the Athens Metropolitan Area [ edit ] The Athens Metropolitan Area, with an area of 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi) and inhabited by 3,753,783 people in 2011,[2] consists of the Athens Urban Area with the addition of the towns and villages of East and West Attica, which surround the dense urban area of the Greek capital. It actually sprawls over the whole peninsula of Attica, which is the best part of the region of Attica, excluding the islands. Population in ancient times [ edit ] Mycenean Athens in 1600–1100 BC could have reached the size of Tiryns; that would put the population at the range of 10,000 – 15,000.[74] During the Greek Dark Ages the population of Athens was around 4,000 people. In 700 BC the population grew to 10,000. In 500 BC the area probably contained 200,000 people. During the classical period the city's population is estimated from 150,000–350,000 and up to 610,000 according to Thucydides. When Demetrius of Phalerum conducted a population census in 317 BC the population was 21,000 free citizens, plus 10,000 resident aliens and 400,000 slaves. This suggests a total population of 431,000.[75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83] This figure is highly suspect because of the lopsided number of slaves and does not include free women and children and resident foreigners: an estimated based on Thucydides is: 40,000 male citizens, 100,000 family members, 70,000 metics (resident foreigners) and 150,000-400,000 slaves. However the numbers would include Attica and not just Athens the city.[79] The ancient site of Athens is centred on the rocky hill of the acropolis. In ancient times the port of Piraeus was a separate city, but it has now been absorbed into the Athens Urban Area. The rapid expansion of the city, which continues to this day, was initiated in the 1950s and 1960s, because of Greece's transition from an agricultural to an industrial nation.[84] The expansion is now particularly toward the East and North East (a tendency greatly related to the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and the Attiki Odos, the freeway that cuts across Attica). By this process Athens has engulfed many former suburbs and villages in Attica, and continues to do so. The table below shows the historical population of Athens in recent times. Government and politics [ edit ] [89] The Athens City Hall in Kotzia Square was designed by Panagiotis Kolkas and completed in 1874. Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834, following Nafplion, which was the provisional capital from 1829. The municipality (City) of Athens is also the capital of the Attica region. The term Athens can refer either to the municipality of Athens, to Greater Athens, or to the entire Athens Urban Area. International relations and influence [ edit ] Twin towns – sister cities [ edit ] Athens is twinned with:[90] Partnerships [ edit ] Other locations named after Athens [ edit ] Economy and infrastructure [ edit ] Athens is the financial capital of Greece. According to data from 2014, Athens as a metropolitan economic area produced 129.62 million US-dollars as GDP in PPP, which consists nearly a half of the production for the whole country. In the list with the strongest economic metropoles of the world Athens was ranked that year 102nd, while the GDP per capita for the same year was 32.484 US-dollars. [101] Athens is one of the major economic centres in south-eastern Europe and is considered as a regional economic power in Europe generally. The proximity to the port of Piraeus, where big investments by COSCO have already been delivered during the recent decade, the completion of the new Cargo Centre in Thriasion [102], the expansion of the Athens Metro and the Athens Tram, as well as the projected metropolitan park in Elliniko and other economic projects are the economic landmarks of the upcoming years. Important Greek companies are Mytilineos Holdings, Titan Cement, Folli Follie, Jumbo S.A., OPAP and COSMOTE have their headquarters in the metropolitan area of Athens, while multinational companies such as Ericsson, Siemens, Motorola, Novartis and Coca-Cola have their regional research and development headquarters also there. The 28-storey Athens Tower , which houses offices, was completed in 1971 and is the tallest building in Greece. The banking sector is represented by National Bank of Greece, Alpha Bank, Eurobank and Piraeus Bank, while the Bank of Greece is also situated in the city centre. The Athens Stock Exchange, the only in Greece, has been severely hit by the Greek government-debt crisis and the decision of the government to proceed into capital controls during summer 2015. As a whole the economy of Athens and Greece has been severely hit with today's data showing a change from long recession to growth of 1.4% in 2017. [103] Tourism is also a great contributor for the economy of the city, which is considered as one of the top destinations in Europe for city-break tourism and is also the gateway for excursions to the islands or the mainland. Greece attracted 26.5 million visitors in 2015, 30.1 million visitors in 2017 and over 33 million in 2018, making Greece one of the most visited countries in Europe and the world, and contributing 18% to the nation's Gross Domestic Product. Athens welcomed more than 5 million tourists in 2018 and 1,4 million of them were "city-breakers" (in 2013 the city-breakers were only 220.000).[104] [105] Transport [ edit ] Athens metropolitan railway network (metró and proastiakós) Athens is serviced by a variety of transportation means, forming the largest mass transit system of Greece. The Athens Mass Transit System consists of a large bus fleet, a trolleybus fleet that mainly serves Athens's city center, the city's Metro, a commuter rail service[106] and a tram network, connecting the southern suburbs to the city centre.[107] Bus transport [ edit ] Ethel (Greek: ΕΘΕΛ) (Etaireia Thermikon Leoforeion), or Thermal Bus Company, is the main operator of buses in Athens. Its network consists of about 300 bus lines which span the Athens Metropolitan Area,[108] with an operating staff of 5,327, and a fleet of 1,839 buses.[109] Of those 1,839 buses 416 run on compressed natural gas,[109] making up the largest fleet of natural gas-powered buses in Europe.[110] Besides being served by a fleet of natural-gas and diesel buses, the Athens Urban Area is also served by trolleybuses – or electric buses, as they are referred to in the name of the operating company. The network is operated by Electric Buses of the Athens and Piraeus Region, or ILPAP (Greek: ΗΛΠΑΠ) and consists of 22 lines with an operating staff of 1,137.[111] All of the 366 trolleybuses are equipped to enable them to run on diesel in case of power failure.[111] International and regional bus links are provided by KTEL from two InterCity Bus Terminals, Kifissos Bus Terminal A and Liosion Bus Terminal B, both located in the north-western part of the city. Kifissos provides connections towards the Peloponnese and Attica, whereas Liosion is used for most northerly mainland destinations. Athens Metro [ edit ] The Athens Metro is more commonly known in Greece as the Attiko Metro (Greek: Αττικό Mετρό) and provides public transport throughout the Athens Urban Area. While its main purpose is transport, it also houses Greek artifacts found during construction of the system.[112] The Athens Metro has an operating staff of 387 and runs two of the three metro lines; namely the Red (line 2) and Blue (line 3) lines, which were constructed largely during the 1990s, with the initial sections opened in January 2000. All routes run entirely underground and a fleet of 42 trains consisting of 252 cars operate within the network,[113] with a daily occupancy of 550,000 passengers.[113] The Red Line (line 2) runs from Anthoupoli station to Elliniko station and covers a distance of 17.5 km (10.9 mi).[113] The line connects the western suburbs of Athens with the southeast suburbs, passing through the center of Athens. The Red line has transfer connections with the Green (line 1) at Attiki and Omonoia Square stations. There are also transfer connections with the Blue (line 3) at the Syntagma Square station and with the Tram at Syntagma Square, Sygrou-Fix and Agios Ioannis stations. The Blue Line (line 3) runs from the western suburbs, namely Agia Marina to the Egaleo station, through the central Monastiraki and Syntagma stations to Doukissis Plakentias avenue in the northeastern suburb of Halandri, covering a distance of 16 km (10 mi),[113] then ascending to ground level and reaching Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, using the Suburban Railway infrastructure and extending its length to 39 km (24 mi).[113] The spring 2007 extension from Monastiraki westwards, to Egaleo, connected some of the main night life hubs of the city, namely the ones of Gazi (Kerameikos station) with Psirri (Monastiraki station) and the city centre (Syntagma station). Extensions are under construction to the west southwest suburbs of Athens, reaching to the port and the center of Piraeus. The new stations will be Agia Barvara, Koridallos, Nikaia, Maniatika, Piraeus and Dimotiko Theatro station. The stations will be ready in 2021 (the first three will open in 2019), connecting the biggest port of Greece, Piraeus Port ,with the biggest airport of Greece the Athens International Airport. Electric railway (ISAP) [ edit ] Not run by the Athens Metro company, is the ISAP (Greek: ΗΣΑΠ), the Electric Railway Company line, which for many years served as Athens's primary urban rail transport. This is today the Green Line (line 1) of the Athens Metro network as shown on maps, and unlike the red and blue lines, ISAP has many above-ground sections on its route. This was the original metro line from Piraeus to Kifisia; serving 22 stations,[114] with a network length of 25.6 km (15.9 mi),[114] an operating staff of 730 and a fleet of 44 trains and 243 cars.[114] ISAP's occupancy rate is 600,000 passengers daily.[114] The Green Line (line 1) now serves 24 stations, and forms the oldest line of the Athens metro network and for the most part runs at ground level,[115] connecting the port of Piraeus with the northern suburb of Kifissia. The line is set to be extended to Agios Stefanos, a suburb located 23 km (14 mi)[citation needed] to the north of Athens, reaching to 36 km (22 mi).[citation needed] The Athens Metropolitan Railway system is managed by three companies; namely ISAP (line 1),[116] Attiko Metro (lines 2 & 3), while its commuter rail, the Proastiakós is considered as line 4.[citation needed] Commuter/suburban rail (Proastiakos) [ edit ] Suburban rail The Athens commuter rail service, referred to as the "Proastiakós", connects Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport to the city of Kiato, 106 km (66 mi)[117] west of Athens, via Larissa station, the city's central rail station and the port of Piraeus. The service is sometimes considered the fourth line of the Athens Metro. The length of Athens's commuter rail network extends to 120 km (75 mi),[117] and is expected to stretch to 281 km (175 mi) by 2010.[117] The Proastiakos will be extended to Xylokastro west of Athens and Chalkida.[117] Tram [ edit ] Athens Tram SA operates a fleet of 35 Sirio type vehicles[118] which serve 48 stations,[118] employ 345 people with an average daily occupancy of 65,000 passengers.[118] The tram network spans a total length of 27 km (17 mi) and covers ten Athenian suburbs.[118] The network runs from Syntagma Square to the southwestern suburb of Palaio Faliro, where the line splits in two branches; the first runs along the Athens coastline toward the southern suburb of Voula, while the other heads toward the Piraeus district of Neo Faliro. The network covers the majority of the Saronic coastline.[119] Further extensions are planned towards the major commercial port of Piraeus.[118] The expansion to Piraeus will include 12 new stations, increase the overall length of tram route by 5.4 km (3 mi), and increase the overall transportation network.[120] Athens International Airport [ edit ] Athens is served by the Athens International Airport (ATH), located near the town of Spata, in the eastern Messoghia plain, some 35 km (22 mi) east of Athens.[121] The airport, awarded the "European Airport of the Year 2004" Award,[122] is intended as an expandable hub for air travel in southeastern Europe and was constructed in 51 months, costing 2.2 billion euros. It employs a staff of 14,000.[122] The airport is served by the Metro, the suburban rail, buses to Piraeus port, Athens' city centre and its suburbs, and also taxis. The airport accommodates 65 landings and take-offs per hour,[121] with its 24-passenger boarding bridges,[121] 144 check-in counters and broader 150,000 m2 (1,614,587 sq ft) main terminal;[121] and a commercial area of 7,000 m2 (75,347 sq ft) which includes cafés, duty-free shops,[122] and a small museum. In 2018,the airport handled 24,135,736 a huge increase over the last 4 years,In 2014, the airport handled 15,196,369 passengers, an increase of 21.2% over the previous year of 2013.[123] Of those 15,196,369 passengers, 5,267,593 passed through the airport for domestic flights,[124] and 9,970,006 passengers travelled through for international flights.[124] Beyond the dimensions of its passenger capacity, ATH handled 205,294 total flights in 2007, or approximately 562 flights per day.[125] Railways and ferry connections [ edit ] Athens is the hub of the country's national railway system (OSE), connecting the capital with major cities across Greece and abroad (Istanbul, Sofia and Bucharest).The Port of Piraeus connects Athens to the numerous Greek islands of the Aegean Sea, with ferries departing, while also serving the cruise ships that arrive. Motorways [ edit ] View of Hymettus tangent (Periferiaki Imittou) from Kalogeros Hill Two main motorways of Greece begin in Athens, namely the A1/E75, which crosses through Athens's Urban Area from Piraeus, heading north towards Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki; and the A8/E94 heading west, towards Patras, which incorporated the GR-8A. Before their completion much of the road traffic used the GR-1 and the GR-8. Athens' Metropolitan Area is served by the motorway network of the Attiki Odos toll-motorway (code: A6). Its main section extends from the western industrial suburb of Elefsina to Athens International Airport; while two beltways, namely the Aigaleo Beltway (A65) and the Hymettus Beltway (A64) serve parts of western and eastern Athens respectively. The span of the Attiki Odos in all its length is 65 km (40 mi),[126] making it the largest metropolitan motorway network in all of Greece. Motorways: A1/E75 N (Lamia, Larissa, Thessaloniki) A8 (GR-8A)/E94 W (Elefsina, Corinth, Patras) A6 W (Elefsina) E (Airport) National roads: GR-1 Ν (Lamia, Larissa, Thessaloniki) GR-8 W (Corinth, Patras) GR-3 N (Elefsina, Lamia, Larissa) Education [ edit ] Located on Panepistimiou Street, the old campus of the University of Athens, the National Library, and the Athens Academy form the "Athens Trilogy" built in the mid-19th century. Most of the university's workings have been moved to a much larger, modern campus located in the eastern suburb of Zografou. The second higher education institution in the city is the Athens Polytechnic School, found in Patission Street. This was the location where on 17 November 1973, more than 13 students were killed and hundreds injured inside the university during the Athens Polytechnic uprising,[127] against the military junta that ruled the nation from 21 April 1967 until 23 July 1974. Other universities that lie within Athens are the Athens University of Economics and Business, the Panteion University, the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Piraeus. There are overall eleven state-supported Institutions of Higher (or Tertiary) education located in the Metropolitan Area of Athens, these are by chronological order: Athens School of Fine Arts (1837), National Technical University of Athens (1837), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1837), Agricultural University of Athens (1920), Athens University of Economics and Business (1920), Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (1927), University of Piraeus (1938), Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus (1976), Technological Educational Institute of Athens (1983), Harokopio University (1990), School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (2002). There are also several other private colleges, as they called formally in Greece, as the establishment of private universities is prohibited by the constitution. Many of them are accredited by a foreign state or university such as the American College of Greece and the Athens Campus of the University of Indianapolis.[128] The main building of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, as part of the Hansen's Trilogy. Culture [ edit ] Archaeological hub [ edit ] The city is a world centre of archaeological research. Along with national institutions, such as the Athens University and the Archaeological Society, there are multiple archaeological Museums including the National Archaeological Museum, the Cycladic Museum, the Epigraphic Museum, the Byzantine & Christian Museum, as well as museums at the ancient Agora, Acropolis, Kerameikos, and the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum. The city is also home to the Demokritos laboratory for Archaeometry, alongside regional and national archaeological authorities that form part of the Greek Department of Culture. Athens hosts 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes which promote and facilitate research by scholars from their home countries. As a result, Athens has more than a dozen archaeological libraries and three specialized archaeological laboratories, and is the venue of several hundred specialized lectures, conferences and seminars, as well as dozens of archaeological exhibitions, each year. At any given time, hundreds of international scholars and researchers in all disciplines of archaeology are to be found in the city. Architecture [ edit ] Two apartment buildings in central Athens. The left one is a modernist building of the 1930s, while the right one was built in the 1950s. Athens incorporates architectural styles ranging from Greco-Roman and Neoclassical to modern times. They are often to be found in the same areas, as Athens is not marked by a uniformity of architectural style. A visitor will quickly notice the absence of tall buildings: Athens has very strict height restriction laws in order to ensure the Acropolis hill is visible throughout the city. For the greatest part of the 19th century Neoclassicism dominated Athens, as well as some deviations from it such as Eclecticism, especially in the early 20th century. Thus, the Old Royal Palace was the first important public building to be built, between 1836 and 1843. Later in the mid and late 19th century, Theophil Freiherr von Hansen and Ernst Ziller took part in the construction of many neoclassical buildings such as the Athens Academy and the Zappeion Hall. Ziller also designed many private mansions in the centre of Athens which gradually became public, usually through donations, such as Schliemann's Iliou Melathron. Beginning in the 1920s, Modern architecture including Bauhaus and Art Deco began to exert an influence on almost all Greek architects, and buildings both public and private were constructed in accordance with these styles. Localities with a great number of such buildings include Kolonaki, and some areas of the centre of the city; neighbourhoods developed in this period include Kypseli.[129] In the 1950s and 1960s during the extension and development of Athens, other modern movements such as the International style played an important role. The centre of Athens was largely rebuilt, leading to the demolition of a number of neoclassical buildings. The architects of this era employed materials such as glass, marble and aluminium, and many blended modern and classical elements.[130] After World War II, internationally known architects to have designed and built in the city included Walter Gropius, with his design for the US Embassy, and, among others, Eero Saarinen, in his postwar design for the east terminal of the Ellinikon Airport. Urban sculpture [ edit ] All over the city can be found several statues or busts. Apart from the neoclassicals by Leonidas Drosis at the Academy of Athens (Plato, Socrates, Apollo, Athena), other notable include the statue of Theseus by Georgios Fytalis at Thiseion, of philhellenes like Lord Byron, George Canning and William Gladstone, the equestrian statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis by Lazaros Sochos in front of the Old Parliament, statues of Ioannis Kapodistrias, Rigas Feraios and Adamantios Korais at the University, of Evangelos Zappas and Konstantinos Zappas at Zappeion, of Ioannis Varvakis at the National Garden, the "woodbreaker" by Dimitrios Filippotis, the equestrian statue of Alexandros Papagos at Papagou district and various busts of fighters of Greek independence at the Pedion tou Areos. An important landmark is also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma. Museums [ edit ] Athens' most important museums include: Tourism [ edit ] Athens has been a destination for travellers since antiquity. Over the past decade, the city's infrastructure and social amenities have improved, in part because of its successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. The Greek Government, aided by the EU, has funded major infrastructure projects such as the state-of-the-art Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport,[131] the expansion of the Athens Metro system,[65] and the new Attiki Odos Motorway.[65] Athens was voted as the third best European city to visit in 2015 by European Best Destination. More than 240,000 people voted. Entertainment and performing arts [ edit ] Athens is home to 148 theatrical stages, more than any other city in the world, including the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus, home to the Athens Festival, which runs from May to October each year.[132][133] In addition to a large number of multiplexes, Athens plays host to open air garden cinemas. The city also supports music venues, including the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Moussikis), which attracts world class artists.[134] The Athens Planetarium,[135] located in Andrea Syngrou Avenue, is one of the largest and best equipped digital planetaria in the world.[136][137] The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, inaugurated in 2016, will house the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera.[138] Music [ edit ] The most successful songs during the period 1870–1930 were the so-called Athenian serenades (Αθηναϊκές καντάδες), based on the Heptanesean kantádhes (καντάδες 'serenades'; sing.: καντάδα) and the songs performed on stage (επιθεωρησιακά τραγούδια 'theatrical revue songs') in revues, musical comedies, operettas and nocturnes that were dominating Athens' theatre scene. Notable composers of operettas or nocturnes were Kostas Giannidis, Dionysios Lavrangas, Nikos Hatziapostolou, while Theophrastos Sakellaridis' The Godson remains probably the most popular operetta. Despite the fact that the Athenian songs were not autonomous artistic creations (in contrast with the serenades) and despite their original connection with mainly dramatic forms of Art, they eventually became hits as independent songs. Notable actors of Greek operettas, who made also a series of melodies and songs popular at that time, include Orestis Makris, Kalouta sisters, Vasilis Avlonitis, Afroditi Laoutari, Eleni Papadaki, Marika Nezer, Marika Krevata and others. After 1930, wavering among American and European musical influences as well as the Greek musical tradition. Greek composers begin to write music using the tunes of the tango, waltz, swing, foxtrot, some times combined with melodies in the style of Athenian serenades' repertory. Nikos Gounaris was probably the most renowned composer and singer of the time. In 1923, after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, many ethnic Greeks from Asia Minor fled to Athens as a result of the Greco-Turkish War. They settled in poor neighborhoods and brought with them Rebetiko music, making it popular also in Greece, which became later the base for the Laïko music. Other forms of song popular today in Greece are elafrolaika, entechno, dimotika, and skyladika.[139] Greece's most notable, and internationally famous, composers of Greek song, mainly of the entechno form, are Manos Hadjidakis and Mikis Theodorakis. Both composers have achieved fame abroad for their composition of film scores.[139] Sports [ edit ] Overview [ edit ] Athens has a long tradition in sports and sporting events, serving as home to the most important clubs in Greek sport and housing a large number of sports facilities. The city has also been host to sports events of international importance. Athens has hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice, in 1896 and 2004. The 2004 Summer Olympics required the development of the Athens Olympic Stadium, which has since gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, and one of its most interesting modern monuments.[140] The biggest stadium in the country, it hosted two finals of the UEFA Champions League, in 1994 and 2007. Athens' other major stadium, located in the Piraeus area, is the Karaiskakis Stadium, a sports and entertainment complex, host of the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. Athens has hosted the EuroLeague final three times, the first in 1985 and second in 1993, both at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, most known as SEF, a large indoor arena,[141] and the third time in 2007 at the Olympic Indoor Hall. Events in other sports such as athletics, volleyball, water polo etc., have been hosted in the capital's venues. Athens is home to three European multi-sport clubs: Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens. In football, Olympiacos have dominated the domestic competitions, Panathinaikos made it to the 1971 European Cup Final, while AEK Athens is the other member of the big three. These clubs also have basketball teams; Panathinaikos and Olympiacos are among the top powers in European basketball, having won the Euroleague six times and three respectively, whilst AEK Athens was the first Greek team to win a European trophy in any team sport. Other notable clubs within Athens are Athinaikos, Panionios, Atromitos, Apollon, Panellinios, Ethnikos Piraeus, Maroussi BCE and Peristeri B.C.. Athenian clubs have also had domestic and international success in other sports. The Athens area encompasses a variety of terrain, notably hills and mountains rising around the city, and the capital is the only major city in Europe to be bisected by a mountain range. Four mountain ranges extend into city boundaries and thousands of miles of trails criss-cross the city and neighbouring areas, providing exercise and wilderness access on foot and bike. Beyond Athens and across the prefecture of Attica, outdoor activities include skiing, rock climbing, hang gliding and windsurfing. Numerous outdoor clubs serve these sports, including the Athens Chapter of the Sierra Club, which leads over 4,000 outings annually in the area. Sports clubs [ edit ] Beside the above clubs, inside the boundaries of Athens municipality there are some more clubs with presence in national divisions or notable action for short periods. Some of them are PAO Rouf (Rouf) with earlier presence in Gamma Ethniki, Petralona F.C.(el) (Petralona), football club founded in 1963, with earlier presence in Beta Ethniki, Attikos F.C.(el) (Kolonos), football club founded in 1919 with short presence in Gamma Ethniki, Athinais Kypselis(el) (Kypseli), football club founded in 1938 with short presence in Gamma Ethniki, Gyziakos (Gyzi), basketball club founded in 1937 with short presence in Beta Ethniki basketball and Aetos B.C.(el) (Agios Panteleimonas), basketball club founded in 1992 with earlier presence in A2 Ethniki Basketball. Another important Athenian sport club is the Athens Tennis Club founded in 1895 with important offer for the Greek tennis.[142] Olympic Games [ edit ] 1896 Summer Olympics [ edit ] 1896 brought forth the revival of the modern Olympic Games, by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Thanks to his efforts, Athens was awarded the first modern Olympic Games. In 1896, the city had a population of 123,000[85] and the event helped boost the city's international profile. Of the venues used for these Olympics, the Kallimarmaro Stadium, and Zappeion were most crucial. The Kallimarmaro is a replica of the ancient Athenian stadiums, and the only major stadium (in its capacity of 60,000) to be made entirely of white marble from Mount Penteli, the same material used for construction of the Parthenon. 1906 Summer Olympics [ edit ] The 1906 Summer Olympics, or the 1906 Intercalated games, were held in Athens. The intercalated competitions were intermediate games to the internationally organized Olympics, and were meant to be organized in Greece every four years, between the main Olympics. This idea later lost support from the IOC and these games were discontinued. 2004 Summer Olympics [ edit ] 10,000-meter final during the 2004 Olympic Games Athens was awarded the 2004 Summer Olympics on 5 September 1997 in Lausanne, Switzerland, after having lost a previous bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics, to Atlanta, United States.[22] It was to be the second time Athens would host the games, following the inaugural event of 1896. After an unsuccessful bid in 1990, the 1997 bid was radically improved, including an appeal to Greece's Olympic history. In the last round of voting, Athens defeated Rome with 66 votes to 41.[22] Prior to this round, the cities of Buenos Aires, Stockholm and Cape Town had been eliminated from competition, having received fewer votes.[22] During the first three years of preparations, the International Olympic Committee had expressed concern over the speed of construction progress for some of the new Olympic venues. In 2000 the Organising Committee's president was replaced by Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who was the president of the original Bidding Committee in 1997. From that point forward, preparations continued at a highly accelerated, almost frenzied pace. Although the heavy cost was criticized, estimated at $1.5 billion, Athens was transformed into a more functional city that enjoys modern technology both in transportation and in modern urban development.[143] Some of the finest sporting venues in the world were created in the city, all of which were fully ready for the games. The games welcomed over 10,000 athletes from all 202 countries.[143] The 2004 Games were judged a success, as both security and organization worked well, and only a few visitors reported minor problems mainly concerning accommodation issues. The 2004 Olympic Games were described as Unforgettable, dream Games, by IOC President Jacques Rogge for their return to the birthplace of the Olympics, and for meeting the challenges of holding the Olympic Games.[143] The only observable problem was a somewhat sparse attendance of some early events. Eventually, however, a total of more than 3.5 million tickets were sold, which was higher than any other Olympics with the exception of Sydney (more than 5 million tickets were sold there in 2000).[144] In 2008 it was reported that most of the Olympic venues had fallen into disrepair: according to those reports, 21 of the 22 facilities built for the games had either been left abandoned or are in a state of dereliction, with several squatter camps having sprung up around certain facilities, and a number of venues afflicted by vandalism, graffiti or strewn with rubbish.[145][146] These claims, however, are disputed and likely to be inaccurate, as most of the facilities used for the Athens Olympics are either in use or in the process of being converted for post-Olympics use. The Greek Government has created a corporation, Olympic Properties SA, which is overseeing the post-Olympics management, development and conversion of these facilities, some of which will be sold off (or have already been sold off) to the private sector,[147] while other facilities are still in use just as during the Olympics, or have been converted for commercial use or modified for other sports.[148] Concerts and theatrical shows, such as those by the troupe Cirque du Soleil, have recently been held in the complex.[139] Special Olympics 2011 [ edit ] The 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games was in Athens. The opening ceremony of the games took place on 25 June 2011 at the Panathinaiko Stadium and the closing ceremony was held on 4 July 2011. Over 7,500 athletes, from 185 countries, competed in a total of 22 sports. See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Official Historical EIE.gr – Page on Archaeology of the City of Athens in the National Hellenic Research Foundation website Rg.ancients.info/owls – Athenian owl coins Kronoskaf.com – Simulation of Athens in 421 BC Athens Museums Information – Guide with pictures, visitor comments and reviews Travel Athens – The Greek National Tourism Organization This is Athens – The official City of Athens guide Athens Urban Transport Organisation
The Kenyan Red Cross said at least seven people were killed and 29 injured in an explosion on a minibus in Nairobi. The blast followed several grenade attacks across Kenya blamed on Somali militants and their sympathizers.It is not yet known what caused the blast that tore through a 25-seat bus in the Eastleigh neighborhood of Nairobi.Some witnesses and police said they saw an unidentified assailant throw a grenade. A VOA reporter at the scene said it was more likely a homemade bomb.Whatever it was, the blast was powerful enough to reduce the bus to a blackened, burned out shell.One witness, Mohammed Qadar Gudle said he felt the blast from 500 meters away. “I saw it, even the land was shaking," he said. "I thought it was an earthquake. So once I saw the car burning out, I ran to the near of it, and I saw almost seven people died and at least 25 injured, badly injured.”Gudle said fighting broke out on the street following the explosion, as angry mobs turned on the Somali residents of Eastleigh. “So the Kenyan people they started fighting with the Somali members of the community and they started chasing away each other, throwing stones,” he added.He said the fighting stopped as the police arrived on the scene, but tension remains high. A VOA reporter said neighborhood shops had closed, and residents were staying off the streets.Kenya has experienced attacks on churches and public places across the country during the past year, including previous grenade attacks in Eastleigh. Police have blamed assailants linked to the Somali militant group al-Shabab, which has vowed to attack Kenya because Kenyan military forces entered Somalia last year to fight against the group.
☀☀☀ Featured in Photoshop Creative Magazine! ☀☀☀ A more presentable way to display your layers! 3D Layers gives you the power to turn your layers into 3D extrusions with just one click. Easy to Use Simply select a layer and play one action to create an extrusion. From there on, you can extend/shorten the extrusion, rotate the angle, add highlights/outlines, etc using actions. Editable Layers Need to make a change? All layers are fully editable so that you can make the changes without undoing a bunch of steps. Simply play the "Edit Extrusion Layer Contents" action, make your changes, then play the "Save Extrusion Layer Contents" action. Smooth Edges Isometric transformations can cause jagged edges. These actions apply smart smoothing to eliminate jagged edges. You can also switch between crisp, smooth, or ultra smooth edges. Full Transparency Support Layers will always look great because they support transparency perfectly. No additional steps are required. Batch Mode Turning one layer into a 3D extrusion is easy. What if you need to do it to all your layers? Simply use the step-by-step batch mode to speed up your process. Photoshop Actions Top Left - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 1) Top Left - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 2) Top Left - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 3) Top Left - Create Extrusion from Current Layer Top Left - Increase Extrusion 10px Top Left - Increase Extrusion 20px Top Left - Increase Extrusion 40px Top Left - Increase Extrusion 80px Top Left - Increase Extrusion 160px Top Left - Decrease Extrusion 10px Top Left - Decrease Extrusion 20px Top Left - Decrease Extrusion 40px Top Left - Decrease Extrusion 80px Top Left - Decrease Extrusion 160px Top Right - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 1) Top Right - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 2) Top Right - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 3) Top Right - Create Extrusion from Current Layer Top Right - Increase Extrusion 10px Top Right - Increase Extrusion 20px Top Right - Increase Extrusion 40px Top Right - Increase Extrusion 80px Top Right - Increase Extrusion 160px Top Right - Decrease Extrusion 10px Top Right - Decrease Extrusion 20px Top Right - Decrease Extrusion 40px Top Right - Decrease Extrusion 80px Top Right - Decrease Extrusion 160px Left - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 1) Left - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 2) Left - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 3) Left - Create Extrusion from Current Layer Left - Increase Extrusion 10px Left - Increase Extrusion 20px Left - Increase Extrusion 40px Left - Increase Extrusion 80px Left - Increase Extrusion 160px Left - Decrease Extrusion 10px Left - Decrease Extrusion 20px Left - Decrease Extrusion 40px Left - Decrease Extrusion 80px Left - Decrease Extrusion 160px Right - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 1) Right - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 2) Right - Create Extrusions from All Layers (Step 3) Right - Create Extrusion from Current Layer Right - Increase Extrusion 10px Right - Increase Extrusion 20px Right - Increase Extrusion 40px Right - Increase Extrusion 80px Right - Increase Extrusion 160px Right - Decrease Extrusion 10px Right - Decrease Extrusion 20px Right - Decrease Extrusion 40px Right - Decrease Extrusion 80px Right - Decrease Extrusion 160px Reveal Canvas Generate Backgrounds Edit Extrusion Layer Contents Save Extrusion Layer Contents Hide Extrusion Show Extrusion Separate Shadows from Extrusion Edge Smoothness - Crisp Edge Smoothness - Smooth Edge Smoothness - Ultra Smooth ► See a Video Preview! http://www.sparklestock.com/previews/3d-layers.html Updates 10/11/2013 Completely revamped actions! New Top Left/Right extrusions New "Ultra Smooth Edge" mode for even smoother non-jagged edges New actions to automatically create extrusions on all layers New actions to increase/decrease extrusions in larger increments New actions to set edge smoothness to Crisp/Smooth/Ultra Smooth. New layer structure for extrusion layers. Visible extrusion backfaces when used with translucent layers Removed extrusion rotations and border/highlight styles 9/30/2013 Fixed a minor gap in the extrusion The left and right extrusion angles now match the isometric angle of the top extrusion 8/13/2013 Added left and right extrusion styles Added crisp and smooth extrusion styles This product is part of the "Mega Action Pack #3". Get eight action sets including this one for 50% off!
'Who are you fighting for?' Malcolm Turnbull, Vladimir Putin and the new geopolitical reality Updated There are no pictures of Vladimir Putin's encounter with Malcolm Turnbull at the G20 in Hangzhou, but his message on the Syrian war could not be clearer. The Russian strongman listed the litany of Western errors in the Middle East, saying George W Bush should never have unsettled the region by deposing Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The United States and Australia were repeating the error in Syria and playing into the hands of radical Islam, he said. "I'm fighting for the legitimate Government of Syria," Mr Putin added. "Who are you fighting for?" It was, Australian sources conceded, a very good question. The exchange highlights the value of the summit season. Behind the impenetrable bureaucratise of the obligatory communiques, the leaders have very frank conversations where disputes and hopes are boiled down to their essence. And this does not just happen in the official "sideline" meetings, but in momentary encounters on conference room floors and in corridors. Turnbull's 'funk' lifted on G20 journey In another snapshot with Mr Turnbull, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on an aide to produce an iPad, and the Prime Minister was shown a map of Turkey's border with Syria. Mr Erdogan pointed to a zone inside Syria, 90 kilometres wide and 40km deep. It was there that he proposed to set up a safe zone for refugees, policed by Turkey's military. Observers say that the other way the map could be read was that it split Kurdish forces. The Prime Minister has had a grim time of it at home since the beginning of this year and he has been weakened by an election that reduced his majority to a single seat in Parliament. It has been obvious that his confidence has been rocked and his public appearances have not lost the wooden edge of his campaigning. But that funk has lifted on this journey. Released from the grind of the daily politics that he has yet to master, and liberated to focus on some of the world's larger problems there has been a clear change in Mr Turnbull's demeanour. He is smiling and engaged in public, and in private is wrestling with Australia's role in what has become a very unsettled world. And the West's position in the world is now as weak as Mr Turnbull's is at home. Europe is in a state of constant political and economic crisis, exacerbated by the march of a million asylum seekers and Brexit. Russia, China emboldened by sense of US in decline The changing of the guard in the United States has exposed the deep and widening internal fissures in that nation and reinforced the sense that the world's only superpower is in decline. That has emboldened Russia, which is pushing out its elbows as it seeks to regain the place it lost with the fall of the Soviet Union. Australian officials worry that Chinese president Xi Jinping is making the same calculation as Mr Putin, fortifying islands in the South China Sea and paying little heed to protests. One noted that the pattern of behaviour is for Beijing to push out, be met with protest, and then pause before pressing ahead again. That is what's happening the East China Sea where, after a period of relative calm, China has recently stepped up activity around the disputed Senkaku Islands. That has an already worried Japan in a flap. Mr Turnbull met with Japan's Shinzo Abe on Wednesday, and responding to China's assertiveness was no doubt high on the agenda. As flashpoints go, it might be the East China Sea that is now the place to watch. There, a nationalistic China is confronting an equally determined Japan that has reinterpreted its pacifist constitution in preparation for a fight. That is a dangerous cocktail. Everyone hopes that will not happen, that deep economic ties will make the cost of a conflict too high for all. But countries do not go to war because they want to. They do it when they believe the alternatives are worse. Topics: government-and-politics, world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, foreign-affairs, turnbull-malcolm, australia, china, russian-federation First posted
Baby pythons close doors at childcare centre Updated Sorry, this video has expired Video: Python nest found in childcare centre (ABC News) A Darwin childcare centre has shut down early before Christmas because of a snake infestation. Louise DeBomford from the Mitchell Street Childcare Centre says snake catchers were called in yesterday when a baby python was spotted. She says they found a 2.5 metre carpet python and a nest of 23 babies inside a wall. "Darwin City Council came down, they said we have two choices, we can either plug out the holes in the wall or we can pull the panel off the wall," she said. "I said 'pull the panel off', and that's when they found a nest of them." Ms DeBomford says while the mother and most of its babies were caught, there were 41 hatched eggs found inside the wall. "There are still a few of the babies on the loose, so the staff will be in today." The snakes that were found were removed and later released in a bushland area. Topics: human-interest, child-care, reptiles, darwin-0800 First posted
Playing it safe; that is what the United States film industry has on its agenda. From the numerous versions of Time Warner’s (NYSE:TWX) Batman, the remakes of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, and the adaption of all seven books of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series into eight movies, movie makers have shown a preference for avoiding original ideas. As that simple recapitulation proves, an overwhelming number of summer and holiday blockbusters have either numbers attached to the end of their titles or can be described as franchises, a word that does not exactly conjure a sense of individuality or creativity. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW In 2011, Hollywood released an all-time record number of sequels, with 27, beating the previous high of 24, which was set in 2003. Titles included in this lineup of sequels, remakes, and adaptations were Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon — produced by Viacom-owned (NASDAQ:VIAB) Paramount Pictures, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Incidentally, these films were also the top five grossing films of 2011. Just last weekend, Disney’s (NYSE:DIS) Iron Man 3, had the second-biggest opening week ever. The only film that came in ahead of it was The Avengers, which is based on the same comic series. From conventional wisdom, it would seem that movies based on original concepts would be better than derivative works, and studios are producting too few of the former and too many of the latter. But an analysis of five years’ worth of box office and critic review data for films released between January 2006 and December 2010 shows a slightly different perspective. In that period, only 43 percent of films were based on original ideas, and critics preferred it that way. Metacritic, which averages individual critic scores on a scale of 0 to 100, compiled the critical consensus for each movie, and those scores revealed that critics rated movies based on existing concepts slightly more favorably than films based on original ideas. While this fact may seem contradictory, it merely shows that even those films not based on derivative works are based on re-hashed and tired genre tropes that audiences have seen numerous times in prior films. And this is exactly the point; derivative works are much safer than so-called original films. Because the first version was popular, it is likely that those who liked that film will at least shell out $10 or more for a ticket to the new feature. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW Ticket price is a clear issue for both theater operators and film studios as well, since fewer people are seeing movies in theaters than ever before; in North America, attendance is down 12 percent so far this year compared to last. Still, original movies are often cheaper to make and can have a larger percentage return. For example, The King’s Speech cost just $15 million to make and raked in $414 million worldwide, while The Hangover 2 cost $80 million to make and generated $586 million worldwide. But there was no risk involved in The Hangover 2, as the original had been a huge success, whereas The King’s Speech might have gone largely unnoticed had it not become a Golden Globe and Oscar winner, gaining it a wide release in the U.S. and greater visibility in other markets. Don’t Miss: How Many Companies Are Cooking the Books?
(Newser) – It was the tragically wrong place at the wrong time for 58-year-old construction worker Gary Anderson yesterday morning, when he pulled up to a 50-story apartment building under construction in Jersey City, NJ, to deliver sheetrock. He parked, poked his head into a vehicle to talk to someone, and then pulled it back out again. At that very moment a 1-pound tape measure slipped off a contractor's belt 50 stories above, hit some construction equipment about a dozen feet off the ground, and then ricocheted onto Anderson's head, reports WNBC-TV. Anderson was knocked out, went into cardiac arrest while being treated, and died at the hospital less than an hour later. He wasn't wearing a hard hat, but police say there was one in his truck at the time, reports ABC News. The Jersey City Department of Public Safety stressed that people working at construction sites must wear helmets at all times. (In another freak accident, a Chicago bride-to-be was killed by a falling gargoyle in September.)
