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Comedy Bang Bang #299
Returning champion and the titular “Weird Al” Yankovic of the new album Mandatory Fun is here on this week’s very special Tuesday episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! which is a mandatory listen! “Weird Al” gives us a taste of his new album, explains what his process is like when writing a parody song, and tells us about his #8Videos8Days project. Then, a newcomer to the show who is a former internet troll & current contest winner Claudia O’Doherty drops by to talk about her trip to America all the way from Australia. Go pick up “Weird Al” Yankovic’s new album Mandatory Fun wherever music is sold!
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Horrific, horrific, horrific excerpt of Palin explaining why living close to Russia and Canada makes her a foreign policy expert. She comes across as a blithering idiot. At some point, Republicans have to ask themselves why they’re willing to risk our national security, should McCain die in office, on someone who is quite clearly not ready to lead our nation in a time of crisis. Watch this video, then email this link to your friends: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4478156n The transcript follows the video below.
From Ambinder:
COURIC: You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land– boundary that we have with– Canada. It– it’s funny that a comment like that was– kind of made to– cari– I don’t know, you know? Reporters–
COURIC: Mock?
PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.
COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.
PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our– our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia–
COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?
PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We– we do– it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is– from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to– to our state.
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Envoys will be meeting at the US and North Korean embassies in Beijing for two rounds of talks on Thursday [AFP]
Envoys from the United States and North Korea have met in Beijing for their first talks on dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear programme since the death of Kim Jong-il, the country's long-time leader.
The discussions, which started on Thursday, will be closely watched for signs of a more co-operative approach from North Korea, which stands to gain food and economic aid in return for taking steps to end its efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Kim's death on December 17 last year stalled talks that officials said were close to concluding a deal on the US providing food aid in return for the suspension of uranium enrichment activities.
"Today is, as we say, 'game day'. We will have an opportunity to meet with First Vice Foreign Minister Kim and his team," Glyn Davies, the US envoy, said before the start of morning talks on Thursday with Kim Kye Gwan at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing.
The two will hold a second session of meetings on Thursday afternoon at the US embassy.
The talks in Beijing are the third round of negotiations since July, and are aimed at restarting wider six-nation disarmament talks, which also involve China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.
Those talks have been suspended since 2009, when North Korea walked away from the table, and later exploded its second nuclear device.
'Positive sign'
The US has insisted that any progress on providing aid will be tied to North Korea improving relations with neighbour to the south, South Korea, which is a key US ally.
The North has rejected South Korean offers to return to the negotiating table in recent weeks, and tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula following violence in 2010, when a North Korean artillery attack killed four South Korean soldiers and a South Korean warship was sunk.
Davies said that it was a positive sign that Pyongyang had agreed to restart talks so soon after Kim's death, amid a power transfer to his son, Kim Jong-un.
Davies said that a key point would be if North Korea was willing to fulfil promises made in a joint statement in September 2005, when the country agreed to abandon its nuclear programme in exchange for aid and pledges from the US that it would not seek to destabilise the North Korean government.
In Washington, Mark Toner, the US State Department's spokesman, said that the US was "cautiously optimistic" about Thursday's talks.
Toner said food assistance would be discussed in the talks, but that the United States has some concerns it wants North Korea to address. He did not say what those concerns were, but analysts have said North Korea must agree to have UN watchdogs monitor any freeze of its uranium enrichment.
Davies, who is accompanied by Clifford Hart - the US special envoy for the six-party talks - will also meet his Wu Dawei, his Chinese counterpart, on his trip to China, before leaving on Saturday for South Korea.
Key nuclear summit
Worries about North Korea's nuclear capability took on renewed urgency in November 2010 when the country disclosed a uranium enrichment facility that could give it a second route to manufacture nuclear weapons, in addition to its existing plutonium-based programme.
As the envoys began talks in Beijing, North Korean state media criticised next month's Nuclear Security Summit, to be held in Seoul.
"It is illogical to discuss the 'nuclear security' issue in South Korea, the US nuclear advance base and a hotbed of nuclear war," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary Thursday.
The North said it is "worse still" to hold the summit during joint US-South Korean military drills scheduled for the next few months, which the commentary called "rehearsals for a nuclear war against the North".
Seoul and Washington say the annual drills are defensive in nature.
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Solar power technology is proliferating across the U.S. as costs drop and awareness grows. (Check out these charts to see solar’s amazing growth last year.) But the political atmosphere for solar power varies greatly state to state.
To help navigate the landscape, clean energy advocacy group Solar Power Rocks released its 2013 rankings for states’ commitment to solar power. The group ranked states based on a methodology that factors in five years’ of data regarding solar incentives, policy, infrastructure and metering, and assigned states a letter grade based on how easy or difficult it is to go solar.
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We mapped out their rankings and it seems, not surprisingly, that the possibility for solar power is most promising in pockets of the Southwest and Northeast, while the South trails far behind. For more about the state of the solar market, see our solar coverage.
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What a bunch of boobs!
A Belgian diplomat says his family was bounced from a White Plains golf club — and treated like “terrorists” — simply because his wife was breast-feeding at a table and he was carrying a black backpack.
Tom Neijens, 36, and his wife, Roseline Remans, 34, stopped by the Metropolis Country Club on June 8 and asked if they could have lunch despite the fact that they weren’t members.
Staffers gave the Harlem family permission to dine on the terrace, where Remans said she discreetly bared her bosom to feed her daughter, Luka.
A female manager swiftly intervened to nip the feeding in the bud.
“She said, ‘Please leave immediately, you are disturbing the members,’ ” Neijens, first secretary of the Belgium Mission to the UN, told The Post.
Neijens said it would only take a few minutes, but Remans was told to finish in the restroom.
“You don’t ask a person to have lunch in the restroom — why would you ask a baby to have lunch there?” Neijens said.
Minutes later, the Greenburgh Police Department arrived.
Detective Scott Harding allegedly yelled, “Close the doors!” and two other diners were told to leave the terrace.
“He was walking as if he was acting in a Western movie,” Neijens said. “He had one hand on his gun, one hand on his Taser.”
Neijens said the officer warned the couple they were trespassing and said some people at the club thought they were terrorists because of their black backpack.
When Remans, on the verge of tears, questioned why terrorists would breast-feed at a ritzy club, the cop allegedly replied, “In Sri Lanka, babies are used by terrorists.”
Harding changed his tone when Neijens revealed his State Department-issued ID. “You have to understand, this club has had terrorism threats in the past,” the cop said.
The family was escorted out through a back door.
Days later, the diplomat sent an e-mail demanding an apology from Metropolis general manager Tracy Fraus and assistant general manager Audra Vaccari.
“I am deeply worried about your staff if they cannot distinguish between a European couple looking for a quiet place to breast-feed a baby and suicide terrorists carrying a backpack,” Neijens wrote.
Fraus declined to comment.
Neijens and his family are moving to Ethiopia in the next few weeks.
Lt. B.J. Ryan, a spokesman for the Greenburgh PD, called the incident a “cultural misunderstanding” — and said it was Neijens who fumed, “You must think the baby is a terrorist.”
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Image caption The Met Police said all Police Community Support Officers who could be affected have been informed
The Met is considering scrapping all 1,000 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) working in neighbourhoods in London, the BBC understands.
The move to axe PCSOs will be discussed at the next Management Board meeting.
The proposal comes at a time when the force is planning savings of at least £800m by 2019.
The Met said all PCSOs who could be affected have been informed. Labour said the move would be the "nail in the coffin" for neighbourhood policing.
'Three options'
The three options to be presented to senior officers are axing 1,017 PCSO posts, retaining 629 dedicated ward PCSOs to leave the equivalent of one in each London ward or keeping the existing structure.
PCSOs funded by other organisations, such as Transport for London, and PCSOs who work in Aviation Security (SO18) are not under threat.
Image copyright AP Image caption Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has previously said there were "hard choices" to be made over PCSO numbers
Cdr Lucy D'Orsi, who is leading the neighbourhood policing project, said: "Like local communities we very much value PCSOs and their role in community engagement. They have been an integral part of the Safer Neighbourhoods model from the start.
"However, the financial pressures we are facing mean that we have a duty to consider all options available in order to meet those challenges and to ensure we deliver a quality policing service to London's communities."
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has previously said there were "hard choices" to be made over whether the number of PCSOs could be maintained.
PCSOs were introduced in London in 2002 to provide increased police presence and to enable regular police officers to make more effective use of their specialist skills tackling crime.
'Nail in the coffin'
They are not police officers, but are civilian members of police staff who have different powers to police officers.