This is from Facebook: Last night Lauren Jurysta had a gun put in her face by homophobic assholes coming out of Pleasure Bar in Bloomfield. In her words “They called me a dyke bitch then pointed a gun at me.” This is the 2nd time someone coming out of the Pleasure Bar has done something to harm someone for being gay. There will be a rally there at 7pm on the corner of cedarville and liberty. This is important whether you know Lauren or not, as it could have been any one of us. I don’t know any of the facts, so unable to report more than to say that this rally will happen, or I think it will happen. This incident follows two incidents last year, one of which was in the same area of Bloomfield, but the fact that a gun was pulled suggests an escalation in violence and that makes this even more important. However, from a very brief thread on Facebook, I wonder if there are actually two issues going on here. Fact: No one, GLBTQ or perceived to be GLBTQ deserves to be harrassed, bullied or bothered because of who they are or who others perceive them to be. Fact: When faced with a homophobe, especially a drunk homophobe, we each make choices about how we are going to respond to the injustice of being harrassed. Person on Facebook: I really do not want to see this become an instance where people are saying or thinking “what did she do to deserve this?” or “this isn’t really a gay bashing”. No matter what, people have the right to stand up to homophobia without others accusing them of provoking violence. As bell hooks says, “Rage is an appropriate response to oppression.” Thomas Waters: Why would anyone suggest that anyone deserved having a gun pointed at them? That is pretty ridiculous. Having a gun pointed at you is a crime and we can only expect to receive the type of help that we deserve rom authorites if a police report is filed. Can you show me or tell me who is accusing anyone of provoking violence? Person on Facebook: No one yet in this instance. I am thinking back to previous gay-bashing incidents that were not taken seriously because the victims were flamboyantly dressed and/or “provoked” their attackers by not being quiet and taking shit. Thomas Waters: Well, I am aware of 2 gay bashing incidents and in each case (one in Bloomfield and one in Highland Park) they were BOTH taken very seriously. Everyone deserves to walk down a street, wait for a bus or visit a local business ad be treated with dignity and respect. When police reportsd are filed and contain adequate information, it becomes easier for the police and other authorities to take action. In this current incident, a gun was pulled which is a real escalation in violence against a member of the community and that is a very big deal that should be taken very seriously. I’m interested in knowing if a police report was filed, and if it was how did the police handle themselves and this situation? I’m interested in knowing if the police report contained adequate information so that the police could take action, investigate and help make the city a safer place for LGBTQ and those perceived to be LGBTQ. Violence happens everywhere, and anti-LGBTQ violence can happen even in very gay places like West Hollywood. The way places get safer is for all of us to stand up and not accept violence against people for any reason. But I’m also concerened about the re-writing of history. In both of the previous incidents authorities took the situations very seriously. In the case of the Bloomfield bashing, no police report was filed, and so the police could not investigate. However, because of the severity of what happened, and the accusations made against some folks, I am told that traffic cameras were reviewed which showed the Queen actually threw the first punch. He did get the shit kicked out of him, whic no one deserves, but one has to ask if throwing the first puch is a good idea when facing a group of drunk straight dudes. Because no police report was filed, how could this be taken any more seriously? In the case of the Highland Park incident, everyone, especially the police, myself, and councilman Patrick Dowd, took this extremely seriously. A police report was filed, and because of that one detail, the situation was used to really look at problems with the way that the police can respond to gay bashings. This resulted in Zone 5 committing to come and take police reports in a place that is considre4d to be safe by a victim so that a victim isn’t subjected to a harsh and inhospitable experience at the police station. In neither case did anyone take anything that happened as not serious. Pittsburgh is becoming a very gay and gay friendly city. It is in the best interests of everyone that whenever any incident happens it can be investigated fully and any steps taken to stop futher actions. Perhaps more details of this incident will become evident at the rally this evening.
Hip-hop and R&B didn't get much airtime at the 2016 People's Choice Awards on Wednesday night (Jan. 6) -- unless the stage crasher promoting Kevin Gates' Islah album counts -- but that doesn't mean some big names in the respective genres didn't take home a win. The Weeknd scored a top honor by earning the award for Favorite R&B Artist. The high-pitched singer was among a talented pool of nominees including Chris Brown, Ciara, Janet Jackson and Ne-Yo. Aside from earning that accolade, his track "Can't Feel My Face" was nominated for Favorite Song and his sophomore album, Beauty Behind the Madness, was up for Favorite Album. His opus was certainly deserving of the win after debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 412,000 units sold -- 326,000 copies sold in its first week, with the remainder reflecting streaming activity and track sales. "Can't Feel My Face," an ode to bae's numbing effects, has scored two 2016 Grammy Awards nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. But the effort isn't his only work from his latest LP to find recognition. "Earned It" and "The Hills," along with "Can't Feel My Face," simultaneously held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart in July, which made the Weeknd the first artist in history to achieve the feat. When it comes to new music, Abel Tesfaye linked up with Travi$ Scott to release the celebratory banger "Wonderful" on one of the biggest party nights of the year: New Year's Eve. "Oh my what a wonderful time, been a minute since I pulled up outside / Shut it down, yeah, we do that every time," the Toronto native sings. A fitting record to welcome 2016.
KAGUYA (SELENE) Antoniadi taken by HDTV (low altitude) Antoniadi taken by HDTV (low altitude) The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched "KAGUYA (SELENE)" by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle at 10:31:01 a.m. on September 14, 2007 (JST) from Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC). The major objectives of the "KAGUYA" mission are to obtain scientific data of the lunar origin and evolution and to develop the technology for the future lunar exploration. "KAGUYA" consists of a main orbiting satellite at about 100km altitude and two small satellites (Relay Satellite and VRAD Satellite) in polar orbit. The orbiters will carry instruments for scientific investigation of the Moon, on the Moon, and from the Moon. KAGUYA was descended to the 50km altitude from February 1, 2009 and then was descended again to 10-30km in Lower altitude (Perilune) from April 16, 2009. Finally, KAGUYA was impacted to the south-east of near side of the Moon on June 10, 2009 (GMT). We are very appreciated for your support to KAGUYA mission.
Sen. Chuck Schumer's endorsement of President Obama's use of the IRS to target and harass Tea Party, conservative and evangelical nonprofits is further evidence that many contemporary liberals are comfortable using government power to squelch political opponents. They are even willing to steamroll one of America's most cherished rights -- freedom of speech -- to thwart people with views contrary to their own. Speaking to the Center for American Progress last week, Schumer decried the Tea Party's influence on House Republicans and declared that “there are many things that can be done administratively by the IRS and other government agencies -- we must redouble those efforts im mediately.” By “redouble,” does Schumer mean expand the IRS efforts beyond the more than 200 groups already targeted and harassed? The tax agency possesses a rich trove of tools with which it can make life miserable for those expressing unapproved views. So, does he have in mind censoring what can be said or published by these groups? Or is the New York senator thinking more along the lines of seizing assets from individuals associated with the proscribed groups? Might he be planning on introducing a Tea Party tax to be collected by the IRS? Even more important, which “other government agencies” does Schumer have in mind? The FBI? The Pentagon? The National Security Agency? Since they don't handle tax matters, what exactly would Schumer have those other federal agencies do to the Tea Party groups? Whatever the specifics might be, Talking Points Memo, a well-sourced and influential liberal blog, described Schumer's plan as being intended to “crush” the Tea Party. Schumer's defenders will say "crush" was meant metaphorically, but there was nothing metaphorical about how the IRS abused its power against the Tea Party during the 2010 and 2012 campaigns. Schumer’s comments should spark some serious reflection among journalists as well. It’s not coincidental that the people who have no qualms about siccing federal agencies on political opponents also have no qualms about using the government to harass and intimidate the news media. As Jill Abramson, executive editor of The New York Times, recently noted, "The Obama administration has had seven criminal leak investigations. That is more than twice the number of any previous administration in our history. It's on a scale never seen before [emphasis added]. This is the most secretive White House that, at least as a journalist, I have ever dealt with." It’s difficult to think of two entities that are less alike than the liberal mainstream media and the Tea Party. Members of the former reside mainly in the affluent precincts of the Northeast and Pacific Coast, and the latter mostly attracts salt-of-the-earth types in the American heartland. The one thing they share, however, is a capacity for upsetting the best-laid plans of ambitious politicians, either by voting against them or by reporting facts that undermine official spin. That threatens the Barack Obamas and Chuck Schumers of American politics. Maybe it’s time the journalists and activists recognize their common jeopardy.
Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have trapped the ribosome, a protein-building molecular machine essential to all life, in a key transitional state that has long eluded researchers. Now, for the first time, scientists can see how the ribosome performs the precise mechanical movements needed to translate genetic code into proteins without making mistakes. "This is something that the whole field has been pursuing for the past decade," said Harry Noller, Sinsheimer Professor of Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz. "We've trapped the ribosome in the middle of its movement during translocation, which is the most interesting, profound, and complex thing the ribosome does." Understanding ribosomes is important not only because of their crucial role as the protein factories of all living cells, but also because many antibiotics work by targeting bacterial ribosomes. Research on ribosomes by Noller and others has led to the development of novel antibiotics that hold promise for use against drug-resistant bacteria. Noller's lab is known for its pioneering work to elucidate the atomic structure of the ribosome, which is made of long chains of RNA and proteins interlaced together in complicated foldings. Using x-ray crystallography, his group has shown the ribosome in different conformations as it interacts with other molecules. The new study, led by postdoctoral researcher Jie Zhou, is published in the June 28 issue of Science. To make a new protein, the genetic instructions are first copied from the DNA sequence of a gene to a messenger RNA molecule. The ribosome then "reads" the sequence on the messenger RNA, matching each three-letter "codon" of genetic code with a specific protein building block, one of 20 amino acids. In this way, the ribosome builds a protein molecule with the exact sequence of amino acids specified by the gene. The matching of codons to amino acids is done via transfer RNA molecules, each of which carries a specific amino acid to the ribosome and lines it up with the matching codon on the messenger RNA. "The big question has been to understand how messenger RNA and transfer RNA are moved synchronously through the ribosome as the messenger RNA is translated into protein," Noller said. "The transfer RNAs are large macromolecules, and the ribosome has moving parts that enable it to move them through quickly and accurately at a rate of 20 per second." The key step, called translocation, occurs after the bond is formed joining a new amino acid to the growing protein chain. The transfer RNA then leaves that amino acid behind and moves to the next site on the ribosome, along with a synchronous movement of the messenger RNA to bring the next codon and its associated amino acid into position for bond formation. The new study shows the ribosome in the midst of a key step in this process. "This gives us snapshots of the intermediate state in the movement," Noller said. "We can now see how the ribosome does this with a rotational movement of the small subunit, and we can see what look to be the 'pawls' of a ratcheting mechanism that prevents slippage of the translational reading frame." Many antibiotics interfere with the function of the bacterial ribosome by preventing or retarding this translocational movement. Understanding the structural and dynamic details of this movement could help researchers design new antibiotics. Translocation involves two steps (as Noller's lab showed back in 1989). Step one is the movement of the tRNA's "acceptor end" (where it carried the amino acid). This leads to a hybrid state, with the two ends of the tRNA in two different sites on the ribosome: the "anticodon end" is still lined up with the matching mRNA codon in one site, while the acceptor end has moved on to the next site. Step two is the movement of the tRNA's anticodon end together with the messenger RNA, which advances by one codon. Step two requires a catalyst called elongation factor G (EF-G). The new study shows the ribosome in the middle of step two, with EF-G bound to it and the tRNA halfway between the hybrid state and the final state. Noller has spent decades working to understand how the ribosome works. Being able to see how it moves, he said, is an exciting moment. "This is one of the most fundamental movements in all of biology, at the root of the whole mechanism for translation of the genetic code, and we now understand it all the way down to the molecular level," Noller said. "This mechanism had to be in place around the origin of life as we know it." In addition to Noller and Zhou, the coauthors of the paper include postdoctoral researcher Laura Lancaster and research specialist John Paul Donohue. This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Those who continue in (or die in) known intentional (willful) unrepentant sin, will not ever be saved, and never were saved and will never go to heaven...? The "anti-grace" crowd are now touting this, so, what does it mean...? Any and all known sin...? And what does "intentional" or willful mean...? Or what does being unrepentant about it mean...? Does it mean your not currently or maybe in the future "repentant about it or over it", or does it mean you did not completely stop doing it, and never ever did it again after a certain point, kind of thing...? Or what does any of this mean...? What about people who refuse to see when they are clearly shown (their sin), and so it remains unknown, but only because they rejected the truth...
Packing heat may backfire. People who carry guns are far likelier to get shot – and killed – than those who are unarmed, a study of shooting victims in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has found. It would be impractical – not to say unethical – to randomly assign volunteers to carry a gun or not and see what happens. So Charles Branas‘s team at the University of Pennsylvania analysed 677 shootings over two-and-a-half years to discover whether victims were carrying at the time, and compared them to other Philly residents of similar age, sex and ethnicity. The team also accounted for other potentially confounding differences, such as the socioeconomic status of their neighbourhood. Despite the US having the highest rate of firearms-related homicide in the industrialised world, the relationship between gun culture and violence is poorly understood. A recent study found that treating violence like an infectious disease led to a dramatic fall in shootings and killings. Overall, Branas’s study found that people who carried guns were 4.5 times as likely to be shot and 4.2 times as likely to get killed compared with unarmed citizens. When the team looked at shootings in which victims had a chance to defend themselves, their odds of getting shot were even higher. Advertisement While it may be that the type of people who carry firearms are simply more likely to get shot, it may be that guns give a sense of empowerment that causes carriers to overreact in tense situations, or encourages them to visit neighbourhoods they probably shouldn’t, Branas speculates. Supporters of the Second Amendment shouldn’t worry that the right to bear arms is under threat, however. “We don’t have an answer as to whether guns are protective or perilous,” Branas says. “This study is a beginning.” Daniel Webster, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore, Maryland, thinks it is near-sighted to consider only the safety of gun owners and not their communities. “It affects others a heck of a lot more,” he says. Journal reference: American Journal of Public Health, DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.143099
The Parrot AR.Drone is a $300 toy. That's a lot of money to drop on something you'll fly around your home or at the park. After playing with the hardware, however, that price is more than acceptable: there is a whole lot of technology crammed into that lightweight frame. This is a quadrocopter with two cameras, an onboard computer running Linux, and the ability to play virtual games with real-world hardware. If you're into flying toys, playing with software, or simply finding new and novel uses for your iPhone, you'll find something to love here. Plus, this is a very effective platform for instilling terror and respect into your cats or small children. The value of such things cannot be overstated. What you get Your $300 gets you: The quadrocopter with the two built-in video cameras Two hulls, one designed for indoor flight and the other for outdoor The battery pack The charger Instruction manual A set of brightly colored stickers for augmented reality games The hulls slide onto the unit's base and attach via magnets, and can be swapped out in seconds. Both are made of lightweight styrofoam, and even after extensive testing and a few bad crashes we didn't break either. Parrot offers replacement parts and repair instructions on its site just in case anything goes wrong, meaning a bad crash isn't the end of the world. That's a very good thing, because this is a device that takes both skill and practice to pilot effectively. Don't worry about learning, though; the drone helps you along by stabilizing itself and adjusting its flying level without your direct help. The bottom of the drone features an ultrasound altimeter so it knows how high it's flying and can keep its altitude steady. That means if you are flying over gentle hills or obstructions, it will bob up and down appropriately. The drone also comes with an accelerometer and two gyroscopes to keep things level and running smoothly. The brain powering the drone is a custom-built Linux system with a 468Mhz ARM9 processor, 128MB of memory, and a WiFi router that lets your iPhone connect with it. Parrot is not messing around here—this is a very smart toy. Flying is an interesting experience. You tap a virtual button on your iPhone, and the drone takes off and hovers. By placing your thumb on the left side of the screen you take over, allowing you to go forward and backward, and to strafe left and right. Move your thumb across the left side of the screen to control altitude, and turn to control yaw. It's somewhat intuitive, but you'll need some practice before you can do anything really crazy. Video from the drone's front and bottom cameras is shown on your iPhone. If the propeller hits a solid object, power is cut to the engines and the drone falls to the Earth. If you're done flying you can tap the land button and the drone slowly eases to the ground. You can manually hit an emergency button on your iPhone to likewise cut power to the engines. You'll need to learn where the landing and emergency cut-off switches are quickly, since you're going to crash. Often. Can it be killed? I was warned to take it easy on my first few flights, and to stand directly behind the drone to make turning easy. When you tilt your iPhone forward the drone moves forward, but once you start turning the drone using the yaw control, you'll have to quickly acclimate to the fact that "forward" is now left. If the drone is facing you, the forward and backward movements are reversed. With a little practice you'll intuitively be able to deal with the controls, but it does take practice. I was proud when I was successfully able to fly around trees, or circle-strafe a standing person while keeping the camera pointed at them. But still, I crashed. I crashed hard and often. Amazingly, the drone suffered only one instance of a scuffed propeller, and I was able to swap it out in a few minutes. Parrot sells replacement parts and hosts video tutorials that explain how to replace or repair all the major parts. After accidentally slamming it into concrete walls, landing too hard, or even getting attacked by a cat who was tired of being buzzed, the drone was fine. If you ding the hull, you can repair it with tape or buy a replacement for that as well. We were ultimately impressed by how much punishment it could take with no ill effects. It shrugged off crashes that made us wince. The controls can be adjusted and tweaked on the iPhone, giving you some fine control over how you'd like to fly, but you can also simply opt for maximum stability at the expense of maneuverability; it's all a matter of what you're comfortable with. It was interesting to see what happened when my wife called me during a tense flight—the drone simply decreased power and landed softly on the grass. Neat! You can change the display to watch the video feed from the nose of the drone or the downward-facing camera, or you can show both in a sort of picture-in-picture mode. The framerate on the cameras is not spectacular—the 640X480 front-facing camera shoots at 15 FPS while the 176X144 downward-facing camera can shoot up to 60fps—but it gets the job done. Since we weren't able to test any of the augmented reality games, no one who flew it looked down at the screen anyway. Sadly, there is no button to take a screenshot; you must hit the home and power button at the same time on your iPhone to take a photo. Doing this while flying takes some serious skill. And flying is an absolute joy. While turning and doing complicated maneuvers will take hours of practice, it feels great. We passed the iPhone around a group of people and everyone had a blast with it, and even the drone itself was a conversation piece. Watching as it hovers and zooms around is amazing. Having a large area to really cut loose is recommended, even though the internal hull will allow you to practice indoors. We were told to expect 15 minutes of flying time per 60-90 minute charge, but we were able to get to about 20 minutes depending on how hard we were taxing the drone. It's torture to be having such fun and then have to cool your heels while recharging the battery, so you may want to consider buying an extra battery or two if you plan on picking the drone up. You'll also want to be careful about windy days; the drone can easily be buffeted around if the wind becomes too strong. Since the device is controlled via the iPhone's WiFi, there is also the possibility of interference, and you have a limited range. But luckily, if the connection is dropped the drone knows enough to either sit still and wait for more commands or to land. If any of the propellers hits a solid object, it will likewise switch off, and the propellers are soft enough that unless it hits your eye you won't be injured. To test this I crashed the drone into my son's head while practicing. Because I totally meant to do that. Wrapping it up We've been promised more apps, including games and the ability to fly two drones and have them dog fight each other. Shoot your opponent down and power is cut to the engines and the enemy drone falls to the ground. I'm not sure how many people are going to know someone else who owns one of these, but it still sounds fun. Sadly, this software wasn't available in time for the review. The API is also open and available to anyone who wants to try programming new tricks for the hardware; we hope to see some neat things in this area in the coming months. Yes, $300 is expensive, but you get more than what you pay for. The AR.Drone is fun to fly, easy to fix and keep going, and hardy enough that you can open it up and really do some neat things without fear of losing your investment. If the software community embraces it, there will no end to the fun things it can do, but for now we had a great time simply enjoying the way it flew. You can buy the drone now from Brookstone. Ars Technica was provided a unit to test, and it was sent back to the manufacturer after a few weeks of use.
EXCLUSIVE: Meryl Streep is poised to join Jeff Bridges and a fast growing cast in The Giver, an adaptation of the Lois Lowry novel that Phil Noyce will direct. Streep is in talks to join a shoot that starts in eight weeks in South Africa, in a co-production between The Weinstein Company and Walden Media. While there has been a plethora of movies involving dystopian young adult novel storylines, The Giver was ahead of its time, winning the Newbery medal in 1994. It was also a book widely read in Harvey Weinstein’s household by his daughters. Streep will play the chief elder, the authoritarian charged with keeping order in a society that seems utopian. That control is endangered when a young man (Brenton Thwaites) is chosen to be the receiver of memories of life before the “sameness” movement which numbed the population and created conformism. Bridges plays the title character who delivers those memories that unlock a rebellion in the young man. The film is casting quickly, but landing Streep is certainly a coup. Bridges and Nikki Silver are producing and Dylan Sellers and Julie Rapaport are running point on the picture for The Weinstein Company. CAA reps Streep.
Vision #7 Credit: Marvel Comics Credit: Marvel Comics The Vision is one of the most memorable Avengers of all time. He's saved the world dozens of times - 37, by his own count - and yet the one thing that's consistently eluded him is true humanity. A family, a civilian life, a world outside of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It's that piece of the puzzle that continues to elude him in writer Tom King's The Vision series. As The Vision moves into its second arc, things are only going to get worse for the Android Avenger and his family. After an issue focusing on his prior relationship with the Scarlet Witch drawn by guest artist Michael Walsh, regular series artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta returns for the Vision's confrontation with his Avengers teammates, and to close out the "Shakespearean" drama of his artificial family - and in true bardic form, King says the story will end in tragedy. Newsarama talked to King about what lies ahead for the Vision and his family in the series' final issues, leading up to a finale that King says gave his editors pause - one that King says will end with "blood and oil on the floor". Newsarama: Tom, we spoke back when this book was launched, with you saying that The Vision as Marvel’s “Vertigo moment,” meaning a story that focused on the character, and twisting this idea of what the Vision could be. Do you feel you’ve lived up to that ethos with your first arc? Tom King: Man. “Vertigo moment.” That is some arrogant, cool stuff I said. I wanna go back and tell past Tom he should stop thinking less of himself and say stuff like that more often [laughs]. I like that. “Vertigo moment”. That’s cool. I don’t know, I can’t judge my own work. All I see are the flaws in it. I don’t see Gabriel Hernandez Walta or Jordie Bellaire’s flaws – I see my flaws everywhere. I can’t tell you how I lived up to it. People seem to like it. It’s true to what I wanted to do. Marvel is letting me go crazy, put big stakes in the book and connect it to continuity, and make it as unique as those books I love like The Sandman, Swamp Thing. Nobody’s standing in my way. It’s up to me whether I think I’m executing it, and I hope I am. Vision #7 Credit: Marvel Comics Nrama: Another thing you mentioned when we last spoke is that the narrator of The Vision was an established Marvel character. A lot of people seemed to have theories about their identity – I certainly did – but The Vision #6 revealed the ghost of Agatha Harkness as the narrator. Why was she the right choice to tell Vision’s story? King: I love the Vision’s backstory. I’m looking at a new cover while we’re talking about the family tree, and I love how Vision is connected to the Marvel Universe in so many weird ways. Who Agatha Harkness is, being the Witch of Wundagore, and she’s the nanny of the High Evolutionary, and it’s connected to Magneto – I just love that stuff, that family tree, so I wanted to use that. But also, this book is so much an Isaac Asimov sci-fi story and I wanted to bring in a little bit of magic and sort of draw that contrast between using magic to see into the future and a robot who is trying to control the present. It seemed thematically interesting. Nrama: Speaking of current events in The Vision, obviously things aren’t well in the Vision household. That scene in the last issue where their neighbor visits their house and it’s completely wrecked really showcased just how out of hand things have gotten for them. It seems like when Vision purged his emotions, he may not have done such a great job. Are his reactions as his life spirals out of control inevitable? Is he more human than he even realizes? King: Well, when he purged his emotions, he restarted himself. It wasn’t like he purged himself of all emotion. He didn’t turn himself into Spock, he just sort of gave himself a fresh start, from the beginning again. I’ve said this before, The Vision is a Shakespearean drama, and every Shakespearean hero has his tragic flaw. That’s the Vision’s tragic flaw, his desire to be human. Or his belief that he can calculate what a human is and, his embrace of this desire to be “normal,” to be “average." And like every tragic flaw, it’s noble. That’s what makes Hamlet interesting. It’s kind of noble that he doesn’t immediately kill his uncle. He kind of thinks about it and tries to decide if it’s the right decision, but that’s his downfall. The Vision is the same way. What he’s trying to do, what he’s trying to achieve is a good thing. But in trying to achieve that, it’s becoming an obsession. It tears him apart. I think that speaks to a lot of what people feel in their own lives, when their main goals start to tear them apart and they have to recover from it. That’s the essence of tragedy that’s been relatable for 3,000 years. Vision #7 Credit: Marvel Comics Nrama: Vision has a powerful monologue in The Vision #6 where he talks about learning Virginia’s secrets, and how, if his choice to hide them was exposed, he’d be seen as simply a machine, serving the same function that was programmed into him by Ultron. In the end of that issue, it looks like the Avengers are gearing up to go deal with him. What does that say about their perception of him in relation to his fears? King: I think the Vision got to that moment where he’s like “I can fix this, nothing’s really gone that wrong”. Someone was attacking her family and she killed him. It’s sad, but it was somewhat justified. And poor C.K. gets killed, and she doesn’t pull the trigger, she’s just defending herself. She just bops the guys over the head. I feel like they haven’t done anything that wrong, but when he tells that lie without knowing what’s on the other side of it, he’s gonna have to be in a position to defend what they did. But having told that lie, he can’t make that defense anymore. It took the ground out of his argument, cause they’re just gonna say “Look, you’re being sucked into this. You’re part of this. You’ve gone wrong and we can’t trust you.” To make that choice at that moment between basically abandoning the project entirely – in his head, he thinks that if he told the Avengers, they’d make him put down his family – or going forward, he decides to go forward. As for where the Avengers are, I think they’re in an interesting place too. I put this explicitly and purposefully in #5 where the Vision gets a question from the cop when the cop says, “Who can confirm your story?” and Vision says, “I can confirm it.” Vision doesn’t lie to the Avengers. What he says is true. He’s gone off the rails a few times, he’s had some bad West Coast Avengers moments, don’t get me wrong. But overall, the Avengers have been able to trust him. And so he’s still saying to the Avengers “Everything is fine,” and in contrast to that, a dead witch comes out of the ground and says “Your friend is lying to your face, and some day in the future he’s gonna blow up the world." So it’s not as easy a situation as you might think, where the Avengers are like, “Oh, we have to act on what the witch says.” They have to actually see if what the witch says is true, so they’re like, “Oh, should we trust the woman who ate a flower and killed a cat, or should we trust our friend who is one of the greatest Avengers of all time?” How do they balance that? How do they not offend the Vision with these accusations? They have to approach it from an interesting angle, and that angle leads to a lot of disaster. Nrama: In that scene where he’s talking to the cop, you interspersed his recollection of the 37 times he considers himself to have saved the world. As a lifelong Avengers fan, it’s clear you have a knowledge and reverence for these characters and their history. For the Vision, a big part of his history is his romance with the Scarlet Witch. He’s tried this whole family thing before with her. We know she’ll be appearing in Vision #7, or at least that it will be exploring their relationship. Is there hope for fans who want to see them back together, or is this going to divide them even further? King: I’m a huge Avengers fan. I came in through the Avengers. My first comic was Avengers #300, the infamous Gilgamesh issue. And I was a fanatic. Writing that scene was the most fun thing ever. Researching those 37 times, coming up with the terms of when he saved the world and when he didn’t. Vision was technically dead for years. It was very funny to research, and also to see what I didn’t have to research. As far as the Scarlet Witch goes, to me, she’s always been sort of the off-stage character who’s been responsible for part of the action. She’s sort of the quiet ghost in the room – or the second quiet ghost in the room. And that relationship and what Vision went through propels this story. What we do in #7 is show you how that happened and how that energy haunts him. If you’re in a relationship now, what’s happened to you in the past has affected it. When you talk to your wife, there are ex-girlfriends in the room. That stuff impacts you. The mistakes you made, and the mistakes you didn’t make. And that’s true of Vision. He went through a very intense relationship with Wanda. They were married, they had kids, then they came out of it, and Wanda fell in love with his brother. There’s some major emotional context there, and how that shapes the Vision, that’s what #7 is all about. And it’s perfect – we’re doing our guest artist as we prepare for the final push so Gabriel can do everything. Michael Walsh is filling in on The Vision #7, and he’s just nailing it. It’s absolutely beautiful – my personal favorite art he’s ever done. I’m biased. I said to Gabriel, “You draw the family, that’s your story. We’re gonna go back and tell this story about the Scarlet Witch, and when we come back to the family, that’s all you.” So when the entire series wraps up, it’ll be Gabriel’s vision of what this family looks like. Vision #7 Credit: Marvel Comics Nrama: How has your working relationship with Gabriel evolved in the six issues you’ve done so far, and the remaining issues you have? How will you push him to own this last arc? King: I don’t have to push him to own anything. He owns it himself. He’s more than 50% of this team, and Jordie’s another 50%, so I’ve got like half a percent at the end. At this point, I can see Gabriel’s pages in my head while I’m writing them. That just makes comic book writing a lot easier. I kinda know what he’s going to do, and even knowing what he’s gonna do, I know he’s gonna be better than that vision in my head. It’s like riding without a net. You totally trust each other. What Gabriel does better than anyone else in comics is quiet, better than anybody. Just the quiet scenes – he adds so much tension, so much spooky stuff. In #6, a big moment happens, and then the page turns, and it’s a close up of Vision with no dialogue at all. And that’s tough, because thinking in terms of how we read comics, you’re gonna flip right past that. You’re gonna have one second with the reader before you get to the next page. He has to draw it in a way that I don’t have to put any words in it, and it can make the reader hesitate enough that they stare at that page. I knew Jordie and him could do it, and they nailed it perfectly. You can feel the impact of it. Your eyes has to linger. Nrama: Looking ahead at the second and final arc of The Vision, we know from solicitations that the Avengers will confront Vision over what’s going on. We’ve seen time and time again that the Vision can take on a whole team of Avengers. Is this a big, knockdown, drag-out fight, or is there hope for a less messy resolution to this conflict? King: There’s no clean solution to this one. It’s 12 issues. It’s a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and the end is bloody. I feel like this whole time I’ve had this narrative device that feels like we’re watching a car accident that’s getting worse and worse. If at the end I’m like, “Oh, everything turns out all right, they’re a happy family again,” I feel like I would’ve robbed the reader of something. What Agatha’s saying, it’s not a lie. Vision’s gonna do stuff and the Marvel Universe is gonna have to react to it. Everything’s gonna be on the edge of a needle where it could fall one way or the other. And the way it falls will hopefully break your heart in the best way possible. Nrama: Speaking of breaking our hearts, the solicitation for The Vision #9 implies that one member of the family isn’t going to survive the issue. Whose funeral should we be gearing up for? Something tells me this won’t be the last member of the family we’ll have to say goodbye to. King: It’s not the last time. I can confirm that it’s not the dog – I think I’ve killed enough domestic pets so far. Maybe I’ll have a canary or a goldfish later on [laughs]. Like I said, by the end of this, there will be blood and oil on the floor and one or maybe all of the Visions won’t make it. Maybe all of the Avengers won’t make it. I got on the phone with editorial and they said “We have to talk about this ending, Tom. These are corporate characters." So we went through it piece-by-piece and found the edge we could get up to. So I crossed that a little bit, and I think we’re good. Marvel has been totally supportive of this. They’ve been just been great to work with. Credit: Marvel Comics Nrama: I want to talk about the dog. The creepy dog. King: Creepy? He’s adorable! What are you talking about? [laughs] Nrama: I mean he’s got a dead dog’s brain. King: Just the brain patterns of a dead dog! I don’t know what Vision did with the actual brain. That’s another series entirely. I named the dog Zeke, which was the name of my wife’s childhood dog. I just needed a filler name. I was gonna go back and change it, but I forgot. So my wife is reading it, and she says “Oh my God! What did you do to my dog?” [laughs]. Poor Zeke. That was the first time we had to edit something. That brain panel was a lot worse before. Hopefully when we get to the trade, you can see the original version. Nrama: When are we going to learn the dog’s name? King: There’s a contest going on to name the dog right now. We’re doing a “Name The Dog” contest inspired by the old “Name the Legion of Super-Heroes Leader” contest and the vote to kill Jason Todd. We’re hoping to get more votes than to kill Jason. Nrama: You’ll have to make the dog pretty annoying for that. King: You can write in at Marvel. There’s an address in the letter column, or you can tweet at me. I’m @TomKingTK. I have a few favorite names. The contest will close around Memorial Day, and the name will be revealed in #8. Nrama: I’ve gotta ask you about this. In The Vision, Gabriel draws Vision like someone’s dad – because he is. But in the trailer for Captain America: Civil War, Vision is all decked out in a pressed suit complete with an ascot. How do you feel about that as his civilian look? King: [laughs] At first I was all excited, thinking that someone was reading my comic book. But then I did the math in my head, and realized the Vision has appeared in a lot of turtleneck sweaters before I got ahold of him. But I will take credit if anybody wants to give it to me! Nrama: Normally, I’d wrap this up by asking what’s coming up next for you, but if anyone doesn’t know your next project, they’ve probably been under a rock somewhere. Obviously, you just signed with DC, and you’ve got some big opportunities coming up over there with Batman. But is there hope for more Marvel work in your future? Do you have a pitch you’d like to see the light of day eventually? King: Hell yes. I grew up a Marvel Zombie. I was also a big DC fan, but like I said, I came into comic books through the Avengers. It was a hard decision. I had a series that was greenlit - Vote Loki, that was my idea – and I was so sad because it’s such a good take on that character that I wanted to do. So the answer is yes, I love the Marvel Universe, I love my editor Wil Moss. Tom Brevoort has been incredibly nice to me, and he’s one of the few people who’s willing to go head-to-head with me on continuity stuff. But I couldn’t say no to Batman. And it’s not like I’m in a bad position, but yes, I’d love to work with Marvel again. I want to write everything.
Every team faces some type of adversity, be it large or small, over the course of the season. That time comes earlier for some than others, and right now, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows are almost in the throes of tough times. While it’s still too early to panic, there is cause for concern. Injuries and pitching woes, those two things not being mutually exclusive, are threatening to undermine the Birds’ season before it really gets going, and unless manager Junji Ogawa finds a way to lift the malaise, fans might be in store for another long year at Jingu Stadium. Health issues have thinned the ranks on the mound for a second consecutive season. Shohei Tateyama missed all of 2013 with an elbow injury and will miss this year as well; Tony Barnette, a key member of the relief corps, is currently out with a knee injury; and injured fireballer Yoshinori Sato, who may have the most raw talent on the roster, hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2011. Injuries are mostly outside of the team’s control, but the guys still in uniform haven’t delivered thus far either, as evidenced by Yakult’s bloated 6.06 ERA. That’s almost a full run higher than any of the other 11 NPB teams — the Hanshin Tigers come closest at 5.25. Yakult isn’t a club that will score tons of runs every game, so they’ll need quality production on the mound. Case in point, the team’s pitchers allowed 36 runs in six games last week, with the offense managing 25. Yakult went 2-4. Injuries have robbed the team of a few bats as well, and Lastings Milledge’s troubles at the plate have landed him on the farm team to make room for another pitcher, Orlando Roman, who the Swallows hope can provide a boost on the mound. Yakult scored 558 runs last year, and Waldimir Balentien had a hand in just under 20 percent of them. That was when he was setting records. If the offense takes a dip as he comes back to earth a little, it puts that much more importance on run prevention. Whatever the right buttons are, the Swallows’ pitching coaches aren’t pushing them yet. The bright spot is right-hander Yasuhiro “Ryan” Ogawa, off to a 3-0 start with a 2.05 ERA in three games and looking like he’s ready to build upon last year’s 16-win campaign. What Yakult needs now is for the rest of the staff to step up around Ogawa. Ryohei Kiya is the only other Yakult hurler with a win as a starter after holding the Yokohama BayStars to a pair of runs over seven innings on Sunday. Taichi Ishiyama notched Yakult’s other win in relief. Veteran Masanori Ishikawa has the most experience, but he’s also allowed 16 runs — 14 earned — in 16⅔ innings. Ishikawa has had success in the past, and if any of the Swallows can get it turned around and lead by example, the right-hander should be able to do it. Beyond that, the team will need young and relatively inexperienced hurlers such as Ryo Akayoshi, Masato Furuno and Kiya to grow up fast and first-year foreign player Chris Narveson to get the lay of the land quickly. Sato’s return could be on the horizon as the calendar pushes toward summer, but it’s not a given he’s his old self after a two-year layoff, if he returns at all. The season is young and things are still far, far from being decided, but that doesn’t make the present any less crucial. Because if the Swallows, currently fifth, end up falling in too deep a hole now, there might not be enough time to fly out later.
In this article I aim to introduce Gulp , as it’s fairly new, having been released around 6 months ago. Then, I’ll compare it with Grunt, pointing out which tool does what better, and why. Some people claim that Grunt will eventually be gulped by Gulp, and surely more will follow. I find this to be outrageous, egregious, preposterous . It’s not as clear cut, Grunt has a lot of benefits over Gulp, and so does Gulp over Grunt. Remember Grunt? I’ve blogged about it extensively in the past, and I’m even writing a book which features Grunt as its go-to build tool. It’s an awesome tool, you should try it some time. Introducing Gulp You might want to kick things off by going through the README, although I would reccomend you skim through the source code, as there aren’t really a lot of surprises there, just some well thought-out, and concise code. As you might’ve read while skimming over their documentation, installing Gulp is very reminiscent of what you had to do with Grunt. Have a package.json npm install -g gulp npm install --save-dev gulp Create a gulpfile.js gulp At this point, the main difference with Grunt is that they didn’t take their CLI out of core (at least not yet), which might confuse you if you don’t understand global installs in npm . Before heading to a sample gulpfile, let’s look at how the API looks like. There’s five methods, and that’s all you need. That’s awesome, a concise API really helps keep the module focused on just what it’s good at, processing build tasks. .src(globs[, options]) takes a glob and returns an input stream takes a glob and returns an input stream .dest(path) takes a path and returns an output stream takes a path and returns an output stream .task(name[, deps], fn) defines a task defines a task .run(tasks...[, cb]) runs tasks runs tasks .watch(glob [, opts], cb) watches the file system I must say, that API is just awesome. Let’s look at a simple task to compile Jade templates, taken from Gulp’s documentation. Here, jade() and minify() are Gulp plugins, we’ll get to those in a minute. gulp.src( './client/templates/.jade' ) .pipe(jade()) .pipe(minify()) .pipe(gulp.dest( './build/minified_templates' )); There isn’t much boilerplate code involved, due to the fact that we’re just writing code as opposed to putting together a configuration object. In Grunt you’d need some boilerplate to get this thing going, such as loading npm modules with a rather weird grunt.loadNpmTasks method, creating a task alias that combines the required tasks, and configuring each of them to do what you need. One of the issues with Grunt which is solved by Gulp is that a single monolithic configuration object forces you to jump through hoops in order to achieve the results you want. If you have a workflow which copies a file and minifies something else, and another one which copies an unrelated file, the copy task configuration ends up with two completely unrelated copy operations, albeit under different targets. Gulp does a good job of showing how code over configuration can help prevent such an scenario where configuration ends up being confusing and hard to digest. Savoring a gulp Consider this short sample gulpfile.js , adapted from what’s on the docs for Gulp. var gulp = require ( 'gulp' ); var uglify = require ( 'gulp-uglify' ); gulp.task( 'scripts' , function () { gulp.src([ 'client/js//.js' , '!client/js/vendor/' ]) .pipe(uglify()) .pipe(gulp.dest( 'build/js' )); gulp.src( 'client/js/vendor/' ) .pipe(gulp.dest( 'build/js/vendor' )); }); gulp.task( 'default' , function () { gulp.run( 'scripts' ); gulp.watch( 'client/js/*' , function (event) { gulp.run( 'scripts' ); }); }); Even if you don’t know Node streams, this is pretty readable, right? I’d argue it’s more readable than a Gruntfile.js which does the same things, because in this case we’re simply following the code, and guessing what it does becomes much easier then. Take out comments stating the obvious, and you’ve got yourself a terse gulpfile.js . The fact that Gulp provides a reasonable .watch implementation as part of their core API is also encouraging, as that’s a key piece of functionality which gives a lot of value to a build system during development. Support for asynchronous task development feels much more integrated in Gulp than it does in Grunt, where targets really complicate matters when passing values to tasks. Generally speaking, the API provided by Gulp makes more sense and is easier to use than that in Grunt. That’s more or less the argument for Gulp. A clean, concise, and awesome API. Simple plugins which do one thing very well, and not whatever they feel like, as witnessed in many Grunt tasks. Not everything is pink roses for Gulp, though, and there are a few downsides to it as well. Dissecting /Gr?u(nt\|lp)/ Let’s see where the comparison between both task runners breaks down. Gulp is streams all the way down, almost as if you were shell scripting. That is, if you “get” Node streams. Otherwise, you’re going to have a bad time. That being said, if you’re a Node person, it’s hard to ignore the audacity with which Gulp has you set up a build flow using code, rather than configuration, like Grunt does. This is, however, an undeniable drawback of Gulp. Some people will just never get streams. They might be PHP workers, or some other server-side voodoo like Ruby, or Python, and not be familiar at all with Node streams and buffers. They might know Common.JS, but that’s as far as they’ll ever get from their comfort zone. For those people, Gulp will never be a choice over Grunt. While Gulp is easier to read, Grunt is easier to write, and sometimes that’s more valuable. Gulp is oriented to do build stuff, and more specifically, things which deal in files. That’s pretty much the bottom-line of their “In, Out, Watch” API. This is good, bad, and something else. It’s good because it focuses on doing one thing. Builds. That’s it, you have some inputs, and then you have some outputs, using some transforms which help shape them. It’s bad because doing non-build stuff is harder with such a precise API, sending out build notifications, or spinning up Amazon EC2 instances goes against what Gulp is designed to deliver. Gulp is extremely new and we’ll have to see how its ecosystem evolves, but I don’t expect deployment Gulp tasks to gain significant adoption over what already exists in Grunt. I think that’s a good thing, I don’t believe Gulp could “beat” Grunt in CI and deployment circles, whereas I think it’ll completely take over simpler workflows which don’t involve much more than building client-side assets and pushing to Heroku. Gulp won’t sip out Grunt There are a few reasons why I believe Gulp won’t push Grunt to the brink of dehydration out in the desert. If anything, it’ll bring more attention to it, by pushing the boundaries of what JavaScript task runners can do. First off, Gulp won’t “beat” Grunt because it isn’t anyone’s goal for that to happen, certainly not that of industry leaders. Grunt vs. Gulp: both serve different needs & can coexist happily. See: http://t.co/fQ5G8HDNwl && https://t.co/joUVeRqj8T. We'll support both — Addy Osmani (@addyosmani) January 8, 2014 This might come as news, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. A lot of effort went into the current state of Grunt, and it wouldn’t make a lot of sense laying waste to that by porting it all out to the latest hot chick in town, you have to make a choice. Stick to what you’ve got, or go out chasing the popular blonde of mystery. Secondly, like I’ve mentioned earlier, Gulp introduces a barrier of entry that doesn’t exist in Grunt, non-Noders will have a hard time dealing with streams, pipes, buffers, asynchronous JavaScript in general (promises, callbacks, whatever), and I just don’t see how it can strive amongst non-Noders looking for a front-end build system, considering those conditions. Furthermore, Gulp doesn’t solve any new problems really. The API is awesome and straightforward, but it does complicate non-build tasks, and Grunt has the upper hand in this one. It boasts over 2000 plugins registered on npm , against the ~200-ish going for Gulp. That being said, it’d be interesting to see the ability to straight up run Grunt tasks in Gulp, but I don’t think it would ever stick. I doubt using /Gr?u(nt\|lp)/ would make your life any easier, no matter what. If you need both, that’s probably a sign that you should just stick with Grunt. regex.png There’s also a speed factor involved. I’ll leave the merits of such speed gains for you to mull over. The important take-away here should be that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Gulp might be faster, Grunt might be more “all-encompassing”, but at the end of the day, you’ll have to choose one over the other. Don’t use both in the same application. Don’t be that guy. just switched a project from #gruntjs to #gulpjs - simpler code, & build time on save during watch from 3-5sec to 10-20ms. I kid you not. — Andy Joslin (@andytjoslin) December 27, 2013 Something else we might need to factor in is the case of Grunt not really grunting all that much these days. This is a worrysome factor you should also be taking into account. The boar is becoming kind of stale Grunt might drown on its own. It sat on 0.4.1 for ages, before moving to an unimpressive 0.4.2 release, and it doesn’t seem to be going places now, either. Activity on the @gruntjs Twitter account is kind of flat-lining these days, and that’s not a good sign, either. I’m really hoping this is just transitional as planning for 0.5.0 is underway, but I feel like the team moved on to other projects. While I wouldn’t consider it abandoned, it’s a concern that I haven’t seen raised yet. What I’d love to see is an eventual 1.0.0 release with a re-imagined configuration structure that deals with the problems we’ve experimented thus far. Easier plugin loading, a watch mechanism in core similar to what Gulp did, simpler file description semantics, and a reduced overhead for configuring tasks in general. Of course, it’s easy to want those things, but it’s hard to implement them without breaking most of the existing 2000 plugins. Considering the plugin ecosystem is one of Grunt’s most valuable assets, it’ll be hard to get right a release plan that’s both sensible and meaningful. We’ll just have to sit and wait, or you might want to go ahead and propose something to be implemented in 0.5.0 . The case for doing nothing Right wing UNIX extremists have time and again suggested doing nothing. Forget about Gulp, Grunt, whatever. Just do nothing. I don’t agree with this sort of extremism, you might just be more comfortable writing everything in JavaScript. It does, however, hold some merit in its premise. In the case of Gulp, I do consider the npm run approach as a valid questioning of its purpose. Gulp is pretty close to doing “nothing”, a la npm run , while at the same time it kind of does “something”, like Grunt does. I think Gulp provides value in providing Windows support, but it does introduce a certain amount of complexity, so it’s really a trade-off. You need to ask yourself what you’re looking for. If it’s just the simplicity, you might be better off just using npm run ! The case for Windows support might not hold a lot of meaning within the Node community itself, since most of us seem to be working on nix, but it does become a factor in other communities, which Grunt seems to be penetrating. I agree you should use some flavor of bash for Windows, it’s still a pain doing just about anything in the command-line, and there isn’t really much to say in favor of not using Grunt on Windows. So use Gulp, use Grunt, whatever. Whatever, But Grunt wins at teaching people how to do builds, and even then, it’s pretty hard to put it in terms anyone can understand, but it fails at keeping it short. Gulp wins at being terse and having a gorgeous API, but it fails at the entry level, because of streams being hard to grasp at first. In the low-risk low-gain corner we have npm run . It wins at not doing anything, resulting in no overhead, but it fails at being cross-platform, if that’s something that worries you. Make a choice by yourself, don’t just pick something because XYZ said so. Pick the tool which works for you. The one you understand, are comfortable with. Above all, the one that fits your needs. Don’t go blindly chasing the latest fad because someone else tells you to. Similarly, don’t get stuck with monolithic jQuery applications (just to give out an example), try something else. Innovate. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be the change you want to see in the world. I need a drink.
Portrait of a man writing at a table, by The subject is probably a , by Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh The subject is probably a Protestant preacher and theologian, with the Bible opened on the table. His dog represents fidelity vigilance , and regularity in research; while the parrot represents erudition and eloquence The word erudition came into Middle English from Latin. A scholar is erudite (Latin eruditus) when instruction and reading followed by digestion and contemplation have effaced all rudeness (e- (ex-) + rudis), that is to say smoothed away all raw, untrained incivility. Common usage has blurred the distinction from "learned" but the two terms are quite different. Meaning [ edit ] Erudition is the depth, polish and breadth that education confers. The Latin word educāre means to bring out or train; hence an educated person has come to think critically and logically. An erudite person has both deep and broad familiarity with general subjects and is usually knowledgeable in a particular subject, by virtue of study and extensive reading of the subject's literature. For example, a jurist is learned, and knows the law intimately and thoroughly. Thus, an erudite jurist has both deep, specific knowledge of the law, and broad knowledge in the form of social and historical context of law; an erudite jurist may additionally know the laws of other cultures. Erudition in a literary work incorporates knowledge and insights spanning many different fields. When such universal scholars are also at the forefront of several fields, they are sometimes called polyhistors or polymaths. The Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi was erudite: he read and studied the classics and was deeply influenced by many philosophers. Other erudite writers include the Roman Marcus Terentius Varro, the English essayist Sir Thomas Browne and the French essayist Michel de Montaigne. In Latin, eruditus means enlightened, or cultivated. Enlightenment comes from understanding and not just from learning.
After the Great Flood of 1927, the worst natural disaster in the state's history, President Calvin Coolidge (a Vermonter) offered help. Vermont's governor replied, "Vermont will take care of its own." In 1936, town meetings rejected a huge federal highway referendum that would have blacktopped the Green Mountain crest line from Massachusetts to Canada. Nor did Vermont sign on when imperial Washington demanded that the state raise its drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1985. The federal government thereupon resorted to its favored tactic, blackmail. Raise your drinking age, said Ronald Reagan, or we'll take away the money you need to keep the interstates paved. Vermont took its case for state control to the Supreme Court -- and lost. It's quite simple. The United States has destroyed the 10th Amendment, which says that "powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." The present movement for secession has been gathering steam for a decade and a half. In preparation for Vermont's bicentennial in 1991, public debates -- moderated by then-Lt. Gov. Howard Dean -- were held in seven towns before crowds that averaged 230 citizens. At the end of each, Dean asked all those in favor of Vermont's seceding from the Union to stand and be counted. In town after town, solid majorities stood. The final count: 999 (62 percent) for secession and 608 opposed. In early 2003, transplanted Southerner and retired Duke University economics professor Thomas Naylor gave a speech at Johnson State College opposing the Iraq war. When he pitched the idea of secession to the crowd, he saw many eyes "light up," he said. Later that year, he and several others started a loosely organized movement (now a think tank) called the Second Vermont Republic, which has an independent quarterly journal, Vermont Commons, and a Web site. In October 2005, about 300 Vermonters attended a statewide convention on the question of secession. Six months later, the annual Vermont Poll of the University of Vermont's Center for Rural Studies found that about 8 percent of respondents replied "yes" to peaceful secession, arguably making Vermont foremost among the many states with secessionist movements (including Alaska, California, Hawaii, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Texas). We secessionists believe that the 350-year swing of history's pendulum toward large, centralized imperial states is once again reversing itself. Why? First, the cost of oil and gas. According to urban planner James Howard Kunstler, "Anything organized on a gigantic scale . . . will probably falter in the energy-scarce future." Second, third-wave technology is as inherently democratic and decentralist as second-wave technology was authoritarian and centralist. Gov. Jim Douglas wants Vermont to be the first "e-state," making broadband Internet access available to every household and business in the state by 2010. Vermont will soon be fully wired into the global social commons. Against this backdrop, secessionists from all over the state will gather in June to plan a grass-roots campaign to get at least 200 towns to vote by 2012 on independence. We believe that one outcome of this meeting will be dialogues among different communities of Vermonters committed to achieving local economic vitality, be they farmers, entrepreneurs, bankers, merchants, lawyers, independent media providers, construction workers, manufacturers, artists, entertainers or anyone else with a stake in Vermont's future -- anyone for whom freedom is not just a slogan. If Vermonters succeed in once again inventing vibrant local economies, these in turn may reinvigorate the small-scale democratic town meeting tradition, the true American Congress, and re-create the rudiments of a republic once again able to make its own way in the world. The once and future republic of Vermont. ianb@sover.net frank.bryan@uvm.edu Ian Baldwin is publisher of Vermont Commons. Frank Bryan, a political science professor at the University of Vermont, is author of "Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How It Works."
Robert Newhouse, responsible for one of the most iconic plays in Dallas Cowboys history, died Tuesday after a long illness. He was 64. Rodd Newhouse told Minneapolis TV station KMSP-TV that his father was surrounded by his wife and four children at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, when he died from the effects of heart disease. Newhouse had been in declining health since suffering a stroke in 2010. Former Cowboys fullback Robert Newhouse has died after a long illness, according to his son. Focus on Sport/Getty Images Newhouse, a Longview, Texas, native, played fullback for the Cowboys from 1972 to '83. He helped Tom Landry win his second Super Bowl with a memorable play against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl X. With about seven minutes left, Newhouse took a handoff from Roger Staubach and headed left. Suddenly, he pulled up and lofted a pass to receiver Golden Richards just over the outstretched arm of a Denver defender to give the Cowboys their final points in a 27-10 victory. "The thing I remember most is for that halfback option play we ran against Denver," former Cowboys player personnel director Gil Brandt said. "We ran it going left, and it's a lot harder to go left than right. During the week they must've practiced the play 10 times, and he never completed it. And that was going right. Here it is going left, and he completed it." Before spending several seasons as Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett's lead blocker, Newhouse -- equipped with 44-inch thighs -- was one of the focal points of the Cowboys' offense. He gained a career-high 930 yards with a 4.4 average and two touchdowns in 1975. Newhouse finished his career with 4,784 yards, a 4.1 average and 31 touchdowns. He is fifth on the Cowboys' all-time rushing list. "He led our team in rushing in '75, and he would've been a great back in a one-back system because he was such a strong runner," Brandt said. "He would be that guy who could move the chains, running inside. He could run outside." After his career, Newhouse spent several years with the Cowboys working in the player-relations department, where he worked closely with players in a variety of roles in their off-the-field lives. "He had no airs about him at all -- just a genuine, wonderful, really top-flight man," Brandt said. "I don't know that he was ever late to anything. The guy was just a really model citizen."
The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) is a nonprofit, non-governmental institution to inform the public about "science and policy issues affecting international security."[1] Founded in 1993, the group is led by founder and former United Nations IAEA nuclear inspector David Albright.[2] ISIS was founded on a belief that scientists have an obligation to participate actively in solving major problems of national and international security. ISIS focuses primarily on four parts: 1) prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and related technology to other nations and terrorists, 2) lead to greater transparency of nuclear activities worldwide, 3) reinforce the international non-proliferation regime, and 4) cut down nuclear arsenals. Furthermore, ISIS seeks to build stable foundations for various efforts to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons to U.S. and international security by integrating technical, scientific and policy research. As the effectiveness of ISIS was appreciated and recognized in the Global “Go-To Think Tanks” rankings, ISIS consistently places in the top 25 Science and Technology Think Tanks in the world and in 2015 placed as one of the top United States and foreign policy think tanks in the world.[3][promotional language] Board and funding [ edit ] ISIS's board consists of the following members:[4] David Albright - Chairman/President Michael Rietz - Treasurer, Lawyer, private practice Houston Wood - University of Virginia Steven Aftergood - Federation of American Scientists Laura Rockwood - Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation ISIS has been funded by:[5] Ploughshares Fund, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Colombe Foundation, New-Land Foundation, The Prospect Hill Foundation, United States Institute of Peace, The International Atomic Energy Agency, Ford Foundation, The Scherman Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, Compton Foundation, The Stanley Foundation, The John Merck Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, W. Alton Jones Foundation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, United States Department of Energy Staff [ edit ] ISIS's staff consists of the following people:[6] David Albright – President and Founder of ISIS Andrea Stricker – Senior Policy Analyst Serena Kelleher-Vergantini – Research Analyst Research Fellows, Interning Research Associates, Technical Consultants Focus and analysis [ edit ] ISIS-DigitalGlobe satellite imagery analysis of the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Plant in Iran. February 25, 2006. The institute regularly publishes technical analyses of nuclear proliferation programs by examining technical data and satellite imagery. ISIS is cited in non-proliferation circles and in international media regarding its analysis. The majority of the current material produced by ISIS is focused on the analysis and monitoring of the nuclear programs of North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, and cases of worldwide illicit nuclear trade.[7] Iraq [ edit ] In August 1991, David Albright and Mark Hibbs, writing for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists wrote that there were many technological challenges unsolved with Iraq's nuclear program. Albright and Hibbs wrote that Iraq's nuclear program "was so primitive that the international sanctions put in place after the August 2 invasion may have had more substantive effect than the tons of bombs dropped by U.S. and allied planes five months later".[8] In an October 2002 posting ISIS published a report which said "One of the most significant accomplishments of the intrusive inspections mandated by UN Security Council in 1991 is that Iraq is not believed to have nuclear weapons now. This single accomplishment demonstrates both the power and value of intrusive nuclear inspections in Iraq." The report further argued that "the nuclear inspection process provided a powerful deterrent against Iraq reconstituting its nuclear weapons program until inspectors left in late 1998."[9] Iran [ edit ] ISIS has been following since the 1990s the circumstances surrounding the Iranian nuclear program and has created a website dedicated to informing readers about the history of Iran's nuclear program and facilities, providing IAEA reports, providing information about diplomatic efforts, and providing ISIS technical assessments.[10][promotional language] A June 2009 posting on ISIS argued that "we do know that a lasting, military solution to Iran’s nuclear program is not realistic. This leaves diplomacy as the best route to bring about a suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment program, regardless of who holds Iran’s presidency."[11] On October 2, 2009 ISIS posted a subject to revision working document by IAEA safeguards experts which it described as an "Internal IAEA Document on Alleged Iranian Nuclear Weaponization".[12] The document led media to report that Iran has tested a two-point implosion design.[13] Gordon Oehler, who ran the CIA’s nonproliferation center and served as deputy director of the presidential commission on weapons of mass destruction, wrote “if someone has a good idea for a missile program, and he has really good connections, he’ll get that program through.. But that doesn’t mean there is a master plan for a nuclear weapon.”[14] Outside experts noted that the parts of the report made public lack many dates associated with Iran's alleged activities.[15] The Washington Post reported that "nowhere are there construction orders, payment invoices, or more than a handful of names and locations possibly connected to the projects."[16] Former IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei said the Agency didn't have any information that nuclear material has been used and didn't have any information that any components of nuclear weapons had been manufactured.[17] Iran asserted that the documents were a fabrication, while the IAEA urged Iran to be more cooperative and Member States to provide more information about the allegations to be shared with Iran.[18] In December 2009, the conservative-leaning[19][20] The Times, working with ISIS analysis, claimed that a document from an unnamed Asian intelligence agency described the use of a neutron source which has no use other than in a nuclear weapon, and claimed the document appeared to be from an office in Iran's Defense Ministry and may have been from around 2007.[21][22] The Institute for Science and International Security, said that it “urges caution and further assessment” of the document and noted that "the document does not mention nuclear weapons .. and we have seen no evidence of an Iranian decision to build them.”[23] Western intelligence agencies did not give any authentication to the document,[23] while Russia noted that though the IAEA is in possession of these documents, the IAEA's findings "do not contain any conclusions about the presence of undeclared nuclear activities in Iran."[24] In response to allegations that the document was forged from Iran and some within the United States,[25][26] Albright said ISIS felt "that this document does need to be authenticated, and we welcome a debate and actually a collecting [of] information from people, people who've done linguistic analysis, inside information".[27] Myanmar [ edit ] In a January 28, 2010 report, ISIS found: "There remain sound reasons to suspect that the military regime in Burma might be pursuing a long-term strategy to make nuclear weapons. Despite the public reports to the contrary, the military junta does not appear to be close to establishing a significant nuclear capability. Information suggesting the construction of major nuclear facilities appears unreliable or inconclusive."[28] During an ASEAN meeting in Thailand in July 2009, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton highlighted concerns of the North Korean link. "We know there are also growing concerns about military cooperation between North Korea and Burma which we take very seriously," Clinton said.[29] Reception to ISIS [ edit ] A National Journal profile in 2004 called Albright a “go-to guy for media people seeking independent analysis on Iraq’s [weapons of mass destruction] programs.”[30] In 2006, David Albright received the prestigious Joseph A. Burton Forum Award from the American Physical Society, a professional society of American physicists. He was cited for "his tireless and productive efforts to slow the transfer of nuclear weapons technology. He brings a unique combination of deep understanding, objectivity, and effectiveness to this vexed area.”[31][promotional language]
I never thought the day would come when I would agree with anything Debbie Wasserman Schulz had to say, but a recent report in Politico has changed all that. According to a story by Politico's Dylan Byers, Wasserman Schulz, who is Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, reportedly told a private group of Jewish Americans in South Florida that MSNBC, CNN and the broadcast media portray Palestinians as victims while ignoring the plight of Jews. Now that's big news because Wasserman Schulz heads a political party whose president and members of the House and Senate have, for the most part, done everything possible to thumb their noses at Israel and to ignore the raw hatred that exists toward Israel and Jews all over the world. This pattern starts at the top with the Obama White House and its obvious contempt for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There has been a handle-with-care approach to Israel's enemies and those who are anti-Semitic. At the same time, the White House has engaged in open battles in media and behind the scenes with Israel's leaders. All this goes on while Israel continues to face the constant threat of attack from nations such as Iran, with its tireless efforts to beef up nuclear capabilities that clearly are designed to threaten Israel's existence. President Obama and his advisors were quick to let it be known that a possible address by Netanyahu to Congress would be met with hostility by the administration, even though the Speaker of the House has every right to extend such an invitation to speak. Meanwhile, the president's plan to somehow negotiate a deal with the Iranians is a sure recipe for disaster. To have force or meaning, an agreement would require support from U.N. Security Council members, including Russia and China -- no friends to America's foreign policy. The obvious hostility toward Israel that has seeped into many media outlets, particularly those that tend to "lean forward" in President Obama's direction, has started an apparent worldwide trend that is extremely concerning. Recent news reports suggest that a new wave of anti-Semitism is growing throughout Europe. The recent slaughter of Jewish shoppers in a French deli was not a lone incident. Acts of violence and chants of hatred toward Jews have spread from France into all parts of Europe, including Germany. A recent poll of Jews living in Italy showed that a vast majority believe that anti-Semitism is on the rise in that country. Why should we be shocked? President Obama, the supposed leader of the free world, bends over backward not to offend the vilest collection of murderous thugs since the Nazis of Hitler's Third Reich. These are people who kill by decapitation and now by burning a man alive. But the president will never utter a word that brands them for what they are -- radical Islamic terrorists. Obama tiptoes around the subject of these ghastly murders, gingerly commenting on them. At the same time, he feels free to tell Israel and its leaders to butt out of his endless negotiations with Iran. Advisors to the president have been quick to make it known that Netanyahu would pay a heavy price for his speech. They have used profane descriptions of him for daring to go directly to Congress. Yet a group that cages a man and sets him ablaze must be condemned in the most carefully chosen words, lest the many non-violent followers of their religion take offense. One could say that over time Obama's strategy has worked: A recent poll shows that those in Great Britain view Israel less favorably than they do Iran. And make no mistake; this wave of one-sidedness is coming to a town or city near you in the future. As Israel continues to be portrayed by many media outlets as an obstinate bully; and while the world waits in fear for the next act of savagery by what President Obama has termed "the JV team" of terrorists, the seeping hatred toward those who suffered incalculable tragedy in World War II might seep right back into our own laps.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras suggested in an interview on Thursday that Greece’s privatization program may go ahead and that state sell-off fund (TAIPED) might not be abolished, showing signs of a shift in the government stance from comments in previous weeks by ministers indicating that the sale of assets would be abandoned. Tsipras even described the price offered by German airport operator Fraport for the running of Greek regional airports as “fair.” Speaking to German weekly magazine Stern, Tsipras insisted, however, that he is opposed to the way sell-offs have been conducted in recent years, saying this is “not privatisation but an unbridled buy-out of state property to friends of the system.” He added that against an original estimate for revenues of 50 billion euros, less then 5 billion has been collected to date. “You can’t rescue a country with 5 billion euros,” said Tsipras. Asked whether TAIPED will be shut down, Tsipras did not rule out its continued operation, saying “we will see.” However, he added, it is his belief that the state should continue to have control of the economy’s drivers. “We want the state to control key sectors of the Greek economy so that we can reap the benefits,” Tsipras said. The prime minister added that the 1 billion euros being offered by German firm Fraport for the operation of 14 Greek regional airports is “fair.” But, he said, “airports are a part of our tourism industry. That’s how Greece earns its livelihood. It is something we also need to examine.” Tsipras’s comments come as a significant departure from the positions expressed by the ministers of Economy Nikos Stathakis and Infrastructures Christos Spirtzis, who had suggested in the past that the sell-off of the 14 airports may be cancelled after they questioned the framework of the deal. Although the prime minister did not appear fully supportive of the agreement with the German firm, it is clear that he has examined the terms, suggesting that it may ultimately go ahead.
Juan Agudelo's lengthy journey to find a new club has officially ended with the New England Revolution, with sources telling ESPN FC that the U.S. international has signed a contract with MLS. A source added that Agudelo's deal will run through 2018, though the 22-year-old will not be a designated player. Agudelo confirmed the move on Twitter later on Thursday: I am extremely happy to officially sign minutes ago and be back with the best teammates and coaching staff #NERevs pic.twitter.com/1Lvw36hYbw - AGUDELO (@JuanAgudelo) January 29, 2015 The deal concludes a puzzling spell for Agudelo, who has been out of action since his loan stint with Dutch side FC Utrecht ended last May. Agudelo had been on the books of English Premier League side Stoke City, but after twice having applications for a work permit denied, his contract was terminated. MLS attempted to secure Agudelo's services last summer, but was turned down due to the player's insistence on playing in Europe. Agudelo had been linked with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, but his desire to play in England saw him turn that deal down as well. Agudelo also took part in a two-week training stint with English Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers back in October, but it didn't lead to a contract being offered. The single biggest reason for Agudelo's hiatus was an ultimately failed attempt to acquire Cypriot citizenship, a process that started last summer. Had Agudelo proved successful in acquiring citizenship in Cyprus, which is a member of the European Union, that would have opened the door for signing with a club in England since he would have been able to bypass the work permit process that resulted in his contract with Stoke being terminated. But as the process continued to drag on with no sign of a resolution in sight, and with Agudelo idle during the prime of his career, he made the decision to return to MLS. Now Agudelo will return to New England, who retained his rights because the forward left the club when his contract expired at the end of the 2013 season.
Former NSA Director Michael Hayden was overheard on the phone to reporters on an Amtrak train. It happens more often than you might think. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images On Amtrak, powerful people talk loudly and spill secrets. This is my conclusion based on five years’ field research commuting on Amtrak’s Acela between cities along the East Coast. By now, you’ve heard about former NSA director Michael Hayden, who on Thursday talked nonstop to a reporter—on background—as the train went north from Washington, D.C. toward New York City. A few seats behind Hayden was Tom Matzzie, former Washington director of political group MoveOn.org, who started live-tweeting his eavesdropping. On Acela listening to former NSA spy boss Michael Hayden give "off record" interviews. I feel like I'm in the NSA. Except I'm in public. — Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013 Michael Hayden on Acela giving reporters disparaging quotes about admin. "Remember, just refer as former senior admin" #exNSAneedsadayjob — Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013 Hayden was bragging about rendition and black sites a minute ago. — Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013 As someone who rides the Acela two to three times a week, I can tell you that what Hayden and Matzzie each did—talking loud and tweeting louder—isn’t unusual. In fact, private conversations are so often broadcast across the train car that it’s become fertile ground for competitive intelligence gathering, business development or, as in Matzzie’s case, gaining a whole bunch of new social media followers. It’s astonishingly easy to become an Acela spy—even if you don’t really want to be a part of other riders’ business—as I have learned from years of experience. Until very recently, all Amtrak tickets were paper-based, and the tickets looked a lot like airline boarding passes. In addition to the train and destination information, they included the passenger’s full name in the upper left-hand corner. Also until recently, those tickets were wedged between the top of the cushion and the hard back of each seat, with the name showing for anyone who desired to look. (E-tickets on mobile phones are starting to replace paper tickets for some riders.) It has been my practice to board the train, and then walk up and down the aisle to glance at the names on those tickets. I’ve also taken note of who’s sitting in what seat. I’ve avoided some people (Chelsea Handler), and I’ve purposely sat down next to others whom I wanted to meet (a C-suite executive at an investment bank). Shortly after we leave the station and I’ve done my rounds, the mobile phones invariably come out. When they do, I take note of who’s talking, what’s being said, and the name I saw on the ticket. Amtrak trains don’t have the same whoosh of ambient noise as an airplane in flight. The cars are pretty quiet. If anything, sound reverberates and amplifies inside that confined space. Once, Sheryl Crow was sitting across from me with her headphones on, rehearsing for a performance at the White House. I’m sure she thought she was barely whispering, but those of us in the back of the car were treated to a sweet, soulful tiny train concert. A few months ago, two men joined me at a four-top and placed their tickets on the table. I briefly looked at their names and their faces, and found them instantly on LinkedIn and Twitter. Within minutes, I knew that one was the global head of human resources at a very large bank. I knew where he went to university, who he was meeting with in Washington, and what he intended to discuss. While I listened—though is it eavesdropping when a conversation takes place at normal volume in a seat next to you?—I pulled an aerial photo of his house off the Web. He and his co-worker—a head of sales at the bank—obviously weren’t close. As they small-talked their way from New York City to Newark, the sales guy talked glowingly of a college football career. He didn’t mention what I already knew about him, which is that he was a placekicker, and had spent most of the time off the field. Soon, their conversation turned to a female co-worker who’d returned from maternity leave. Sales guy complained aggressively that while she’d been out of the office for so long, the software they used had upgraded. There was no way she’d ever get caught up, he argued. She had the audacity to put in for a promotion, after being gone for three months! HR guy concurred. Women were a major distraction, holding back productivity and advancement at their bank. It was a shame they couldn’t legally fire a woman for getting—or even wanting to get—pregnant. It was a worse shame that they had to hire women in the first place. I went on a Twitter rampage of my own: And they're complaining about having to work with women, especially those who ask what they need to do to get promoted. — Amy Webb (@amywebb) March 19, 2013 In fewer than3 minutes, I was able to read the names on their tickets and I now know lots of personal details about each man. — Amy Webb (@amywebb) March 19, 2013 Also - they're positing that the recession has definitely led to women taking it easy and quitting work to start families. — Amy Webb (@amywebb) March 19, 2013 @ricktagious Yep, that's my concern. It's a 100% full train and there's no where else for them to sit. (Or me, but I'm not moving.) — Amy Webb (@amywebb) March 19, 2013 I’ve overheard assistants making private jet arrangements for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a national news media personality complain about his network, a woman tell a Lands’ End call-center employee that her dad was dying and she hadn’t spoken to him in a decade. I listened to an RNC staffer say she was launching a conservative website, then drop a bunch of backer names. Mobile phones aren’t the only problem, though. One of the regular riders on my route, a German man who dresses in very expensive suits, reminds me of Augustus Gloop, all grown up but just as childish and awful. Once, an Amtrak attendant dropped some sliced fruit on his pant leg. Augustus Gloop made her get down on her knees and wipe off the table, his shoes, and his thighs. I was incensed, but not mad as the woman next to me that day, who immediately hate-Instagrammed him. The Acela offers free Wi-Fi, it has comfy seats, and I’ve found it to be the best way to move around my part of the East Coast. It’s not like riding an airplane, where we’re strapped in and told how to brace ourselves should the plane start to crash. As passengers, our guards are down. We’re relaxed, we unwind with a drink, and we settle into the sorts of conversations better served for private spaces. The problem is that trains—even in first class, where I’ve observed the worst offenders—aren’t private. They’re very public venues, just like Twitter. And just like on Twitter, sometimes we forget that we’re actually on stage as we reveal our own worst private selves to the outside world. My hunch is that most of us don’t really want to hear those other conversations. We’re accidental spies, initially irritated by the noise and then enticed by the details of the conversation.
Zombie Outbreak Scheduled for October 26 Zombies Will Congregate to Promote Premier of The Walking Dead If while driving to work tomorrow, you are swarmed by hordes of the undead, put your gun away and relax. It's not the forthcoming zombie apocalypse; it's just a promotion for the premiere of The Walking Dead. In one of the coolest promotions in recent memory AMC, along with Fox, who is distributing the show overseas, is sponsoring a zombie invasion of popular landmarks across the globe to garner attention for the first episode of the adaptation of Robert Kirkman's comic book series. It will all kick off in Taipei then spread across the globe to Hong Kong and London before making its way to the United States. Expect full-on attacks at the Brooklyn Bridge and Lincoln Memorial. It will all culminate on Halloween night in Los Angeles for the premiere episode on Sunday at 10pm eastern. The Walking Dead is produced by Gale Anne Hurd and written, produced and directed by Frank Darabont. Remember, if you see a zombie between now and Sunday. Do not shoot it. It's an actor. We can't stress this enough.
Amazon may have let a bit of early information out-the-bag in case you were interested. Oh, it has to do with the LG Nexus 5X – the yet-to-be-announced LG Nexus 5X. Interested? I figured you were. Thanks to three early listings that have since been pulled, Amazon has given us a good list of specs for the phone, all of which match up quite nicely to previous leaks and also to what our sources have told us. I think it’s safe to say that we all assume that this new LG Nexus will be the more affordable of the two, hopefully bringing back that sweet spot of size, aesthetics, performance, and price that we loved so much about the original Nexus 5, while the Huawei Nexus 6P will be the big boy. Amazon didn’t give us a pricing, but as you will see below, this could very well be the next ultra-affordable Nexus phone. The Nexus 5X specs, according to Amazon, are the following: Display 5.2-inch IPS LCD (1920x1080, 423ppi), Fingerprint and smudge-resistant oleophobic coating OS Android 6.0 Marshmallow Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 1.8 GHz hexa-core 64-bit, Adreno 418 GPU Camera 12.3MP rear camera (f/2.0), IR Laser assisted Auto focus, 4K video capture (30fps), CRI-90 dual-flash; 5MP front camera (f/2.2) Battery 2,700 mAh, Fast charging - up to 3.8 hours of use from only 10 minutes of charging RAM 2GB Storage 16GB or 32GB SIM Nano Dimensions 147.0 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm, 136g Model LG-H791, LG-H790 Colors Quartz White, Ice Blue, and Charcoal Black Ports Micro USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack Other Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MIMO, dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz), LTE cat. 6, Fingerprint reader, Sensor Hub, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient Light sensor, Hall sensor, Android Context Hub Project Fi Ready Yes Included Phone, charger, earphones, quick start guide Want to see the proof? Give me now (but only with 32GB of storage). Cheers Abhishek!
Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in “Transformers; The Last Knight,” because this is the kind of thing Hollywood does and then complains when we don’t take it seriously. (All Rights Reserved. Credit: Paramount Pictures/Bay Films) I was surprised to learn last week that the most powerful people in Hollywood were not named Weinstein, do not have the power to greenlight films, and don’t have Brad Pitt on speed dial. They’re not rich and famous; they don’t throw bashes at Cannes or host cocktail parties during Oscar season. No, the new Hollywood powerbrokers are a far simpler sort — you’ve probably never heard of most of them. They’re little more than data points, truth be told. That’s right: the critics who make up Rotten Tomatoes are the biggest, baddest villains Hollywood has cooked up since Darth Vader (and I’m one of them). And just like Alderaan before it, “La La Land” may soon be so much space dust. At least, that’s what the executives who talked to the New York Times’ Brooks Barnes would have you believe. Sure, some of the movies were bad, a few execs were willing to admit. “But most studio fingers point toward Rotten Tomatoes, which boils down hundreds of reviews to give films ‘fresh’ or ‘rotten’ scores on its Tomatometer,” Barnes reported. Brett Ratner said at a festival last year that the review-aggregating site would be “the destruction of our business,” and the biz’s brightest lights seem to agree with the director of “Rush Hour 3” and producer of “Santa’s Slay.” “Mr. Ratner’s sentiment was echoed almost daily in studio dining rooms all summer, although not for attribution, for fear of giving Rotten Tomatoes more credibility,” Barnes wrote. “Over lunch last month, the chief executive of a major movie company looked me in the eye and declared flatly that his mission was to destroy the review-aggregation site.” Moviemakers registering complaints about the power of the critical corps is nothing new, of course. In “Complete History of American Film Criticism,” Jerry Roberts highlighted the growing power of Rogert Ebert and Gene Siskel in the 1980s and the angst that caused with filmmakers. “Hand in hand with success was a power unprecedented in film criticism,” Roberts wrote. “‘Siskel and Ebert go, “Horrible picture,” and I’m telling you, [they] can definitely kill a movie,” Eddie Murphy said in 1987. Conversely, the duo is credited with “saving” small films that were lagging at the box office. Tom Sherak, a top executive at Twentieth Century-Fox, once called a thumbs-up from Siskel and Ebert “the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for movies.” The Tomatometer is something like a hyperpowered version of Ebert and Siskel’s patented thumbs up/thumbs down rating system. The site arguably has an even greater reach than the duo from Chicago: Barnes notes that Rotten Tomatoes drew 13.6 million unique visitors in May, while Roberts wrote that Siskel and Ebert drew “between eight and eleven million viewers a week” at their peak. Certainly this fully operational film criticism station has the power to destroy the hopes and dreams of wide-eyed dreamers working studios who just want to provide audiences with a modicum of entertainment in the form of fivequels to “Transformers” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” right? Well, no. In a study published on Medium, Yves Bergquist, the Director of the Data & Analytics Project at USC’s Entertainment Technology Center, rather thoroughly demolished the idea that negative scores from Rotten Tomatoes are having a deleterious effect on box office totals. Bergquist found virtually no correlation between overall grosses and RT scores and an even lower correlation between RT scores and opening weekend figures — arguably the time when critical opinion should have the greatest impact on box office totals, since potential audiences have little in the way of word of mouth from friends and coworkers to go on. Indeed, contra complaints from executives, the median Rotten Tomatoes score is actually climbing, even spiking in recent years: “Overall, Rotten Tomatoes scores for all movies grossing more than $2 million worldwide have been pretty stable since 2000: the median score was 51 during the 2000s and 53 during the 2010s so far. It’s actually gone up quite significantly from 2015 (46.5) until 2017 (71).” Bergquist notes that audience and critic scores are beginning to align, writing, “There’s virtually no difference between critics’ scores and audiences’ scores, and the more successful the film is at the box office, the smaller the difference.” He suggests this is because audiences are getting smarter about what they go see; it probably has more to do with RT expanding its ranks and bringing on a less-discerning quality of critic, one closer in tune with the taste of the masses. Whatever the reason for the spike in fresh scores, however, there’s no reason to believe that Rotten Tomatoes is dragging down box office because critics have amassed greater cultural clout. The real reason for Hollywood’s woes seems much simpler: audiences are bored. Bergquist gets at this when he notes that CGI-heavy efforts are seeing diminishing returns at the box office. But it’s not just the influx of spectacle: it’s the reduction of ideas. This summer has been an endless river of sequels to franchises that should be dead (the aforementioned “Transformers” and “Pirates” movies; another “Fast and Furious” flick; another “Alien” movie) and the attempted birthing of franchises that have no reason to exist (“The Mummy”; “Baywatch”; “Kong: Skull Island”). Audiences don’t mind spectacle or franchises, so long as they are accompanied by solid storytelling, as the RT scores and box office figures for the Marvel Cinematic Universe have shown. It’s easy to blame Rotten Tomatoes. It’s much harder to make a movie people want to see. No surprise, then, which tack the suits have taken.
Local bank on high street. BAE enters and joins the end of the queue where people are waiting to speak to a cashier. Then suddenly... ...Three men in balaclava's rush into the bank with sawn off shotguns screaming at the top of their lungs... BANK ROBBER ONE: EVERYONE GET THE FK DOWN ON THE FLOOR!!! NOOOOOOW!! DO IT!! BANK ROBBER TWO: GET DOWN AND DON'T F*G EVEN THINK ABOUT LOOKING UP! IF I SEE ANYONE HOLDING A MOBILE I'LL F*G SHOOT YOU! BANK ROBBER THREE: (aiming gun at cashiers) LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS! LET ME SEE THEM! IF I SEE YOU GO FOR THE ALARM, I SWEAR YOU'LL F*G DIE!! BANK ROBBER ONE: OI, YOU, YES YOU! WHEN I SAID EVERYBODY I MEANT EVERYBODY, NOW GET ON THE FLOOR! BAE: (stares nonchalantly) BANKER ROBBER ONE: ARE YOU F**G TAKING THE PSS? DOWN, NOW! GET THE FK DOWN! BAE: (stares nonchalantly) BANK ROBBER THREE: WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG I NEED ONE OF YOU UP TOP TO HELP ME GATHER THE MONEY! BANK ROBBER TWO: COME ON (also points shot-gun towards BAE) GET DOWN, GET THE FK DOWN, F***G NOOOOOOW! BAE: (stares nonchalantly) BANK ROBBER ONE: ON THE FLOOR! WHAT THE FK IS WRONG WITH YOU? BAE: (stares nonchalantly) BANK ROBBER TWO: COOOOOOOOME OOOOOON!! (leans forward to push BAE to the ground with shotgun, BAE Muhammad Aliesque swiftly shuffles and avoids the push) BANKER ROBBER ONE: WHAT THE F*? BANKER ROBBER TWO: YOU ARE F*G DEAD, DEAD! THIS IS A F***G BANK ROBBERY!! BAE: (stares nonchalantly) BAE: Robbery? Really? This is ze bank? I thought this was Starbucks. (starts to wonder towards the exit) BANK ROBBER TWO: Where are you going? BAE: To get a Frappuccino. ♫ Don't cha wish your left-back was B-A-E ♫ Roll end credits.