Until a few years ago there were three PCSOs in every ward in every borough in London, but that was reduced in a shake-up of neighbourhood policing initiated by Sir Bernard.
Labour London Assembly member Joanne McCartney said: "Axing all of London's PCSOs would be the final nail in the coffin for neighbourhood policing and mean far fewer officers on the beat in our communities acting as the eyes and ears of the Met."
Stephen Greenhalgh, deputy mayor for policing and crime, said no decision had been made, but he suggested losing all neighbourhood PCSOs would be a step too far.
"The case for any change would have to be made powerfully, alongside a public consultation.
"It is likely that tough choices will need to be made, and we are aware that the Met are considering ways in which they can balance the books and manage possible reductions in their budget beyond 2016," he said.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said PCSOs were crucial in developing and maintaining trust and were more representative of the capital's population than police officers.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We don't believe this is in the best interests of Londoners and we are calling on the Met to halt the plans and allow for proper negotiations around the alternatives."Met considers scrapping 1,000 PCSOs
What are PCSOs?
Member of Metropolitan Police Service police staff
PCSOs have more than 30 powers, including the power to direct traffic and pedestrians and the power to confiscate alcohol
PCSOs do not have the power of arrest but they can require a suspect to remain with then until a police officer arrives
They only have powers when they are in uniform
PCSOs carry a protective vest and radio, but do not carry handcuffs, a baton or CS spray
They have no duty to intervene and can withdraw from high risk situations.
Source: Met Police
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I’ll begin with the lede: There is a critical petition launched by the Center for Inquiry on behalf of Alexander Aan, the jailed Indonesian atheist (I promise this won’t be the only thing I write about here, but this is very important). We want the White House to speak out on his behalf, but I describe this as critical because in order to guarantee a response from the Obama administration, we need to muster 25,000 signatures by August 16th, 2012.
I believe we can do it, but it means we all have to do more than just click and forget it. I get it, it’s really easy to feel very much removed from Alexander’s situation. He’s thousands of miles away and part of a culture that makes little sense to us in the west. His crisis, which is actually hardly unique, can seem remote and abstract to us.
But listen: In so many respects, Alexander Aan has a great deal in common with many of the readers of this site and people we know. We don’t know him well, of course, but we do know that he is an atheist and a skeptic who values science and reason. He keeps a blog about his interests and posts relevant material on social networking sites like Facebook. He has a satirical sense of humor that can offend those with an investment in a religiously conservative status quo.
But the great chasm that separates us from Alexander is not really physical distance. This very moment, Alexander sits in an Indonesian prison cell, where he is condemned to spend at least two and a half years, saddled with an exorbitant fine, and under constant threat for his life — indeed, he has already been beaten by an angry mob once. What should be galling to us is thatof freethinkers: charged with atheism (a crime in Indonesia) and convicted of “inciting religious hatred or hostility.”
As these violations of basic human rights have unfolded, CFI (my employer) has been working to raise awareness of Alexander’s plight and to do what we can to see him exonerated and freed. We’ve protested outside the Indonesian Consulate in New York City, demonstrated in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, written letters demanding his release to Indonesian government officials and diplomats, and written and spoken about him on our blogs and podcasts.
I feel like our latest move, this petition, might be our best hope to get something moving for Alexander. I know you’ll have no problem signing it, but then our challenge is to spread the word. To tell all our friends and social network connections that, in between the image macros and GIFs, there is a guy who needs this community’s help. He knows we’re rooting for him. But let’s do just that little bit more — if we can’t move mountains for him, let’s at least see if we can nudge a White House.
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The universal disappointment of True Detective Season 2 owed at least somewhat to the absence of Season 1 director Cary Fukunaga , who himself acknowledges his continued producing credit as perfunctory . HBO hasn’t offered much in the way of any potential True Detective Season 3 news, but don’t expect Fukunaga to return as its saving grace.
Speaking to Vulture of his upcoming Netflix film Beasts of No Nation , Fukunaga inevitably addressed questions of his True Detective role, adding that he’d yet to watch any of the second season, despite having a producer credit. “I had no part in it whatsoever,” reiterates the director, who also admitted work on Beasts to have taken precedence. “[Creator Nic Pizzolatto] has his own directors, he didn’t need any input from me.”
And while HBO has yet to confirm or address any specific development on a potential True Detective Season 3 (nor has Pizzolatto done any significant press), Fukunaga assures “I’m always involved as an EP. Am I directing it? No.”
HBO will likely update on True Detective Season 3 before long, but can the franchise recover without Fukunaga’s uniform vision? How should the series handle a third season creatively, after Pizzolatto’s mixed reception?
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Dear Vendor,
We are pleased to announce our annual summer show on July 20 & 21, 2019, at the Richmond International Raceway. The Raceway has proven to be a great facility. We are moving to the Old Dominion building this year. It offers better lighting, parking, loading and unloading, security, and climate control. Table placement will approximate previous layout.
Our host lodging is the same as last year--your choice of the Hilton Garden Inn or the Hampton next door. Rates are $89 per night for single King bed, and $99 per night for Doubles. Details are on the application.
As always, thanks for your participation. We will have a great show with roomy surroundings, comfortable rest rooms, better lighting, and ample parking. See you this summer!
Show Chairman
Steve Sylvia
Please join us for our annual
NATIONAL CIVIL WAR & ANTIQUE ARMS SHOW
at the Richmond International Raceway
July 20-21, 2019
400 tables of high quality militaria!
For more information or for a dealer application, contact show chairman
Stephen W. Sylvia
North South Trader's Civil War
[email protected]
(540) 672-4845
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A coalition of conservation groups has just filed a formal protest opposing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to auction off 100,000 acres of public lands for oil and gas leasing and development. Leases will be auctioned for wild and remote public lands in Utah, including White River, the greater Desolation Canyon region, Labyrinth Canyon, and the benches east of Canyonlands N.P.
[social_buttons]
The coalition includes Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), The Wilderness Society (TWS), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Grand Canyon Trust (GCT), and the Sierra Club. Together they represent over a million Americans who support conservation efforts.
Some of the land includes protected areas that the National Park Service asked BLM to omit from the sale. Kind of makes you wonder what’s most important to us – oil, or wild and scenic places? I’ve been through Labyrinth Canyon, and it’s such an amazing place that I shudder to think what it would look like after being opened up to development.
December 12th has been set by the BLM as its timeline for announcing what other parcels it intends to defer from leasing at the December 19th sale. This may or may not be the agency’s final decision on the lease sale protests.
In addition to the land lease auction, the BLM has issued six controversial management plans for public lands across eastern and southern Utah, opening up large portions of red rock country to oil and gas drilling and off-road vehicles. The coalition also intends to legally challenge these management plans.
Image: Stevendamron at Flickr under Creative Commons License
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Player Generated Missions are forms of mini-alerts that can be placed on the map by squad or platoon leaders after gaining the proper certifications in the Squad Leader section.
Only one Mission can be active at a time and all types provide bonus XP boosts for participation when in range of the mission. Instant action weight values are also increased when a mission is active. This means that pressing the Instant Action button will be more likely to drop you in an active mission zone.
During general missions, some of the rewards will be as follows:
XP increase to deploy-bonuses
XP increase to AMS spawn bonuses
XP bonus for repairs to deployment vehicles (Sunderer and Galaxy)
XP bonus for Squad-Deploy bonuses
Contents show]
Reinforcements Mission Edit
When hovering over the direction of the mission objective on your screen you will see your reticule change to an icon similar to this.
Reinforcement missions are a general mission request. Bring anything you would like to battle, just come as your faction needs you!
Air Strike Mission Edit
Air Strike Missions are a request to aircraft of your faction to destroy either infantry, or armored vehicles like tanks and Sunderers.
Bonuses Edit
XP Bonus for ground kills/assists while in an aircraft at this location.
Increased gunner XP bonus for Liberator pilots
Increased XP bonus for Sunderer kills.
Air Superiority Mission Edit
This mission is a request for Empire Specific Fighters (ESFs), Liberators, and maybe even the occasional Battle Galaxy to gain Air Superiority over the other factions at the requested location.
Anti-Tank Mission Edit
This mission is a request for anti-tank weaponry, such as rocket launchers, aircraft, or even other tanks due to a large amount of enemy armor present in the area. Tanks with Armor Penetration (AP) rounds will be particularly useful during this mission.
Tank Support Mission Edit
This mission is a request to an entire empire for Tank Support.
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Image caption The aircraft had been flying at 4,000ft when the incident happened
A passenger aircraft had a narrow miss with an unidentified object over Glasgow, a report has revealed.
The Airbus A320 was making its final approach to Glasgow Airport on 2 December when an object passed about 300ft underneath it.
The pilot of the aircraft said the risk of collision with the object, which did not show up on radar, had been "high".
A report by the UK Airprox Board said investigators were unable to establish what the object had been.
The A320 was flying with its landing lights on, in clear conditions and at an altitude of about 4,000ft above the Baillieston area of Glasgow, when the pilot and non-flying pilot saw an object "loom ahead" at a range of about 100m.
Cockpit transcript The Airprox report included a transcript of the conversation that took place between the aircraft and the controller at 12:55: A320: "Glasgow Approach [A320 C/S]" EGPF: "[A320 C/S] pass your message" A320: "Er yeah we just had something pass underneath us quite close [1255:30] and nothing on TCAS have you got anything on in our area" EGPF: "Er negative er we've got nothing on er radar and we're n- not talking to any traffic either" A320: "Er not quite sure what it was but it definitely er quite large [1255:40] and it's blue and yellow" EGPF: "OK that's understood er do you have a an estimate for the height" A320: "Maybe er [1255:50] yeah we were probably about erm four hundred to five hundred feet above it so it's probably about three and a half thousand feet."
The object passed directly beneath the aircraft before either of the crew members had time to take avoiding action or had "really registered it".
But they both agreed that it appeared to have been blue and yellow or silver in colour with a small frontal area, but "bigger than a balloon".
The pilot asked the controller at Glasgow Airport if he was "talking to anything in the area" as he had "got quite close" to a blue and yellow aircraft, travelling in the opposite direction, which had passed just below him.
The controller stated that he was not talking to anyone else in that area and that nothing was seen on radar.
Search action was taken with no result and the A320 pilot stated his intention to file a report to Airprox, which investigates near misses.
Air traffic control said they had no trace of any other objects in the area at the time of the incident, although the radar at Prestwick did spot an "unidentified track history" 1.3 nautical miles east of the A320's position 28 seconds earlier.
Once the aircraft had landed, the pilot told the Glasgow Aerodrome Controller: "We seemed to only miss it by a couple of hundred feet, it went directly beneath us. Wherever we were when we called it in it was within about 10 seconds. Couldn't tell what direction it was going but it went right underneath us."
Members were unable to reach a conclusion as to a likely candidate for the conflicting aircraft Airprox Board report
When asked if he thought it may have been a "glider or something like that" the pilot replied: "Well maybe a microlight. It just looked too big for a balloon."
The Airprox report concluded: "Investigation of the available surveillance sources was unable to trace any activity matching that described by the A320 pilot. Additionally there was no other information to indicate the presence or otherwise of activity in the area."
The report said the Airprox board had been of the opinion that the object was unlikely to have been a fixed wing aircraft, helicopter or hot air balloon, given that it had not shown up on radar.
It was also thought that a meteorological balloon would be radar significant and unlikely to be released in the area.
A glider could not be discounted, the report said, but it was unlikely that one would be operating in the area because of the constrained airspace and the lack of thermal activity because of the low temperature.
Similarly, the board believed that a hang-glider or para-motor would be radar significant and that conditions precluded them, as they did para-gliders or parascenders.
The report stated: "Members were unable to reach a conclusion as to a likely candidate for the conflicting aircraft and it was therefore felt that the board had insufficient information to determine a Cause or Risk".
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Land-ice decay at the end of the last five ice-ages caused global sea-levels to rise at rates of up to 5.5 metres per century, according to a new study.
An international team of researchers developed a 500,000-year record of sea-level variability, to provide the first account of how quickly sea-level changed during the last five ice-age cycles.
The results, published in the latest issue of Nature Communications, also found that more than 100 smaller events of sea-level rise took place in between the five major events.
Dr Katharine Grant, from the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, who led the study, says: "The really fast rates of sea-level rise typically seem to have happened at the end of periods with exceptionally large ice sheets, when there was two or more times more ice on the Earth than today.
"Time periods with less than twice the modern global ice volume show almost no indications of sea-level rise faster than about 2 metres per century. Those with close to the modern amount of ice on Earth, show rates of up to 1 to 1.5 metres per century."
Co-author Professor Eelco Rohling, of both the University of Southampton and ANU, explains that the study also sheds light on the timescales of change.. He says: "For the first time, we have data from a sufficiently large set of events to systematically study the timescale over which ice-sheet responses developed from initial change to maximum retreat."
"This happened within 400 years for 68 per cent of all 120 cases considered, and within 1100 years for 95 per cent. In other words, once triggered, ice-sheet reduction (and therefore sea-level rise) kept accelerating relentlessly over periods of many centuries."
Professor Rohling speculates that there may be an important lesson for our future: "Man-made warming spans 150 years already and studies have documented clear increases in mass-loss from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.. Once under way, this response may be irreversible for many centuries to come."
The team reconstructed sea-levels using data from sediment cores from the Red Sea, an area that is very sensitive to sea-level changes because it's only natural connection with the open (Indian) ocean is through the very shallow (137 metre) Bab-el-Mandab Strait. These sediment samples record wind-blown dust variations, which the team linked to a well-dated climate record from Chinese stalagmites. Due to a common process, both dust and stalagmite records show a pronounced change at the end of each ice age, which allowed the team to date the sea-level record in detail.
The researchers emphasise that their values for sea-level change are 500-year averages, so brief pulses of faster change cannot be excluded.
The study was funded primarily by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).
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If you’re an Indian citizen, chances are you’re well-acquainted with a government program that scans people’s fingerprints and irises and uploads the data to a federal database. If you don't comply, you risk losing the ability to pay your taxes, collect welfare money, and access other government assistance programs.
And if you're unlucky, you might even lose the ability to stay private, as hackers could use the data to trace your phone calls, messages, and physical location.
This is the reality for India's 1.3 billion people, who since 2009 have been asked to comply with an ID-collection system the government bills as voluntary, but only if people don't mind forgoing basic civic entitlements, the Los Angles Times reports. The program, known as Aadhaar, or "foundation" in Hindi, seeks to log every person's identity using biometric data collected at various "enrollment agencies" scattered around the country — primarily in an effort to cut down on instances of fraud and counterfeiting.
Over the last eight years, the government has moved a growing number of transactions to the Aadhaar bucket. Most recently, it said people could file their income taxes only if they had first registered with Aadhaar, Hindstan Times reports.
india eye scanner More
Similar to criticisms raised in the US over voter ID laws, critics of Aadhaar worry what will happen to India's rural poor if they can't visit an enrollment center to join.
Aadhaar's proponents say the system actually makes life more convenient for Indian citizens. Historically, people have needed a stack of documents — bills, ID cards, tax forms — to prove their identity. Aadhaar replaces all those with one quick thumb scan. Instantly, the bank teller knows you're who you say you are, and your pockets remain as empty as ever.
india eye scanner More
Prime Minister Narendra Modi views Aadhaar as part his ongoing mission to upgrade India's technology.
On November 8, Modi issued a ban on 86% of Indian paper currency — a ban that took effect just four hours later — over fears that most of the currency was earned illegally or used for illicit means. He called it "black money," and gave Indians until December 30 to trade in their old notes for new ones. The country has been holding a massive recurring lottery ever since to entice people to join a new electronic system, which lets people pay via digital ID badges.
"Our objective is to make digital payments a huge mass movement in this country," Amitabh Kant, CEO of the state-run think tank NITI Aayog, told CNN in December 2016, when the lottery launched.
Whether Aadhaar ends up being labeled a success likely depends on politics. India's government insists the program adds greater accountability to the many social services it oversees. But critics argue those goals are better served through less intrusive means, such as reforming welfare programs.
An Indian think tank, for instance, recently found personal data of 135 million people is available on unsecure websites. If an opportunistic hacker were to grab that data for nefarious means, in theory they could use it to pose as whomever they wanted.
As one member of the think tank told the LA Times, stolen credit cards can be replaced. Biometric data is forever.
NOW WATCH: A $385 billion fund CEO on why he is pumped about India
More From Business Insider
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Just three weeks before NYU’s newest class moves into the area, a group of junkies and crackheads has turned a leafy pathway in Washington Square Park into an open-air drug den — and the NYPD is doing nothing about it.
As many as 20 strung-out vagrants have taken over several benches in the park’s northwest corner, where they openly consume hard drugs just steps from the children’s playground, outraged neighbors said.
One Village resident who walks his dog through the park daily said he has repeatedly witnessed people blatantly smoking crack — and even saw one man use a handheld mirror to inject narcotics into a vein in his neck as two cops sat in a cruiser about 15 feet away.