Erik Olin Wright, an eminent #sociologist and one of the great public intellectuals of our time, has died at 72. Wright, a brilliant scholar and Marxist thinker, has not just taught us so much about #class, exploitation and power, he has also envisioned way to democratic and egalitarian alternatives to #capitalism. Erik Olin Wright was passionately and equally earnest about intellectual rigour and political relevance. Read his final words: https://economicsociology.org/2019/01/23/erik-olin-wright-has-contributed-to-making-utopias-real/ #sociology #marxism #politicaleconomy Erik Olin Wright, an eminent #sociologist and one of the great public intellectuals of our time, has died at 72. Wright, a brilliant scholar and Marxist thinker, has not just taught us so much about #class, exploitation and power, he has also envisioned way to democratic and egalitarian alternatives to #capitalism. Erik Olin Wright was passionately and equally earnest about intellectual rigour and political relevance. Read his final words: https://economicsociology.org/2019/01/23/erik-olin-wright-has-contributed-to-making-utopias-real/ #sociology #marxism #politicaleconomy
When it comes to financial regulation, there are no substantial issues on which Tea Party Republicans differ from Wall Street. This fact may surprise you, because the latest argument among conservatives is that the Tea Party agenda isn't shaped by the financial sector. In fact, they'll say, the Tea Party is where the smartest ideas on financial reform are being generated. Tim Carney of the Washington Examiner has made this case, writing that a “Republican who doesn’t care about Bank of America checks wasn’t possible before the Tea Party.” And Ross Douthat argues that the same far-right members of the Tea Party who called for the shutdown are “more open to new ideas on ... financial reform.” One problem with this argument is that many Tea Party Republicans are in favor of the same bills favored by the financial industry. Take the Financial Takeover Repeal Act of 2013, a one-line bill sponsored by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) that repeals Dodd-Frank and replaces it with nothing. This bill has 22 co-sponsors this year, including notable Tea Party senators such Mike Lee, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz. Of course, not everyone on Wall Street is in favor of repealing Dodd-Frank and replacing it with nothing. After all, that could produce a backlash from the public. In many cases, the financial industry would just prefer to weaken existing regulations. And here, too, they've often found support from Tea Party types. For instance: One change favored by Wall Street is to pull back on the more aggressive parts of Dodd-Frank's derivatives regulation. And here we see Citigroup actually writing the text of a bill that House Republicans took up and voted for. That was just one of many in the grab-bag of derivatives reforms that the Republican House, with some Democratic support, pushed for this year. The financial industry has also pushed to weaken the independence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). And changing the funding of the CFPB has been a demand from the GOP from the beginning. Notice that the question of funding independence doesn't usually break down along ideological lines. The bank-friendly Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, for instance, also isn't funded through the annual appropriation process. Yet Senate Republicans didn’t make a fuss over this when they voted to put Thomas Curry in charge of the OCC last year. Another reform at issue is whether the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) should be able to force financial firms into a receivership during a crisis — a move that would end Too Big To Fail. For this process to work, those financial firms would have to be subject to scrutiny, special capital requirements, restrictions on capital purchases and bonuses, and possible restructuring. Yet the GOP wanted to lift these requirements as part of their government shutdown wish-list. It’s also a major feature of Paul Ryan's plan. And there's more than Dodd-Frank at issue here. The Department of Labor, for instance, is releasing new fiduciary requirements to better deal with 401(k)s, IRAs and the rest of the wave of personal, private, tax-exempt savings accounts. House Republicans are trying to block these rules. One might think conservatives would support these fiduciary requirements as a way of bolstering support for private-savings vehicles like 401(k)s over Social Security. Back in the 1980s, conservative think tanks supported tax carve-outs for private-savings vehicles in order to create the conditions for ending Social Security. And nowadays, one of the strongest arguments for boosting Social Security is the growing suspicion that 401(k)s and other private retirement programs are ripping people off. The lack of clear standards can actually strengthen support for government safety-net programs. Still, the financial industry doesn’t want the fiduciary requirements, and the Tea Party doesn’t either. These are not minor nitpicks, or obscure regulatory codes I’m bringing up as cheap shots. These are the major, substantive issues of the regulatory response to the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression. I’m not saying that you should support all these measures (though I do think this list, on the whole, is smart policy). But the pattern is obvious. Some people will bring up the Brown-Vitter plan to raise capital significantly. That's a plan to strengthen financial regulation and is supported by a Republican. But the bill only has one other Republican co-sponsor, having lost one since its debut. And it's worth noting that Vitter hasn't pushed for higher leverage requirements at other points. (Indeed he didn’t acknowledge the surprise increase in leverage requirements over the summer proposed by U.S. banking regulators.) Similarly, there are now three remaining important capital rules still on the table, dealing with liquidity, extra capital for the biggest banks and the question of how banks hold debt. There’s no support, or acknowledgement, of any of these rules from either the Tea Party or Vitter (other than a push to repeal Dodd-Frank entirely). What are the takeaways here? The first is that the actual disagreements between the Tea Party and Wall Street appear to be over tactics — whether shutting down the government will help or hurt the cause. Tactical disagreements are important, but they shouldn’t be confused with substantive disagreements on policy. Another point is that the alliance between Tea Party Republicans and Wall Street often gives substantial power to centrist Democrats on these issues, who become the swing vote on what gets passed. Given that financial influence is large with this group, it’s of grave concern that there's not actually a left-right alliance concerned with Wall Street. The one time a left-right alliance on financial matters did emerge, in the form of support for a Fed audit amendment during Dodd-Frank, the alliance collapsed quickly. Those on the right wanted to dismantle the dual mandate, while those on the the left half wanted to remove bankers and regional Fed chairs from decision-making. Meanwhile, most of the “smart” conservative takes on financial reform start with the premise that Dodd-Frank is the law on the books, while Tea Party intellectuals do not. Finally, the way the conservative press approaches this topic doesn't help. Take a recent piece by Tim Carney on the House Republican plan, known as the PATH Act, to privatize the GSEs without maintaining a credit guarantee. There are financial groups who oppose this bill (“The most powerful opposition to the House ... comes from the Mortgage Bankers Association”), which leads Carney to suggest that conservatives are standing up to "special interests." But he doesn’t mention that other parts of the financial industry do support the bill. Indeed, the American Securitization Forum has testified that they “strongly support the introduction of the PATH Act.” Which is to say that there’s no neutral position here. The key question is how to best create rules for the financial system so that it works better for the economy as a whole, a process that will necessarily create winners and losers. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that Tea Party anger over the idea of a federal, regulatory state just happens to overlap with the interests of Wall Street. Perhaps. But I see no reason people should take comfort in that. Mike Konczal is a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, where he focuses on financial regulation, inequality and unemployment. He writes a weekly column for Wonkblog. Follow him on Twitter here.
In the middle of one night Miss Clavel turned on the light And said, “Something is not right!” — “Madeline,” by Ludwig Bemelmans, 1939 Many of us these days find ourselves channeling our inner Miss Clavel. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, for one. In Dexter Filkins’s profile of Mattis for the New Yorker, the most striking moment comes when Mattis is asked what worries him most in his new role. Filkins expected to hear about the Islamic State, or Russia, or the defense budget. Instead, Mattis went to a deeper, more unsettling problem: “The lack of political unity in America. The lack of a fundamental friendliness. It seems like an awful lot of people in America and around the world feel spiritually and personally alienated, whether it be from organized religion or from local community school districts or from their governments.” Something is not right. If anything, Mattis’s diagnosis seems understated. This national distemper, the sour, angry mood infecting the body politic, was evident before Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte body-slammed a reporter for daring to ask a question; then had his campaign lie about it; then failed to apologize — until after he won the election. It was evident before Gianforte’s current allies and future colleagues were muted, to put it mildly, in the face of his audio-taped assault. “We all make mistakes,” said Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), who chairs the House Republicans’ campaign arm. This was not a mistake; it was an assault on a reporter doing his constitutionally protected job. Something is not right — and Gianforte’s attack is simply a well-documented illustration of this larger ill. The events of a single week serve to underscore the gravity of the malady. Something is not right when the grieving parents of murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich are forced to suffer the further injury of seeing their son’s death hijacked for political purpose, baselessly linked to WikiLeaked DNC emails. Something is not right when President Trump’s commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, marvels, after traveling with the president to Saudi Arabia, that “there was not a single hint of a protester anywhere there during the whole time we were there. Not one guy with a bad placard.” Note to Ross: The absence of protest is not good news — it is evidence of the absence of democracy. Something is not right when Trump’s housing secretary, Ben Carson, asserts that “poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind. You take somebody that has the right mind-set, you can take everything from them and put them on the street, and I guarantee in a little while they’ll be right back up there.” As if the poor have only themselves to blame for their condition. How can this man be entrusted with the task of ensuring affordable housing when he seems to believe that the inability to pay for housing stems from lack of will and moral backbone? This is not simply about disagreeing with Trump’s ideology, such as it is, or even with more orthodox Republican views. It is about the increasing distrust of the other, whether a refugee or a political opponent, and the emergence of a fundamental mean-spiritedness inconsistent with American values. About those American values: Something is not right when, as the Congressional Budget Office found, the House Republican health-care bill would result in 23 million more Americans without health coverage, inflicting the greatest harm on the oldest, sickest and least well-off. Something is not right when Trump proposes a budget that would slash funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the program launched by President George W. Bush in 2003 that has saved nearly 12 million lives in Africa and elsewhere by providing antiretroviral drugs. Trump’s budget would cut the program by nearly one-fifth — and result in the deaths of at least 1 million people, according to researchers. And that is just one particularly poignant example. Something is not right when Trump’s budget would cut food stamps and housing vouchers for needy families; health care for poor children — this on top of cuts already envisioned in the health-care bill — heating assistance for the low-income elderly; and job training programs to help the very Americans whose interests Trump vowed to champion. Something is really not right when all this is done to help pay for trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the richest Americans. When it is built on an edifice of fairy-tale growth projections exacerbated by fraudulent accounting, double-counting savings from this supposed growth. We are all Miss Clavel now, or should be. Read more from Ruth Marcus’s archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
The premier association for former U.S. Secret Service agents Wednesday expelled the special agent who suggested she wouldn't take "a bullet" to defend President Trump because she considered him "a disaster" for the country. Kerry O'Grady, the agent in question who runs the Secret Service's Denver office, was an associate member of the association until Wednesday when the organization official rescinded her membership. The Association of Former Agents U.S. Secret Service, or AFAUSSS, also known as Old Star, cited comments O'Grady made on Facebook, first reported by the Washington Examiner. In an emailed notice to all of its members on Wednesday, the organization said its Board of Directors had decided to expel O'Grady from its membership. The Board of Directors vote to expel her was unanimous, the email said. "By 12:00N January 25, 2017, a motion was made by me and seconded and given to the Board of Directors to address the expulsion of Associate Member O'Grady …" Jan Gilhooly, president of AFAUSSS, wrote in the email sent to all members. "[O'Grady] engaged in conduct deemed by a majority of the Board to be detrimental to the Association of the U.S. Secret Service …" The Board of Directors voted unanimously for expulsion, according to the email, which noted that she would be notified by registered letter of the Board's decision. The board's action came after O'Grady attempted to enter the organization's website but was denied based on "the nature of concern and comments by members and after personal examination." Gilhooly said he would keep members informed when any further information becomes available. "I urge all members to remember that this now constitutes a 'Personnel Action' and as such the Agency is precluded from discussing certain information outside of their officials," he wrote. "Thank you to all who made your feelings on this issue known." The Secret Service is weighing how far to take its disciplinary action against O'Grady, saying only that it has taken "appropriate action." The agency would not say whether that includes placing her on administrative leave, which would be forced leave without pay, a common first disciplinary step when the Secret Service is taking an incident seriously.
A 16-year-old East Palo Alto boy was fatally shot in the head by another passenger inside a Ford Expedition the morning of June 12 in Redwood City, according to police. It is not yet known whether the shooting was intentional, police Lt. Sean Hart said. The victim has been identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office as Armando Juan Carranza. In their investigation, police identified three other people in the Ford Expedition, all males between the ages of 18 and 20, Hart said. The sports utility vehicle was moving at the time of the shooting, which happened somewhere between Spring Street and Broadway. The men told police they were acquaintances of the victim and the shooting was an accident, Hart said, adding that no one was arrested. No other details were released because the investigation is ongoing. “We haven’t determined what led up to the shooting and the circumstances,” Hart said Wednesday. “I wouldn’t rule it an accident or crime at this point.” Police learned of the shooting after they were called to Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City at about 12:20 a.m. on June 12. Carranza, who had been brought to the hospital by unknown persons, died shortly after arriving there, Hart said. The case will be forwarded to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office once the investigation is completed, Hart said. “On the question of the shooting, the charges could be from homicide to unlawful possession of a firearm,” Hart said. Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger@dailynewsgroup.com; follow her at twitter.com/bonnieeslinger.
If you spent the past week looking at videos and images of the Pixel 2 phones and wishing you could have them in your hands, well today you can have your first taste at them. We got the APK file for the updated Pixel Launcher that will ship on the Pixel 2 with its bottom Google Search bar and At A Glance widget, and it should work on all devices from Android 5.0 Lollipop and upward. If you install the updated launcher on your device, you'll get those same changes: bottom Google Search bar, top At A Glance widget, and it seems like the animations have been changed a little too. The Google Search bar stays on all the screens but the At A Glance widget will only show on the first screen. The latter will display the weather only if you have location turned on, otherwise there's no way to manually set it to one specific location. From my tests, the At A Glance widget seems a little finicky and only shows events in the upcoming half hour or so. It also seems to only displays events from your calendar and not from shared calendars: I can't get it to show any shared calendar events, but I'm not sure if it's just me. That would be a bit of a wasted opportunity for me, as most of my events are either shared with the Android Police staff or with my husband. Update: It seems like this was an issue on my phone. At A Glance should show any event that's in your Calendar app, regardless of whether it's in your personal calendar or shared ones. Artem tested it and it works for him (#ritasluck). If he stops a calendar (personal or shared) from syncing in the Calendar app, the event disappears from At A Glance, if he turns it back on, it reappears. So all is well there. For now, At A Glance is the only new addition in the Settings of the launcher. Sadly, it only has 2 toggles: calendar events and traffic information. When Cody uncovered this in his teardown of the Google app 7.9, there was a third toggle for flight info. Google though says that more data should be surfaced through this widget in the future, so hopefully it'll be populated with more relevant info later. The rest of the settings and features appear to be pretty much unchanged. There was a question mark around the removal of the icon shape setting dialog, but it's still there. If you want to try the new Pixel Launcher on your device - regardless of whether it's a Pixel, Nexus, or other OEM-made phone - you can grab the APK file from APK Mirror: Pixel Launcher P-4275643. But remember that you'll need to install it as a system app on non-Pixel devices to get the Google Feed on the leftmost screen.
For Immediate Release Nov. 9, 2017 Contact: Carol Ehrle \| carol.ehrle@gmail.com Media Team \| media@forapeoplesparty.org Washington D.C. — The American progressive movement is reeling from the back-to-back revelations that the 2016 Democratic primary was thoroughly rigged and that the party purged Sanders supporters from the DNC. The past few weeks have made clear a conclusion that progressives have long fought to avoid: there is no path to power inside the Democratic Party. As the Democratic Party shuts the door on progressives, Gallup shows that more Americans are calling for a major new party than ever before. A large majority of Americans now want an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. In just five years, support for a new party has jumped from 46 to 61 percent. There are already far more independents than Democrats. But now even most Democrats are saying that their party does “such a poor job that a major third party is needed.” It is in this turbulent political context that Draft Bernie for a People’s Party is launching its next phase: Movement for a People’s Party (MPP). Launched in February by Sanders campaign staffers, delegates and volunteers, Draft Bernie quickly grew into a major national organization at the helm of the rapidly growing movement for a new political party. Tens of thousands of working people broke with the Democratic Party and joined Draft Bernie’s call on Sen. Sanders to create a genuinely progressive party. Draft Bernie’s articles and interviews have spanned dozens of mainstream and independent publications reaching millions of people. Thousands of passionate volunteers across every state have hit the streets and social media to speak to fellow progressives about starting a people’s party. Leading Sanders campaign surrogates including renowned public intellectual Dr. Cornel West and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox have joined the movement. Many others, including National Nurses United head RoseAnn DeMoro and Our Revolution President Nina Turner, have also supported the call for a people’s party. When Draft Bernie was founded, few progressives were talking about starting a new party. In just a few months, Draft Bernie has flipped the script and the idea of building a people’s party has gone viral. Sen. Sanders holds out hope that the Democratic Party can be reformed, but the American people have made their preference clear. Draft Bernie built tremendous grassroots support for a people’s party and now MPP will assemble that support into a coalition of working people, unions, progressive organizations, and community groups that can collectively launch a nationally viable people’s party. Across the country, MPP members will build the coalition for a people’s party one conversation at a time. The momentum is on our side as each passing day makes it clearer that the Democratic Party has no interest in representing its overwhelmingly progressive base. Tuesday’s Gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia reinforced the need for a new party as a former Goldman Sachs executive was elected in New Jersey and a fiscal-conservative who voted for George W. Bush twice won in Virginia. Both men were Democrats who represent the rightward shift in a party that is running billionaires in states like West Virginia, Illinois and Florida. The Democratic establishment will interpret the election results as a vindication of neoliberalism and a license to continue business as usual. Working families will suffer as the Democratic Party continues to chase Trump and the Republicans further to the right. The public’s acute disdain for the Democratic Party can be seen in a new CNN/SSRS poll that finds the party’s favorability has fallen to its lowest point in more than a quarter century, from 44 to 37 percent since March. Republicans fare even worse, with just 30 percent of Americans holding a favorable view. A separate Pew poll shows that trust in government has fallen from 49 percent to 20 percent in the past 15 years. The historic unfavorability ratings reveal an electorate that is fed up with both establishment parties and desperate for a political alternative. A new party that supports free public college, universal health care, a living wage, higher taxes on the wealthy, getting big money out of our elections, and much of Sanders’ 2016 platform, will give Americans a party to vote for and inspire millions back to the polls. MPP is well on its way towards that goal. “Confidence in institutions and affiliation with the establishment parties are at historic lows. The number of independents and Americans calling for a major new party are at historic highs. These are long term trends that show no sign of slowing down. We’re on course for a major political realignment,” said Draft Bernie Founder and MPP National Director, Nick Brana, who lobbied the superdelegates on Sanders’ presidential campaign. Public anger and frustration has reached a boiling point and neither major party is giving voice to policies that would alleviate the hardship that working people face. Last year, voters in both major parties tried to nominate presidential candidates who weren’t truly members of their party before the election. They succeeded on the right and were blocked on the left. The revolution against establishment politics is not limited to the United States. Anti-establishment parties are rising across Europe. The two parties that have dominated French politics for decades, the Republican and the Socialist parties, were overtaken by two new parties in this year’s presidential election. Spain’s two -party system split into four parties in 2015. In Greece, Syriza overtook the country’s establishment parties and elected a prime minister. The major parties are crumbling. The question is not whether there will be a new party in America. The question is what will the new party stand for and who will offer the country the alternative it so desperately craves? Will it be a right wing populist party, the kind that Trump, Bannon and Mercer foreshadow? A new neoliberal party masquerading as third way, the kind that French elites used with Macron? Or will progressives come together to offer working people a genuine alternative? asked Brana. “There is a new political reality in America. If progressives don’t offer an alternative that fills the anti-establishment void, someone else will, just like Trump did last year,” he said. The majority of Americans are progressive and want a new party. However, progressives are fragmented into hundreds of organizations and numerous parties, which forces them to compete for supporters, volunteers, donors, and voters. That prevents them from building the critical mass of resources and support for a new party. Draft Bernie popularized the idea of starting a people’s party. The Movement for a People’s Party will unite that support into a coalition for a nationally viable progressive party. MPP national director Nick Brana was the national political outreach coordinator on Sander’s presidential campaign. He was also a founding member of Our Revolution and its first electoral manager. ###
QUANTICO, Va. -- Fighting wars may soon change forever. On Tuesday, the military showed off a helicopter that doesn't need a pilot in the cockpit -- or on the ground. The Huey helicopter has been around since the Vietnam War, but this one could start a revolution. It can fly itself, so the pilot in the cockpit is just a safety observer, keeping his hands close to but not on the controls. The person actually telling the helicopter what to do is Marine Sgt. Dionte Jones. "If the helo comes in and requests permission to land, I would give it permission to land," said Jones. "When it's ready to leave, or when I unload all the stuff that I need, it will ask me permission to leave, I'll give it permission to leave. And it's really just that simple." This self-flying helicopter uses technology developed by The Office of Naval Research CBS Sgt. Jones has no joystick, instead he pilots the helicopter with a remote control. It's a tablet that issues basic instructions and no prior experience is required. "15 minutes of training with the tablet," said Jones. "Anybody can pick it up. It's real easy." The Office of Naval Research, which developed the technology, says it's placing a large bet that autonomous aircraft can take the place of humans. The flight computer that turns the helicopter into a self-flying aircraft took five years and $98 million to develop and it can be installed on any helicopter. Sgt. Jones operates a self-flying helicopter using a remote control CBS A pod on the nose of the aircraft constantly scans for obstacles, warning the computer of hard-to-see hazards like power lines. The initial concept is to use self-flying helicopters to deliver supplies to Marines in the field, freeing up pilots for other missions. The Vietnam-era Huey will fly into the future when it starts training with Marines in California this spring.
A couple of nice ones show up on this week’s approvals including ABW’s Heizenberg cans and 1.32 Gallon “can” (vessel?) of Bell’s Oberon. Also, in case you missed it (it may be of some interest to people), you can see updates of most of the new breweries opening in Austin here: https://www.craftbeeraustin.com/upcoming-austin-breweries-february-2017/ This week’s TABC Label Approvals: K = Keg B = Large format bottle bb = 16oz format bottle b = Small format bottle c = Small format (12oz) can cc = 16oz format can C = Larger format can 3 Nations Brewing – 3 Nations Trail Haus Light (K) 3 Nations Brewing – 3 Nations Mkt Ice House Light (K) 4th Tap Brewing Cooperative – 4th Tap Zephyr Pale Ale (c) 5 Stones Artisan Brewery – 5 Stones Gustavo Guayaba Ale (K) 8th Wonder Brewery – 8th Wonder Baller Status Ale (K) Abita Brewing Company L.L.C. – Abita To Gose (b, K) Abita Brewing Company L.L.C. – Abita Creole Cream Ale (b, K) Abita Brewing Company L.L.C. – Abita Bourbon Street Old Fashioned Pale (B, K) Alamo Beer – Alamo India Pale Ale (K) Alesmith Brewing Company – Alesmith Nibs Beans Speedway Stout (K) Alesmith Brewing Company – Alesmith Speedway Stout Imperial Stout (cc) Austin Beerworks Llc – Austin Beerworks Heisenberg Kristallweizen (c) Avery Brewing Company – Avery Hog Heaven Imperial Red IPA (c) Avery Brewing Company – Avery Apricot Sour Barrel Aged Sour Ale (B, K) B J Pizza Restaurant 3 – B J Pizza Centennial IPA (K) Bare Arms Brewing – Bare Arms 1849 Vienna Style Lager (C – 32oz) Bayou Teche Brewing Llc – Bayou Teche La 31 Biere Pale Ale (b) Bell’s Brewery Inc. – Bell’s Oberon American Wheat Ale (CC – 1.32 Gallons) Bell’s Brewery Inc. – Bell’s Pooltime Wheat Ale With Cherry (c, K) Bell’s Brewery Inc. – Bell’s Oatsmobile American Pale Ale (c, K) Bell’s Brewery Inc. – Bell’s Quinannan Falls India Style Pale (c, K) Blue Point Brewing Company Inc. – Blue Point Hazy Bastard IPA (cc, K) Boston Beer Company – Samuel Adams Rebel White Citra IPA (b, K) Boulevard Brewing Company – Boulevard Changeling Dark Sour Ale (B, K) Brewery Ommegang – Ommegang Fruition Dry Hopped Wheat Ale (b. K) Bruery – Bruery White Chocolate Bourbon Barrel Ale (B, K) Champion Brewing Company Llc – Champion Falconer Hoppy Wheat Beer (c, K) Champion Brewing Company Llc – Champion Malibu Nights American Pale Ale (c, K) Champion Brewing Company Llc – Champion Easter Basket Double IPA (c) Collective Brewing Project – Collective Brewing Funkytown Boysenbarrel Sour Red (K) Collective Brewing Project – Collective Brewing Brett Smashy Funkhouse IPA (bb) Collective Brewing Project – Collective Brewing Biere De Garde (K) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (C) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron Wood Aged Ale (b, K) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Dogfish Head Seaquench Ale (C) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Dogfish Head Burton Baton Oak Aged IPA (b, K) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Dogfish Head Beer To Drink Music To 2017 (b, K) Etx Brewing Co Llc – Etx Brickstreet Blonde (K) Eureka Heights Brewing Company – Eureka Heights Croggy Beer (K) Founders Brewing Co. – Founders Comet IPA (K) Four Bullets Brewery Llc – Four Bullets Snake Eyes Oatmeal Stout (K) Franconia Brewing Company Llc – Franconia Ice Bock Ale (b) Friends And Allies Brewing Company – Friends And Allies Protocol Droid (K) Full Sail Brewing Company – Full Sail Pub Series Blood Orange Wheat (b, K) Golden Road Brewing – Golden Road 329 Days Of Sun Lager (c, K) Golden Road Brewing – Golden Road Tart Mango Cart Wheat Ale (c) Goliad Brewing Company – Goliad General Zaragoza Mexican Lager (c, K) Great Divide Brewing Company – Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout (c) Great Divide Brewing Company – Great Divide Hercules Double IPA (c) Harpoon Distributing Company Inc. – Harpoon Ufo White Wheat Beer (b, cc, K) Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales – Jolly Pumpkin North Peak Stormy Oat IPA (K) Konig Brauerei – Konig Pilsener (cc) Krebs Brewing Co Inc. – Krebs Prairie Artisan Ales Funky Gold Citra Dry Hopped Sour Ale (bb) Martin House Brewing Company – Martin House 2017 River Horse Barrel Aged Brett Saison (c) Martin House Brewing Company – Martin House True Love Raspberry Sour Ale (c, K) Martin House Brewing Company – Martin House River Horse Ale (K) Nebraska Brewing Company – Nebraska Fuchsian Chardonnay Barrel Aged Belgian Style Ale (B) Nocoast Beer Co. – Nocoast Trend Bucker Stout (cc) Orkney Brewery – Orkney Dark Island Dark Ale (bb) Rabbit Hole Brewing – Rabbit Hole School Of Bock Eisbock Ale (B, K) Rahr Sons Brewing Lp – Rahr Sons Dadgum IPA (K) Rahr Sons Brewing Lp – Rahr Sons Ugly Pug Black Lager (c) Real Ale Brewing Company – Real Ale Bitchin’ Camaro Hoppy American Amber (B, K) Saint Arnold Brewing Company – Saint Arnold Icon Green El Dorado IPA (b, K) Santa Fe Brewing Co. – Santa Fe Autonomous Collective Summer IPA (K) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Sierra Nevada Mint Stout (K) Sleeman Breweries Ltd. – Unibroue Terrible Bottle 10.5 Alc/Vol (B) Strange Land Brewery – Strange Land Dubliner Irish Stout (K) Texas Ale Project – Texas Ale Project Collaboration 1 Irish Red Ale (K) Uinta Brewing Company – Uinta Lime Pilsner (c, K) Utah Brewers Cooperative L.C. – Wasatch Raspberry Wheat Beer (c) Utah Brewers Cooperative L.C. – Wasatch White Label Belgian Style White Label (c, K) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Golden Monkey Belgian Style Tripel (b, c) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Helios Ale (B) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Vital IPA (b, c) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Golden Monkey Belgian Style Tripel (cc) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Selene Saison (B) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Prima Pils (b, c, cc) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Cage Radler (c) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Hopdevil IPA (cc) Victory Brewing Company – Victory Sour Monkey Sour Brettanomyces Tripel (b) Brewery Approvals: Note: I have only been putting new brewery approvals here – anything that is just getting reapproved, I do not list. Along with this, any macro brewery that is approved, I do not put. An example of this would be things like a South Korean macro brewery. (For TX breweries: B = Brewery, BP = Brewpub) No new approvals this week. Select Labels TABC Label and Brewery Approvals Feb 24 2017
by Christo Aivalis In recent weeks, a major controversy has enflamed the Canadian labour movement, and how it relates to the international unions centred within the United States. Last month, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, which represents around 10,000 members working within the Toronto Transit Commission’s system, was placed under trusteeship by the union’s international headquarters. This decision was made after Local 113 President Bob Kinnear had approached the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) to activate a clause (Article 4) that would partially suspend provisions that prevent ‘raiding’ (where unions take members from another union rather than organize un-unionized workers) actions between CLC member unions. Kinnear justified his actions based on the assertion that his local lacked sufficient autonomy in its ability to operate and received insufficient support from the international office. Further, Kinnear and others—including officials within UNIFOR like President Jerry Dias—have deemed the trusteeship an act of American domination. Dias sold this event as a wider struggle in Canadian labour, suggesting that he was “sick and tired of the heavy handed arm of the United States determining our collective bargaining strategy and determining how we operate.” This direct intervention from UNIFOR—which has included paying Kinnear’s legal fees—has led some to suggest that Kinnear’s goal was to transfer Local 113 from the ATU into UNIFOR. Despite all this, Kinnear’s move was opposed by a majority of local 113’s leadership, as well as the heads of five of Canada’s biggest unions, which include unions headquartered on both sides of the border. While the story has a multitude of further details, the result has been that the CLC has reinstated the article 4 clause that would prevent raiding between CLC member unions, and Bob Kinnear has officially resigned his position as 113 President. As it stands, then, the main issue is largely resolved, but the fact remains that this whole affair has reignited divisions within the labour movement based on this question of American influence into Canadian unions. A large part of this is due to a sustained historical context that has played out for more than a century. * In the early days of the Canadian labour movement, there were few exclusively Canadian unions. Of the major unions at the time, most were centred in the United States, and had locals in Canada. For a time, these two overarching groups cooperated through the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada (TLC), which was founded in the 1800s. But things changed at the 1902 TLC convention at Berlin, Ontario. Here, under pressure from the TLC locals affiliated to American Federation of Labor (AFL), the decision was made to kick out the purely Canadian unions. Some of these expelled unions would go onto form the Canadian Federation of Labour (CFL), but the body would be largely weak and ineffectual. A few years later, in 1908, we would see the birth of Canada’s first major independent union: the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees (CBRE). It sought to broaden the labour movement outside the ‘skilled’ trades, and with solely Canadian members. The CBRE would quickly become of one of the country’s biggest unions, and in the late 1910s, it would join the TLC. But around the same time, an American railway brotherhood that represented many of the same job classifications as the CBRE came to Canada, and also obtained TLC membership. In keeping with the 1902 Berlin decision, the CBRE was forced to join the American union or face expulsion; the latter happened in 1921. By 1927, however, A.R. Mosher and his CBRE would join with remnants of the old CFL, along with the One Big Union and numerous Communist unions to form the All-Canadian Congress of Labour, which was predicated on resisting the conservative, exclusive, and American-dominated TLC unions. And while the ACCL would be racked by internal strife and the Depression, the body was kept afloat by the CBRE. Luckily, developments in the United States gave new life to the ACCL. In the mid-1930s, the AFL expelled many unions, which would go on to form the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), the latter of which were more inclusive in their organizing strategy, and were more politically proactive. By 1939, the TLC kicked out Canadian CIO unions, which left them without a federation. It was thus that a marriage, largely of convenience, was consummated between CIO unions in Canada, as well as the exclusively-Canadian ACCL. The result would be the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL), founded in 1940. Initially, neither side fully trusted the other, because the CIO unions knew of the ACCL’s prior denunciation of American unions, and the ACCLers worried about becoming dominated by quickly growing unions like the United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers. But what would happen was a compromise between the ACCL and CIO forces that developed over a decade or more. From Mosher’s perspective, as well as that of CCL Secretary Treasurer Pat Conroy’s, the CIO locals in Canada needed further autonomy from their American headquarters, in terms of finances, power structures, and the production of educational materials. The result was that even though the CCL by the 1956 formation of the CLC would be dominated by American-centred unions, it had locals that were relatively autonomous in their functions. It was thus that, when CCL-TLC negotiations were taking place to form the CLC, the former demanded that AFL locals in Canada move in the direction of increased Canadian control independent of international headquarters. But the story doesn’t end here, because changes in political and organizational contexts gave rise to another wave of Canadian labour nationalism from the 1960s into the 1980s. With the rise of public sector unionism came many large Canadian-only bodies, including the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), and the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). These unions were often on the forefront of fighting for Canadian labour autonomy and could do so because they had no direct ties to American labour centrals. But beyond the growth in public sector unionism, the rise of anti-American sentiment from the 1960s into the 1980s made many Canadian workers wary of too strong an attachment to the American movement. This was in addition to a general sentiment among Canadians that American control of Canadian businesses and natural resources could erode political and economic sovereignty. And while most Canadian unions remained loyal to their American headquarters, many sought increased autonomy. This issues among others even led to some full-fledged splits, resulting in the formation of new, all-Canadian unions like the Canadian Auto Workers (now part of UNIFOR). The relations between the American and Canadian labour movements have never been without controversy. Originally, American unions often sought to dominate or subjugate Canadian counterparts, and even into the mid-1900s, there were few efforts made to recognize the unique experiences and desires of Canadian members. And while changes have (and continue) to be made to ensure resources and objectives include the Canadian viewpoint, there are still discrepancies between the movements generally, and within unions straddling both borders. * What, then, does this history mean for the ATU 113 case? Some, like Jerry Dias, imply that Kinnear’s efforts were undertaken in the context of overbearing American labour bosses. But this perspective is applied inelegantly, without a clear understanding of historical progress or the intent of the CLC’s article 4. From the historical perspective, the reality is that Canadian unions are as autonomous as they have ever been, and from a constitutional perspective, article 4 requires that the CLC be approached by a group of workers, and not simply an individual. Likewise, article 4 is to be applied only when internal dispute routes within a union are exhausted, which did not happen in this instance. As the aforementioned letter from major CLC-affiliated union leaders noted, the application of CLC provisions in this case were “not based on a legitimate application under the clear wording of Article IV.” More poignantly, the letter clearly denounces how Kinnear, “after an overwhelming vote of non-confidence by his Board, is using the CLC’s justification process as a tool for continuing his campaign of opposition to his union.” Finally, it suggests to the CLC that, if anything, investigations in this matter should be aimed towards the actions of “another affiliate,” which might well point to the involvement of UNIFOR in this process. Ultimately, the issue here is less a legitimate concern into the historical American dominance of Canadian labour, and more an attempt to use that history for ulterior motives. Canadian workers deserve a movement in which they are free to make their own decisions, but the actions in this particular case only serve to wrap inter and intra-union skullduggery in the Canadian flag. This belittles the historical fight that Canadian unionists—including CAW luminaries like Bob White—have waged for increased Canadian autonomy. Perhaps more importantly, this weakens any future fight against legitimate American overbearance into Canadian union affairs. Christo Aivalis is an adjunct professor of history at Queen’s University. His dissertation examined Pierre Trudeau’s relationship with organized labour and the CCF-NDP, and has been accepted for publication with UBC Press. His work has appeared in the Canadian Historical Review, Labour/le Travail, Our Times Magazine, Ricochet, and Canadian Dimension. He has also served as a contributor to the Canadian Press, Toronto Star, CTV and CBC. His current project is a biography of Canadian labour leader A.R. Mosher.
After my initial post on the impact of curved blades, I forged ahead looking at game footage of what I refer to as the "heightened game" (meaning, the game after curved blades). Yet there was one thing that was interesting to me, particularly in regards to shooting. Yes, there were more "drag-and-snap" snap shots being taken in the 1980s, and yes curved blades were prevalent, ditto saucer passes (among the better teams), ditto off-the-glass dump-ins. But there was one thing that didn't seem to come around in the 1980s, and it involves where mama keeps the cookies. I really began to notice it after a goal on Richard Brodeur in 1981 where the announcer said that he was beaten "top shelf." Really, he was beaten about chest height on the glove side, but as I continued to watch I realized that direct, unblocked shots were still very low, even in instances where the goalie clearly was focused on covering down low (check out this Gretzky compilation, for instance). In reality, focusing everything down low had been the norm in goaltending stances for quite some time, a fact that continued into the 1980s. Observe Richard Brodeur here, Tom Barrasso here, Mike Liut here, John Vanbiesbrouck here, Mike Palmateer here, and so on. The catch glove is low, and the pads are frequently nearly upright and exposing only a minor V. That was the primary goaltender stance for a majority of NHL history, from Bill Durnan to Jacques Plante to Ken Dryden (not my intent to list Canadiens goaltenders), and it made sense: they were putting their efforts towards the area where majority of the play and shots were coming from. The stance also artificially brought the head down and forward, which was more dangerous but also helpful in seeing through traffic. Of course, we know that isn't the whole story; Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito broke the mold with their approach to the goaltending stance. Both were equally concerned with coverage, namely the low areas of the net, but had impressive leg speed and sought to use it to their advantage. They each developed their own style of spreading their legs out yet bringing the knees down at the same time, creating wide coverage down low. In Hall's case, he still had the old stance (see here), but as the action got close he was quickly prepared to drop to this splayed position. With Esposito, he kept his five-hole wide open, practically taunting shooters before closing the door. Esposito's initial stance fell into an easy version of Hall's butterfly. The success of these approaches was undeniable (Hall and Esposito were considered two of the best at their position despite frequently playing on middling teams), but the impact on the game was even greater: 1. The Role of the Glove Hand Look at those older pictures, especially in regards to the catch glove. It was a leathery, shape-shifting beast from the 1980s on back, better for covering and slapping people in the shower than catching a puck...far removed from the deep-pocketed puck trap we see today. This was appropriate to its role; it covered, it blocked, and could catch if need be, but really it functioned as an agile complement to the side of the often cumbersome (and, as the game went along) heavy leg pads. Now notice the glove in the butterfly pictures of Hall and Esposito - it operates above the pad. In the modern era, this has helped free the glove to focus on the middle and upper areas of the net, creating a greater opportunity for highlight-reel saves (and bringing a realization that it would be helpful if the gloves had deeper pockets to snare the shot). I remember as a kid toiling with late-1970s to mid-1980s catch gloves in youth hockey, always frustrated in my quest to deepen the pocket on those damn things. 2. Posture The butterfly pulled the goaltender's head back from the leaned-forward stance of their forebears and widened their base, and any sacrifice in vision was compensated for by promoting a steady sitting position (if the stance is correct, the gloves will be forward from the bent knees). The goalie crouch we know now was greatly influenced by the butterfly, and it helped increase the goaltender's ability to cover low and high. 3. Top Shelf As I mentioned above, the game in the early 1980s still was played fairly low, though it became more commonplace to see individual shooters try to shoot a bit higher to beat the goaltenders (particularly those with greater curves on their stick, like Paul Coffey). This probably explains why you still had the low stance with success throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s (Barrasso and Beezer would largely continue their stance), though textbook stances would evolve to move the legs apart a bit more and bring the gloves up to adjust for the higher game. Even so, there was a market inefficiency there, and soon curve enthusiasts started adding more "flick" to the blades (there's even a web forum for these folks), and top shelf became a thing almost alongside the flourishing of butterfly goaltending. I'll leave it up to the readership to speculate if one or the other had a causal effect, but I'd argue that the butterfly stance helped goaltenders make the adjustment from altering the old, low and/or stand-up stances (as "textbook" goaltenders did in the 1990s) to adopting a stance that was more stable, reactive, and consequently better for recovery against the heightened game that emerged from the 1980s. On the flip side, the butterfly's strength down low has bolstered the desire for higher shots, and the desire was met by further stick innovations. Top shelf today is, literally, as high as you can get (think Wheeler's goal last night). The butterfly's pervasiveness is nearly absolute today; it's almost part-and-parcel of the textbook approach now, and many of those who aren't considered "butterfly" are called "hybrids" because they still contain some of those butterfly elements. The sustained success of the stance, and the emphasis on getting padding that complements and maximizes the butterfly's effectiveness (Patrick Roy's true contribution to goaltender evolution), have brought us to a place where we'd never been before: the near-pinnacle of goaltending capability. P.S. Those interested in reading a bit more on this should take a look at "Mike @ MHH's" comments below. Thanks Mike!
The cousin of honour killing victim Banaz Mahmod who helped to dispose of her body is "still proud of what he did", a judge said on Friday as he sentenced him to eight years in prison. Dana Amin, 29, helped Banaz's father and two other men now convicted of murdering the 20-year-old bury her corpse in a Birmingham garden. The Muslim's body was shoved into a suitcase before being driven to the Midlands and dumped in a make-shift grave in January 2006, where it lay undiscovered for three months. Judge Martin Beddoe told Amin: "[Banaz's] death had been planned for about a month or so before it actually took place. There had even been an attempt on her life already. "I am sure you were aware of all these matters and you knew not only of what had gone on but what was intended to happen. "The reason is that, like other members of this family, you subscribe to this perverted code in that a grown woman cannot choose how to live her life. "I fear for any female child you may father." Banaz had been strangled with a shoe lace at her family home in Morden, south London, just hours before she was burried, Southwark Crown Court heard. Her only crime was to divorce her first husband from an arranged marriage and fall in love with another man. The new romance incurred the wrath of her relatives who believed she had brought shame on their family. Terrified Banaz had repeatedly told police of her fears her life was in danger. Her father, Mahmod Mahmod, and uncle, Ari Mahmod, were jailed for life in 2007 for her murder, together with henchman Mohamad Hama in what became one of Britain's most notorious honour killings. Banaz's cousins, Mohammed Ali, and Omar Hussain, were also locked up after being extradited from Iraq in 2010. Amin, on his uncle Ari's orders, joined Hussain and Hama at Ali's Brixton home to discuss plans to kill Banaz on the eve of her death. All four men later travelled to Birmingham in Amin's black Lexus to get rid of the corpse. Amin denied being involved in the plot but was convicted by a jury on Thursday following a week-long trial. Judge Martin Beddoe added: "Your assertion of regret was just another part of a trail of falsity that you began all those years ago. "I fear you are proud of the role you played and that you are proud to be considered a real man by your uncle - a real man, you are not." Amin, of Mitcham, south London, denied intending to pervert the course of justice and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.