“I dunno if they have a Twitter feed or what, but the word is out and the numbers get bigger by the day,” said the resident, a 33-year-old property manager.
“I’ve lived by the park seven years and I have never in my life seen someone shooting heroin in the middle of broad daylight, literally surrounded by pedestrians enjoying an afternoon outside.”
Village resident Martin Felondo, 53, said he recently complained to a cop about being harassed by a dealer who followed him through the park, trying to sell him drugs.
“The cop just told me to calm down,” Felondo said.
Felondo also noted that he has frequented the park since 1987, adding: “I’ve seen trends come and go, and I’m not too keen on what’s going on with heroin.”
Will Falzon, who works as a building super nearby, said the situation was “really a safety concern, more than anything.
“The quality of people coming here and participating in that kind of activity aren’t the kind of people that a residential neighborhood needs. It’s not what you want to see,” said Falzon, 57.
Thursday afternoon, The Post spotted three people firing up a glass stem and puffing away on benches in the area.
Afterward, none would discuss what they had been doing.
About a half-dozen other apparent druggies were seen shuffling around like zombies and occasionally spewing curses at each other.
One man urinated on a tree.
A Parks Department worker admitted that he and his colleagues had quit cleaning up the area because they were scared of the addicts.
“There’s drug use, prostitution, gambling — all that is going on there. All day and all night, too,” the worker said.
“In that area over there, though, it’s off the chain and the cops know what’s going on. I ain’t touching that situation. That’s on them.”
No cops were stationed inside the park Thursday, but at one point, two officers pulled up in a patrol car and parked at Washington Square North to eat salads in their vehicle.
Asked why they weren’t cracking down on the lawlessness within their sight, one cop said: “We aren’t even here for that specifically. There’s a unit that’s dealing with all of that. I can’t say more than that.”
They left about 10 minutes later.
An NYPD spokeswoman, Sgt. Jessica McRory, said: “The precinct has received complaints in regards to that area of the park. We currently have officers assigned to that area.
“The commanding officer [Deputy Inspector Joseph Simonetti] has contacted narcotic investigators to address the condition.”
Only weeks ago, dozens of druggies zonked out on K2 were found staggering around the streets of Brooklyn:
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Last night at the Revolver Golden Gods awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, SLAYER surprised the capacity crowd with an unannounced performance, kicking off the show with a three-song set that included the global premiere of "Implode", the band's first new studio recording in five years.
Recorded earlier this month at Henson Studios in Los Angeles and produced by Terry Date and co-produced by Greg Fidelman, "Implode" is now available as a free download as a "thank you” to the band's fans for their continued support. Or, as Kerry King put it, "you have been waiting for us, now we are delivering for you." Registered members of SLAYER's fan club were sent an email right around midnight giving them the link to the song and a chance to hear it before it was made public. "Implode" can now be downloaded at www.slayer.net.
Later this year, the two-time Grammy-winning SLAYER will begin recording a new album, tentatively set for an early 2015 release date. The album will make SLAYER history as it will be released on Nuclear Blast Records through the band's own label imprint, closing out a 28-year relationship with Rick Rubin and American Recordings. No name for the imprint has been decided on yet.
"Rick has played a huge role in our career, we've made some great albums with him,” said SLAYER's Tom Araya. "But today is a new day, record companies don't play the kind of role they once did, and we really like the idea of going out on our own, connecting directly with our fans, and Nuclear Blast is fired up about taking on that challenge with us."
All future recordings on the band's label imprint will be released worldwide exclusively through Nuclear Blast.
"I was a teenage rebel when 'Show No Mercy' came out," said Markus Staiger, owner of Nuclear Blast, "and I identified with that record. It was the most extreme, aggressive thing at the time. They were then and still are the most brutal metal band on the planet! I really cannot express how proud I am that we are able to work with SLAYER to join the Nuclear Blast family. We are ready for that next record and, I'm sure it will go into metal history!"
Added Nuclear Blast label manager Gerardo Martinez, "The prospect of helping SLAYER take a leading role in the creative process surrounding their releases, projects and other cross-promotional opportunities is the ultimate honor for me, a metalhead who grew up in Los Angeles listening to SLAYER. Nowhere in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that Nuclear Blast would be making history alongside one of the best bands in metal.”
SLAYER will spend the next few months on the road touring major North American and European festivals as well as headlining dates, sharing the stages with METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN and more, but is expected to be back in the studio in the fall to record the rest of the new album.
Joining bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and guitarist Kerry King during the sessions for SLAYER's new album are returning drummer Paul Bostaph, who replaced Dave Lombardo last year, and guitarist Gary Holt (also of EXODUS), who has been filling in for late SLAYER axeman Jeff Hanneman on tour for the past four years.
Bostaph was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band — the gold-certified "Divine Intervention" (1994), the 1996 punk covers album "Undisputed Attitude", "Diabolus In Musica" (1998), "God Hates Us All" (2001) that received a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance", as well as the DVD "War At The Warfield" (2001), also certified gold. In addition to SLAYER, Bostaph has been a member of FORBIDDEN, EXODUS, SYSTEMATIC and TESTAMENT.
Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo sat out the band's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).
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Podesta's Emails Got Hacked Because His IT Guy Misspelled "Legitimate"
If he had used a simpler word -- "fake" -- Podesta's account may have remained secure.
From @nytimes account of Russian hacking US election. Un. Be. Lievable. pic.twitter.com/0zd2pDSTIl — Alexi Mostrous (@AlexiMostrous) December 13, 2016
So, the IT guy recognized the fake-IP-address phishing address for what it was, and tried to write this is anlegitmate email. But he dropped the "il" and said it was a legitimate email.
But the IT guysay "change your passwords," which should have prompted John Podesta to, get this, change his passwords, which I guess he ignored.
Those sneaky Russians, brainwashing Jon Podesta (who by the way represents, with his brother, one of Russia's largest state-controlled banks in the US) into ignoring the second sentence of short emails.
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Among the biggest surprises, and disappointments, for many fans in yesterday's wave of releases from WWE, was the dissolution of the popular 'enhancement talent' trio 3MB. Particularly shocking was the release of Drew McIntyre, a tall, handsome Scotsman who just five years before had been endorsed by Vince McMahon as a future world champion.
Include Chris Jericho among the names of those surprised by McIntyre's exit. The former world champion and WWE Legend got to talking about the releases quickly on the latest epsiode of his podcast, Talk is Jericho. "That's a big surprise for me," said Y2J, " I think that Drew could have been a lot bigger than he was."
More interesting were his insights into why the 29 year old ended up on the chopping block:
I think he got sidetracked when he got married to Taryn, I don't think that worked out too well for him politically. And, once again, once you're in 3MB, it's kind of the end of the line. It's funny that Heath Slater out of all the guys is the one that stayed. But if I was TNA or Ring of Honor or Global Wrestling Force (sic), I would pick up Drew McIntyre as well, he would be another guy that would be on my instant list along with Evan Bourne. Because I think Drew has a lot to offer and he's unique, he's got the Scottish accent. Put him in a suit and make him serious. All you have to do is have him come out and beat up guys for like a month and you would forget right away about the whole 3MB thing. Gimmicks like that don't damage your career but they definitely hurt it and they needed to get out of it and they needed a fresh start.
Rumors of McIntyre being damaged by his marriage to Taryn Terrell (currently under contract to TNA, she worked in WWE under the name Tiffany), and the ensuing drama of their union have been around since she left WWE in 2010.
The 3MB stuff is something else, though. We fans like to give the guys and gals who get the comedy and jobber gimmicks credit for working hard in those roles, because it's a part that somebody has to play and wrestlers can be very entertaining while doing it. But it's always eye-opening to get a wrestler's perspective on it, and remember that no one gets in the business hoping to one day be the goofball who gets his ass kicked by a guy who is getting a push.
Also, the guy that most 'smart' fans see as the most talented member of 3MB, Heath Slater, is the one that Jericho kind of throws under the bus and finds it weird that he's still with the company.
Our metrics for talent evaluation are often very different from the ones the boys in the back use. Regardless, it's not hard to see why Jericho and others still see something in a 6' 5", 250 pound guy who still hasn't turned 30 but who has seven years of WWE experience under his belt.
"I'm a big believer in Drew and I think that he could do a lot more," Y2J said, "so hopefully he'll get a chance."
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What do you make of Jericho's comments on Drew McIntyre, Cagesiders? Did being in 3MB hurt him? Is he destined to be a star in another company?
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Curbing a smoking habit is a tough task, but a new tool could be in the arsenal: meditation. A new study found that a meditation training regiment reduced smoking among participants, even those who did not intend to kick the habit.
“Individuals at risk for substance abuse, including smoking, typically have deficits in self-control,” says Yi-Yuan Tang of the Texas Tech University. “It’s an important question whether impaired self-control could be ameliorated and strengthened with intervention, and thus potentially change smoking behavior.”
Past research has shown that mindfulness meditation can combat a number of conditions that result from a deficit in self-control, such as substance abuse and attention problems. To further test this link with smoking, Tang and colleagues designed an experiment to be controlled and randomized, features lacking in many previous studies.
Tang’s research team recruited smokers and nonsmokers interested in general stress reduction and randomly assigned them to either participate in meditation training or a relaxation training control. The meditation training, known as integrative body-mind training (IBMT), involves body relaxation, mental imagery, and mindfulness training accompanied by music and the help of a coach. The control group, meanwhile, underwent a relaxation training that involved relaxing sets of muscles in a sequential pattern, also accompanied by music and a coach.
The results, published online this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were striking: Among smokers, 5 hours of meditation trainings over the course of 2 weeks reduced smoking by 60 percent, while no reduction occurred in the relaxation control group. “With our randomized controlled design, we found that even brief IBMT can improve self-control and reduce smoking,” Tang says.
Surprisingly, Tang explains, whether participants intended to quit smoking did not significantly affect the reduction in smoking. “Intention is often thought to be important to achieve a goal and change behavior, so most interventions emphasize the importance of intention to quit help smokers to achieve the goal,” he says. The study found that participants who reported an intent to quit smoking did not outperform those without, suggesting, the researchers say, that the meditation training may lead to unconscious changes in behavior.
Indeed, past work has noted that the very act of intending to reduce use of a substance may actually lead to increase in substance abuse. The idea is that the intent to quit activates brain networks related to craving. The IBMT does not force participants to resist craving or quit smoking but instead focuses on improving self-control capacity.
Further supporting the idea that the training creates unconscious processes, the researchers found a mismatch between how much the participants reported a reduction in their smoking and a more objective measurement of their smoking reduction using carbon monoxide analysis. One participant commented that he was not even aware that he had reduced his smoking so much while going about his daily activities.
The researchers also conducted brain scans of participants before and after the training regiments, finding that at resting state, participants in the meditation group had increased activity in the anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex brain areas. These regions are part of the brain network related to self-control capacity.
Tang emphasizes that people who want to try meditation training at home to help them quit smoking need a teacher or coach. He is planning to open IBMT workshops in the United States and Europe but first wants to test the intervention on larger samples. He also hopes to test the training technique for reducing other drug use.
-Lisa M.P. Munoz
The paper, “Brief meditation training induces smoking reduction,” Yi-Yuan Tang, Rongxiang Tang, and Michael I. Posner, was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Aug. 5, 2013.
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SANDY — The quad injury that kept Alvaro Saborio out of last Saturday’s loss to Los Angeles will keep the Real Salt Lake striker on the sideline for a while.
Saborio didn’t train with Real Salt Lake on Tuesday, and coach Jason Kreis said he expects the Costa Rican international to miss several weeks.
Saborio strained the quad during post-practice shooting drills last Friday, and RSL certainly missed his presence in the attack during a 2-0 shutout loss to the Galaxy.
Robbie Findley was also unavailable last Saturday after hyperextending his knee during the same shooting drills that Saborio injured himself in. Kreis, however, is optimistic that Findley will be available against Vancouver this Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Olmes Garcia tweaked his groin during the L.A. loss, but even though he didn’t train Tuesday, Kreis is also optimistic that he’ll be available this Saturday.
“It will be day by day on those guys,” said Kreis.
Findley’s hyperextended knee was the latest injury to keep the speedy striker on the sideline. He suffered a groin injury in the opening 10 minutes against Seattle on March 30, eventually being subbed off in the 14th minute.
His only playing time in the four games since that loss was a 27-minute substitute appearance against Chivas USA.
His potential return this Saturday could be a big boost to an RSL attack that ranks 14th in MLS with just seven goals scored.
MORE PLAYING TIME: Second-year RSL midfielder Enzo Martinez was sent on a short-term loan Tuesday to the second-division Carolina Railhawks of the NASL.
Martinez hasn’t appeared in any first-team matches for Real Salt Lake this season.
The Railhawks play in Cary, N.C., which is about three hours from Martinez’s home town of Rock Hill, S.C.
Carolina plays three games in May, including this Saturday’s match at Minnesota United FC. It’s unclear how many games Martinez will be available for Carolina.
Even though Martinez hasn’t made an appearance with RSL’s first team, he has started every MLS Reserve League game, including a strong performance against L.A.’s reserves Sunday.
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Efforts to tackle illegal destruction of the world's rainforests have been a success, according to a new report that details a significant fall in unauthorised logging.
The Chatham House study, released today, says that illegal logging has dropped by between 50 and 75% across Cameroon, Indonesia and the Brazilian Amazon over the last decade; globally it has dropped by one-fifth since 2002.
The study credits actions taken by governments and pressure groups for the improvement, as well as greater responsibility across the private sector.
Sam Lawson, associate fellow at Chatham House and lead author of the report, said: "Up to a billion of the world's poorest people are dependent on forests, and reductions in illegal logging are helping to protect their livelihoods."
The fall in illegal logging, if continued, could save billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and help the fight against global warming, the report says.
The change over the last decade has seen 17m hectares of forest saved from degradation, preventing the release of 1.2bn tonnes of CO2 emissions. Viewed another way, if the trees saved were legally logged and sold, this could bring an extra US$6.5bn in additional income to the forest nations.
Stephen O'Brien, international development minister, said: "In the world's poorest countries, illegal logging fuels corruption and results in billions of pounds in lost revenue every year. For the hundreds of millions of people across the globe who depend on forests for their livelihood, curbing illegal logging means vital sources of income remain protected. This groundbreaking report sets out the success stories brought about through international efforts in reducing illegal logging, which encourages us all to pursue these efforts further."
In 2000, the UK, US, Japan, France and Netherlands imported more than 20 million cubic metres of illegally logged timber. By 2008, that dropped to 17m cubic metres.
Although illegal logging has declined, it remains a major problem, the report says. Where progress has already been made, additional gains are likely to be increasingly hard to achieve. A new approach will be needed to halt completely the illegal timber trade, it adds.
The report, which compared records of wood imports to legal exports, says: "If they are to be effective, mechanisms to encourage developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation will require secure control and sound governance of forest resources. Efforts to tackle illegal logging and improve forest governance have already proved to be successful and cost-effective, and it is essential that the climate change agenda for forests serves to reinforce this response, rather than distract from it."
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This post was authored by Vin Yu, Program Manager, Data Platform
The Microsoft SQL Server team will host a special Ask Me Anything session on /r/SQLServer, Friday, November 18th, 2016 from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm PDT. AMA event opens up for questions on Thursday, November 17th 2016 at 2:00pm.
What’s an AMA session?
We’ll have folks from across the Microsoft SQL Server engineering team available to answer any questions you have. You can ask us anything about SQL Server or even our team!
Why are we doing an AMA?
We like reaching out and learning from our customers and the community. We want to know how you use SQL Server and how your experience has been. Your questions provide insights into how we can make SQL Server better. AMA sessions turn out to be very useful, and we plan on doing AMAs covering various SQL Server topics in the future.
Who will be there?
You, of course! We’ll also have PMs and Developers from the SQL Server engineering team participating throughout the day. Have any questions about the following topics? Bring them to the AMA.
SQL Server Features such as Columnstore, In-Memory OLTP, Row-Level Security, PolyBase, Stretch, or any of the features listed here.
such as Columnstore, In-Memory OLTP, Row-Level Security, PolyBase, Stretch, or any of the features listed here. Database Tools for Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database (SSMS, SSDT, SSRS, SSIS, SSAS, SSMA, SQLPS, CLI Tools)
for Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database (SSMS, SSDT, SSRS, SSIS, SSAS, SSMA, SQLPS, CLI Tools) Azure Portal for Azure SQL DB, Azure Elastic Database Pools or Azure Virtual Machines with SQL Server
for Azure SQL DB, Azure Elastic Database Pools or Azure Virtual Machines with SQL Server R Services for predictive analytics, machine learning, and using scalable R packages with SQL Server technologies
for predictive analytics, machine learning, and using scalable R packages with SQL Server technologies Developing with SQL Server using the language of your choice (Examples. Node, Python, Java, etc.) or connecting your app to SQL Server using our drivers (ODBC, JDBC and open source drivers)
using the language of your choice (Examples. Node, Python, Java, etc.) or connecting your app to SQL Server using our drivers (ODBC, JDBC and open source drivers) Migrating or Building Apps and Solutions with SQL Server and the resources we have available to help you get the most out of SQL Server.