Grace Wyler/Business Insider JERUSALEM — It was hour seven of what was supposed to be a two-hour trip, and things were starting to get a little punchy on board the Rand Paul bus tour through Israel. The luxury coach, which was carrying the Kentucky Senator and his entourage of family, staffers, and evangelical leaders from Jerusalem to a kibbutz in the Sea of Galilee, had been derailed by flash floods and rock slides in the West Bank. The group was hungry, tired, and cold, but everyone was doing their best to make the most of it. 'How about a gospel tune?' the tour guide suggested, trying to keep spirits up. "Do we have 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'? The Guns N' Roses version!" Paul called out. "C'mon! 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'!" It took a few minutes for anyone to realize Paul was serious. Finally, the tour guide fiddled around with the sound system, and Paul's request came blaring through the speakers. "There we go!" Paul shouted to the rest of the bus, singing along. A few beats later, he called out again: "We need to change the name of this bus!" "It's not the David Lane tour anymore!" he laughed, referring to the California-based evangelical activist who organized Paul's trip to Israel. "It's the Plague Tour! We've got hail, we've got darkness — all we need now are the frogs!" It was a surprisingly laid back, undiva-like attitude for a politician whose star is rapidly rising in the Republican Party. With the retirement of his father Ron Paul, Rand Paul has taken over the mantle of the GOP's libertarian wing, fusing it with his growing coalition of Tea Partiers and social conservatives. His trip to Israel — which included meetings with top Middle Eastern political leaders and a tour of Christian holy sites with 40 evangelical activists — has fueled growing speculation that the younger Paul is seriously considering a presidential bid of his own in 2016. To find out more about the potential Republican White House hopeful, I joined Paul in Israel last week. Here are some of the best photos from our trip.
Image: SAP Performance analysis software that helped Germany win the 2014 soccer World Cup will soon be available to sports clubs all over the world. On Monday, SAP unveiled its Sports One solution, at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena. Sports One is a sports specific, cloud-based unified platform for managing things like business operations and fan engagement, both already used by Bayern, who won their twenty fifth Bundesliga title, last weekend. It’s Sports One’s performance analysis software, Insights, that’s really got Bayern’s coaching staff and player jazzed. This software crunches thousands of pieces of real-time data about players’ training performance. Coaches can then work on players’ skills, tactical behavior and effort. Medical staff can see that a player is under physical stress and take action before the player gets injured. The Insight system includes eight cameras that surround the training pitch and software that tracks players’ movements. The system gathers data on key performance indicators: number of touches, average possession time, distance travelled, movement speeds and directional changes. “You can place all this data on a cloud or a central platform and transmit this in real time to players and other users on their own devices,” says SAP Executive Board member, Bernd Leukert. Sports One is powered by SAP’s High-performance Analytical Appliance (HANA) platform, a relational database management system designed to simultaneously handle high transaction rates and complex query processing. “In just ten minutes, ten players with three balls can produce over seven million data points,” says Germany manager, and former star striker, Oliver Bierhoff. “The SAP HANA platform processes this data in real time, enabling our coaches to customize training and prepare for the next game.” Bierhoff adds that at the World Cup, the Germans put up a big screen in the players’ lounge at their training camp, with all the data on it. “Players are used to working with data and video sequences,” he says. “This technology puts together the information in ways that is interesting for the player to look at. The answers they find there help improve their performance.” At the 2010 World Cup, German players took, on average, 3.4 seconds to release the ball, much longer than the likes of Spain, Italy and Brazil. German head coach, Joachim Low, was convinced that this is why Germany had come up short against the very best sides in 2010, and again in the 2012 European Championships. In Brazil, last summer, with the help of Insights, the German players reduced their average possession time to 1.1 second. Insights is spreading to other sports. The Czech national hockey team plans to use an adapted version of SAP Insights at the upcoming World Championships. SAP also provides performance analysis software for the Women’s Tennis Association.
The San Jose Earthquakes have just 4 MLS regular season games remaining at Buck Shaw Stadium before they move into their new home at the beginning of the 2015 season. The club hosts Real Salt Lake on Saturday, August 30, the LA Galaxy on Sunday, September 14, the Portland Timbers on Saturday, October 4, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, October 18. The Earthquakes new 18,000-seat stadium is set to stage its first game in March of 2015. The stadium has a European-inspired design that features an acoustic canopy roof to hold the crowd noise inside, where it belongs. It will have the steepest-raked seating in Major League Soccer so even fans at the back will be close to the action. The end stand is based on the stand at English club Fulham’s Craven Cottage ground. It’s also going to have the largest outdoor bar in North America. The process the Earthquakes finally getting their stadium has been a long, arduous one. Planning, zoning and building permissions alone took years. The proposal for the new stadium was brought before the San Jose City Council in June of 2007. All of the money needed, over $70m, was raised within the Silicon Valley area, no public money was used. Right from the get-go the club has taken steps to make sure fans are involved in the construction process. The club and fans set a Guinness World Record in 2012 with 6,256 people shoveling for two minutes for the stadium groundbreaking to kick off the community-focused construction process.
As the 2013 Japan pro baseball season enters its final month, recent injuries to the leading hitter in the Central League batting race and the Pacific League’s top home run hitter have thrown wide open the competition for those titles. Chunichi Dragons third baseman Hector Luna appeared to be a shoo-in to win the CL batting championship just prior to the All-Star break in July. He had gotten off to a hot start and maintained a .400 average well into May. Luna sank below that mark, of course, but was still hitting .370 in early July, maintaining about a 40-point lead over the pack. The Dragons were so pleased with his performance and the way he adjusted to Japanese baseball, the team made the unusual midseason move of extending his contract beyond this year. He was selected to play in the All-Star series but missed it because of a sprained knee sustained in early July. By rule, he then had to sit out the first 10 games when regular-season play resumed. He saw action on the Dragons farm team and later returned to the varsity but hurt his other knee. He went home to the Dominican Republic and is expected to miss the remainder of this season. As of Wednesday, he was still at the top of the CL batting statistics list next to a .350 average, but the following day his name disappeared because he fell below the minimum number of plate appearances necessary for qualification. Luna’s absence opens the door for foreign sluggers Wladimir Balentien of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (the league home run leader and new batting leader hitting .339) and Tony Blanco of the Yokohama BayStars (.333 and the CL’s top RBI man). Others who could heat up and challenge for the batting crown include Yomiuri Giants players Shuichi Murata (.326) and Jose Lopez (.313), BayStars outfielder Nyjer Morgan (.314), Giants catcher Shinnosuke Abe (.311) and Hanshin Tigers cleanup hitter Matt Murton (.308). Commenting on the situation, Murton said, “It’s really too bad about Luna. He was having such a great season.” He also thought Balentien is now probably the favorite to win the batting title but, then again, it could go either way. “If they start walking him, his average won’t go down much,” said Murton, “But, if he starts swinging at bad pitches, that could hurt him too.” Meanwhile, Pacific League home run leader Sho Nakata of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters had his season ruined by a fractured hand after he was hit by a pitch in a game on Aug. 21. Nakata has hit 28 homers and was on a pace for 40, but he is expected to miss at least four weeks of action, so his season is probably done as well. His teammate, the Cuban-born slugger Michel Abreu, is second in the home run derby with 27 as of Thursday. Other contenders are the league RBI leader, Hideto Asamura of the Seibu Lions who had 24, and Casey McGehee of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Tadahito Iguchi of the Chiba Lotte Marines, both with 21. Whoever wins the home run crown in the PL may wind up hitting only half as many as the Central League homer king, as Balentien continues to swing a hot homer hacker. Of course the opposing Central League pitchers are going to be walking Balentien as he approaches the single-season Japanese baseball home run record of 55. However, don’t be so critical, assuming they are trying to prevent him from reaching 56 homers this month. The fact is, Balentien has been so hot and has become such a dangerous hitter, they will be walking him to try to keep the Swallows off the scoreboard and avoid losing games. It would not be surprising to see Balentien issued free passes even with the bases loaded in certain situations. It was on April 12, after he missed the first 12 games of the season due to injury, Balentien said at Tokyo Dome, “My goal is to hit 42 homers this year,” and that was two months before news broke about the old live baseball being back. On July 9, he increased his expectations to 55, and his current pace is for 66. Diamond Dust: Also on the Chunichi injured list besides Luna is the colorful team mascot Doala, who has a broken finger and cannot perform his popular tumbling act following the seventh inning of home games at Nagoya Dome. At a recent press conference, Doala wrote (mascots don’t talk), “I will be fine and can do anything except the tumbling.” He continues to appear on the ground, waving the Dragons team flag and riding a tricycle around the field, offering the team support — and he’s always smiling. * * * Contact Wayne Graczyk at: Wayne@JapanBall.com
During a live chat on Twitter earlier today, Paul McCartney shared a previously unreleased version of the 1976 song 'Beware My Love' featuring John Bonham on drums. The song comes from the upcoming expanded reissue of the No. 1 Wings album 'Wings at the Speed of Sound.' 'Beware My Love' was one of the few true rock songs on an album filled with lighter pop tunes, like the hits 'Let 'Em In' and 'Silly Love Songs.' The original version runs six and a half minutes and includes Wings drummer Joe English on the kit. The previously unreleased take is a minute shorter and, more importantly, features the Led Zeppelin wild man. You can listen to this version in McCartney's tweet right here . 'Wings at the Speed of Sound' comes out on Nov. 4 along with an expanded reissue of 1975's 'Venus and Mars,' which also went to No. 1. Both albums include a bonus disc of material from the era, like B-sides, outtakes, alternate takes and demos. The Bonham version of 'Beware My Love' appears in a rougher form than the finished version of the song. The drummer later showed up on two songs on the last Wings album, 1979's 'Back to the Egg.' In addition to sharing the premiere of the song, which is now available for purchase on iTunes , McCartney spent his Twitter chat discussing his early rock 'n' roll influences, favorite TV shows and, um, tweaking. He also replied to alt-country singer-songwriter Ryan Adams ' question as to whether he was an alien .
It was claimed yesterday that Windows 7 machines are "alarmingly low" on memory, with 86 percent of Windows 7 machines using 90-95 percent of their physical memory. Craig Barth, CTO of Devil Mountain Software, a company developing performance monitoring software, cited data from his company's XPnet community. Community members use a freely downloadable tool that periodically uploads performance data to the XPnet servers, and it's this data, from a few tens of thousands of computers, that was used to justify the claim. Having used Windows 7 in one form or another for more than a year, this struck me as a little surprising. The laptop I use most of the time is no powerhouse—the 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor is positively anemic, and the 64GB SSD cramped—but excessive memory usage (with all the consequent performance problems caused by excessive paging) has never been one of them. Sure, the laptop has a full 4GB of RAM, and since I'm using 64-bit Windows, all of that 4GB is available to the OS, but even under heavy usage, memory just hasn't been a problem. I installed the XPnet performance monitoring tool and waited for it to upload my data to see what it might be complaining about. The cause of the problem was immediately apparent. It's no secret that Windows 7, just like Windows Vista before it, includes aggressive disk caching. The SuperFetch technology causes Windows to preload certain data if the OS detects that it is used regularly, even if there is no specific need for it at any given moment. Though SuperFetch is a little less aggressive in Windows 7, it will still use a substantial amount of memory—but with an important proviso. The OS will only use memory for cache when there is no other demand for that memory. If an application needs lots of memory then Windows will discard cached data to make it available to the application. The rationale for this behavior is simple: memory that is currently not used by anything at all is memory that is wasted. Filling unused system memory with data from the disk just in case that data is useful is much better than leaving the memory unused. Why? Because if that data is needed—and SuperFetch strives to ensure that the data it loads is likely to be needed—having it already in memory means it can be used near-instantly, rather than having to wait tens of milliseconds to load it from disk. Windows XP, with its "low" memory usage, does nothing like this, thereby "boasting" much higher free memory figures. But as should be obvious, such figures are nothing to boast about. Windows XP just allows a large proportion of system memory to go to waste. Well that's pretty awful! Big and red and 100% used! So it was little surprise that, upon checking my reported stats on XPnet, I found that I too was in the "alarming" position of having virtually no free memory. A quick glance at Task Manager revealed the truth. Though my "free" memory is indeed negligible, this is because so much is used by cache. The important number is not "free," but "available." The "available" memory includes both memory that is free, and memory that can be trivially made available, and this figure is far more representative of the true amount of memory available to applications. The vast majority of cached memory can be freed up near-instantly, since it is used up merely by cached data from disk. The amount of "free" memory is not the only statistic tracked; the level of pagefile usage is also used, with anything above 5 percent being "bad." Most Windows systems, even with ample available memory (as I have) will show some degree of pagefile usage, due to the vagaries of some of the ways Windows implements sharing and communication between processes. It's a harmless artifact that causes no performance issue in practice. Oh, but in reality it's not a big deal at all. Phew! Though this "Available" count is new in Windows 7—Windows Vista's Task Manager just shows Total, Cached, and Free—this cache behavior is not new. For the company to misunderstand it (which it most certainly has; I doubt the level of free resources on my system has ever dropped to the level the chart shows) more than three years after Vista became available is quite astonishing. One might almost think that this whole exercise was simply a cynical ploy. Allegations of Microsoft bloatware are, of course, nothing new, and oblique references to the old canard that what Intel gives, Microsoft takes away does nothing to dispel the impression that this is another case of Microsoft bashing.
Branch 221 of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court has dismissed multiple charges against three suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre for lack of evidence. Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes acquitted Kominie Inggo, Dexson Saptula, and Abas Anongan of 58 counts of murder and ordered their immediate release from detention in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. ADVERTISEMENT In a June 23 decision, Reyes granted the three men’s demurrers to evidence after the court resolved that the prosecution had failed to prove their guilt. A demurrer to evidence is a motion to dismiss filed by the defendant after the plaintiff has rested his or her case on the ground of insufficiency of evidence. The court said the prosecution had “failed to prove the existence of all elements of murder” with regards to the accused. It also said the identities of the three men were not established by the prosecution. Only the arresting officers of Saptula and Anongan identified and testified against them during the trial, but the policemen did not have any personal knowledge of the crime, the court noted. Meanwhile, no eyewitness or arresting officer was presented against Inggo. “A perusal of record will show that no one from the prosecution eyewitness had identified any of the three accused herein that they were indeed at the place where the crime was committed,” the order read. Fifty-eight persons, including 32 journalists, were waylaid on Nov. 23, 2009, allegedly by men of the ruling Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao province. Esmael Mangudadatu, then vice mayor of Buluan town, sent his wife, two sisters, lawyers, and aides to file his certificate of candidacy for governor against Andal Ampatuan, who was then mayor of Datu Unsay town. Journalists joined them to cover the unprecedented move against a member of the Ampatuan clan. ADVERTISEMENT They were shot and buried in graves excavated with a backhoe on a hilltop overlooking the highway. /atm Read Next LATEST STORIES MOST READ
We talk to the singer-songwriter about his latest video—which also features classic summer Americana—and why it's more of a positive message than Steve Grand's 'All-American Boy' Young Love is in the air. After Steve Grand's hit video for "All-American Guy," Eli Lieb's latest video, for the song “Young Love,” portrays the feeling of a new, young romance “where you feel like you live and die for this one person.” While young love isn't new, we have yet to see it portrayed quite like this, with two men rather than the typical hetero-representation. Iowa-based Lieb (and TM practicioner) saw huge traction with his last viral video, "Place of Paradise," so we caught up with him to see why "Young Love" is important to him. Out: Young love is an eternal story/message: What do you think the message of "Young Love" is for young gay men? Eli Lieb: Love is love. I'm just celebrating love and life and to me that transcends, race, gender, sexuality, and any other distinguishing factors. Being gay isn't a gimmick or an issue for me, it's just me. In my music, my persona and this video, I want to represent myself authentically. And I believe everybody should express love how they know it and not be afraid of showing the whole world, including friends and family, how they feel. It was important to me to also show my friends, and represent other people in love (the girl and boy kissing, etc.), to say, "It's just love, let's celebrate it!" I don't feel any shame, and I don't feel self-righteous, I just am who I am, and I'm not afraid of it. On the positive side, I'm happy that being who I am might help others, to see a love like mine represented. Watching this video really makes me feel how I feel when in love. Not specifically gay love, or specifically straight love, just LOVE. And I wanted to show how lucky I am to have love between friends who can accept each other 100% for who they are. Although Steve Grand said that his recent video hit, "All-American Boy" is positive in the way the straight male still wants to be friends with his gay pal after he kisses him, some could say that it's shame-based while your song/video is more of a celebration. What are your thoughts about that? Firstly, I think that it's awesome that there is something in the air, that people are feeling the freedom to express their story, whatever it is. The story he tells is much different than mine, so it's so funny we both have a couple similar shots! I guess that fireworks and country rides in a convertible are just classic summer-time images. But I feel incredibly blessed that in my story there are no secrets. Everyone in the video and in my life, including me is happy with who they are. People have different experiences in being gay, and I think both videos give two different, very personal experiences. Some people can relate to Steve Grand's video, because they are still closeted as is the lead character in the video, but for me, I wanna show the freedom of being who I am. I didn't set out to make a righteous statement with this video. I always live my life completely authentically without any fear of what others might think. I find true happiness comes with that kind of honest acceptance of oneself. It just so happens that one of my many characteristics is that I am gay. When it came time to shoot a video to this love song, I of course had to stay true to who I am in order to tell that story: I didn't flinch for a second. I hope that this video will help other people live their lives to the fullest: never out of fear and always toward love.” Since your recent video became a viral hit on YouTube have you been surprised by any of the reactions? I am thrilled with the response. Every new view is a welcomed surprise, and they just keep coming! I have over 10 million views on my YouTube channel now, which is quite the jump since "Place of Paradise" came out! It's been amazing to create this from the ground-up. I don't have a label or a big fancy team; it's all just me with the help of a couple friends, Geoff Boothby (director of "Young Love" and "Place of Paradise") being one of them. I feel extremely grateful and blessed that based off of who I am, authentically without holding back artistically, that I've been met with this kind of support and I truly believe that if everyone functioned from a place free of fear, we could all make our dreams come true. Any surprises that you have in store for us? Well, they wouldn't be surprises if I told you! But I am definitely working on a lot of new projects right now, and you guys will be the first to know! Watch the video for "Young Love" below:
TV No criminal charges will be filed on the accident that killed a security guard last year because investigation showed no evidence of crime. Sep 26, 2015 AceShowbiz - There was no evidence of crime on the accident that took the life of security guard Amrik Singh Gill on the set of TNT's "Falling Skies". Based on their investigations, Royal Canadian Mounted Police said no criminal charges should be filed on the case. Last September, an unattended five-ton truck was parked on a slope, with its tailgate down to unload equipment, when the vehicle rolled backwards and pinned Gill to a tree. The worker was rushed to Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster, B.C., but later died of his injuries. Gill's widow said she was told very little about the incident. "We haven't heard anything and it's been over a year now," she told Deadline. "It is very difficult not knowing exactly what happened. I still don't know what happened. I have been calling them, but it's always the same answer. They don't know. They're still doing the investigation. I didn't think it would take this long." The investigation was completed after a year had passed. "Our investigation ruled out criminality as outlined in the Criminal Code of Canada," said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "No criminal charges have been laid as a result of the RCMP investigation." BC Workers Compensation Board is still conducting their own investigation. The TNT series was prepping the following day's shoot when the accident occurred. Although Gill was said to be a "very nice" and "caring" man by his widow, nobody from the production attended his funeral. Some of the actors, though, sent flowers.
August Burns Red, Blessthefall, Defeater tour [ 6,326 views ] August Burns Red will headline a tour of North America this fall with Blessthefall , Defeater , and Beartooth . Here's the schedule: 11/1 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 11/2 Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar 11/3 Louisville, KY @ Expo Five 11/4 Nashville, TN @ Rocketown 11/5 St. Louis, MO @ Pop's 11/6 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre 11/7 Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom 11/8 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues 11/9 Houston, TX @ House of Blues 11/10 Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest 11/12 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre 11/14 Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory 11/15 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia LA Live 11/16 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom 11/18 Salt Lake City, UT @ Murray Theater 11/19 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall 11/20 Des Moines, IA @Wooly's 11/21 Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights 11/22 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues 11/23 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues 11/24 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's 11/26 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues 11/27 Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot Ballroom 11/28 Toronto, ONT @ Sound Academy 11/29 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis 11/30 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium (Downstairs) 12/1 New York, NY @ Best Buy Theatre 12/3 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel 12/4 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade 12/5 Jacksonville, FL @ Roc Bar 12/6 Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live 12/7 Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor 12/8 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution 12/10 Knoxville, TN @ NV 12/11 Charlotte, NC @ Amos' Southend 12/12 Richmond, VA @ The National 12/13 Baltimore, MD @ Sound Stage 12/14 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom Related News Stories
One of the most criticized proposals of Donald Trump’s campaign has been the Republican presidential nominee’s vow to build a wall between Mexico and the US, and make Mexico pay for it. But this week, with all eyes on the US elections spectacle and United Nations talks on refugee rights in New York City, France quietly began building its own big wall. And the UK is paying for it. The much-anticipated “anti-intrusion wall” (link in French) is designed to stop migrants from illegally crossing into the UK through the French port of Calais. It will be four meters tall and about one kilometer (0.6 miles) long, with cameras on each side. Stretching along the road that leads to the harbor, the wall is an extension of high fences and barbed wire already in place, a fact which has led some to ridicule the new construction as unnecessary. Work began yesterday, Sept. 20 and is expected end in December. The project will cost an estimated €2.7 million ($3 million). Photo courtesy of Préfecture de Pas-de-Calais People trying to smuggle themselves into the UK have been known to hide on trucks crossing the tunnel between Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais in France and Dover, UK. The wall is hoped to prevent migrants from getting close to the vehicles. It will be covered with plants on its road-facing side, and plain concrete on the outer, migrant-facing side. The UK has not been generous toward migrants this year. Although it agreed to take in 3,000 unaccompanied children seeking asylum in May, it has yet to do so. Of the estimated 7,000 to 10,000 migrants living in Calais’ informal migrant camp, known as “The Jungle,” about 1,000 are children. Sealing off Calais might keep more migrants in France in the short-term, but by cutting off access to the UK, the French government may hope to dissuade asylum-seekers and migrants from entering its own territory. France has recently also taken measures to push back refugees and migrants from southern Europe, reinstating in August a document control at its Italian border in Ventimiglia.
HMS Monarch was the second of four Orion-class dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the early 1910s. She spent the bulk of her career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets. This Monarch, isn’t the Orion Class battleship, but a King George V fake named battleship, introduced as Tier VII for the upcoming Royal Navy battleship branch with 356mm guns. King George V will remain at Tier VIII with solely 381mm guns. Source: Gamemodels3d.com Please be aware all the following data is from Supertest Server, meaning it’s not final and it might change before the final release. Pictures Amour Statistics General Level 7 Health 60 500 Main battery ? Maximum firing range 18 150 ??356 mm/45 Mk III ?2?x?4 356?mm ??356 mm/45 Mk II ?1?x?2 356?mm Secondary armament ? Maximum firing range 5 000 ??134 mm/50 QF Mk I ?8?x?2 134?mm Air defense ??134 mm/50 QF Mk I ?8?x?2 134?mm ??40 mm/39 QF Mark VII ?6?x?4 40?mm ??40 mm/39 QF Mark VI ?8?x?8 40?mm ??40 mm/56 QF Mark II Bofors ?2?x?4 40?mm ??20 mm Oerlikon Mk IV ?15?x?1 20?mm ??20 mm Oerlikon Mk V ?8?x?2 20?mm Maximum speed 28.0 Turning radius 790 Rudder shift time 19.56 Surface detectability range 14.58 Air detectability range 12.51 Experience Cost 135 000 Price 11 000 000 Main Battery 356 mm/45 Mk III ?Guns ?4?x?356?mm ?Reloading time 25 ?Accuracy ??Sigma 1.8? ??Horizontal Dispersion 162 ??Vertical Spread 554 ?Traverse Speed 4 ?Vertical traverse rate 8 ?Max HP 15 000 356 mm/45 Mk II ?Guns ?2?x?356?mm ?Reloading time 25 ?Accuracy ??Sigma 1.8? ??Horizontal Dispersion 162 ??Vertical Spread 554 ?Traverse Speed 4 ?Vertical traverse rate 8 ?Max HP 15 000 Type of projectile HE Alpha damage 6 100 Damage 4 430 Alpha piercing HE 89 Explosion size 2.17 Burn prob 0.41 Projectile speed 757 Projectile mass 721 Projectile krupp 1 Projectile detonator 0.001 Detonator threshold 2 Underwater Dist Factor 0.8 Underwater Penetration Factor 0.9 Type of projectile AP Alpha damage 10 500 Damage 0 Alpha piercing HE 0 Explosion size 0 Burn prob -0.5 Projectile speed 757 Projectile mass 721 Projectile krupp 2 295 Projectile detonator 0.015 Detonator threshold 59 Underwater Dist Factor 0.8 Underwater Penetration Factor 0.9 Main Battery Sector Fire Main Battery Turret Placement Secondary Armament 134 mm/50 QF Mk I ?Guns ?2?x?134?mm ?Reloading time 6.67 ?Accuracy ??Sigma 1.0? ??Horizontal Dispersion 162 ??Vertical Spread 554 ?Traverse Speed 60 ?Vertical traverse rate 1 ?Max HP 800 Secondary Armament Sector Fire Air Defence Aura Far 134 mm/50 QF Mk I (?8?x?2 134?mm?) ??Antiair aura 0.65 ??Maximum firing range 150 (?4.5?km?) ??Reloading time 5 ??Max HP 800 Aura Medium 40 mm/39 QF Mark VII (?6?x?4 40?mm?) ??Antiair aura 0.77 ??Maximum firing range 83 (?2.5?km?) ??Reloading time 0.5 ??Max HP 200 40 mm/39 QF Mark VI (?8?x?8 40?mm?) ??Antiair aura 1.58 ??Maximum firing range 83 (?2.5?km?) ??Reloading time 0.5 ??Max HP 200 40 mm/56 QF Mark II Bofors (?2?x?4 40?mm?) ??Antiair aura 0.32 ??Maximum firing range 117 (?3.5?km?) ??Reloading time 0.5 ??Max HP 200 Aura Near 20 mm Oerlikon Mk IV (?15?x?1 20?mm?) ??Antiair aura 0.54 ??Maximum firing range 67 (?2.0?km?) ??Reloading time 0.1 ??Max HP 200 20 mm Oerlikon Mk V (?8?x?2 20?mm?) ??Antiair aura 0.49 ??Maximum firing range 67 (?2.0?km?) ??Reloading time 0.1 ??Max HP 200 Hull Health 60 500 Maximum speed 28 Rudder shift time 19.56 Turning radius 790 Visibility Coefficient 25.08 Surface detectability range 14.58 Air detectability range 12.51 Engine Engine power 111 700 Forward engine up time 60 Backward engine up time 30 Max HP 60 500 Modules Hull Engine Gun Fire Control System Main battery ?Monarch (A) ?Propulsion: 100,000 hp ?Mk VII mod. 1 ?356 mm/45 Mk VII ?Monarch (B) ?Propulsion: 111,700 hp ?Mk VII mod. 2 Consumables Slot 1 Slot 2 ?Damage Control Party I ?Repair Party I ?Damage Control Party II ?Repair Party II Upgrades Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3 Slot 4 ?Main Armaments Modification 1 ?Aiming Systems Modification 1 ?Damage Control System Modification 1 ?Damage Control System Modification 2 ?Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 ?Main Battery Modification 2 ?Propulsion Modification 1 ?Propulsion Modification 2 ?Magazine Modification 1 ?AA Guns Modification 2 ?Steering Gears Modification 1 ?Steering Gears Modification 2 ?Secondary Battery Modification 2 ?Damage Control Party
As we head towards the end of the 5.24 PBE cycle, a small update has been pushed to the PBE! Today's update includeslogin screen and a few tentative balance changes.Continue reading for more information! (Warning: PBE Content is tentative and iterative - what you see may not reflect what eventually gets pushed to live servers! Manage your expectations accordingly. ) Table of Contents Poppy Login Screen To go along with the upcoming Poppy champion update Miscellaneous In case you missed it, the new champion select experience is currently testing on the PBE in today's build. A feedback thread for this testing can be found here and more coverage can be found in our PBE megapost. Balance Changes * Remember : The PBE is a testing grounds for new, tentative, and sometimes radical changes. The changes you see below may be lacking context or other accompanying changes that didn't make it in - don't freak out! These are not official notes. : The PBE is a testing grounds for new, tentative, and sometimes radical changes. The changes you see below may be lacking context or other accompanying changes that didn't make it in - don't freak out! These areofficial notes. Champions Kindred Lamb's Respite (R) cooldown changed to 160/130/100 from 150/130/110 Items Phantom Dancer Attack speed increased to 45% from 40. Total cost increased to 2800 from 2700 Rapid Firecannon Gold cost increased to 2600 from 2500 Change to stacking with Statikk Shiv - "Rapid Firecannon and Statikk Shiv will now take greatest potential damage instead of just stacking the damage for an attack." [s] Runaan's Hurricane Gold cost increased to 2600 from 2500 Statikk Shiv Gold Cost increased to 2600 from 2500 Change to stacking with Rapid Firecannon - "Rapid Firecannon and Statikk Shiv will now take greatest potential damage instead of just stacking the damage for an attack." [s] Zeal Gold Cost increased to 1300 from 1200 As a result Phantom Dancer, Rapid Firecannon, Runaan's Hurricane, and Statikk Shiv have all had their prices increased by 100g. Trinity Force has no change to total cost. HAMMERING for more HAMMER onchampion update? Check our 5.24 PBE megapost post.
The largest torrent indexer on the Internet defended itself in court today in a landmark case for the BitTorrent community. The outcome of the civil dispute between the anti-piracy group BREIN and Mininova will decide if the BitTorrent indexer has to actively filter torrents from the site. Mininova, based in The Netherlands and founded by five Dutch students, was up against local anti-piracy outfit BREIN in court today. BREIN’s lawyer tried to convince the court that Mininova has to remove from their site any torrents linking to unauthorized content. It also demanded that Mininova should cover the costs of implementing such a system. Mininova’s lawyer argued that the site is already taking measures to ensure rights holders can protect their content, and this amounts to more than they are required to do under the law. The site has a ‘notice and takedown’ policy and recently started offering an infohash filter where content owners can blacklist torrents. The Mininova team working in their Utrecht office (photo richard.pyrker) Mininova’s case against BREIN was heard at the Utrecht court. Three judges have been appointed to the case. One of them is a replacement for a judge who was taken off the case a few weeks ago because he was connected to the entertainment industry. The hearing started at 1 PM with BREIN’s lawyer Dirk Visser. Visser began by informing the court that Mininova has over 5 million daily users who use the site to download copyrighted content. A brief look at the site’s homepage clearly shows that they link to illegal content, and their business models is to make money off the millions of ads that are displayed, he said. Mininova’s attempt to offer a distribution platform to publishers through their “featured content” section is nonsense, BREIN’s lawyer insisted. According to research conducted by BREIN 92% of the torrents on Mininova point to ‘illegal’ content, and the tag cloud with popular searches also shows that illegal content is what people are mainly looking for on the site. In 2006 and 2007 BREIN and Mininova had lengthy discussions on how to deal with copyrighted content, Visser said. Mininova wanted BREIN to come up with specific infohashes that should be in the filter, and BREIN wanted Mininova to cover the costs. They never reached an agreement and the negotiations ended. All in all Visser is arguing that Mininova aids in distributing copyright infringing works, and BREIN demands that the site installs a filtering mechanism that will put an end to this. Mininova will have to cover the costs of such a copyright filter themselves, they say. Next up was Mininova’s lawyer Vita Zwaan. She started out by informing the court that this is a landmark case because it’s the first to make a judgment about the legality of the BitTorrent platform in The Netherlands, pointing out that this case obviously has far reaching consequences. Zwaan further told the court that, while the hearing was taking place, approximately 180 torrents would be added to the site’s database and that Mininova has no knowledge of the content currently tracked by these torrents. In addition Zwaan explained that Mininova has partnerships with content owners to distribute works though their distribution platform. On top of this, Mininova offers several options for content owners to take ‘infringing’ torrents off the site, the lawyer explained. Together with the Motion Picture Association (MPA), Mininova started experimenting with a content filter through which torrents can taken off the site by the content owners. The filter trial is a success according to Mininova’s lawyer, who quoted one of TorrentFreak’s recent articles to point this out. BREIN also had to option to participate in the filtering trial so they could see for themselves how it works, but BREIN rejected this offer. It is unclear what BREIN’s demands actually are according to Zwaan. They want Mininova to implement “preventive measure” but are vague about the details. However, BREIN doesn’t want to provide the info-hashes for the torrents it wants removed, and argues that this is something Mininova should do themselves. This is the opposite of what the MPA (a member of BREIN) is doing now. According to Mininova’s lawyer, this disagreement on who should provide information on what to filter is what the case is all about. A keyword filter that was proposed by BREIN is unworkable according to Zwaan because it would result in too many false positives. A filter for the keyword ‘office’, as BREIN suggested, would result in the removal of 92 torrents linking to “Open Office” she said. Mininova’s lawyer then discussed some of the costs Mininova made thus far to take down torrents upon request from copyright holders (though the old system). She said that 155,876 takedown requests have been reviewed which cost the site 250,000 euro ($350,000). In addition, Mininova invested several thousand euros in the content filter. Zwaan went on to explain that Mininova is not a necessary nor sufficient part of the BitTorrent download process. Unlike The Pirate Bay they don’t host a public tracker, and neither do they offer a BitTorrent client through which users can download torrents. BREIN argued otherwise and this is incorrect Zwaan said. Towards the end of her plea, Zwaan argued that Mininova is not infringing the rights of various copyright holders as BREIN stated. She cited several cases in and outside The Netherlands to make point out why, and pointed out that The Pirate Bay may not have been found guilty if they had a notice and takedown policy like Mininova has. After a short break the hearing continued briefly and the judges asked both lawyers for clarification on some issues. Mininova’s lawyer was asked about the moderators that Mininova has, and why they remove porn but not copyrighted content. Mininova explained that the moderators handle problem reports from users (about virusses, porn, etc.), while the Mininova admins handle the copyright complaints. The site has around five moderators, a number which the changes from time to time. After roughly three hours the hearing ended and it’s now up to the judges to come up with a decision. The verdict is due on July 15. Erik Dubbelboer and the other Mininova founders think they have the law on their side. “We have confidence in the outcome of the case and we believe Mininova will continue to exist,” Erik told TorrentFreak. This is a developing story, info might be added.
SRIKAKULAM: Southern India's only temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu's second avatar Srikurmanadha (in the form of a tortoise) in Srikurmam, a tiny village 15 km away from here, bred 55 baby star tortoises from July 7 to July 20 this year, an environmental organization said here today.In order to protect the dwindling number of endangered wild species , the endowments department with the co-operation of Green Mercy, an environmental organisation bred 55 hatchlings bred within a span of 15 days, which the organisation has claimed, is a world record.In 1990, 50 tortoises were hatched at the Gladys Zoo enclosure in USA, the environmental organization's representative K V Ramana Murty said.The news has attracted the attention of people who are queuing up to see the hatchlings.Star tortoises are found in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.The government of India brought it under Schedule 4 of the Wild Animal Protection Act."Our aim is to protect endangered species and provide live image of Lord Vishnu in Kurmavatar to devotees," Endowments Department assistant commissioner V Syamaladevi said.
Truth and languages The title of this paragraph sounds a bit postmodern. But here, we want to discuss the truth in Clojurescript and javascript . Javascript ’s conception of the truth is a bit surprising. See by yourself: Boolean ( 0 ) // false Boolean ( "0" ) // true 0 == "0" // true 0 == false // true "0" == false // true Boolean ( "" ) // false Boolean ([]) // true Boolean ({}) // true Boolean ( Math . sqrt ( - 1 )) // false In any “normal” programming language, 0 and "" should be truthy. You could argue about Math.sqrt(-1) … On the opposite, Clojure ’s conception of the truth is completly well defined. It is therefore very interesting to ask: How Clojurescript handles the truth? Clojurescript: a teacher about truth Let’s look at some transpiled javascript code with KLIPSE in order to understand how clojurescript checks if something is true: (defn check [x] (if x "true" "false")) You see in the transpiled javascript code that the x variable has been wrapped into into a call to the cljs.core.truth_ function. Here is the code for cljs.core.truth_ : function cljs$core$truth_ ( x ) { return x != null && x !== false } This is how clojurescript teaches javascript what is true and what is not - in its own language! And indeed, javascript is a good student cljs$core$truth_ ( true ) // true cljs$core$truth_ ( false ) // false cljs$core$truth_ ( 0 ) //true cljs$core$truth_ ( "" ) // true cljs$core$truth_ ( null ) // false cljs$core$truth_ ( undefined ) // false cljs$core$truth_ ( NaN ) // true cljs$core$truth_ ( Math . sqrt ( - 1 )) // true Performances It’s nice to have a truth wrapper. But what if you are in a performance sensitive environment and you want to use the native javascript truth system - in order to move faster? Well, clojurescript provides a way to let the compiler know that you trust javascript : the ^boolean type hint. Let’s see it in action with KLIPSE: (defn check [^boolean x] (if x "true" "false")) By using the ^boolean type hint, you let the compiler know that x must be a boolean i.e. either true or false . In that case, it’s safe to trust javascript about the truth. There is no need to wrap the hinted variable into cljs.core.truth_ . And the clojurescript compiler is smart: it knows how to propagate type hints i.e. if you assign a hinted variable x into an unhinted variable y , then y is automatically hinted. Let’s check it with a simple piece of code in KLIPSE: (defn check [^boolean x] (let [y x] let(if y "true" "false"))) You see that y has not been wrapped. Cool, isn’t it? Dangers With great power comes great responsibility Let’s have a look at some interesting edge cases exposed by Mike Fikes involving the ^boolean type hint: (defn f [^boolean b] (loop [x b n 0] (cond (= n 100000) "almost infinite loop" (not x) (recur 0 (inc n)) :else :done))) (f false) What’s happened here? Remember that in javascript , 0 is falsy. b is declared as a boolean x is also considered as a boolean because of type propagation: x is not wrapped into cljs.core.truth_ f is called with a boolean value: false So far so good… But f breaks the contract as it assigns a non-boolean value 0 into x . Therefore, x is not wrapped, and we are in a non-safe situation: a non-boolean value is handled by the javascript truth system. Let’s follow, the flow of the loop for the first two iterations: First iteration: x=false and n=0 ; false is falsy ➠ recur with x=0 and n=1 Second iteration: x=0 and n=1 ; 0 is falsy ➠ recur with x=0 and n=2 …. … … How to get the best of the two worlds? Clojurescript provides a way to turn off type inference, using the ^any type hint. Let’s add ^any to x and see how it solves our problem: (defn f [^boolean b] (loop [^any x b n 0] (cond (= n 100000) "almost infinite loop" (not x) (recur 0 (inc n)) :else :done))) (f false) Hourra! x has been wrapped again and we are safe. And obviously, it solves the infinite loop issue: (defn f [^boolean b] (loop [^any x b n 0] (cond (= n 100000) "almost infinite loop" (not x) (recur 0 (inc n)) :else :done))) (f false) Clojurescript rocks!