Didn’t cover a topic in the list above? Leave a comment with the topic you’d like us to cover or just bring them to the AMA anyways and we’ll try our best to cover it!
Why should I ask questions here instead of StackOverflow, MSDN or Twitter? Can I really ask anything?
An AMA is a great place to ask us anything. StackOverflow and MSDN have restrictions on which questions can be asked while Twitter only allows 140 characters. With an AMA, you’ll get answers directly from the team and have a conversation with the people who build these products and services.
Here are some question ideas:
What’s new in SQL Server?
How do I provide feedback and interact with the SQL Server product team on a regular basis?
What tools would I use to migrate my database to SQL Server?
What’s a cool trick you don’t think most customers know about?
With so many database options, why should I consider SQL Server?
Go ahead, ask us anything about our public products or the team! Please note, we cannot comment on unreleased features and future plans.
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So I was asked to do this when someone brought it to my attention that Tribes ran well in linux. I was under the impression this was still unexplored territory until I tried it myself. You can experiment around with it yourself as well.I had to do a fresh upgrade to my distro and had to re set it up anyways so here are the steps.First, have your files ready.I have my Tribes2gsi.exe from TribesNext. http://www.tribesnext.com/ TribesNext_rc2a.exe patch.And TribesNext_RX2_LinuxVersion.zip that contains your linux RubyIntersect so it can run.Get it here. http://www.tribesnext.com/forum/index.php?topic=2095.0 Install Wine from the repository.It will be the stable version: Wine 1.6 but you need this even though we’re going to install the development version as well.I tried first with 1.6 but found the newer version helped the mouse a lot. The compatibility layer really messes with the mouse and need it to be a smooth as possible to play or at least be somewhat competitive.Instructions to install the development version of wine can be found here.Running a set of commands in the terminal, install the development version of wine which is Wine 2.0 atm. You might be able to install just the development version by itself but it complained to me about not having 1.6.After wine is installed you can double-click on your Tribes2gsi.exe and wine will execute it as if its in windows.Install Tribes 2 as if in windows.Double Click on TribesNext_rc2a.exe and install it as if in windows.Open your TribesNext_RX2_LinuxVersion.zip. There are instructions in the zip. Take the two files inside and copy to you wine/tribes 2/gamedata folderWhich will be in your .wine/drive_c/Dynamix/Tribes2/GameData/ Folder inside your linux home folder.Hit view ‘Show Hidden Files’ if you cant see it initially.Once the files are in there you can go to your wine shortcuts inside your start button and open Tribes 2 with the appropriate shortcut.Tribes should start normally.If you dont feel like redoing all your settings. You can simply copy your tribes 2 folder from your windows partition and insert it into your Wine/Drive_C folder and it will run it and act as if nothing has happened.Now that Tribes is installed and running on your linux machine download winetricks from the repository.Open it, select change settings from the second window and you can start tweaking things to your liking depending on your graphics card and setup.There is an option in Linux mint which I found is super annoying you have to turn off. Its in the mouse settings and is called ‘Emulate middle click by pressing both left and right buttons.'And an option for MouseWarping which I guess compensates for the emulation process. I'm not sure if it helps to turn it off or not but you can play around with it.Its fun to experiment with it. I do not however deem it good enough to break away from windows all together but I do have to admit that it does run well. It will run about as good as it can in wine. Mouse is super weird but I get decent framerate. It wont run if your computer is rendering in software mode.
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Even with 20/20 vision in broad daylight on a clear day, our peripheral vision can be surprisingly poor, particularly when the scene in front of us is cluttered. Now, scientists at the University of Cambridge, UK, Northeastern University, Boston, USA, and Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Australia, believe they are a step closer to understanding why this is.
“When objects in our peripheral vision are surrounded by visual clutter, a phenomenon known as ‘visual crowding’ hinders our ability to make sense of what we see,” explains Dr Will Harrison from the University of Cambridge. “Visual crowding is ubiquitous in natural scenes and affects virtually all everyday tasks, including reading, driving and interacting with the environment. But this failure of vision isn’t a problem with our eyes – it represents a processing limit of the brain.”
Image: Focus on the green spot. Without moving your eyes, you should be able to identify the letter ‘A’ on the left side of the display; the same letter is almost impossible to see on the right side of the display.
In a study published today in the journal Current Biology, Dr Harrison and Professor Peter Bex from Northeastern University have shed new light on how constraints in the brain limit our peripheral vision.
The researchers showed volunteers a series of images with differing levels of visual crowding. To make sure they kept their eyes still, the volunteers were asked to focus on a dot. Beside the dot was a broken ring, like the letter ‘C’, but with the gap positioned at a random orientation. The volunteers were asked to estimate the angle at which the gap appeared by freely rotating a second C so that it matched the target as closely as possible. This helped the researchers to measure each individual’s uncrowded perceptual acuity.
To measure crowded perception in the next stage, the C was surrounded by an additional, larger C – a ‘distractor’ – at different orientations and/or distances to the target C. The volunteers again rotated a second C until they thought it matched the target. Whereas previous studies looking at crowding had only given binary results – was the observer right or wrong? – this new method enabled the researchers to quantify crowding as a continuous experience.
The researchers found that when the angle of the target and distractor were similar, observers tended to choose an average of the two orientations. When the target and distractor angles were quite different, observers tended to choose either the correct orientation (that of the target) or they mistakenly reported the orientation of the distractor. However, this effect depended on the target and distractor being positioned very closely together – reports were not influenced by a distractor positioned a large distance away from the target.
Combining the findings with a computational model of how visual neurons represent the visual field, Dr Harrison and Professor Bex found that problems in identifying objects in our peripheral vision are due primarily to a combination of two factors. First, in a crowded scene, our visual resolution is degraded, meaning that we become less precise at locating an object’s detail. Second, we confuse which detail belongs to which object, to the extent that part of one object can appear ‘swapped’ with a part of a different object. Importantly, their model suggests that both factors are caused by the same underlying brain mechanism.
Dr Harrison believes the findings may have implications for quantifying and treating vision disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A large portion of the elderly population suffers from AMD, which causes debilitating central blindness. The loss of high-resolution central vision forces AMD sufferers to rely solely on peripheral vision, which is very poor due to visual crowding.
“We hope that in future it may be possible to adapt our methods to quantify the degree to which patients with AMD are visually-impaired,” explains Dr Harrison. “At the moment, it can be difficult to quantify the extent or severity of their visual deficits. Our method would allow a careful examination of the function of AMD patients’ remaining vision, which could in turn lead to better rehabilitation techniques down the track.”
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
Reference
William J Harrison and Peter J Bex. A unifying model of orientation crowding in peripheral vision. Current Biology; 25 Nov 2015
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NSA: Figuring Out How Many US Citizens We Illegally Spied On Would Violate Their Privacy
from the wtf dept
The NSA IG provided a classified response on 6 June 2012. I defer to his conclusion that obtaining such an estimate was beyond the capacity of his office and dedicating sufficient additional resources would likely impede the NSA's mission. He further stated that his office and NSA leadership agreed that an IG review of the sort suggested would itself violate the privacy of U.S. persons..
For quite some time now, we've been reporting on Senators Wyden and Udall's repeated attempts to get the government to explain how many American citizens the NSA spied on under the FISA Amendments Act (which is supposed to be used to spy on foreigners, but appears to have been used much more broadly). It's quite clear that Wyden and Udall, in their roles on the Senate Intelligence Committee, believe there is some information that the public needs to know about, but which is not public. So they keep asking the same basic question over and over again. As we noted last week, since most of the rest of Congresshave this information, and yet is expected to vote on the renewal of the FISA Amendments Act, something is seriously wrong.What's never made sense is why the feds simply refuse to admit how many Americans they've spied on under the law. In the past, the Director of National Intelligence has basically told Wyden and Udall that he wouldn't answer because he didn't want to . But the latest answer really takes the insanity to stunning new levels. As initially revealed at Wired, the NSA has refused to answer claiming that, not only would it be too much work to figure it out, but that figuring it out would violate the privacy of Americans Yes, I'm going to repeat that, because it's insane.Here's the specific language from the letter:At this point, you have to just wonder if the NSA is flat out mocking Wyden and Udall and basically taunting them to make it clear that the NSA doesn't believe anyone has oversight powers concerning the agency. And, of course, there is the other explanation: that the NSA has spied on more or less everyone who owns a mobile phone (which has been suggested by some reports).Either way, it certainly sounds like the NSA really doesn't care what the law actually says, so long as it gets to keep spying on people.
Filed Under: data surveillance, fisa amendments act, marc udall, nsa, ron wyden, spying
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Media cameras and reporters outnumbered participants during the protest — a far cry from the 2011 protests.
“It feels odd to be back,” said Bill McKibben of the climate activist group 350.org, who had organized the earlier sit-ins. “Eighteen months ago, no one knew about the Keystone XL pipeline. I spent all of my time just explaining what it was. The other day, Daniel Yergin, the noted energy historian, said this was the most famous pipeline in history, and it hasn’t even been built yet. So in that way, we did our job if nothing else.”
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For all the raised awareness about Keystone, President Barack Obama has stayed mum on the pipeline proposal, which is being reviewed by the State Department. Secretary of State John Kerry — known as a climate hawk during his years in the Senate — has refused to tip his hand since taking the helm at State, vowing only to follow the review process put in place under his predecessor, Hillary Clinton.
Obama didn’t mention the pipeline during his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, but he spoke extensively about the responsibility to do more to combat global warming.
The tough talk seemed to warm some hearts and puzzle others at the rally.
“Nobody talked about climate change in the campaign, so it was good to hear him say it,” said Bond, the NAACP’s chairman emeritus. “But now we want to see some action. We want to see him do something about the things he talked about so eloquently.”
Bond said the NAACP got involved because climate change isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s also a racial and human rights issue because minority communities are “mostly the victims of bad environmental policies.”
The protest is Bond’s fifth arrest in connection with civil rights, he said.
Hannah participated in the first White House Keystone arrests in 2011 and has also been arrested in Texas for protesting the pipeline.
“Unfortunately, because we haven’t responded to the crisis with the type of attention and action that we should have, we’re here again,” she said.
Protesters wearing “No KXL” buttons chanted, “Hey, Obama, we don’t want no climate drama” and “Barack Obama, yes you can stop the dirty pipeline plan” as they watched the other activists being arrested. Obama couldn’t hear the chants — he was in North Carolina visiting a factory.
Activists have kicked their efforts into high gear this week. On Monday, climate activists read and delivered an open letter and two petitions signed by roughly 280,000 people urging Obama to lay out a plan to tackle climate change. Many of the activists will return to Washington to participate in Sunday’s Presidents Day weekend rally to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. Activists from the Sierra Club, 350.org and the Hip Hop Caucus, among others, will march from the Washington Monument to the White House. That rally is projected to bring 30,000 people to the area, organizers have said.
Darius Dixon contributed to this report.
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Express News Service By
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Valiyathura police on Tuesday registered a case against two persons including a Catholic priest in the city on charges of human trafficking.
The priest, identified as Chancilus Femas, and a tour operator Kiran Mohanan have been accused of taking nine people to Jordan after promising them jobs on pilgrimage visa. The police registered a case after receiving a complaint lodged from the immigration officials. The two have absconded after the police began a search for them. According to police officials, the incident came to the light after the persons who had gone with them didn’t return to the country even after the lapse of time period for which the visa had been issued. “We were informed by the officials of Foreigners Regional Registration Office and they handed over a report.”
In the report it has been pointed out that the nine member team including the priest have not returned from Jordan after completion of the said period, which was the end of June. When the priest returned to India alone in the end of June, the immigration officials became suspicious and formally lodged a complaint. Preliminary investigation revealed that the priest had initially arranged a pilgrimage trip comprising of 19 members to the holy land in Jordan with the assistance of Kiran Mohan. But the plan was dropped after nine members couldn’t produce sufficient travel documents. Later, the rest of the team accompanied by the priest flew to Jordan on May 27 on board Air Arabia flight. We suspect that many of the members were transported to Israel for jobs. We are collecting evidences including the address and other details of the members and are interrogating the relatives.
Meanwhile, a special team has begun a search for the priest and the tour operator. We are weighing all options to nab the accused persons. It is too early to comment more about the case as the investigation began just now,” said Jawahar Janardh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Shankhumugham.
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NEWCASTLE UNITED'S man of the moment Papiss Cisse has urged the club to do everything in its power to keep a hold of their coveted players when the transfer window reopens this summer.
Although there are still four weeks left of the current campaign, speculation over the future of certain players at Newcastle has already started.
Tim Krul, Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba are all attracting interest from fellow Premier League clubs, with Chelsea and Tottenham both understood to be looking at the trio.
Given the Magpies' form this term - they are joint fourth with Spurs on 59 points as things stand - interest in some of their key players isn't surprising.
But with a European campaign more or less guaranteed on Tyneside next season, Pardew will want to keep the squad that has performed so well together, while adding a few faces to strengthen his ranks in the summer.
But for Cisse, the importance of keeping strike partner Ba and Tiote is two fold. Of course, the Senegal striker hopes the squad will stay together so they can build on their successful campaign, but the departures of the African pair would be a huge blow for the 26-year-old.
Having Tiote, and Ba in particular, at the club has helped Cisse settle in to life on Tyneside following his January move from German side SC Freiburg and he admits it would be disappointing to see any player depart St James' Park during the close season.
"Yes, I would be worried if they (Ba and Tiote) left, because they have helped me a lot," Cisse said.
"It may effect me because of that, but at the end of the day that's football and if a big opportunity came along for them to move they can, but I would love for them to stay and play here longer, because we are doing very well together.
"It's down to Newcastle, they will do the right thing. At the end of the day I trust the club and they will do the right thing."
Cisse has enjoyed a blistering start to his Newcastle career having notched 10 goals in his first nine games for the club, a record which surpasses the 14 games it took former number nine Alan Shearer to reach that mark.
In contrast, Cisse's strike partner and fellow countryman Ba has only scored once since his arrival in January, despite having scored 16 times in a magnificent debut season at Newcastle.
But while it seems Cisse has stolen the limelight from his Senegalese pal over the last few months, the 26-year-old insists it is down to the system Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has adopted and not because of his arrival.
The strikers have been operating as part of a front three alongside Hatem Ben Arfa and it is no coincidence the Magpies have won their last five games with that attacking line-up.
Cisse is confident he and Ba can continue to strike up a deadly partnership no matter what system the Magpies play and believes Newcastle's top scorer will hit the back of the net again very soon.
"There's no rivalry between me and Demba," he said.
"He has scored more goals than me and he's opened up many doors for me. We are playing how the manager has asked us to play and sometimes that means Demba playing out wide and me playing more centrally as a striker.
"Sometimes we switch round and he goes to attack meaning I have to defend. He's really happy for me to score and I'm happy when he scores. He's gone a few games without scoring, but he will do it again very soon."
After their impressive run of wins recently, Newcastle have turned into genuine contenders for a Champions League place.
With Spurs not in action until Sunday afternoon when they travel to Queens Park Rangers, the Magpies could take over fourth place outright with a win against Stoke City on Saturday.
Cisse admits his ultimate goal is to play in Europe with Newcastle and with it looking extremely likely he will achieve that in his first full season on Tyneside, the striker has predicted exciting times for the club.
He said: "That's my objective, Europe. I like it. I sleep with it, I wake up with it every morning.
"I know it's tight at the top of the table, but I'm trying to do my best and hopefully we'll get there.
"I think Newcastle will go far in the future. If we keep doing what we're doing at the moment we will get better and better. I've noticed we have some very good players in the academy and eventually they will come into the first team and do their bit to take the team further."
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Gallipoli 2015: Diary of a WWI digger discovered 100 years after it was written
Updated
The Foot family sent four boys off to the First World War, but only two came home. Now 100 years later one of their diaries has returned to north Queensland, after being discovered in a Brisbane RSL.
Private George Pierce Foot was the third brother to go to Gallipoli, enlisting on the same day his elder brother Henry was killed during battle.
His diary was unearthed at the Yeronga Dutton Park RSL last year, during a review of their memorabilia.
It was a mystery for RSL president Kevin Fitzgerald who had no idea when or how they came to have the diary in their collection.
"No-one knew the gentleman concerned, no-one knew if he came from the area, no-one knew how we came across the diary," Mr Fitzgerald said.
With the centenary approaching, the RSL decided to track down the owner, eventually finding his name in war records in Canberra.
They then managed to contact George's nephew Lux Foot and the diary will now go on display in Townsville RSL.
"[The family] were very pleased to hear [about the diary]," Mr Fitzgerald said.
"I don't think they knew very much of the history of the Foot family in the First World War.