Four remarkable women from baseball history that everyone should know about A version of this story originally ran on July 22, 2015. Today is International Women's Day The history of baseball has been shaped by a number of talented and courageous women, and there's no better time to revisit some of their stories: Mamie "Peanut" Johnson Growing up in South Carolina, Mamie Johnson wanted to play baseball so badly she would cover rocks with tape and use them as balls (she thought softballs felt too much like cantaloupes). And as it turned out, she could play -- after competing with the boys all through high school, she tried out for the famed All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1953 at just 18, only to discover that black players still weren't allowed to participate: "They looked at us as though we were crazy, as if to say, 'What do you want here?' We stood around for maybe 10 or 15 minutes. I didn't say anything. And they didn't say anything either." Undeterred, she started playing semi-pro ball, where she was eventually spotted by a scout for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. The Clowns liked what they saw and signed her along with two others -- infielders Toni Stone and Connie Morgan -- who together became the first women to play at any level higher than the Minor Leagues. Your browser does not support iframes. With some help from a curveball she learned straight from Satchel Paige, Johnson -- who, at 5-foot-3 and less than 100 lbs., fully earned the "Peanut" nickname -- went 33-8 over three years with the Clowns. She eventually went to nursing school, and worked at a hospital outside Washington, D.C., for 40 years before retiring and running a Negro Leagues memorabilia store. In addition to mercilessly dishing out zingers (when asked about her pitching repertoire: "There were a whole lot of pitches I threw, honey"), she's been known to hang out with another female pitcher you may have heard of: Edith Houghton There's a good chance no one ever loved baseball more than Edith Houghton. Born in Philadelphia in 1912, she performed as the mascot of the Philadelphia Police League's team at age eight. But she was much more than just a cheerleader; Houghton played every chance she could get growing up in North Philly, so much so that, eventually, a nickname began to catch on: "The Kid." And Houghton was good. By the time she turned 10, she was already performing fielding and hitting showcases on the field before Police League games -- where, in 1922, she was noticed by Mary O'Gara, the founder of the semi-professional Philadelphia Bobbies (who were, yes, named after their required hairstyle). O'Gara snatched her up to play shortstop. Despite playing against girls twice her age, being so small she had to pin up her jersey and more closely resembling a Little Rascal than a ballplayer ... ... more often than not, Edith Houghton was the best player on the field. From a Lancaster, Pa. newspaper report: Little Miss Houghton, ten-year-old phenom, covered the ground at shortstop for the team and made herself a favorite with the fans for her splendid field work and ability at the bat. Houghton volunteered as a supply manager in the Navy during World War II, and she returned home to a country that had cooled on women's baseball. So she went for the next best thing: Without an appointment, she walked into the office of Bob Carpenter, the owner of the last-place Phillies, and offered her services as a scout. A few days later, Carpenter called her back with a job offer, making Houghton the first female scout (and still one of the few) in the history of the game -- and inspiring this lede from the Sandusky Register-Star News: The Philadelphia Phillies, who through the recent years often played like a bunch of Girl Scouts, came up with something drastic today in their efforts to get out of the cellar-they hired a girl scout. Barbs aside, Houghton figured she'd be a natural at the profession. After all, she said, "You look for the natural ability. The rest comes with training." She signed 16 players over five years of work, and Philly's 1950 "Whiz Kids" would surprise everyone and win the NL pennant. Houghton would eventually retire from her post to serve in the Korean War, and eventually settled in Sarasota, Fla., until her death in 2013, just 10 days shy of her 101st birthday. The secret to her longevity? As she told a local paper on her 100th birthday, just doing what she loved: "I guess I was born with a baseball in my hand or something. I enjoyed it more than anything." Effa Manley "People say, 'Don't live in the past," Effa Manley once said. "But I guess it depends on how interesting your past is." Easy for Manley to say -- she had a past that could fill a library. Her husband, Abe, a real estate entrepreneur, established the Brooklyn Eagles of the Negro National League in 1935, and a year later purchased the semi-pro Newark Dodgers and merged the two, basing the club in Newark, N.J. But it was Effa who assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the club, despite having no professional financial experience -- everything from payroll to travel arrangements to buying the team's equipment. From the moment she assumed control of the Eagles, Manley was a force -- she not only banged the drum to bring all kinds of celebrities (including New York City mayor Fiorello LaGuardia) to Newark's first game, but she was so infuriated with the team's performance in a 21-7 loss that she left before the game ended. At the end of that disappointing first season, she immediately changed managers. (She had a reputation as an active owner: According to Negro League legend, Manley was known to cross and uncross her legs to give the bunt sign to her players.) As Negro Leagues historian Leslie Heaphy told the New York Times, in what is presumably the frontrunner for Understatement of the Century, "she learned early on not to be overlooked." Manley would channel that brash conviction and knack for promotion into truly remarkable activism. While most Negro League players were still treated like second-class citizens, she gave the Eagles a $15,000 air-conditioned bus, and advocated for better pay and accomodations for all Negro Leagues players. And decades before the civil rights movement gained national attention, Manley was organizing "Anti-Lynching Night" at the ballpark and leading boycotts of Harlem stores that refused to hire black salesclerks -- a protest that led to literally hundreds of jobs. But perhaps the greatest testament to Manley's legacy are the smaller moments: the loan she gave to future Hall of Famer and Eagles shortstop Monte Irvin when he needed a down payment for his first home; the team she and Abe sponsored in the Puerto Rican winter league to give players offseason employment. Manley could be fierce, even abrasive, and that certainly ruffled feathers -- the Amsterdam New York Star-News reported that "the rough and tumble gentlemen comprising its inner sanction have complained loudly that 'baseball ain't no place for a woman.'" But in 2006, Effa Manley became the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame, a posthumous validation of a life spent fighting for the things she cared about. In the end, the epitaph on her tombstone said it best: "She loved baseball." Jackie Mitchell Up until World War II, baseball was full of so-called barnstormers -- teams that would tour regions as a sort of carnival act, drawing crowds with bizarre attractions and entertainment. As you might imagine, this spawned innumerable odd stories, like, for example, novelty teams made up entirely of men with one arm or one leg. But one of the strangest of them all involved Jackie Mitchell, who was just a 17-year-old girl pitching for a Chattanooga semi-pro team when she pulled off one of the most remarkable feats in the history of the game -- on April 2, 1931, Jackie Mitchell faced Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and struck them both out. On its face, the story really does seem too good to be true: Local girl plays a boy's game, and strikes out two of the very best in the world. But rest assured, it happened, and there's even video to prove it: Let's start at the beginning, though. Mitchell grew up in Memphis, the neighbor of Hall of Fame pitcher Dazzy Vance, who got her hooked on the sport and taught her how to throw a curveball. Her family soon moved to Chattanooga, where she developed a reputation (and a devastating sinker) while pitching for an academy associated with the local Class AA club, the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Lookouts were run by Joe Engel, an old-time showman out of central casting who once traded his shortstop for a turkey in the name of publicity. You can probably see where this is headed. Back when "Spring Training" was more a suggestion than an organized affair, teams would head south to get ready for the new season and play some exhibitions on their way back up north. Engel had arranged for the Yankees -- just a few years removed from their Murderers' Row heyday -- to make a pit stop in Tennessee, and just a few days before the Bombers arrived, he made an announcement: Jackie Mitchell was the newest Lookout. The press, as you might imagine, had a field day. On the morning of the game, New York's Daily News wrote that Jackie "has a swell change of pace and swings a mean lipstick. Times in the South are not only tough but silly." A sellout crowd of 4,000 packed in to see the event, and they would quickly get their wish -- after the Chattanooga starter allowed the first two batters to reach base, Engel went to Mitchell to face the heart of the Yankee order. First up was Ruth, who took the first pitch for a ball. Then a swing and a miss. Then another. And then, something amazing: Ruth took the fourth pitch, and the umpire called strike three. Ruth was irate, barking at the umpire before storming back to the dugout and slamming his bat down. Lou Gehrig then strode to the plate, and Mitchell dispatched him even more efficiently: three pitches, three swings, three misses. Mitchell walked Tony Lazzeri next, and was promptly pulled from the game, her remarkable feat left unblemished. Unsurprisingly, word traveled fast: Plenty of skepticism followed, with many suggesting that Ruth and Gehrig were in on the act. But neither player ever admitted to it publicly, and given Ruth's competitive streak (and propensity for strikeouts), it seems feasible that an unknown side-arming lefty they had never seen before might have fooled two of the best hitters on the planet. Mitchell would spend a couple of years on barnstorming tours, though she eventually tired of the sideshow aspects of the lifestyle and retired to work for her father's optometry business. And, for her part, she was always adamant that the strikeouts were clean, swatting away the rumor in predictably awesome fashion: "Why, hell, they were trying, damn right," she told the Atlanta Constitution in 1986, just a year before she died. "Hell, better hitters than them couldn't hit me. Why should they've been any different?"
(Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) Contributor Self-service ordering kiosks are being rolled out at Wendy’s, McDonalds and other restaurants and fast food chains over the next few years. So I guess it’s just a matter of time until automation takes over the kitchen. Actually…that time has come. According to a report this week in TechCrunch, a fast-casual restaurant chain headquartered in Southern California called Caliburger is installing robotic hamburger-flipping chefs in its Pasadena location and then plans to roll them out to its other 49 outlets around the world over the next few years. Caliburger’s Pasadena location is conveniently located in the same town as Miso Robotics, a start-up that’s developed its hamburger flipping, “robotic kitchen assistant” called–not unsurprisingly–Flippy. Flippy is a robot, or more specifically a very specialized industrial 6-axis robotic arm that is bolted to the kitchen floor in front of a grill or fryer and has a “spinning spatula” that cooks the food. The unit receives data from thermal and 3D sensors as well as cameras and takes its orders through a digital ticketing system. It is capable of grabbing and unwrapping food, keeping track of cooking time and temperature and then plating the food so that a human chef can add garnishes. Caliburger is one of the initial investors in the technology. As such, the robot–sorry, “robotic kitchen assistant”–has been customized specifically for the restaurant’s kitchen and is exclusive to the company for the next six months. Once that period is over, Flippy will sell for $60,000 with price increases likely as more features–like advanced computer imaging and artificial intelligence capabilities to help it adapt to new menus–are added. “We focus on using AI and automation to solve the high pain points in restaurants and food prep,” Miso Robotics CEO and co-founder David Zito said in another TechCrunch report from earlier this year. “That’s the dull, dirty and dangerous work around the grill, the fryer, and other prep work like chopping onions. The idea is to help restaurants improve food quality and safety without requiring a major kitchen redesign.” A Gordon Ramsay version of the product that cooks and curses at others in the kitchen is also planned. Just kidding. Couldn’t resist.
The Justice Department on Thursday announced it has closed a criminal investigation into the deaths of two terrorist suspects who were under interrogation by U.S. officers overseas. No charges will be brought. Attorney General Eric Holder, in a statement, said the department “declined prosecution because the admissible evidence would not be sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.” The investigation, by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham, was an outgrowth of Durham’s inital investigation into the CIA’s destruction of interrogation tapes. “Our inquiry was limited to a determination of whether prosecutable offenses were committed and was not intended to, and does not resolve, broader questions regarding the propriety of the examined conduct,” Holder said in a statement. One of the cases reportedly involved an Iraqi man who died at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad in 2003. The other reportedly involved an Afghan who was imprisoned at a secret CIA detention facility in Afghanistan in 2002. Holder did not provide details of the cases that had been under investigation. Durham began his initial investigation in 2008, following revelations that high-ranking CIA official Jose Rodriguez had ordered the destruction of the interrogation videotapes. All told, 92 tapes were destroyed, eliminating evidence of how several top al-Qaeda suspects had been questioned using harsh “enhanced interrogation techniques’ including waterboarding.Durham closed the videotape end of his investigation in late 2010, without bringing any criminal charges. His initial inquiries, though, brought to light other allegations concerning the alleged mistreatment of suspects and, ultimately, the deaths of two men. During his preliminary review and subsequent investigations, Holder said, Durham examined possible CIA involvement with the interrogation and detention of 101 detainees who were alleged to have been in U.S. custody after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “He determined that a number of the detainees were never in CIA custody,” Holder said in his statement.
Image copyright Mary Evans Picture Library Image caption The image of the "extraordinary marine visitor" appeared in the Victorian publication, The Days' Doings A picture of County Clare's equivalent to the Loch Ness monster has surfaced in a London image archive. An account of the sea monster's appearance was featured in a newspaper article in the Victorian publication, The Day's Doings on 21 October 1871. The paper reported that there had been "some excitement" in Kilkee at the appearance of the "extraordinary marine visitor". It appeared before a "party of strangers, composed of several ladies and some gentlemen", one of whom was a well-known clergyman in the "north of Ireland", when they went down to "Diamond Rocks". They were watching the heavy ground swell from the Atlantic when their "attention was arrested by the appearance of an extraordinary monster who rose from the surface of the water" about 70 yards from where they were standing. The paper quotes that it had "an enormous head, shaped somewhat like a horse, while behind the head and the neck was a huge mane of seaweed-looking hair which rose and fell with the motion of the water". 'Gigantic creature' "It's eyes were large and glaring, and, by the appearance of the water behind, a vast body seemed to be beneath the waves," the article stated. The party were unable to judge its length but they all agreed it was the "most gigantic creature they had ever seen". The sea monster remained for "some minutes" before it "vanished in the same mysterious way that it had come". In a bid to understand more about this "extraordinary animal", the paper quotes the "renowned living naturalist" Philip Henry Gosse. Gosse's own opinion, "formed after a mature deliberation" of the evidence, was that there "were existing still some specimens of a nearly extinct race of sea monster". He concluded that the sea monster seen in Kilkee possessed "close affinities" with the fossil of an extinct group of marine reptiles known as Enaliosauria. The Day's Doings ends the article by concluding that it believed it was the "first time that one of these strange sea monsters has been seen on the coasts of the British Isles, and much excitement has been caused by its appearance in this particular neighbourhood". The article was found in the Mary Evans picture library, which she co-founded with her husband Hilary. He was a pictorial archivist and keen collector of UFOs and other paranormal phenomena, including sea monsters.
mmap and the Rust Foreign Function Interface Posted on June 12, 2013 by Tommy McGuire Calling C code from Rust is (almost) incredibly painless. Rust uses a source-level marker similar to C++'s extern "C" to provide function declarations that link against existing C interfaces. As a result, the only real work is in creating those declarations, along with any needed data structure definitions and special values, and in calling the functions from unsafe Rust code. The Rust Foreign Function Interface Tutorial is a clear and concise guide to (most of) the process. In this post, I want to provide an example of using that FFI to provide a safe interface to mmap, to map a file into a Rust vector of bytes so that the contents of the file can be accessed without calling read and without copying the data. mmap creates a new mapping in the process' virtual address space, in this case with the memory in the mapped area backed by the contents of the file. mmap returns the address starting the area; accessing the memory following that address, within the mapped area, calls for the contents of the file to be paged in and appears, to the program, as if the mapped area were a buffer into which the contents of the file have been read. (It is possible to modify the contents of the file through the mapping, but I am only interested in reading those contents at the moment.) Calling mmap requires an open, readable file descriptor on the file and the size of the file, plus some flags which are not especially interesting in this case. The first step is to get a file descriptor, which is possible with Rust's standard library libc module. struct FileDescriptor(libc::c_int); impl Drop for FileDescriptor { fn finalize(&self) { unsafe { libc::close(*self); } } } unsafe fn open(filename : &str) -> FileDescriptor { let fd = do str::as_c_str(filename) \|cs\| { libc::open(cs, libc::O_RDONLY as libc::c_int, 0) }; if fd < 0 { fail!(fmt!("failure in open(%s): %s", filename, os::last_os_error())); } return FileDescriptor(fd); } The std::libc module provides access to many standard C library and system interfaces, types, and values. In this code, libc::open is being called with a C string acquired from a Rust string, and the value libc::O_RDONLY. An error result causes the task to fail! with a (hopefully useful) error message; success returns a FileDescriptor built from the C integer file descriptor. The FileDescriptor structure (containing only an anonymous integer) is introduced as a type to allow the Drop trait to be associated with the file descriptor. This trait implements RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization) resource management: the file will be closed when the file descriptor value goes out of scope or is freed. The libc::open and libc::close functions, and this open function, are marked unsafe. The Rust Reference Manual describes unsafety as: Unsafe operations are those that potentially violate the memory-safety guarantees of Rust's static semantics. Specifically, the following operations are considered unsafe: Dereferencing a raw pointer. Casting a raw pointer to a safe pointer type. Calling an unsafe function. Unsafe operations can only be invoked inside an unsafe block, as seen in the finalize implementation for the Drop trait. A block of code can also be prefixed with the unsafe keyword, to permit a sequence of unsafe operations in an otherwise-safe function. This facility exists because the static semantics of Rust are a necessary approximation of the dynamic semantics. When a programmer has sufficient conviction that a sequence of unsafe operations is actually safe, they can encapsulate that sequence (taken as a whole) within an unsafe block. The compiler will consider uses of such code "safe", to the surrounding context. (I believe the open function to be safe to use, so the unsafe marker on the function could be replaced by an unsafe block inside the function. However, since I am not exposing it in the interface to the mmap module, I do not feel the need to do that at this point.) The next step is to request the size of the file, using libc::fstat. The fstat function requires a file descriptor and a pointer to an existing, modifiable libc::stat structure. This is the pain point of working with Rust's FFI: unsafe fn fstat(fd : libc::c_int) -> libc::stat { / target_arch = "x86_64", target_os = "linux" or target_os = "android" / let mut s = libc::stat { st_dev : 0, st_ino : 0, st_mode : 0, st_nlink : 0, st_uid : 0, st_gid : 0, st_rdev : 0, st_size : 0, st_blksize : 0, st_blocks : 0, st_atime : 0, st_atime_nsec : 0, st_mtime : 0, st_mtime_nsec : 0, st_ctime : 0, st_ctime_nsec : 0, __pad0 : 0, __unused : [0,0,0] }; if libc::fstat(fd, &mut s) < 0 { fail!(fmt!("failure in fstat(): %s", os::last_os_error())); } return s; } The Rust language supports multiple operating systems and multiple architectures, each of which at least potentially lays out data structures differently, even data structures with the same fields. The variable s in my Rust fstat wrapper is a zero-filled, empty stat structure for x86_64 Linux, including padding, actually between the st_gid and st_rdev fields, and unused bytes in the structure available for future use. Mac OS on a 32-bit x86 architecture uses the following, different, structure (from libc.rs): pub struct stat { st_dev: dev_t, st_mode: mode_t, st_nlink: nlink_t, st_ino: ino_t, st_uid: uid_t, st_gid: gid_t, st_rdev: dev_t, st_atime: time_t, st_atime_nsec: c_long, st_mtime: time_t, st_mtime_nsec: c_long, st_ctime: time_t, st_ctime_nsec: c_long, st_birthtime: time_t, st_birthtime_nsec: c_long, st_size: off_t, st_blocks: blkcnt_t, st_blksize: blksize_t, st_flags: uint32_t, st_gen: uint32_t, st_lspare: int32_t, st_qspare: [int64_t, ..2], } The standardized fields are present, along with additional fields and no padding, in the Mac OS version. The result here, as it stands, is that my mmap code will only work on x86_64 Linux. It would be possible to provide a Rust function which tests the architecture and operating system, in the same way as the libc module, and returns the appropriate, empty stat structure. I would hope that would be added to the standard library at some point. Additionally, it will probably also be necessary for the Rust compiler's build process to read the target operating system's header files to build the libc.rs module, the way GCC's system header files are built on proprietary operating systems; it appears to be built by hand currently. One further thing is needed before writing the code to wrap the mmap interface: declarations of the system's C mmap function and the necessary values: pub mod raw { pub extern { unsafe fn mmap(addr : libc::c_char, length : libc::size_t, prot : libc::c_int, flags : libc::c_int, fd : libc::c_int, offset : libc::off_t) -> u8; unsafe fn munmap(addr : u8, length : libc::size_t) -> libc::c_int; } /* From /usr/include/asm-generic/mman-common.h on Linux / / prot values / pub static PROT_NONE : libc::c_int = 0x0; pub static PROT_READ : libc::c_int = 0x1; pub static PROT_WRITE : libc::c_int = 0x2; pub static PROT_EXEC : libc::c_int = 0x4; // ... / flags / pub static MAP_SHARED : libc::c_int = 0x1; pub static MAP_PRIVATE : libc::c_int = 0x2; // ... } This code defines a sub-module with the unsafe mmap and munmap declarations and values for the prot and flags arguments. The contents of libc.rs are very similar to this, by the way. Given those declarations, a simple, unsafe wrapper for mmap can be built using the same RAII techniques used for the file descriptor above: struct MappedRegion { reg : u8, siz : libc::size_t } impl Drop for MappedRegion { fn finalize(&self) { unsafe { if raw::munmap(self.reg, self.siz) < 0 { fail!(fmt!("munmap(): %s", os::last_os_error())); } } } } unsafe fn mmap(fd : libc::c_int, size : libc::size_t) -> MappedRegion { let buf = raw::mmap(0 as libc::c_char, size, raw::PROT_READ, raw::MAP_SHARED, fd, 0); if buf == -1 as u8 { fail!(fmt!("mmap(): %s", os::last_os_error())); } return MappedRegion { reg : buf, siz : size }; } This mmap function calls raw::mmap (i.e. the function supplied by the system's standard library) with the arguments necessary to create a mapped region containing the readable contents of the file. The mapped region will be unmapped when the MappedRegion value goes out of scope or is freed. However, this mmap function is not for public consumption, because the MappedRegion is not associated with the file descriptor. According to the Linux mmap man page, "closing the file descriptor does not unmap the region," which I interpret to mean that closing the descriptor would leave the region valid. On the other hand, I have no idea if that behavior is standard, at all reliable, or even a valid assumption. It would be safer to link the two, so that the lifetimes of the mapped region and the file descriptor were safely nested. Further, a MappedRegion contains an unsafe, raw C pointer, which is not acceptable as a good Rust interface. To polish off both problems, the public interface is: pub fn with_mmap_file_contents<U>(filename : &str, f : &fn(v : &[u8]) -> U) -> U { unsafe { let fd = open(filename); let st = fstat(fd); let buf = mmap(fd, st.st_size as libc::size_t); return vec::raw::buf_as_slice(buf.reg, buf.siz as uint, f); } } The function with_mmap_file_contents accepts a file name string and a function which in turn accepts a reference to a vector of u8 bytes. The function argument returns a value of type U; this value is in turn returned by with_mmap_file_contents. The file is safely unmapped and closed as with_mmap_file_contents returns. Most of the heavy lifting is provided by the library function, vec::raw::buf_as_slice, which also provided the inspiration for with_mmap_file_contents' interface. An example of using with_mmap_file_contents is the following simple implementation of the Unix cat utility: extern mod mmap; fn main() { let args = os::args(); do mmap::with_mmap_file_contents(args[1]) \|b\| { print(str::from_bytes(b)); } } $ rustc --lib ./mmap.rs $ rustc -L. mmap-test.rs $ ./mmap-test /etc/motd Welcome to Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS (GNU/Linux 3.2.0-45-generic x86_64) * Documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com/ $ ./mmap-test /etc/mot rust: task failed at 'failure in open(/etc/mot): No such file or directory', mmap.rs:29 The complete module can be found on github. For the use of with_mmap_file_contents, see my next post. Comments Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
The largest bank in the world has partnered with the makers of zcash to provide a new layer of privacy to the users of its enterprise-grade blockchain. Revealed onstage today at CoinDesk’s Consensus 2017, JPMorgan and the Zerocoin Electric Coin Company are now in the process of integrating ZSL, a zero-knowledge security layer designed to securely – and anonymously – settle transactions on the blockchain that were previously conducted elsewhere. While the zero-knowledge security layer is crucial to the anonymous transactions enabled in the zcash cryptocurrency, the technology itself was designed to let a wide range of networks securely settle the movements of digital assets. But JPMorgan’s implementation of ZSL marks the first time the technology is being formally adopted by a distributed ledger platform as part of its ethereum-based Quorum project. Zcash CEO Zooko Wilcox said that the tech integration could lead to major growth in the kinds of assets that can be utilized, with JPMorgan’s open-source blockchain as a basis. Wilcox said: “It’s the same thing that we’ve deployed in the zcash cryptocurrency. We’re fitting that on top of Quorum, and it’s providing the same kind of security for Quorum that it provides for zcash.” Though Quorum already lets enterprises execute privacy-oriented smart contracts, the new zero-knowledge security feature is designed to extend the actual settlement of those transactions onto the blockchain itself. Similarly to how SSL was invented to provide a new layer of security on top of the public-facing HTTP in the early days of the internet, ZSL provides a degree of anonymity beneath the more public features of a blockchain. But the heightened anonymity comes with a volume button of sorts – similar to the functionality of the zcash token – letting corporate policy makers give authorized individuals, regulators and investigators varying degrees of access to the underlying data. “The cryptographic and software engineering engine that implements secure transfer of ZEC tokens on the open blockchain is basically the same technology that implements the secure transfer of these digitized assets on an enterprise blockchain,” said Wilcox. Quorum evolution Not that long ago, the idea that JPMorgan might integrate technology developed explicitly for a cryptocurrency would have seemed far-fetched. Back in November 2015, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon ruffled some feathers in the blockchain community when he publicly stated that “no government” would tolerate a cryptocurrency that is designed to evade government control. But in the same speech, he expressed interest in distributed ledger technology for its potential applications in the finance space. Since then, the bank, valued at $300bn, has become a leader in the blockchain space, first with Juno, an early experiment with the technology unveiled at a Hyperledger meeting last March. By October, the project had evolved into Quorum, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed specifically to let large financial institutions comply with regulatory requirements, especially on the privacy protection front. This year has been a breakout year for the bank, which has seen Quorum accepted into Microsoft Azure’s blockchain-as-a-service platform. The bank formally departed the R3 distributed ledger consortium to make a go of it as a founding member of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, which the Zcash team formally joined earlier today. “By adding the Zero-knowledge Security Layer into Quorum,” said Suresh Shetty, JPMorgan’s lead architect at its Blockchain Center of Excellence in a statement. “We are able to explore how state of the art cryptographic privacy technology will enhance the next generation of financial services applications.” Disclaimer: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in Zcash Company. Safe lock image via Shutterstock
Baker Rink; Princeton, NJ New Jersey is an incredibly crowded sports market. With Philadelphia to our left, New York to our right, and the Devils and the haunting apparition of the Nets within state lines, major professional sports teams in the area sometimes struggle for exposure in such a crowded space. Developmental and minor league teams in the state often find it difficult to get any attention outside of their home counties. Besides the occasional nationally ranked Rutgers football teams or the competitive groups Monmouth and Seton Hall basketball manage to occasionally assemble (such as this past college basketball season), teams outside of the big four likely find the Garden State’s clutter too big of a foe in the battle for relevancy. This millennium has been particularly difficult for a lot of those organizations, as we have seen the demise of teams like the Newark Bears, Atlantic City Surf, Trenton Titans, Camden Riversharks, and Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (excuse me if I missed any), none of which have yet been replaced. Stadiums and ballparks across the state remain underused or entirely vacant. One glaring example of a team that does not have much traction in the local sports market is the Princeton University ice hockey program, a Garden State tradition of 116 years that is almost entirely neglected by sports fans and media in New Jersey. Princeton University has sponsored an ice hockey team since the 1900-01 season, a quarter century before the New York Rangers and New York Americans joined the NHL, and 82 years before Jersey City native Dr. John McMullen brought major professional hockey to New Jersey. Their early years were spent playing some fellow Ivy League schools like Penn, Columbia, Yale, Brown, and Cornell, against colleges and universities in Canada, and against local independent hockey clubs in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia. For much of their early history, Princeton played many of their home games at the St. Nicholas Ice Rink across the river in New York City. The team didn’t shift permanently to their campus in Mercer County until their on-campus rink was built in 1921. Baker Rink, named for Princeton sports and American hockey legend Hobey Baker, Class of 1914, still houses Princeton hockey. Hobart Amory Hare Baker, better known by his nickname, Hobey, is not only one of the most revered figures to emerge from Princeton athletics, he is also considered to be the first American superstar in the game of hockey. Baker was born to an elite family in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a wealthy area that straddles Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township. A direct descendent of an original Quaker settler of Philadelphia, Baker went to Princeton in 1910 as a third generation Tiger. Hobey learned hockey at a prestigious New Hampshire preparatory school called St. Paul’s School, where by some accounts the first hockey game in the United States was played in 1883. He excelled at every sport he participated in, and immediately starred with the hockey and football teams as a freshman at Princeton. He only dropped baseball due to Princeton’s policy of allowing students to participate in no more than two varsity sports. He captained both teams and set many school records, at least one of which with the football program still stands. Baker graduated in 1914 and went to New York to take a job on a Princeton connection. He continued to play hockey and drew large crowds at the same rink in Manhattan he played in for Princeton, but he never played professionally. Although Baker was offered a contract by the Canadiens, men of his social status were not supposed to play sports professionally during this time. Portrait of Hobey Baker during his military service Instead of accepting a contract from the Canadiens, Hobey chased the adrenaline-rush he sought to France and joined the World War I effort when America entered the conflict in 1917. As an already accomplished aviator, Baker became a fighter pilot and eagerly sought to participate in combat on the front. He quickly rose to the rank of captain and spent time in England and Paris training other pilots. He did eventually see action, accumulating three confirmed kills and earning the Croix de guerre, a French military decoration. He said military combat was the greatest thrill he experienced in his life. In October of 1918, a month before the armistice of November 11th, Baker was given command of a new unit, the 141st Aero Squadron. Baker chose to use a tiger for the squadron’s insignia and orange and black for its colors. Residents of Central Jersey can still see Baker’s squadron today, as the 141st still exists in the New Jersey Air National Guard as a refueling unit stationed at McGuire Airforce Base. Their colors are still orange and black, and a tiger still occupies their insignia. The KC-135s are easily recognizable aircraft, and are the only large planes that regularly fly in some local airspace. If you live anywhere around either Navair in Lakehurst, Dix, or McGuire, take a look up next time you hear the sound of a jet engine; it could be one of Hobey’s planes. Although Hobey Baker made it through the war, he never made it back to the United States. A month after the armistice, Baker received his orders to return home, and decided to take an aircraft for one more flight. Shortly after takeoff, his plane experienced engine failure and crashed just outside of the airfield in Toul, France; Hobey Baker died at age 26. Plaque commemorating a few of Hobey Baker’s accomplishments Hobey Baker was the quintessential all-American; star athlete, war hero, a gentleman on and off the ice and field, academically accomplished. He was a beloved athlete and socialite. He was the first American to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, of which he is a member of the inaugural class of 1945. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and lends his name to the Hobey Baker Award, the trophy given to the top player in NCAA Division I ice hockey. In a short 26 years, Hobey Baker left an incredible legacy still felt almost a century after his premature death. His jersey hangs in the Princeton ice rink that bears his name, and his portraits litter the walls of many Princeton facilities, including the Ivy Club, an eating club at Princeton which is considered the university’s most prestigious social institution, of which Hobey was a member. The rallying cry of “Make Hobey Proud” can still be seen on banners at the rink today. A view of the action at Baker Rink Since Hobey Baker graduated, however, Princeton hockey has lacked the prestige and success he helped cultivate in the program’s early years; since the 1930’s, Princeton hockey has been remarkably bad. Princeton regularly goes years upon years of not even breaking the double-digit win mark. Their failures have been so great and consistent, I think it is an achievement in itself that they still compete in a major division one conference and against the best schools in the NCAA. If it sounds like I’m exaggerating, let me put it in some perspective; Between the 1956-57 and 1978-79 seasons, the Tigers managed to break double-digit wins two times, hitting a low of 1-22-0 in 1970-71. The 1967-68 season, when Princeton had a 13-10-1 record, would be the last time the school would hit the .500 mark until 1994-95, almost 30 years later. Princeton has never won a regular season ECAC title, a 55-year-old conference of which they are a founding member. They have managed two conference tournament championships, winning their first in 1998, and second in 2008. That 1998 conference tournament victory gave the Tigers their first Men’s Ice Hockey Championship tournament appearance, 50 years after the inaugural tournament took place in 1948. My best attempt at film photography In more recent decades, the Tigers have managed to stagger their futility a little more. They were able to put a somewhat competitive team on the ice for eight consecutive seasons starting in 2005-06, before falling to a 6-26-0 record in 2013-14. They haven’t yet recovered, having won a total of nine games in the previous two seasons. The school has won a game early in its 2016-17 campaign, but it was an exhibition against the United States Under-18 national team. They have allowed at least four goals in all of their three losses to NCAA opponents this season. Although there may not be a Hobey Baker on this roster, New Jersey is well represented on this current Tigers team. There are four Garden State natives skating for Princeton this season, including stand-out goaltender Colton Phinney. In the 2015-16 season, Phinney managed a .924 save percentage and a sub-3.00 goals against average on a Princeton team that finished 5-23-3, making an average of just over 35 saves per game. Phinney may have the best chance to be the next Princeton alumnus to join the NHL ranks, a small fraternity of about 10 players highlighted by goaltender Mike Condon, and retired enforcer and New Jersey native George Parros. Another view from ice level Back in February, after discovering that Princeton’s hockey program played in a hundred-year-old rink right in our back yard, I decided to buy a couple of tickets, and a friend and I made the trip to the campus. Princeton was taking on Yale in their last home series of the year, and the ranked Bulldogs made no mistake of illustrating the massive gap of quality between the two programs. Before the first period came to a close, Yale had taken a 4-0 lead. They would eventually cruise to a 6-0 victory. Chances were few and far between for Princeton, who were outperformed in every aspect of the game. Despite being disappointed at not being able to see at least a goal from the home side, the experience was incredible. The intimate but electric atmosphere was far from what I expected, with plenty of animosity in the packed stands with a large Yale contingent on hand. Apparently the two schools don’t care much for each other. Every bleacher-style seat is on top of the ice with a small capacity of just north of 2,000, and every tiny detail of the game is on full display for all in attendance. The highlight of the trip was absolutely Baker Rink. The beautiful facility features a stone facade and interior, with wood fixtures and a wooden ceiling with steel supports. One corner of the rink carries a small Hobey Baker museum, with various equipment of his and a few plaques and photographs commemorating his playing days and military career. Baker Rink during play Baker Rink is absolutely a must visit for any New Jersey sports fan. I don’t know how this isn’t one of our state’s athletic highlights; with Princeton being the only Ivy League to demolish their traditional football stadium, and the original Rutgers Stadium having been abandoned over 20 years ago, Baker Rink is the oldest facility used by a major sports program in New Jersey. Tickets are cheap ($10), Princeton is easily accessible from anywhere in the state and Philadelphia and New York, and the university setting offers plenty to do before and after the game. With a beautiful and historic campus to explore and plenty of nightlife options on Nassau Street, there’s as much to do around a Princeton game as there is in Newark or Philly on game-day. Princeton takes on #10 Harvard in their home opener this Friday, November 11th. The following night they host Dartmouth at Baker Rink. If you have an open night this weekend, make the trip. Maybe the Tigers will surprise us and grab a victory. An opposite perspective of the rink When you think of college hockey, you generally think of the Bean Pot tournament in Boston, UNH taking on Maine in Orono, undrafted free agents out of Providence, packed stands in North Dakota and Minnesota. You think of Martin St. Louis at University of Vermont, Jack Eichel at BU, the Clarksons and Unions and St. Lawrences in Upstate New York. You think of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team. You don’t think of New Jersey. Talk to a casual sports fan in the state, and I doubt you’ll hear the conversation turn to the ECAC and Princeton’s slim chances of taking the conference this season. Princeton hockey is a marginal competitor in this area’s sports market and mostly serves the exclusive Ivy League community it represents, but I think it is important for every New Jersey sports fan to take a game in and experience one of our state’s oldest sports institutions. Make the trip to Princeton to watch these Tigers who have been quietly competing at the top level of college hockey since the puck first dropped between American universities. And the next time someone tells you that New Jersey is a non-traditional hockey market, just remind them that we’ve been making Hobey proud for over a century.
Story highlights April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month To mark the month, survivors share their stories in powerful first-person videos (CNN) If Adam slept through the night, he knew, it would be good day. But that didn't happen often, even after a relative stopped raping him. Now 34, Adam says the abuse began when he was 14 and stopped as soon as he turned 18. His relative warned him that if he told their family, it would kill Adam's grandfather. So he kept it to himself and dreamed of killing himself, killing his abuser, killing others. Dreamed of swimming in a pool of blood. He finally started talking about the abuse with friends in 2009. He couldn't take it anymore. After his grandfather died, he decided to tell his parents. They believed him, he said. "The one regret I have is that I didn't speak up sooner," he told CNN, asking that his last name not be used. Read More
Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT >> THERE IS FRUSTRATION, NOTONLY IN THE BRANCH BUT THEPARTIES WE SERVE AS WELL.rtMARCUS: WITH GOOD REASON.IN FISCAL YEAR 18 THAT BEGANJULY 1.THE HOLE IN THE JUDICIAL BRANCHBUDGET INCREASED TO ALMOST $$15SO IT IS LIKELY THE 25 OPENMILLION DOLLARS.rtPOSITIONS IN THE SECOND JUDICIALDISTRICT MAY NOT BE FILLEDPOSITIONS THAT HIT EVERY LEVELOF THE COURT SYSTEM.>> SPREAD THROUGHOUT CLERKS OFrtCOURT, JUVENILE COURT SERVICESAN ADMINISTRATIVE COMPONENT AND, WE HAVE AN OPEN JUDGE POSITIONMARCUS: THAT OPEN JUDGE POSITIONHAS CREATED A BURDEN FOR THEDISTRICT A TRICKLE DOWN EFFECTrt.WITH CRIMINAL CASES TAKINGPRIORITY AND FEWER EMPLOYEESSOMETHING HAS TO FALL THROUGH, THE CRACKS.>> WHICH HAS RESULTED IN 40CIVIL CASES NOT BEING REACHEDFOR TRIAL THAT WERE PREPARED ANDREADY TO GO,rt WE JUST DIDN'T HAVEA JUDGE AVAILABLE.MARCUS: JUST ABOUT EVERYTHINGHAS BEEN TRIED TO MAKE UP THEFUNDING GAP INCLUDING A FURLOUGH, DAY LATE LAST MArtY., WERE MOSTSTATE COURT EMPLOYEES, EXCEPTJUDGES AND MAGISTRATES, TOOK ANUNPAID DAY OFF.HAND SAYS IT IS JUST PRICE OFDOING BUSINESS, TELLING US THECOURT EMPLOYEES WILL CONTINUE TOrtDO THEIR JOBS TO THE BEST OFTHEIR ABILITIES UNDER OFTENDIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES.>> WE HANDLE WHAT IS FILED SOrtHAVING FEWER EMPLOYEES TO HANDLEESSENTIALLY THE SAME AMOUNT OFWORK RESULTS IN EVERYBODY DOING, A LITTLE BIT MORE AND DOING ITrtA LITTLE QUICKER.UNFORTUNATLEY THE QUICKER PEOPLE Advertisement Iowa’s judicial system takes a hit due to budget shortfall Share Shares Copy Link Copy State departments are starting to feel the impact of Iowa’s near-$15 million budget gap. Officials with Iowa's judicial system said they are feeling the pinch. “There is frustration not only in the branch but the parties we serve as well,” District 2 Court Administrator Scott Hand said. Hand said the 2nd Judicial District, which covers 22 north-central counties, has about 25 open positions open, including one for a judge. In fiscal year 2018, the hole in the judicial branch budget increased to almost $15 million. Hand said the open positions in the 2nd Judicial District might not be filled, which would cause some cases to fall through the cracks. “(It) has resulted in 40 civil cases not being reached for trial that were prepared and ready to go,” Hand said. “We just didn't have a judge available.” Hand said the district had tried several measures to close the funding gap, including a furlough day late last May, on which most state court employees took an unpaid day off. “We handle what is filed,” Hand said. “So, having fewer employees to handle the same work results in everybody doing a little bit more and doing it a little quicker. Unfortunately, the quicker people work, the more incident of error there can be.” The open judge position in District 2 will not be filled until the end of the 2018 fiscal year, at the earliest. There are 107 vacant judicial branch positions statewide. The judicial branch workforce is 11.5 percent smaller than it was last year.
Basic income vs. basic job Chris Stucchio wrote an article about the differences between basic income and basic job policies, based on relatively straightforward math. Briefly, basic income says give everyone money with no strings attached and get rid of other forms of welfare. Basic job is the same, except anyone who can work is mandated to work, either in a normal job like today or in a New Deal-style government works program. Chris's main conclusion was that basic job came out looking way better than basic income. Additionally, a major purpose of his post was to encourage other people to play around with the math as well rather than just bloviating. Since I'm a big basic income proponent and have some quibbles with how he came to conclude that basic income doesn't look too good, I will follow his lead and play around with the math. I don't know Chris Stucchio and I don't know if he was inherently biased for basic income or basic job, but I'm definitely inherently biased for basic income, so take this whole post with a grain of salt. However, to give it some semblance of fairness, I'm going to write this whole thing without doing any math. I'm going to make what I think are reasonable changes to Chris's assumptions and see what that tells me. Maybe it will say basic income sucks, and then I will be sad, but I will still publish those results. You'll just have to trust that I'm telling the truth, I suppose. In Chris's model, basic income is paid to everyone. It is also possible to have a system like progressive income tax, where it gradually phases out; in fact, fellow Rutgers alumnus Milton Friedman proposed to implement basic income through a negative income tax. So let's imagine some system like that and reduce the costs by 50% right off the bat. direct_costs = num_adults * basic_income / 2 Chris correctly noted that there are incentives for more work and less work in basic income. He thinks it's more likely that the negative incentive will be more prominent. I think it's more fair to just call it a wash, since it's very unclear. So I deleted that part of his model. I doubt this has a big impact on anything anyway. At this point, I want to add an effect that has been neglected. Chris treated the number of disabled adults as a constant, but that is likely not true. So let's conservatively say 2 million people currently on disability would start working if they got a basic income, likely at some not-so-great wage. undisabled = 2e6 undisabled_hourly_wage = uniform(0, 10).rvs() undisabled_cost_benefit = -1 * undisabled * (4052undisabled_hourly_wage) Chris included the "JK Rowling effect", the odds that someone not forced to work a shitty job could create a great achievement that would have a significant positive economic impact, like JK Rowling writing Harry Potter while on welfare. I think there should be an additional effect for less spectacular events. With a basic income, many people would be free to pursue new career paths and start small businesses (or even bring existing careers and businesses out from under the table, as people on welfare often cannot work without facing penalties). How big is this effect? Fuck if I know. But I want to include something. Fuck, let's just say that basic income improves average productivity by something between 0 and 20%. The average hourly wage in the US is about $25/hr and I don't know if the average wage for increased productivity should be higher or lower, so let's pick it from between $10 and $30. avg_hourly_wage = uniform(10, 30).rvs() productivity_multiplier = uniform(0.0, 0.2).rvs() productivity_cost_benefit = (-1 * labor_force * (4052avg_hourly_wage) * productivity_multiplier) Now let's move to basic job. Most of Chris's assumptions seem good enough. I'll make one change - the value of work from people who currently aren't working. Chris says it's worth somewhere between $0/hr and $7.25/hr, as otherwise they'd probably be working a minimum wage or higher job. Sounds reasonable enough, but there are also people who bring negative value to the table. These people would be forced to work, likely in some boring job they hate. So I'm doing this: basic_job_hourly_productivity = uniform(-7.25, 7.25).rvs() I could definitely quibble more, but somebody could quibble with my changes too, so I don't want to go too crazy. The above changes seem reasonable enough to me. So here's my modified code. Now I'm going to try to run it. This will be interesting not only to see the results, but to see if I could make these changes without introducing a syntax error! Lower is better on these plots, so it looks like basic income wins! At least, if you agree with my completely unbiased assessment... Update: Chris posted a follow-up article that I basically entirely agree with.
iTerm2 GPU Renderer Released Sunnyvale, CA—August 7, 2018 iTerm2 version 3.2 has been released, featuring a new drawing engine that uses Metal to improve rendering performance by using the GPU. Screen updates are much faster, leaving your CPU free to do more. Scrolling is buttery smooth! Many new features and bug fixes are also included. Read the change log for details. Get it from the Downloads page in the "Stable Releases" section. Important Security Update Version 3.1.1 of iTerm2 has been released and contains an important security update. Prior versions could leak private data over DNS requests. Please update to 3.1.1 or later. For more information, please see the official statement. iTerm2 Version 3.1 Released Sunnyvale, CA—September 18, 2017 Version 3.1 of iTerm2 is now in stable release. It adds many notable features: Touch Bar support Ligature font support Many improvements to Hotkey Windows Copy Mode ...and scores of small new features (like hyperlinks and new shell integration utilities) and bug fixes. You can see all the details in the change log. iTerm2 Version 3 Stable Released Sunnyvale, CA—July 4, 2016 After eighteen months of development and a four month beta period, the third major version of iTerm2 has been released. Read the full announcement here. Get it from the Downloads page in the "Stable Releases" section. iTerm2 2.0 Released Sunnyvale, CA—July 14, 2014 After three years of development, the second major version of iTerm2 has been released. It adds dozens of new features, countless bug fixes, and smells April fresh. Here are just a few of the new features you'll find: Deep tmux integration. iTerm2 can speak directly to tmux and display its virtual windows as native windows or tabs, making tmux much easier to navigate. A toolbelt has been added. The toolbelt a drawer that opens to the right of a window and shows running jobs, paste history, a field for taking notes, and facilitates opening new sessions. iTerm2 now supports triggers . A trigger defines an action that is performed when text matching a regular expression is received. For example, it can highlight errors in red, bounce the dock icon when a build finishes, or respond to prompts for you automatically. Literally dozens of new preferences let you customize every aspect of your terminal. New proprietary escape sequences integrate terminal apps, allowing you to change a session's profile automatically, manipulate the pasteboard remotely, bounce the dock icon, and much more. For a full list of changes, please see the change log. Downloads are available at the Downloads page.
jennifer68 BANNED Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: strasbourg Posts: 647 Likes (Received): 3 Quote: Tomb Raider Originally Posted by Wow, strangely, we have never told me about this underground complex in Montréal, it looks so exiting yes ! here history of this underground complex : History of the central segment. The vision for the underground city was originally that of urbanist Vincent Ponte, for whom a commemorative plaque was unveiled in November 2006 at Place Ville-Marie. The first link of the underground city arose with the construction of the Place Ville-Marie office tower and underground shopping mall, built in 1962 to cover an unsightly pit of railway tracks north of the Central Station. A tunnel linked it to Central Station and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. google Directional panels to buildings accessible through the underground city, in Bonaventure metro stationThe advent of the Montreal metro in 1966 brought tunnels joining Bonaventure station to the Château Champlain hotel, the Place du Canada office tower, Place Bonaventure, Central Station, and Windsor Station, forming the core of the Underground City. Square-Victoria station connected to the Tour de la Bourse, Montreal's stock exchange building. google Adding to the development of the underground city was the Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission's policy of offering the aerial rights above metro station entrances for construction through emphyteutic leases, an advantageous way to acquire prime real estate. When the metro began running in 1966, ten buildings were already connected directly to metro stations; development would continue until only two free-standing station entrances (Square-Victoria and Place-des-Arts) remained in the central segment. google In 1974, the Complexe Desjardins office tower complex was constructed, spurring the construction of a "second downtown" underground city segment between Place-des-Arts and Place-d'Armes station, via Place des Arts, Complexe Desjardins, the Complexe Guy Favreau federal government building, and the Palais des Congrès (convention centre). google Between 1984 and 1992, the underground city expanded, with the construction of three major linked shopping centres in the Peel and McGill metro station areas: Cours Mont-Royal, Place Montréal-Trust, and the Promenades Cathédrale (built underneath Christ Church Cathedral). McGill station was already linked with The Bay, Eaton's (now the Complexe Les Ailes), Centre Eaton, and two other office/mall complexes. Between 1984 and 1989, the underground city grew from 12 km (7 mi) of passages to almost 22 km (14 mi). google Mega-projects added to the size throughout the 1990s, including Le 1000 De La Gauchetière (the tallest building in Montreal), Le 1250 René-Lévesque, and the Montreal World Trade Centre. Although these buildings have only a secondary commercial sector, they use their connection to the underground city as a selling point for their office space. Also, the construction of a tunnel between Eaton Centre and Place Ville-Marie consolidated the two central halves of the underground city. The construction of the Bell (originally Molson) Centre connected Lucien-L'Allier metro station to the underground city, as well as replacing Windsor Station with the new Gare Lucien-L'Allier commuter train station. google The tunnel between the Centre CDP Capital and the Palais des Congrès. A display case sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Architecture holds a video artwork about the underground city.Finally, in 2003, the complete redevelopment of the Quartier international de Montréal consolidated several segments of the central underground city with continuous pedestrian corridors. The construction of the ICAO headquarters joined Place Bonaventure to Square-Victoria station, which in turn was joined to the Palais des Congrès and Place-d'Armes station via the new Caisse de dépôt et de placement building and a tunnel under Place Jean-Paul Riopelle. google Uniquely, the new tunnel sections in the Quartier International contain educational and artistic displays sponsored by major Montreal museums. As a result of this construction, one can now walk all the way across the centre of downtown, from the UQAM Sherbrooke Pavilion at the corner of Sainte Famille Street and Sherbrooke Street to the Lucien-L'Allier metro station just south-west of the Bell Centre, without going outside — a span of 1.7 km (1.1 mi) as the crow flies, or approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) walking distance. google The central segment interconnects the following seven STM metro stations via indoor walkway. As the Berri-UQAM station which allows transfers between the Green, Orange and Yellow lines is two metro stops from the closest station in this segment, in many cases it is quicker to walk than to take the metro. google The lists of connected facilities which follow are grouped by segment and nearest metro station. nota bene : pictures from google.texts from wikipedia. The vision for the underground city was originally that of urbanist Vincent Ponte, for whom a commemorative plaque was unveiled in November 2006 at Place Ville-Marie.A tunnel linked it to Central Station and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.googleDirectional panels to buildings accessible through the underground city, in Bonaventure metro stationThe advent of the Montreal metrobrought tunnels joining Bonaventure station to the Château Champlain hotel, the Place du Canada office tower, Place Bonaventure, Central Station, and Windsor Station, forming the core of the Underground City.Square-Victoria station connected to the Tour de la Bourse, Montreal's stock exchange building.googleAdding to the development of the underground city was the Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission's policy of offering the aerial rights above metro station entrances for construction through emphyteutic leases, an advantageous way to acquire prime real estate.googlethe Complexe Desjardins office tower complex was constructed, spurring the construction of a "second downtown" underground city segment between Place-des-Arts and Place-d'Armes station, via Place des Arts, Complexe Desjardins, the Complexe Guy Favreau federal government building, and the Palais des Congrès (convention centre).googlethe underground city expanded, with the construction of three major linked shopping centres in the Peel and McGill metro station areas: Cours Mont-Royal, Place Montréal-Trust, and the Promenades Cathédrale (built underneath Christ Church Cathedral). McGill station was already linked with The Bay, Eaton's (now the Complexe Les Ailes), Centre Eaton, and two other office/mall complexes.googleAlthough these buildings have only a secondary commercial sector, they use their connection to the underground city as a selling point for their office space.Also, the construction of a tunnel between Eaton Centre and Place Ville-Marie consolidated the two central halves of the underground city.The construction of the Bell (originally Molson) Centre connected Lucien-L'Allier metro station to the underground city, as well as replacing Windsor Station with the new Gare Lucien-L'Allier commuter train station.googleThe tunnel between the Centre CDP Capital and the Palais des Congrès.A display case sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Architecture holds a video artwork about the underground city.Finally, in 2003, the complete redevelopment of the Quartier international de Montréal consolidated several segments of the central underground city with continuous pedestrian corridors.The construction of the ICAO headquarters joined Place Bonaventure to Square-Victoria station, which in turn was joined to the Palais des Congrès and Place-d'Armes station via the new Caisse de dépôt et de placement building and a tunnel under Place Jean-Paul Riopelle.googleUniquely, the new tunnel sections in the Quartier International contain educational and artistic displays sponsored by major Montreal museums.As a result of this construction, one can now walk all the way across the centre of downtown, from the UQAM Sherbrooke Pavilion at the corner of Sainte Famille Street and Sherbrooke Street to the Lucien-L'Allier metro station just south-west of the Bell Centre, without going outside — a span of 1.7 km (1.1 mi) as the crow flies, or approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) walking distance.googleThe central segment interconnects the following seven STM metro stations via indoor walkway. As the Berri-UQAM station which allows transfers between the Green, Orange and Yellow lines is two metro stops from the closest station in this segment, in many cases it is quicker to walk than to take the metro.googleThe lists of connected facilities which follow are grouped by segment and nearest metro station.nota bene : pictures from google.texts from wikipedia. Last edited by jennifer68; April 19th, 2009 at 06:57 PM .
Our genes determine to some extent which bacteria live in our intestines. Studies on human twins and experimental work with animals have both confirmed that our microbiome is partly hereditary. But so far, there was only limited information about the host genes that affect the microbiome. Now a new study, led by the University Medical Center Groningen/University of Groningen Department of Genetics has associated genetic loci and specific genes in human DNA to bacterial species and their metabolic signatures. The results have been published in the journal Nature Genetics on October 3rd. An international team of geneticists used three large Dutch cohort studies to identify genes affecting the microbiome. First, an association study was performed in the University Medical Center Groningen's Lifelines-DEEP cohort, on 984 participants. Stool samples from this cohort were analyzed by metagenomic sequencing, which was used both to identify micro-organisms and to help determine their functions. These data were then correlated to genetic, phenotype and dietary information from all the participants. Next, the results were replicated in two smaller Dutch cohorts: the Radboud University Medical Center's 500FG study cohort (425 participants) and the Maastricht University Medical Center's MIBS cohort (105 participants). 'To our knowledge this is the largest metagenome dataset to date', says first author Marc Jan Bonder. 'And the use of metagenomic sequencing to get information about both the abundances of the micro-organisms and their functions makes this study unique. We were able, in this large population of volunteers, to link microbial variation to genetic variation.' Milk intake One particularly interesting finding was the association between genetic variants that determine the presence of lactase in adults and the presence of Bifidobacterium in the gut. Lactase deficiency causes lactose intolerance. 'Surprisingly enough, we found no difference in overall milk intake by individuals with or without the hypolactasia predisposing genotype', says principal investigator Dr. Alexandra Zhernakova. But, for individuals without the functional lactase gene, the numbers of Bifidobacterium increased with a higher consumption of dairy products. A possible explanation for these results is that Bifidobacterium, which can break down lactose, rescues lactase-deficient individuals from lactose intolerance. 'As the bacterium is ingested through milk, it appears that these individuals can actually continue drinking milk if it causes no complaints', says Zhernakova. Immune system Another association was found with variants of the C-type lectin genes. These genes code for receptors that recognize different species of bacteria and fungi, and they guide the cytokine response to these micro-organisms. Zhernakova: 'These receptors are part of the innate immune system. Several other innate immunity genes also showed association with certain taxonomies and bacterial pathways, although these associations were weaker. This means the C-type lectin receptors could be an interesting target for treatments aimed at modifying the microbiome'. The scientists also looked for association with specific genes from the HLA system, which is part of the body's adaptive immune system that is developed through encounters with micro-organisms. 'Surprisingly, gene variants from the HLA system showed very little correlation with the microbiome', says Zhernakova. Diseases This study provides a first glimpse into how our genes affect the microbiome. Such correlations are of interest for many multifactorial diseases that are affected by genes, the microbiome, and environmental factors like diet. Bonder: 'This type of research will also help us to provide personalized health advice, for example, what we can now tell individuals with lactase deficiency.'
The Very Best Learning Method Is Not Taught To Students Or Teachers The one learning technique which works best is the one that students use the least. Spreading out learning over time is one of the most effective strategies. So-called ‘distributed practice’ means breaking up learning into short sessions. People learn better when they learn in these short sessions spread over a long period of time. The reverse — cramming in a short space of time — doesn’t work that well. Despite this, distributed practice is very infrequently used by students and may not be highlighted as a top strategy to them by teachers. Instead, students tend to use highly inefficient methods such as highlighting, summarising, underlining and re-reading. One technique that is effective — which students do sometimes use — is testing. Professor John Dunlosky, one of the study’s authors, said: “I was shocked that some strategies that students use a lot — such as rereading and highlighting — seem to provide minimal benefits to their learning and performance. By just replacing rereading with delayed retrieval practice, students would benefit.” Professor Dunlosky continued: “These strategies are largely overlooked in the educational psychology textbooks that beginning teachers read, so they don’t get a good introduction to them or how to use them while teaching.” The frightening thing is that we have known about the power of distributed practice for over a hundred years, and yet people continue to study by cramming. The study was published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Dunlosky et al., 2013). Math problems image from Shutterstock
St. Louis: Taking On The World’s Largest Coal Company “And daddy won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County Down by the Green River where Paradise lay Well, I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away” —John Prine, Paradise There’s an insurrection afoot. And it’s in America’s heartlands no less. Bold and effective organizing against oil companies, natural gas companies and coal companies has started this insurrection that has openly challenged these powerful industries. This phenomenon has spread across the country and created unusual coalitions of Indigenous communities, environmental activists and rural landowners opposed to corporate seizures of their property. The most recent example occurred last week at Peabody Energy’s shareholder meeting in St. Louis. For the second time in less than a week, 11 people were arrested in defiance of the world’s largest coal company. Joining people from St. Louis, Arizona, southern Illinois and other parts of the world, the 11 were arrested while attempting to enter Peabody’s annual shareholder meeting seeking a redress of grievances with the company. From Arizona to the American heartland, Peabody has ravaged communities, the climate, forests and other wild places for over a century. Arizona For five decades on Black Mesa, a 2.1-million-acre highland in Northeast Arizona, Peabody has mined coal and exploited the Navajo Aquifer to enrich the company’s executives and shareholders. The Navajo Aquifer is the main source of potable water for the Navajo and Hopi tribes. They use the water for farming and livestock maintenance as well as drinking and other domestic uses. After being blocked from using rail to transport coal to power generation plants that have lit up cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix over the decades, Peabody built a coal slurry pipeline to move the coal instead Furthermore, Peabody’s massive strip mining operations have led to forced relocation of Black Mesa’s residents. But resistance to Peabody’s operations on Black Mesa has marked a forty year anniversary. Navajo and Hopi residents have long fought Peabody’s colonization of their lands. The struggle is far from over. Next week, a camp on Black Mesa will bring together many different groups that have long resisted Peabody to further strategize and prepare for campaigns against the coal giant. Illinois Basin Turning east to the Illinois basin, Peabody has joined in a historic coalfield revival. The basin spans southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. In 2010, Peabody opened a mine called Bear Run, located in Sullivan County, Indiana, which is now the largest strip mine east of the Mississippi and a symbol of the booming Illinois basin. As power plants install scrubber technology that allows the burning of high sulphur coal, coal mining companies are applying for permits and opening strip mines. The forests and farmlands of America’s heartland are once again becoming a sacrifice zone for cheap electricity and Peabody Coal’s profits. However, the reckless behavior of Peabody around a proposed strip mine in Rocky Branch, IL has roused residents into action. As Peabody attempts to start operations with no permits and ignoring state regulations, members of the township have been showing up to public hearings and challenging regulators and law enforcement to do their jobs. While Peabody hires notorious public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller to sell dirty coal, Saline County, IL is in open rebellion against the mining giant’s operations. Writer Jeff Biggers recently noted “Saline County residents and coal miners like my grandfather and family members have taken a fearless stand for coalfield justice, galvanizing mine worker movements, as well as civil rights and environmental campaigns.” Rocky Branch residents plan to carry on fight through the intervention of law enforcement agencies, in the courts, and through direct public pressure. Despite Peabody’s best efforts, this fight is just beginning. St. Louis In St. Louis, two other campaigns are wrecking Peabody’s public image as well. The “Take Back St. Louis” campaign has gone after $60 million in tax breaks that the city gave Peabody beginning in 2010. Getting an initiative on a local ballot to stop these tax breaks for the world’s biggest coal company that take vital funding coming from public schools and other public services, organizers with Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment have sought an intersection between climate justice and economic justice issues. Peabody, predictably, has responded with lawsuits barring an April vote from going forward. St. Louis Judge Robert Dierker cited Citizen’s United saying that corporations were people and afforded equal protection under the law. At Washington University at St. Louis, student began a campus occupation in protest of Peabody CEO Greg Boyce sitting on the university’s board of regents. After a multi-week occupation, seven students were arrested attempting to deliver a letter of protest to the board. The North American direct action movement against the extraction of oil, coal and natural gas has become a beautiful and powerful thing. This broad-based grassroots movement has organized bold and effective campaigns against companies like Peabody Energy. Movements are often a convergence space where issues and communities align against a greater power bent on exploitation and destruction for short term gain. The movement against Peabody has become this very thing. As Marshall Johnson, Black Mesa Resident and member of Tonizhoni Ani said: “We need to stand up to Peabody on Black Mesa and here in St. Louis so our children and grandchildren and all future generations can have clean water and clean air. I am grateful to Wash U students for standing up for a respectful future for us all.”
Yesterday Goose Island teased Bourbon County Stout and coffee lovers everywhere with some incredible beer-porn — a photo of the 2011 Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout coming off the bottling line. After a one-year hiatus, this is one release that will almost certainly live up to the hype. To date the beer has a perfect 100 rating on Beer Advocate (rAvg: 4.52) and a near perfect 100/99 on Rate Beer. Notably, this year's offering will feature Intelligentsia Anjilanaka coffee beans from Bolivia whereas the 2010 version used the syrupy and sweet Black Cat Espresso Beans. “Silky and smooth on the palate, this year's Anjilanaka brings a balanced and steady character. White grape, honey and apple skin notes give dimension without sacrificing delicacy. Burnt caramel and hazelnut notes mark the finish.” Per the Goose Island Facebook post the Bourbon County Coffee Stout will “take some time to go through our wholesale channels before it hits retail shelves.” And you know once that happens, they'll be all over eBay for astronomical prices. Update January 24, 2012: According to a recent BA post from Goose Island Brand Director Adam Lilly, “the first cases have begun leaving the warehouse” and “you can expect to start seeing deliveries from wholesalers to retailers in the next couple days through the next couple of weeks.” Featured Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout Auctions
Google, going beyond its investments in clean energy, has bought an intriguing wind-power company called Makani Power and brought it into the fold of its mysterious Google X research program. Founded in 2006 by some entrepreneurial kite surfers, Makani makes flying wind turbines. They’re essentially giant robot-piloted kites that fly in circles, collecting energy using wing-mounted turbines and transferring it back to earth using a conductive tether. It’s a clean-energy drone. Airborne wind power has a couple theoretical advantages over old-fashioned windmills. For one, wind is stronger and more consistent the higher up you go. The tallest windmills are about 600 feet tall, but the first generation of Makani planes will fly at heights between 800 and 1,950 feet. Second, the autopilot finds the windiest spots and then flies in circles, so the whole wing moves at the speed of the tip of a windmill’s blade—its most productive part. Makani, based in Alameda, California, claims that this allows its planes to produce power more efficiently in low winds than conventional windmills, making them more reliable sources of energy. The planes also take far less material to make than a windmill, so the company says they’ll be faster to produce and deploy. These advantages become clearer in the case offshore wind power, which seems to be the company’s focus. The wind is stronger offshore, and about half the world’s population lives on the coast, so less energy would be lost in transmission. But it’s really hard to put a windmill in the ocean: you have to anchor it to the floor, so you’re stuck in shallow water, and corrosion from salt water and damage from waves make maintenance expensive. If you could launch these things from, say, a floating buoy, you could solve a lot of problems at once. Also, as the company points out, you could fly them out of sight of land, eliminating the aesthetic concerns that have dogged offshore windmills in the past. On May 9, one of Makani's wings completed its first autonomous flight—launching, circling, and landing on its own. That version produces 30 kilowatts, but Makani hopes future versions will be larger, generating 600 kilowatts and eventually making wind competitive with fossil fuels. It’ll be interesting to see what the company does as part of Google X.
Story highlights ACLU: Phone location tracking is a common tool of police, often without a warrant Fewer than 5% of agencies say they've never tracked a cell phone's location Most carriers require a court order to implement cell phone surveillance Cell phone companies have manuals for police explaining what data they store Don't want the police or your local government to know where you are? Then put your cell phone in airplane mode or turn it off. Location tracking is inherent in how cell networks function; otherwise nobody's cell phone would ring. But new evidence from the American Civil Liberties Union shows that phone location tracking has also become a surprisingly common tool of law-enforcement investigations -- with, but often without, a warrant. The ACLU recently obtained records from over 200 police departments and other law enforcement agencies around the U.S. They found that "virtually all" of these agencies track the location of cell phones with data supplied by wireless carriers. (For information on police in your state, check the ACLU's interactive map , which shows details from responding agencies. Not all states or agencies responded to ACLU's public-records requests.) But don't the police need a warrant for that? It varies by state, but carriers generally say they require a court order to release this data. Regardless of these requirements, however, "Only a tiny minority reported consistently obtaining a warrant and demonstrating probable cause to do so," said the ACLU. Not surprisingly, the ACLU disapproves of this practice. "The government should have to obtain a warrant based upon probable cause before tracking cell phones. That is what is necessary to protect Americans' privacy, and it is also what is required under the Constitution," states the ACLU on its site. Why would police want to track the current location of a cell phone or the history of where it's been? According to the ACLU's records, investigating crimes was a common and obvious reason cited. Some agencies reported that they track a cell phone's location only in emergencies, such as to find a missing person -- but others have done this for nonemergency cases. Sometimes police requested data about all phones accessing a certain cell tower, rather than from a specific phone. Fewer than 5% of agencies reported never tracking a cell phone's location at all. Depending on where you live, this kind of surveillance may happen a lot. According to the ACLU, "Many law enforcement agencies track cell phones quite frequently. For example, based on invoices from cell phone companies, it appears that Raleigh, N.C. , tracks hundreds of cell phones a year. The practice is so common that cell phone companies have manuals for police explaining what data the companies store, how much they charge police to access that data, and what officers need to do to get it." According to these manuals, most carriers require a court order to implement cell phone surveillance -- which can range from data about inbound and outbound calls and text messages, to a detailed report of location history based on cell phone tower data. Costs can range up to several hundred dollars for each request. Of course, that data might point back to the dead end of a "disposable" prepaid cell phone which can be bought and activated with cash and without identification -- a common strategy for activists, criminals, people in hiding and others with concerns about surveillance. So tracing cell phone data isn't a guarantee that police will find the person or information they're seeking. As with searching data stored on cell phones taken from people under arrest (something which requires a warrant in some states but not others, like California ), law enforcement officials often contend that obtaining a warrant to track a phone's location can delay solving a crime or finding a person in danger. But the ACLU found that some police departments -- notably in the county of Hawaii Wichita, Kansas ; and Lexington, Kentucky -- appear to have no problem regularly obtaining a warrant when needed to track a phone's location. This indicates that "a warrant requirement is a completely reasonable and workable policy," the ACLU said. "The government's location tracking policies should be clear, uniform, and protective of privacy, but instead are in a state of chaos, with agencies in different towns following different rules -- or in some cases, having no rules at all," the ACLU said. "It is time for Americans to take back their privacy." The ACLU's records request only applied to police requests for user and tower data from carriers. However, there are other ways to track a cell phone's location which almost anyone can use if you're willing to pay for it -- and if you can get access to the phone you want to track for long enough to install a bit of software. Several commercially available mobile "spyware" apps can be surreptitiously installed on a smartphone to track not only its location, but all messages sent and received by any app on the phone (e-mail, instant messaging, etc.). They record every character you type, and more. These apps disguise their presence and remotely report back to a website where the person who's doing the spying can log in to see everywhere the phone has been, and everything it's done. Typically, spyware apps are marketed in a fairly creepy way -- to snoop on spouses or children. But spyware can also help stalkers and other criminals close in on their victims. Spyware is generally legal to sell, but it may not be legal to use. That doesn't stop people from using it, of course. It's unknown whether U.S. state and local law enforcement agencies ever use mobile spyware, but clearly they're not the only ones who might want to know where you are and what you're doing. Your best line of defense from mobile spyware is to always protect your phone with a passcode or swipe pattern, even at your office or home. If people can't easily access your phone, they can't easily install spyware. Requiring warrants for all instances of cell phone tracking and surveillance based on carrier data is one step that the ACLU advocates. This would at least increase transparency and accountability for the practice. But if the police decide they want to know where you've been, it's likely that your carrier will tell them, for the right price. And right now, there's no way to prevent that. The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of Amy Gahran.
This article was originally published by the IPI Global Observatory on 27 June 2014. From Scotland to Syria to Somalia, various groups are seeking to create independent states. The Scots will vote on independence this September. Kurds in northern Syria and Iraq have revived their hopes for an independent Kurdistan as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) envisions redrawing the map of the Middle East. And tribal leaders in northwest Somalia govern the territory they claim more effectively than the internationally-recognized Federal Government of Somalia controls the south. While their domestic contexts may be dramatically different, the broader political aims of these groups are part of a larger trend of rising secessionism. Secessionism has been on the rise since the mid 20th century, and in 2014, there are over 50 secessionist groups around the world. Why do so many groups seek statehood today? When the UN was founded in 1945, it had 51 members. In 2014, the General Assembly is comprised of 193 member states, with an additional two non-member states as permanent observers. This explosion in the number of sovereign states has been a product of secessionism. And with each new state comes the possibility of new secessionist movements. Figure 1: Annual Number of Secessionist Movements, 1816-2011 As we discuss in a recent article in International Studies Review, secessionism has risen dramatically since World War II. Between 1816 and 2011, we identify 403 secessionist movements–groups of people within a state that actively seek to break away from the larger country and obtain independence. In the years prior to 1945, the average annual number of secessionist movements was less than nine; in contrast, the average number after 1945 has been 51, more than a five-fold increase. That the number of movements has generally increased over the post-1945 period, even as the number of sovereign states has increased, speaks to a high rate of secessionism: new movements are springing up to replace those that succeeded in gaining their independence. A changing international environment has made statehood more attractive for aspiring nations. Membership in the club of sovereign states has always brought privileges, but these perks are increasing in number and improving in quality–and secessionists know it. The rise of a norm against territorial conquest and multilateral organizations that support this norm have provided a safe haven of sorts for newly independent states. Newborn states today, like Montenegro, can gain membership to organizations such as the UN; this membership offers some protection against predatory neighbors, more so at least than was afforded to new states in the 19th or early 20th centuries. Secessionists are also helped by the international community’s stated allegiance to the principle of self-determination, which lends legitimacy to their cause and also provides language in which to present it. Today’s new states also enjoy a host of economic benefits unavailable to their predecessors. Smaller states such as Singapore can plug into the global economy to attract international finance. Aspiring nations like Bougainville pin their post-independence economic policies to key extractive industries like copper mining. Moreover, international aid provides a financial safety net for newborn states that may be economically insecure. But, as the secessionist government in Somaliland knows, multilateral aid agencies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot give loans to breakaway regions until they are recognized. Aid is one more perk of sovereign statehood, and young states like Eritrea, East Timor, Montenegro, and Kosovo were quick to apply to the IMF after gaining independence. Secessionists often have a sophisticated understanding of the rules–explicit and implicit–for gaining international recognition. We interviewed representatives of key international organizations, leaders of a number of secessionist movements, and consultants who provide legal and strategic advice to these movements. Secessionist groups treat international law strategically, often hiring outside diplomats (as in Kosovo and Somaliland) and/or developing a corps of international lawyers (as in Nagorno-Karabakh). Improvements in transportation and communications technology also mean that today’s secessionists are typically well-networked with other aspiring nations. This surge of secessionists presents a series of dilemmas for the international community. Most secessionists use non-violent means to advance their claims, but recent research suggests that while non-violence is generally more politically effective than violence, this is not the case for secessionism. A majority of civil wars today are already driven at least in part by claims of self-determination–the international community thus faces the challenge of persuading secessionists to remain nonviolent, even though it is the violent secessionists who tend to be let into the club of states. In deciding whether to recognize a particular secessionist movement, individual states and the international community more broadly must also determine how representative that movement is. If the group gains statehood, will the benefits of recognition reach average citizens, or will they line the pockets of the new state’s political leadership? The increasing number of secessionist groups today often control large and important swathes of territory and people. In order to conduct the growing business of not-quite-international relations, new modes of diplomacy may be needed to redirect at least some of the benefits of statehood without redrawing large portions of the world map. Tanisha Fazal is Associate Professor of Political Science and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Ryan Griffiths is a lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. For more information on issues and events that shape our world, please visit Security Watch and browse our resources.
The latest attempt to crack down on gun crimes amid a persistent surge of Chicago street violence stalled at the Capitol on Thursday, caught in the vortex of the historic gridlock that's sowed deep distrust between Democrats who control the General Assembly and Republicans loyal to Gov. Bruce Rauner. Passing a gun bill is often difficult due to differing regional attitudes toward firearms, but the complex one under consideration also drew complaints that it was too soft on drug criminals or too hard on minorities. Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told lawmakers the measure would give officers an extra tool in the fight against gun crimes. The city's top cop was able to dodge political embarrassment when the bill cleared a committee by a single vote, but any hope backers had for quick passage out of the Illinois Senate was dashed amid an overall lack of support. Democrats quickly pointed the finger at Republicans, accusing them of acting at the behest of Rauner, who they continue to blame for last week's squelching of a so-called grand bargain designed to end the budget impasse. "They are usually pretty lockstep following the directions of the governor's office," said Sen. Kwame Raoul, a South Side Democrat co-sponsoring the legislation. "That's why we don't have a grand bargain, for example." Republicans countered that Democrats were "muddying the water" by linking the tougher gun penalties to lightening punishments for drug crimes, saying they are issues that should be considered separately. "Maybe they were trying to find a political path forward, but it fell apart," said Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington. "Guns is a tough issue." Indeed, the legislation faces a number of obstacles beyond the partisan divide that's largely paralyzed state government for two years. Some members of the legislature's Black Caucus say the bill unfairly targets minority communities caught in a cycle of poverty. Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, a West Side Democrat, said the focus should be on rehabilitation programs because "more arrests is just going to cost us more money." Meanwhile, Downstate Democrats generally have opposed efforts to further regulate guns. They represent rural districts where hunting is an ingrained part of life. On the Republican side, Rauner has called for sweeping changes to the state's criminal justice laws to reduce the number of low-level offenders in prison and cut incarceration costs. But many Republicans remain reluctant to sign on to anything that may be interpreted as going easy on crime, particularly as suburbs have been hit hard by the heroin epidemic. Amid the varied opposition, supporters said something needs to be done to address Chicago's gun problem, noting a sharp divide in how lawmakers approach crime in the city versus the suburbs. "Almost 900 black and brown men were killed with guns last year. If there were 900 heroin overdoses in DuPage County, we'd be moving heaven and earth to deal with it, and we sit on our hands while kids are getting shot," said Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, who went on to paraphrase a president. "I don't know if this bill is the right answer … but Franklin Roosevelt said during the Great Depression, when you are facing a problem like this, do something. If that doesn't work, do something else." The proposal would increase the sentencing guidelines for judges deciding punishment for repeat gun felons. Instead of a range of three to 14 years, judges would hand out sentences in the range of seven to 14 years. If judges wanted to depart from that guideline, they would have to explain why. It's a different approach at the Capitol, where previous efforts have fizzled. In 2013, for example, lawmakers failed in a high-profile attempt to raise the mandatory minimum sentence for first-time illegal gun possession offenders from one year to three years. Opponents, including Raoul, argued that measure cast too wide of a net that would result in a spike of arrests in minority communities. Since then, Chicago has seen a surge of street violence, and last year the city had its highest number of homicides in 20 years. The spike in shootings and homicides is now in its second year, and three children recently were killed in the span of a few days. Mayor Rahm Emanuel faces public pressure from President Donald Trump to quell the violence. "Quite frankly, as a African-American leader, I am disgusted," Johnson said. "And as a cop, I am very pained. We can do better, and we must do better." Johnson said he was not asking the legislature to "solve this issue for Chicago," but to provide help in preventing a system in which repeat gun felons cycle through the court system and back onto the streets "so quickly that they see no reason to change their behavior." He noted changes in the proposal that give judges the discretion to impose a lesser sentence depending on various factors such as the age and mental capacity of an offender, and whether they were coerced or cooperated with law enforcement in prosecuting another felon. Proponents say giving judges such an option is designed to target gang members who take advantage of gun laws with deadly consequences, while leaving flexibility for those who aren't violent criminals but made a poor decision. "I am not seeking to mass incarcerate minorities, establish mandatory minimums, or take guns out of the hands of people who hold them legally," said Johnson, who added that the goal is to use "a spear to pinpoint the individuals that are driving violence on the streets in Chicago." Opponents including the Cook County public defender's office said there is little evidence that letting judges issue tougher sentences for repeat gun offenders would prevent crime. The office's lobbyist, Stephen Baker, said the effort seemed to be designed for officials "to show that we are doing something" about crime rather than a comprehensive effort to crack down on the flow of guns into the city.
Story highlights International Keystone Knights of the KKK wants to adopt stretch of Georgia road The state has denied the group's application The ACLU is considering whether to help the group The civil rights group says there is precedent allowing for Ku Klux Klan participation Having been denied participation in Georgia's adopt-a-highway program, a local Ku Klux Klan chapter has turned to the American Civil Liberties Union for help. And the civil rights organization may represent the group. "We are considering next steps and whether or not we will support the group," said Debbie Seagraves, executive director for the ACLU of Georgia. "We know this is unpopular," she admits, but if her organization helps the International Keystone Knights of the KKK, it is not because it agrees with their beliefs. It will be based on legal precedent and a legal view of whether the KKK's freedom of speech has been violated. In a nearly identical case in Missouri in 2005, a court ruled that the state discriminated against the KKK by denying it participation in a program open to all organizations. "It's clear and understandable that the message of the KKK is offensive and hurtful to many people, but when you cede the power to the state to decide whose speech is objectionable, we give it up," Seagraves said. The Klan chapter wants to clean a stretch of Georgia State Route 515 in Union County and filed its application on May 21. It was rejected on Tuesday. JUST WATCHED Georgia denies KKK highway adoption Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Georgia denies KKK highway adoption 01:08 JUST WATCHED KKK fliers left in mailboxes Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH KKK fliers left in mailboxes 01:15 Keith Golden, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, wrote the chapter's secretary that officials determined the mountain roadway, with a speed limit of 65 mph, was not a safe place for cleanup volunteers to work. Golden's letter to April Chambers cited other concerns. "The impact of erecting a sign naming an organization which has a long-rooted history of civil disturbance would cause a significant public concern," he wrote. "Impacts include safety of the traveling public, potential social unrest, driver distraction or interference with the flow of traffic." Seagraves said that the ACLU has to gather facts about the case before deciding whether to become involved, but she nonetheless pointed out a pair or rebuttals to the arguments made in the letter. If the speed limit on the highway is too fast, the program is supposed to find another, suitable place to adopt for cleanup, she said. Also, she said, the state cannot constitutionally deny speech because others may behave badly. If the ACLU chooses to represent the KKK chapter, the next step would be for the ACLU to contact the state to talk about the relevant laws, Seagraves said. A lawsuit could follow. "We try to avoid litigation, but we don't mind litigating if necessary," she said. It's a touchy subject in Union County, where two residents -- who asked not to be identified for safety reasons -- said they're concerned about the area's reputation. "It makes people here look like they're a bunch of stuck-in-the-past mountain folk," said a woman who has lived in Blairsville for four years. "They don't have a presence here. At least, they don't make themselves visible." A local man who was born and raised in the area said he was worried that if people saw the Klan's name on an adopt-a-highway sign, they would associate the county with the Klan. "I guess you've got the freedom to go out and hate people if you want, but I don't want them here," he said. "It gives us a bad name." He said he wouldn't feel uncomfortable driving through the area himself, but was concerned that others would be. "I'm white," he said. "So I'm not the one they're targeting. But I would feel bad if an African-American drove by and saw that." The mayor of Blairsville, Jim Conley, declined to comment. Blairsville is in Union County along Georgia State Route 515. Legally speaking, the Klan has every right to exist and to express its views, UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh said. However, he said that doesn't necessarily mean it has the right to participate in this government program. The question is whether or not displaying the Klan's name on an adopt-a-highway government sign is a form of government speech. He said that legally, the government has a right to pick and choose what it says, just like anyone else. If displaying an organization's name on an adopt-a-highway sign is considered an endorsement of that group, he said, the government has a right to deny participation to the Klan. But if the state does not consider displaying the name any indication of its relationship with the group, then all people and organizations have an equal right to participate, Volokh said. "Personally, I'm inclined to say that probably this should be seen as a government speech program because allowing such a sign is likely to be seen as some level of endorsement," he said. But history shows that a legal ruling would not necessarily end the controversy. In the Missouri case, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it wasn't until November 30, 1999, that the state installed a sign noting that the KKK adopted a stretch of highway. Someone sawed the sign down that same night. When the sign was placed back up several months later, it was sawed off again, the newspaper reported. The state never replaced the sign and later named that stretch of highway for civil rights icon Rosa Parks. A sign in rural Delaware declaring that a neo-Nazi splinter group adopted a stretch of road was allowed by the state, but only after the wording of the group was changed from "Nazi Party" to "Freedom Party," the Washington Times reported. In 2008, the California Department of Transportation was forced to pay a $157,500 legal settlement relating to a lawsuit by the San Diego Minutemen, an anti-illegal immigration group. According to the Orange County Register, the group had adopted a piece of a highway near a Border Patrol checkpoint. Immigrant groups were angered, and state officials moved the Minutemen's stretch of highway to another, more remote location. The group sued, arguing that its freedom of speech was violated.
Image copyright Twitter Image caption The clip was originally submitted to a pro-Trump forum on the social media site Reddit The US President has tweeted a short video clip of him wrestling a person with the CNN logo for a head. The clip is an altered version of Donald Trump's appearance at a WWE wrestling event in 2007, in which he "attacked" franchise owner Vince McMahon in a scripted appearance. The animation appears to have been posted to a pro-Trump internet forum earlier in the week. CNN later accused the president of inciting violence against the media. One panellist on ABC's morning show, Ana Navarro - a Republican Trump critic and CNN contributor - said "it is an incitement to violence. He is going to get somebody killed in the media." But Homeland Security Adviser Thomas Bossert, who had appeared earlier on the same ABC programme, said: "No-one would perceive that as a threat." The clip was submitted to a Donald Trump forum on the social media site Reddit four days ago, where it became one of the most popular posts. After the president's tweets, Reddit users expressed disbelief at the president's use of the clip. It was also retweeted by the official presidential Twitter account, @POTUS, operated by the White House. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Meet the Progressive Liberal: an anti-Trump wrestler in Appalachia Mr Trump has repeatedly clashed with the CNN news network, which he calls "fake news". CNN's top White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who has been critical of the White House's attitude to the press, simply tweeted: "Isn't pro wrestling fake?" Meanwhile, the CNN Communications team tweeted a seemingly sarcastic response quoting White House press officer Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said on Thursday: "The President in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. If anything, quite the contrary." In a later statement, the news network said "clearly, Sarah Huckabee Sanders lied... [he is] involved in juvenile behaviour far below the dignity of this office." "We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his." The pro-wrestling president, by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington Donald Trump has shown time and time again that he views politics as performance art; another reality television competition where the more drama and conflict there is, the better. His CNN-wrestling video tweet is just the latest, most jarring example. For Mr Trump the political process is like a World Wrestling Entertainment match. The plot is contrived; the action is fake; the outcome predetermined. During his campaign, he pulled back the curtain on the show and laughed along with his supporters at the spectacle. He encouraged his crowds to cheer the hero (him) and berate the villains (everyone else). As president, nothing has changed. CNN has just been chosen as the latest number-one bad guy. The president's tweet will certainly harshen the level of discourse in the nation. Already there are accusations that Mr Trump is inciting violence. Most of his supporters, however, will see it as Mr Trump probably intended - the latest episode in the biggest show ever to hit the US political scene; the newest twist in the remaking of the modern US presidency. Read more of Anthony's analysis Mr Trump's unusual tweet comes a day after he said his use of social media "is not Presidential - it's modern day presidential." On Thursday, the president launched a crude personal attack on MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. His tweets were condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike. Mr Trump has an entry in the World Wrestling Entertainment hall of fame for his appearance in the franchise a decade ago. In 2007, franchise owner Vince McMahon challenged Mr Trump to a so-called "Battle of the Billionaires" at a Wrestlemania event, with a wager that the loser would have their head shaved. The US professional wrestling scene is largely pre-scripted and seen as a form of entertainment rather than a sport. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Trump was also a victim in the scripted fight During the same event, Mr Trump was "thrown" to the mat by wrestler Steve Austin with his signature move, "the stone cold stunner." Rather than fighting directly, each business magnate backed a performer. Mr Trump's wrestler was victorious. But on the sidelines of the ring, Donald Trump performed his scripted attack on McMahon, providing the original video for his beat-down of CNN. Mr Trump then helped to shave McMahon's head on television.
Sad news for those of you who were looking forward to another four beautiful years of watching the human crack rock in Dollarama Chris Farley drag stumble around like a giant vodka-chugging drug-smoking baby. The Globe and Mail says that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has withdrawn from the mayoral race. The grown-up garbage pail kid is currently laid-up in the hospital with an abdominal tumor (aka a 10lb crack rock that got stuck on a piece of ham in his lower intestine) but he released a statement saying that he’s no longer pursuing re-election, however he’ll still be running for a seat in city council. He also said he’s giving his place in the mayoral race to his brother Doug Ford, a dude who looks like the definition of a shady tip-stealing strip club owner. This all comes literally 3 days after convicted rapist and visual representation of bad decisions, Mike Tyson, publicly endorsed Rob Ford in his run for re-election. You know, before he lost his shit on live TV and called a reporter a ‘rat piece of shit’. “Ooh, that’s a good one! I’ll have to remember that for the next time I go on a crackie rant!” – Rob Ford. So there you have it; the little drug-fueled engine that could barely is pulling into the station for good. I feel like now is a good time for someone to make an ‘In Memoriam’ video featuring a slow-motion montage of the human ball of sweat’s greatest moments as mayor set to the song “Gold in Them Hills“. Rob Ford running into a news camera. Rob Ford running into a fire hydrant. Rob Ford running through city hall and knocking over an elderly council member. Rob Ford trying to run on a football field and falling on his ass. There’s just so much footage to pick from. He’s like a one-man America’s Funniest Home Video segment. And is it just me, or does it look like Mayor McCheese has lost a little bit of weight? Maybe someone’s cut off his food supply at home.
The Australian Privacy Commissioner today said although VHA (which owns the Vodafone brand) didn’t make customers information publicly available on the internet during its recent security scandal, it was nontheless in breach of its obligations under the Privacy Act. In January 2011, VHA started an investigation over an alleged breach of its security, which had reportedly seen customers’ personal information – including phone calls details – made available to individuals who somehow had obtained password access to the telco’s internal database for its Vodafone brand. A month later, the Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim today released the findings of his investigation, stating he didn’t find evidence that Vodafone customers’ personal information was available on publicly accessible websites, but he discovered the company’s security measures were inappropriate. “… in my view, Vodafone did not have appropriate security measures in place to protect customer’s personal information at the time,” he said. “I was particularly concerned by Vodafone’s use of shared logins and passwords for staff and the broad range of detailed personal information available to them”. VHA relies on the Oracle-owned Siebel customer relationship management system, which holds identity information collected from customers to comply with the 100 point ID verification checks. The documents new customers can provide to achieve the 100 point are, for example, passports and driving licences, with the relative expiring dates. The Commissioner’s report stated identity theft could cause significant harm if a security breach occurred, saying that store login IDs rather than individual IDs enhanced the data security risk. “While Vodafone had a range of security safeguards in place to protect personal information on its Siebel system at the time of the incident, the use of store logins and the wide availability of full identity information via Siebel caused an inherent data security risk,” it is stated in the report. Pilgrim said that, as a result of the investigations, VHA would issue individual login IDs and passwords to all appropriate staff, including employees in retail stores. He concluded he was pleased Vodafone had acted promptly to review and improve its IT security. This morning VHA issued an official comment on the Commissioner’s findings. In a press release, the company said it had strengthened its data security, with tighter login identification and authentication processes, more frequent password resets and less approved access points for stores and dealers. Vodafone Hutchinson Australia CEO, Nigel Dews, said the incident highlighted there were areas that needed improvement and that the company acted quickly to solve the problem. “We responded quickly, took action with those employees involved who had shared passwords, and brought forward the implementation of a number of new security measures to better protect all customers’ information,” he said. The current Privacy Act does not allow for sanctions to be imposed after an investigation initiated by the Privacy Commissioner. However, Pilgrim said this case should remind all businesses using customer management systems to make sure their customers’ information are safely stored. “To comply with the Privacy Act and retain the trust and loyalty of their customers, I urge businesses to review their data security practices to prevent the likelihood of a privacy breach occurring which could have the potential to lead to identity theft or fraud,” Pilgrim said. Image credit: Vodafone
A 2-year-old girl was drowned in Whittier before her body was found in a duffel bag as a man and woman tried to cross into Mexico at the border, a San Diego prosecutor said Friday.John Lewis Hartley, 38, and Mercy Mary Becerra, 43, were being held on $2 million bail after pleading not guilty to a murder charge.During the arraignment hearing, Deputy District Attorney Kurt Mechal revealed that the child's cause of death was residential drowning and malnutrition.The suspects knew the child and the child's parents, the prosecutor said, but would not say whether the couple was taking care of the child or were caretakers.It remains unclear when the death occurred, although investigators said it happened recently. The girl has not been publicly identified."This is a young investigation," Mechals said after the hearing. "There's a lot of information that we're gathering."A preliminary investigation revealed Hartley tried to enter Mexico with Becerra when they were stopped by Mexican customs agents. Becerra fled the scene, and Hartley was detained with the duffel bag.Authorities did an X-ray of the bag and found the child's body inside . Not long after the discovery, authorities took Becerra into custody and turned her over to U.S. authorities.Social media accounts linked to Hartley and Becerra described them as married, and said Becerra was the mother of nine children.If convicted as charged, each of the two suspects faces 25 years to life in prison.
No surprise teams this time around. The favourites came through in round-robin play this week at the Tim Hortons Brier. Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador have reached the playoffs while Northern Ontario came up just short Thursday afternoon. Olympic champion Kevin Martin locked up the final playoff spot with a dramatic 7-6 victory over the Northwest Territories/Yukon. The Alberta skip hit a double-raise takeout to score two with the final throw of the 10th end. "It was probably the only shot I made that game," said Martin, who shot just 60 per cent. The seeding was settled in the round-robin finale Thursday night at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ont. Martin defeated Howard 6-5 while Gushue locked up the top seed with a 9-7 win over Quebec. Gushue will meet Stoughton in the 1-2 Page Playoff game Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the winner to advance straight to Sunday night's final. Martin and Howard will square off again in the 3-4 game Saturday afternoon. The winner advances to the semifinal Saturday evening against the loser of the 1-2 game. The semifinal winner then moves on to the final. "It's just one of those weeks," Gushue said. "Things seem to be going well and we're making the big shot at the right time. I think we're coming in a little bit looser than we have in the past as well and not putting as much pressure on ourselves." Gushue won Olympic gold at the Turin Games in 2006 but he's still looking for his first Brier title. Martin will go for a record fifth Brier win as a skip. Stoughton is a two-time Brier champion while Howard has won three times. Gushue snapped Martin's record 30-game Brier winning streak earlier in the week. Martin scored one on a takeout in the final end to beat Howard. Best in playoffs: Morris "We were leaking a bit of oil this week, more than we usually do," said Alberta third John Morris. "But I think the four teams that are in the playoffs are the best four teams and the most consistent four teams of the week. "And now we're going to see who can rise to the occasion." Gushue, Stoughton and Martin were all 9-2. Gushue secured the top seed with round-robin wins over both Stoughton and Martin. The loss sent Howard into fourth place at 8-3. "We just played awful for three ends and I don't know what the reason was there," Howard said. "We hung on and we made him earn it. Kevin had to make a tough shot there at the end." Stoughton got the No. 2 seed because he beat Martin in the round robin. Northern Ontario was the only rink with a chance to crack the top four at the start of play Thursday but it was a longshot at best. Skip Brad Jacobs, a surprise playoff participant last year, beat New Brunswick's James Grattan 6-1 but was eliminated when Martin beat Jamie Koe. "Kevin's one of the best in the world, if not the best," Koe said. "He seems to make those big shots when he has to." There were several seeding scenarios entering the final draw but Ontario was the only rink in control of its own destiny. Stoughton, who did not play in the evening, defeated Quebec 8-4 in the afternoon to improve to 9-2. Gushue and Martin were also 9-2 while Howard fell to fourth at 8-3. Gushue secured the top seed with round-robin wins over both Stoughton and Martin. In the other evening games, Nova Scotia's Shawn Adams edged Jim Cotter of British Columbia 6-5 while Northern Ontario downed Saskatchewan 6-3. Northern Ontario finished fifth at 7-4. Nova Scotia was next at 5-6, followed by Saskatchewan, B.C., and New Brunswick at 4-7. Quebec and the Northwest Territories/Yukon were 3-8 and Prince Edward Island was 1-10.
Less than 24 hours after NBC closed a deal for a TV series based on the 1989 Cameron Crowe movie Say Anything…, the project has been shelved by studio 20th Century Fox TV. The move comes after Crowe strongly objected to the series that he reportedly had been blindsided by. Both Crowe and the film’s star John Cusack took to Twitter to express their disapproval, with Crowe telling his followers that he was trying to kill the show. 20th TV focused on developing a Say Anything TV series, based on a title owned by its sister studio, earlier this season and brought in writer Justin Adler and producer Aaron Kaplan to develop the comedy as part of Adler’s blind script deal. I hear that after my story announcing the Say Anything series ran yesterday afternoon, Crowe called Kaplan to voice his objections. Realizing that Crowe did not know about the comedy series and was against it, Kaplan and Adler pulled out of the project, with 20th TV making the official decision to pull the plug this morning. It is unclear exactly where communication broke down; sources close to the studio stress that 20th TV did reach out to Crowe and efforts were made to bring him in the loop, while sources close to the filmmaker are adamant that he had never heard of the series until yesterday. Sources say that Crowe wouldn’t necessarily have been opposed to the idea as he had been open to revisiting his prior work, but he was taken aback by the fact that the project had been put together without his knowledge or input. Related: ‘Say Anything’ Follow-Up Series In The Works At NBC Legally, 20th TV could’ve proceeded with the series without Crowe’s consent, but the studio executive did not want to do it without his blessing as their intention all along had been to have his consent. In the end, the disconnect made continuing with the project difficult for everybody, leading to the studio’s decision to kill it.
Keirsey takes the 16 MBTI types and places them into four groups of people, believing that the people in these groups share similar mindsets. These groups are: The Guardians – ESFJ, ESTJ, ISFJ, ISTJ. The Artisans – ESFP, ESTP, ISFP, ISTP. The Rationals – ENTP, ENTJ, INTP, INTJ. The Idealists – ENFP, ENFJ, INFP, INFJ. From what I have understood about the cognitive functions, I don’t see why these groupings would be in existence. I especially don’t understand how types who share zero functions, i.e. the NT’s, and NF’s would share a similar mindset. Why wouldn’t you place those who share the same judging, and perceiving functions into the same groupings? When you think about it, these types would hold similar values even if their priorities are flipped, so to say. This is where Socionics Quadras got it right, and MBTI got it wrong. The quadras are: Alphas – ENTP, ESFJ, INTP, ISFJ. Judging Functions: Fe, Ti Perceiving Functions: Ne, Si. Typical Alpha quadra group behavior: Spontaneous, disorganized activities “for the fun of it.” Light-hearted, non-serious atmosphere with very few “heavy” moments. Skipping from topic to topic without focusing on the implementation of conclusions reached. More Beta – ESTP, ENFJ, ISTP, INFJ. Judging Functions: Fe Ti Perceiving Functions: Se, Ni Typical Beta quadra group behavior: Lengthy, theatrical monologues. Loud, hearty laughter. Importance given to group rituals such as those related to food and drink. Displays of great generosity and inclusion, but with the demand of emotional involvement in group. Rowdiness. Generally theatrical atmosphere, but with periodic moments of “dead seriousness.” More Gamma – ESFP, ENTJ, ISFP, INTJ Judging Functions: Fi Te Perceiving Functions: Se, Ni Typical Gamma quadra group behavior: Trading jokes on materialistic topics (money, sex, winning and losing). Rowdiness and drivenness. Prefer socializing in smaller groups (about six people or less) and planning and carrying out productive activities together. More Delta – ENFP, ESTJ, INFP, ISTJ Judging Functions: Fi Te Perceiving Functions: Ne, Si Typical Delta quadra group behavior: Discussion of interesting facts about people and places. Enjoy group outdoor activities. “Live and let live” attitude. Engage only in “productive” activities and discussions. Prefer smaller groups. Emotionally subdued; generally serious, but with periodic funny moments. More So, when people start talking about their opposing types being their opposite lettering’s, it’s very incorrect. For me, being an ISFP my opposing type is likely to be ESFJ. An INTJ’s will be an ENTP, and so on. Advertisements
Tips to Stress Free Programming Hilsoft, Inc. Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 22, 2016 When I was at a corporate programming job, I accepted jobs from my boss even though I knew its going to take more than 40 hours a week. It stressed me out. My seat mate even gave me an advice not to over commit on my tasks because they’ll give me more. And he was right. So here’s the key, do not bite off more than you can chew. We programmers are measured based on the ff: quality of work, meaning zero bugs timeliness, meeting the deadline earlier than the due date. efficiency, strictly 40 hour week and no over time. So the first step in stress free programming is not to accept a task you’re unfamiliar with. When I say unfamiliar, it means when the task specifications are not clear. You have to ask your team lead to be specific on the input, output, validations, and different scenarios if not have a detailed business requirement documentation. Second step is do not commit to a task if you cannot estimate. Break it down to a more detailed work breakdown schedule or into sub-components on a technical perspective. If you can’t do it, it only means you have to acquire more knowledge in the technology, framework or tools your company uses. Spend time to plan and do an estimate because it manages expectations between you, your company and the client. Do not sit down and code without it. Leverage on your team lead in helping you to plan and pass the accountability to them if they are not able to explain the detailed customer requirement or user story. Strictly, no specs, no estimate, then no coding. In addition, try to put a buffer on your estimates so to ensure you always finish earlier and not be stressed out cramming to meet the due date. Be resourceful. If you’re having a hard time defining the algorithm, then use the Internet, seek for an API/library, do not reinvent the wheel. Your colleagues or team lead may I also assist you in brainstorming for the best pseudo code. Algorithm definition is the most exciting task in software development. Your team will gladly help you on this because this is where programming skills are recognized. Coding and programming is supposedly a fun job. It is gratifying for us to be able to resolve a machine problem specially when we see the end-users happy about the software tool you made for them. Its your choice if you want it to be stressful or not.
From John J. Collins: “I birded Hacklebarney State Park this morning and came across a Kentucky Warbler. Heard it singing first then spotted it. I saw it from the white trail (the main trail) just beyond the childrens’ playground. There were 11 other warblers present including Hooded and Chestnut-sided, many Wood Thrushes, three Veerys, a Blue-headed Vireo, etc.” A Kentucky Warbler is also reported from the Middle Valley area of Washington Township, Morris County (Alison Goessling). From Susan Treesh in Somerset: “Had my FOS Black-billed Cuckoo (heard only, but distinctly) in the woods behind my house, along with my first ruby-throat at the feeder, courtesy of a sick day at home.” From Kirsten Abildskov and Piper Weldy: “There seemed to be an unusually high number of shorebirds at Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve today. This included 7 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Least Sandpipers, 1 Killdeer. In fact the number of Solitary Sandpipers was so big (11) we went back to pick up our scope to verify their identity and number. They were walking in the pond and around the perimeter in the grasses. ” 2 Black-crowned Night-Herons are at Jefferson Road Pond (Julie Buechner). The Great White Hawk of Old Dover Road The leucistic Red-tailed Hawk in the above photo is a local celebrity at this point. This hawk was first noticed 3-4 years ago by this writer, who immediately slammed on the brakes and did a double-take. So far in 2015, at least three reports have reached mocosocoBirds including Sunday’s photos by Keith Brodersen. The Buteo is certainly loyal to the Old Dover Road section of Parsippany, which coincidentally, is around the corner from Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. These are just some of the reports for today. View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links: The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website. @mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds. Finis
A sign advertising Anne of Green Gables: The Musical in Charlottetown has been repeatedly attacked by vandals and Charlottetown Festival officials are not sure whether it will be repaired. The Charlottetown Festival says there have been four incidents of vandalism involving Anne advertisements since mid-July. Three of the attacks have been to a steel sign attached to the concrete wall of Confederation Centre, and all of those in the last week. On Friday, the life-sized figure of Anne was ripped out of the sign. It was repaired, but on Saturday the sign was bent in half and it was repaired once more. On Monday, Anne's head was gone. The sign cost $1,100 to install. Officials are undecided whether they will fix it a third time. Charlottetown police are investigating.
Federal prosecutors are asking a judge not to return the domain names of one of Spain’s most popular websites seized as part of a major US crackdown on Internet piracy. The legal filing over Rojadirecta.com represents the government’s first legal response to a lawsuit challenging “Operation in Our Sites.” Commenced last year, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has seized as many as 208 domains the authorities claim are linked to intellectual-property fraud. The court-ordered seizures are aimed at websites that sell counterfeited goods, as well as sites that facilitate illegal music, film and broadcast piracy. The Rojadirecta .com and .org domains were seized in January along with eight others connected to broadcasting pirated streams of professional sports. “Returning the Rojadirecta domain names at this time would provide Puerto 80 with the very tools it used to commit the crimes the government has alleged it engaged in prior to the seizure,” (PDF) the government said in a legal filing Monday. “Accordingly, Puerto 80’s petition should be denied.” Puerto 80, the Rojadirecta site owner, last month asked a New York judge to return them. The petition is believed to be the only legal challenge lodged against Operation in Our Sites. Federal authorities are taking .com, .org. and .net domains under the same civil seizure law the government invokes to seize brick-and-mortar drug houses, bank accounts and other property tied to illegal activity. The government leaves behind messages to visitors that a site has been seized. Puerto 80, which claims the Rojadirecta site sports 865,000 registered users, said it has committed no copyright infringement. The site claims it is a discussion board where members can talks sports, politics and other topics, and it additionally links to sports streams—some of which is pirated “The government has not shown and cannot show that the site ever was used to commit a criminal act, much less that it will be in the future. By hosting discussion forums and linking to existing material on the internet, Puerto 80 is not committing copyright infringement, let alone criminal copyright infringement,” (PDF) according to the site’s legal filing last month. Federal prosecutors in New York, where the government is handling Operation in Our Sites, do not agree with Puerto 80’s characterization of the site in question. The government said the site went beyond linking and affixed advertisements to the streams. The government added that Rojadirecta was not authorized to broadcast the events. “In addition, advertisements that were separate and distinct from any commercials that may have been aired during the stream of the sporting event broadcast were periodically displayed at the bottom of the video during the live stream,” the government said. No hearing date has been set. The Firefox browser supports an add-on that redirects seized domains. The browser’s maker, Mozilla, declined the government’s request to remove it.
NBC 7's Liberty Zabala reports from State Street and West E Street where a man was found with his clothes on fire. Police have not said if the incident is part of a series of deadly attacks on homeless men in the San Diego area. (Published Wednesday, July 6, 2016) A violent attack early Wednesday on a homeless man sleeping in a highly populated area of downtown San Diego is the latest in a series of random attacks that left two men dead and two hospitalized in critical condition, San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officials confirmed. The attacks, described as "senseless" and random by homicide investigators, have renewed efforts to identify a "person of interest" sought following the killing of a homeless man Sunday. Breaking Construction Noise May Have Caused Southwestern Scare SDPD is distributing flyers with images of the man considered extremely dangerous, Capt. David Nisleit told reporters Wednesday. "This is a person we need to have removed from the community as fast as we can," Nisleit said. A police officer found a man suffering "significant injuries" to his upper torso at State and West E Streets at 5:10 a.m. Wednesday. The location is near condos and the federal courthouse. Residents told police they were awakened by a loud noise and saw a person crouched over what they thought was clothing. The clothing turned out to be a person. "The victim had been placed on fire," Nisleit said. "Our witness was able to remove the towel from our victim’s body, saving them from burns." San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews responded and treated the victim before transporting him to a nearby hospital. San Diego Police said the suspect was last seen running north from the area. SDPD investigators are also following reports of two other incidents reported between 6 and 6:10 a.m. In one, a man was struck by an unknown object in the back of the head while he was sitting at a bus stop at Fifth Avenue and Washington Street in the Hillcrest area, police said. Also, a man was hit in the head with a rock while sleeping along Third Avenue west of State Route 163 and near Mercy Hospital, according to police. Officials have not connected the Hillcrest incidents to the series but Nisleit left no doubt that police were considering the State Street incident the work of the same man who attacked homeless men in the Bay Park and Midway areas. On Sunday Angelo Di Nardo, 53, was found killed and set on fire along Morena Boulevard, east of Interstate 5, homicide investigators said. Shawn Longley, 41, was found by police Monday morning on Bacon Street in Ocean Beach. He had suffered blunt force trauma to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene. Manuel Mason, 61, was attacked about an hour earlier on Monday in San Diego's Midway District. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Nisleit would not divulge what connects these crimes but said, "I can tell you we are absolutely convinced these cases are linked and we will work them as a series." Homicide investigators want to question a man spotted on store surveillance video near the Morena Boulevard scene. The man purchased a gas can, a gallon of gasoline and a lighter about 15 minutes before De Nardo's body was discovered. “If you know who this person is, call 911. Do not approach this person, we’re going to consider him extremely dangerous,” Nisleit said. NBC 7 tracked down the store clerk who sold a man fire supplies just 15 minutes before a fire was reported to police. The clerk, who wished only to be identified as “Elliott,” said he is haunted by the encounter. “If I knew what was going to happen, I would, like, examine him but he was just another customer,” Elliott told NBC 7 in an exclusive interview. Images: Person Sought for Questioning in Homeless Attacks Anyone with information can call the San Diego Police Department's Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. Check back for updates on this breaking news story.
While Polish women are demonstrating successfully to secure a woman’s right to choose and pushing back against a draconian law to outlaw abortion, and Saudi women are hash-tagging “I am my own guardian,” the Indian Supreme Court has just handed down a decision that reinforces male privileges and subordinates the role of women in the family. The decision that a Hindu son has the right to divorce a Hindu woman who does not subscribe to the position that a Hindu son should support his parents, is not only alarming, it reeks of nothing less than a narrow, repressive mentality that reinscribes Indian/Hindu women as second class citizens. The case involved allegations of cruelty by a husband, who claimed that since shortly after their marriage in 1992, his wife would constantly accuse him of infidelity and also insisted that the couple live independently and apart from his parents. Furthermore, the wife threatened to commit suicide, and according to the court records, made a failed attempt to do so in 1995. The trial court granted the husband a decree of divorce in 2001, but the decision was overturned by the Karnataka high court. When the case reached the Supreme Court, the wife’s lawyer failed to appear, and the appeal was thus decided entirely on the basis of the arguments presented by the husband’s advocate. While it would have been entirely possible for the Supreme Court to uphold the trial court’s decision without pontificating on the moral and cultural duties of a Hindu son and Hindu women, for some inexplicable reason, Justice A.R. Dave took it upon himself to deliver precisely such a sermon. Justice Dave held that the behaviour of the wife was “terrible and horrifying” and that no husband should have to tolerate it. More significantly, he held that it was neither a common practice nor desirable “for a Hindu son in India to get separated from [his] parents upon getting married at the instance of the wife” and that every son owes a “moral and legal obligation to take care and maintain [his] parents.” The justification for this holding was based not only on providing economic support for them, but also because apparently people in India do not “subscribe to the western thought, where, upon getting married or attaining majority, the son gets separated from the family. In normal circumstances, a wife is expected to be with the family of the husband after the marriage.” A son maintaining his parents was normal in “Hindu society” and that the wife’s expectation to be supported from [his] income, upheld as a reasonable one by the high court, was unjustified and violated the Hindu son’s “pious obligations.” The idea that the Hindu wife is integral to the husband’s family was part of “normal practice” and it was unreasonable for her to insist on living separately from the family. The judge’s views fit within a mindset that continues to regard Hindu (and non-Hindu) women as not only less than human, an appendage to men, but also allocates their rights according to the performance of their familial roles as good wives, mothers, daughters and sisters. Furthermore, it renders Hinduism as a restrictive, discriminatory and regressive tradition, where Hindu women’s roles are only ever understood as serving the husband/Hindu son, and ensuring that her behaviour does not upset his “tranquility and peace of mind.” At the precise moment when women’s rights are in jeopardy in India, with the anti-diluvian view that marital rape should continue to be exempted from the rape law, when women are given less rights within marriage than outside of marriage, and when gender equality continues to be set up in opposition to and subverted in the interests of a narrow and myopic interpretation of faith, the Supreme Court’s views are a cause of both continuing alarm and outrage. Justice Dave’s reading of faith and the obligations of the Hindu son are presented as natural and self-evident – a part of common sense that no reasonable person can imagine as different. The argument here is not that the decree for divorce should not have been upheld, especially given that the couple had not lived together for more than two decades; the argument is that to justify the holding in terms of women’s traditional familial roles undermines the court’s central role as bestowing and upholding rights, rather than as an exponent of conservative sexual and familial morality or serving as a platform for a judge’s subjective views of what constitutes legitimate “Hindu” beliefs and practices. The bench has exposed its gender and deeply myopic religious biases, exemplifying the need for the training and education of judges not only in how to treat women as equal citizens of India – rather than as someone’s wife, daughter or sister – but also in India’s heterogeneous cultural histories. The struggle for gender equality in the public and private domain in India remains elusive. The elimination of social and legal marginalisation of women especially within the family – where the pursuit of egalitarianism, not the break-up of the family which feminists are often accused of facilitating, is central – is an integral feature of the fundamental rights chapter of the Indian constitution. Scholars and activists have insisted that India can only achieve its proper place in the global arena when it treats all its women as full citizens, rather than as lesser beings as in the case unequal wages or marital rape, or as sub-humans, as in the case of sex-workers or lesbian women. Negating diversity Justice Dave’s unsolicited views in this case continue to favour a hegemonic understanding of Hinduism as well as the assumption that the dominant family form that exists within India is and should remain heteronormative, Hindu, joint, and based on male privilege. By validating this family form, he negates the diverse and heterogeneous ways in which people live their lives in India and also undermines the pluralistic features not only of Hinduism, but of all faiths, where Indian society cannot and should not be equated exclusively with “Hindu society.” This case is a drag anchor on women’s rights and represents a shameful display of the gender and religious biases of the judges. The decision suggests that the court was more interested in sending a political message that a specific family form must be rescued from potential disintegration as well as addressing the anxieties over what this would mean for men. In the process, it has eradicated the hard fought for space for the recognition of multiplicity and different family forms as well as the struggle for the recognition of gender equality within these diverse forms. The importance of family does not rest in Justice Dave’s singular conception, but in the different perceptions and experience of family by different caste, class, religious and sexual sub-groups. It becomes a bastion of strength when such groups are under siege from a majoritarian politics that is intent on eradicating difference and diversity. The court’s reductive and narrow holding just made the work of gender equality and the recognition of difference all the harder. Ratna Kapur is the author of ‘Gender Equality in Indian Constitutional Law’
So, it is 2016 and the latest crop of PS4/XboxOne doesn't do it for you. DLC? Bluetooth joypads? Pffft. You want to play games on your PlayStation 1/2, Gamecube or Xbox. Keeping it simple is what it's at. The only snag is that some years back you sold the big, boxy CRT TV that you hooked it up to. It did free up a lot of space but you've discovered that hooking those consoles up to your 4K 50" TV makes the picture look like garbage :( What to do? You cannot buy these TVs new anymore. Where can you source one of these bad boys and what do other retrogamers recommend? I can give you the benefit of my experience in this problem, it's in this article you are reading right now. I wrote from the viewpoint of reflecting back on my quest for a good CRT. I'm assuming some things first: you are in the United Kingdom (but some of this advice transfers whatever country you are in) you want to use PlayStation 1 or 2, Gamecube or XBox. While I dearly love the Megadrive/Genesis, Super Famicom/SNES and N64, I simply do not use those consoles these days. OK! With that in mind lets continue... Which CRT? Now there are a lot of CRT models out there but I'm going to recommend one of two models: Sony 21" Trinitron FD with stereo speakers Sony 24" Trinitron FD Wide/WEGA You cannot go wrong with these two. They also have the added bonus of being able to be lifted by one average guy. So relatively easy to transport and move around. I'd recommend a pair of rubber-grip builders gloves to protect your hands when moving these. The FD Trinitrons were made from late 1990s to early 2000s and assembled in the UK or Spain (Sadly I've yet to see a Japanese made one of this era). They are normally grey/silver in colour and have a clear, easy to use settings menu. The FD stands for "Flat Display" and this means that the screen is flat not curved. It's easy to confuse the word "flatscreen" with modern LCD/LED TVs so be careful when talking to sellers about what you are looking for! I specifically list 21" as the optimal screen size for retrogaming. This means you can sit a metre or so away from the screen and get all the action. I say this as I've tried a Sony Trinitron FD 14" model and in my opinion it is just too small to see all the detail unless you are close to the screen - which is not healthy! I also specifically mention stereo speakers, most 21" models had mono sound (normally identified by a single speaker grill below the screen) but there were a few made with stereo sound. I would avoid the mono sounds variants unless one appears locally at the right price. I found they sound anaemic and that is at odds with the superb picture. The stereo models sound very good although I think the Wide/WEGA models have them beat when it comes to overall stereo punch. If you have the room them you might favour the Wide/WEGA models. The Wide/WEGA variant is the widescreen model - even though you'll probably do most of your gaming in the 4:3 screen ratio, these models have the distinction of superior sound. I think this was because they were designed to be hooked up to DVD players and so they needed punchy speakers to get the best from them. Although some racing games look good in 16:9 (widescreen ratio) you sacrifice some definition and sharpness since it is not an anamorphic widescreen signal. I prefer 4:3 in all things. That being said, you can sometimes find a 24" Sony Trinitron Wide with a curved screen. These were dark grey in colour and are a very good CRT - in fact the curved effect is not too strong with these models (speaking from personal experience). If you cannot find a Trinitron FD then go for one of these. They also sound superb. Sauces (Sources) Now, the main sources I used when hunting are: eBay This will feature by far the largest range of CRT TVs you will find. Lots of people are selling them to make room or upgrade. Sadly most of them seem to be the heavy 28" or 32" Sony Trintron FD WEGA/widescreens - often with the stand/cabinet. If you have the room and a friend willing to help you risk back-ache to lift them then go ahead but I'd avoid them. Use these search terms with your chosen radius within your home: sony trinitron sony triniton I include both spellings because listing "tron" as "ton" seems to be a common mistake. Set up a couple of search alerts (eBay now uses the term "follow") using these terms. If you get a lot of non-relevant results you can refine it by adding "21" or "24" or "wega", "wide" etc. Bear in mind though that some sellers do not specify the size so you may miss a good TV this way. The search terms will probably need fine-tuning a bit. If you live in London then you'll have a much larger pool of available TVs to filter through. If you're somewhere more rural then consider simplifying your search to simply "sony tv" and widen your search radius. Price range - £0.99 - £25 Gumtree Range of models matches eBay and the same search advice applies. You can also set up search alerts. A word of caution though, Gumtree has no feedback system. All you have to go on is your "gut feel" when talking to the seller and from reading the description. Gumtree does show how long the user has been active though, someone with several years experience is more likely to list their stuff more accurately and you'll have a smoother transaction. Normally though you're buying from the geezers house so they are less likely to lie about condition. You can also insist on seeing it working beforehand - just arrange that with the seller beforehand. One other tip that I've found that works strongly: place a WANTED ad for a CRT TV. Make it clear what screen size you want in the advert. You will most likely get at least one call/text a week. Feel free to use some of the images here in your advert to illustrate. Price range - £10 - £25 British Heart Foundation - Electrical and Furniture These charity shops rely on donations of stock which they sell for a small profit. A percentage goes to the BHF which is a very worthy charity indeed. They generally have two classes of store: the smaller high street charity shops selling clothes, DVDs and small items and the larger stores selling furniture and electrical goods: washing machines, microwaves.. and CRT TVs! The bigger stores tend to be found in larger towns, I think there is a store finder on the website. You can also call individual stores and enquire about the TV stock. I have also asked some of the staff to call me back if they get a certain TV model in but I've never had a call back. They often keep stock in a back room until they have been tested for electrical safety. If you can find out what day-of-the-week they do this then you can time your visit to co-incide with fresh stock being put on display. Be really nice to the staff (a donation doesn't hurt either) and they'll even let you into the back room where you can reserve an item. The TVs here tend to be of the larger (25"+) curved variety from strange Chinese brands that I've never heard of. Occaisonally though you may find a good Sony model. As of this writing (August 2016) some stores have a clearance offer on CRT TVs. I recently took advantage of this to pick up two Sony Trinitron TVs on the cheap (£5 and £10) - they were 14" and were in superb condition - one was like new. Sadly though the small screen size was too restrictive for me and I returned them (another advantage of buying here over private sellers). Price range: £5 - £25 Other sauces? I placed a wanted ad on Freecycle and got a response the same day - I got a 21" Sony Trinitron with mono sound only but it was my first CRT since starting the hunt and it kept me going until I could upgrade. You also see CRT TVs offered from time to time so just be patient. Other sources would be work colleagues/friends/neighbours - when I casually mentioned I was looking for a CRT TV several people said they would check their attics or inquire with their parents. You might also want to put the word out on your Facebook and/or Twitter! There are also other free ad/classified publications out there on the web. Try them out! What about other CRT models? While Sony are no doubt in the top-tier of CRT TV makers they are by no means the only ones. In the 1990s some manufacturers copied the Trinitron "flat display" model to cash in on the popularity of DVD/Home Cinema. Some of them also copied the Trinitron concept inside the TV. Anyway this led to a bunch of good models from other makers, of note are: Samsung Plano - I have a very good 21" set with stereo speakers which I really regret selling. It had an amazing vibrant picture. Panasonic Quintrix - equivalent to Trinitron picture tube technology Mitsubishi Diamondtron - equivalent to Trinitron picture tube technology Bang & Olufsen MX4000 (I have an 4002 which is the same model but with some B&O specific connectors) The Bang & Olufsen deserves a mention all of it's own. This was a luxury set that retailed at £1200 in the early to mid-90s. In appearance it looks just super-cool with a depth about half that of equivalent CRT sets (see photos) - a testament to the skill of the engineers. It has very good stereo sound however the picture tube is curved. I have one of these and although the picture is pretty good I believe the Sony Trinitron and other manufacturers with flat displays have a superior picture. It's not that it's a bad picture, it's just that the curve is more pronounced than the equivalent curved Sony Trinitron. Still, if you have the space then consider one of these - it can be nabbed for £10-£40 on eBay and is also a work-of-art (I got mine for £10, less than 1% of the original price, but had to travel 200 miles to get it). Make sure you get one with the remote, it does not have many on-set buttons. Check out these YouTube videos for more info on the MX4000: Bang & Olufsen MX4000 CRT TV sonic 2 @ 60hz through RGB scart on sega megadrive One thing I'd avoid is the cheaper brands such as Bush unless you're really starved for choice. You'll find ones from cheaper brands with flat displays and stereo speakers but against a good Sony Trinitron they are inferior in every way. It's not a terrible choice of course but I found they also skimp on connection options and just feel and look cheap. How about broadcast CRT RGB monitors? As broadcasters have moved to LCD/flat panel tech, professional-grade RGB CRT monitors have made their way into private hands. They have a pin-sharp picture so if you want the highest picture quality from your console then these are the ones to go for. Be aware that you'll need an adapter to connect an RGB SCART cable to it and I believe they either did not have any integrated speakers or they had a single tinny mono speaker. You'll need a pair of stereo speakers seperately (check out the M-Audio AV32 if you need a good pair with punchy sound). eBay is probably your best bet for these. Some sellers trade in these as a hobby and will even let you take your consoles to them to test them out. I would go for a Sony 20" model as this would be the closest equivalent to my preferred size. Read the seller description carefully (some have screen burn-in and others have high usage hours). My rule is that if you're paying more than £100 for something then get a warranty - so buy one from a decent sounding seller who offers a warranty even if it is one month. I don't have one as I didn't want to spend so much. I'm also more of an "audiophile" than a videophile, I definitely notice if sound isn't good. Maybe in the future I'll buy one as a "birthday present" to myself :) Price range: £100 - £750 Final thoughts I've mentioned RGB SCART but there are some TVs which actually look better to my eyes via composite! The colours are just more vibrant. I found this with the Bang & Olufsen MX4000/4002 which has a somewhat "softer" RGB SCART picture - it might just be something unique to that set though! Be patient! You might have to wait a while for your preferred type to appear. This is easier said than done of course, you want to play the damn thing RIGHT NOW. If you are impatient then you could go to BHF and buy a decent set until the right one comes a long. Once you've found a good one you could then donate it back and see the (nominal) cost as a "rental charge". Aim for owning two good sets. This way if one CRT fails then I have a backup. I expect it's not common to find a technician skilled in fixing these sets so it's probably un-economic to repair. Thats it - hope you found some useful here. Good luck with your quest and shoot me a message if you find something! I enjoy hearing tales of CRT hunting :)
French mother, 33, denied access to the United States for family holiday because 'the name on her passport sounds like Al Qaeda' A young French mother who was flying to New York via Switzerland for a holiday with her husband and two children was told she not allowed entry to the United States, seemingly because her name sounds suspiciously like Al Qaeda. Aida Alic arrived with her family at Geneva airport on Wednesday preparing to board a connection to JFK. However she was told by Swiss Airlines officials that her access to the country had been denied. Forced to cancel their trip and return to their house near Chambery in the French Alps, it wasn't until the 33-year-old got home and started googling for answers that she realized her name appears surname first on her passport and reads 'Alic Aida'. 'Religious profiling': Aida Alic (not pictured) was denied access to the United States because, she believes, because her name appears on her passport as 'Alic Aida', which is suspiciously similar to Al Qaeda Ms Alic feels there is no other explanation for being turned away by customs. 'Alic Aida, Al-Qaeda.,' she told the French news website Dauphine Libere. 'When friends make the play on words to wind me up, I am used to it, but not this. 'Especially as my name is pronounced Alitch. 'It is of Yugoslav origin. 'And now here I am labelled as a risk.' The family are out of pocked almost $3,800 on the trip because their return flights to the states were not refundable. Access Denied: Aida Alic was turned away by officials at Geneva International Airport in Switzerland, en route to New York with her family Ms Alic continues to make inquiries about the trip but is yet to receive any answers. The US embassy in Paris said it does not comment on individual cases of people appearing on the US no-fly list.
Paul Krugman. Reuters/Tim Shaffer Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist and New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman slammed the FBI's "disgraceful" announcement Friday that it will reopen its investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. "It's bad enough having the media do the 'raises questions,' substance-free innuendo thing. Worse when the FBI director does it. Disgraceful," Krugman, a Clinton supporter, wrote on Twitter. "Comey needs to provide full info immediately. Otherwise he has clearly made a partisan intervention, betraying his office." James Comey, the FBI director, wrote in a letter to congressional leaders on Friday that investigators had learned of "the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation" that compelled agents to continue their probe, which had ended in July with no charges recommended against Clinton. "The FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant," Comey wrote. "And I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work." Krugman condemned how Comey handled the entire ordeal, calling his behavior "inexcusable" and "grotesque." He added that "so far this is a story about Comey and his behavior. We know nothing at all about what if anything this has to do with HRC." View some of his tweets: "The announcement has done measurable damage to the Clinton campaign," Krugman continued. "Which was predictable. Comey behavior inexcusable. If Pete Williams is right, this is probably nothing important. Yet here we are, with a potentially huge political impact. The bed has been fouled, and can't be un-fouled." NBC's Williams had reported earlier that none of the new emails had been found on Clinton's private server. Krugman was not alone. Many quickly condemned the FBI's handling of the announcement that it would reopen the investigation. "I have zero faith that anyone will handle this responsibly," former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau wrote. "It's insane. [Comey] at least owes the country a press briefing — anything more than a vague letter." "Director Comey should give a more complete explanation. Is this reviewing newly found emails? Is this reopening? Too much at stake," wrote John Weaver, the former campaign strategist for Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Democratic National Committee Interim Chair Donna Brazile called Comey's letter "irresponsible." "The FBI has a solemn obligation to remain neutral in political matters - even the faintest appearance of using the agency's power to influence our election is deeply troubling," she wrote in a statement. Comey explained why he sent the letter to Congressional leaders in a separate letter to his employees on Friday, acknowleding that "in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood." "We don't ordinarily tell Congress about ongoing investigations, but here I feel an obligation to do so given that I testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed," Comey wrote. "I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record." Reports emerged later on Friday that the new emails, numbering in the thousands, were uncovered after the FBI seized devices belonging to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin and her estranged husband, Anthony Weiner. Prosecutors issued a subpoena for Weiner's cellphone and other records in late September amid allegations that he had been sexting with a 15-year-old girl. In a press conference on Friday evening, Clinton implored the FBI to release more information about the newly discovered documents. "The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately," she said.

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