"The contribution that they made ... out of five boys, two were killed, one was seriously injured ... They have really contributed to the history of Australia.
"I'm pleased to be able to return it to Townsville."
Foot brothers came from Charters Towers cattle station
The Foot brothers hailed from Cardington Station, a cattle property near Charters Towers in north Queensland.
On his enlistment papers, 29-year-old George wrote "bushman" as his occupation.
His brothers Henry and Alex were both killed at Gallipoli in 1915 and George served there briefly before being transferred to Egypt.
The diary has a lot about his time in Egypt - what they were doing, including swimming across the Suez Canal and training the horses, [because they were] in the 5th Light Horse. Bill Muller
Their younger brother served towards the end of the war, while the family's youngest son was not old enough to fight.
Bill Muller, the archivist at Townsville Grammar School where all five boys were educated, has researched the diary.
"The diary has a lot about his time in Egypt," Mr Muller said.
"What they were doing, including swimming across the Suez Canal and training the horses, [because they were] in the 5th Light Horse.
"Part of the diary is talking about the cattle on the property; it's not all about the war itself.
"Then, I think it was September 16 of 1916, he was wounded and spent the rest of the time in hospital."
In January 1917 George was sent home to Australia.
Making friends from across the world
While his writings are not long and detailed, George's diary shows the bonds made between soldiers of all nationalities.
"[On] one of the pages he writes down all his friends and their addresses and it's quite interesting because [they come from] Rhodesia, England, South Africa," Mr Muller said.
"These are people that he met, so it showed you that it was an all encompassing sort of conflict."
While the memory of the Foot brothers is now cemented in north Queensland, Bill cannot find out what happened to George after the war.
He assumes he returned to the property but can not be sure.
The remaining family members have agreed to leave the diary on display at the Townsville RSL.
Townsville RSL president Bill Whitburn is happy to take on the responsibility.
"It's a significant artefact," he said.
"It's important that we maintain those linkages from World War I and this is an ideal opportunity for us to cherish that moment."
Topics: world-war-1, unrest-conflict-and-war, history, townsville-4810, yeronga-4104, qld
First posted
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Fan dies in Argentina as violence breaks out between rivals at Estudiantes and Lanus game
The dark shadow of violence, that has plagued Argentine football for so long, descended once again in La Plata on Monday night.
With the season drawing to a close, Estudiantes were playing Lanús, in a fixture that was key to the visiting side’s title aspirations.
However events on the pitch were very much eclipsed by what happened outside the stadium, as one fan was killed and another seriously wounded in violent clashes between fans and police.
Trouble on the terraces: A brawl in the stands of Ciudad de la Plata stadium during the match between Estudiantes and Lanus in La Plata
Ugly scenes: The violence in the stands lead to one fan being killed
Local media report that the man killed was 38-year-old Javier Jerez, who died from a gunshot wound after being taken to the local Gonnet hospital.
Initial reports suggested that the death was the result of an internal power struggle between rival factions of Lanús’ barra brava – the mafia-like gangs that wield huge influence in Argentine football.
However it soon became clear that it was caused by clashes between the barra and the police and according to Argentine news site Cancha Llena the minister for Justice and Security in Argentina, Ricardo Casal, has ordered the suspension and arrest of three police officers in connection with the fatal incident.
Battle: Fans clashed in the stands
The violence occurred before the game, outside Estudiantes’ stadium, and the start of the match was briefly delayed, but it seemingly wasn’t until half time that news of the fatal incident trickled into the ground and the referee made the decision to abandon the match.
It has capped a bad few days of football-related violence in Argentina, with Saturday’s match between Velez Sarsfield and All Boys being abandoned after just 26 minutes when visiting fans broke through a security fence and fought with police, who responded by throwing tear gas at supporters.
Argentina has a long and troubled history with violence in football, and last night’s death adds to the 271 previously recorded by the NGO ‘Salvemos al Fútbol’.
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The Brown Concert Agency sent out a press release this afternoon announcing Starkey and (7th place finishers in the BlogDH poll) Real Estate will be performing at this year’s Fall Concert. The concert will take place on September 24th, ideally on Lincoln Field (with the RISD Auditorium serving as Meehan Auditorium). Tickets will be free.99 and available on the BCA’s website on Monday, Sept. 19th. For the full press release and the answer to the inevitable question “who the fuck are these people?” click through!
Real Estate- “Beach Comber”
Uffie (remixed by Starkey)- “MCs Can Kiss (Starkey Redid)”
BCA Press Release:
BCA Presents Fall Concert 2011 featuring Starkey and Real Estate
General
The Brown Concert Agency is super excited to announce Fall Concert 2011, taking place on September 24th, 2011. The show will be held on Lincoln Field, with the RISD Auditorium as a rain location.
Acts
Starkey, hailing from Philadelphia, blends together bass music ranging from dubstep to grime to wonky to create dark, energetic, dance-y, and bone-shaking performances. For those interested in checking him out, listen to Dark Alley and his remix of Gorilla Zoe’s Lost (preferably with the bass turned up).
Real Estate is a band coming to us from Ridgewood, New Jersey, that plays dreamy psychedelic surf rock that is equal parts ethereal and exciting. For all you out there who want a taste of what Real Estate’s all about, check out their track “Suburban Beverage,” which drums out the heartbeat of a bygone summer and coolly, gracefully eases us into fall. Their track “Beach Comber,” on the other hand, is a rocker that’s liable to make you move your feet.
Tickets
FREE. F-R-E-E FREE. They’ll be available at brownconcertagency.org starting on Monday the 19th.
Just In Case It Needed To Be Said
Regarding the poll that we ran in blogdailyherald, unfortunately the artists that came out at the top turned out not to be available on our weekend. We hope this doesn’t lead to any broken hearts. We are ridiculously excited about the acts that are coming, and we hope you are too!
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Residents of the Aberdeenshire village of Pennan could have to leave their homes while a section of cliff threatening to collapse is repaired. Engineers have been assessing the 25m crack above the village's only access road, after heavy rain. The residents would have to leave by Friday before the road is fully closed to allow the work. The village, made famous by the classic film Local Hero, suffered severe mudslides in 2007. The road has been closed to the general public, and the repair work from this weekend could last a week. The alarm was raised on Tuesday night. If you can't handle the consequences you don't live in a place like this
Helen Fletcher
Pennan resident Aberdeenshire Council's chief executive Colin Mackenzie said the local authority had people in the village and the safety of residents was paramount. He added: "It's the road itself that's the issue here. "It's not where the last landslip appeared in Pennan so the houses themselves are not particularly at risk but obviously if the road is blocked and if this landslip happened it would block the road. "We want to make sure we have taken every step we can to advise the villagers and we've had our staff there advising them of the possible threat." Hundreds of tonnes of mud and rock swept onto Pennan in 2007 Helen Fletcher told BBC Scotland: "I've had the house for 12 years but it was a holiday home until I moved here two years ago. "It was really serious last time and my house got a bit damaged but it's not nothing like on that scale now. We have been reassured by the council. "There was a landslide about two weeks ago on that road but it was passable." Ms Fletcher added: "It's a clay-based rock so it's very unstable. They have been shoring it up but hadn't tackled that part of it. "It's the nature of being here. You have to take the risk. "If you can't handle the consequences you don't live in a place like this." Steve Cowperthwaite and his wife Dawn Howard have been staying in the village to celebrate their wedding anniversary and Ms Howard's birthday. "We were in the pub when we heard about the landslide threat," Mr Cowperthwaite said. "We're a bit worried about being trapped here so we miss our flight. We will probably just stay put and see what the situation is like later." Ms Howard added: "It was ok until the police came to the door. That scared me a bit more. But it's a beautiful place so I don't mind staying here for a while." In 2007, severe landslides brought hundreds of tonnes of mud and rock into the village, leading to the evacuation of all the residents. Pennan - and the village's red phone box - became recognised after Bill Forsyth's 1983 film Local Hero, starring Burt Lancaster. In 2005, the Bafta-winning film topped a film critics' poll for the best use of locations in Britain. The film saw the representatives of a US petro-chemical giant, who were seeking to build a refinery in a Scottish coastal village, come to find the gentler rhythms of the local life practically irresistible.
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'No concessions' to Turkey on rights, visas in migrant deal: France
PARIS - Agence France-Presse
French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech at the Elysee Palace in Paris on March 12, 2016 during a meeting of European social democratic leaders on the future of the European Union. AFP PHOTO
French President Francois Hollande said March 12 that the EU must not grant Turkey any concessions on human rights or visas in exchange for guarantees to stem the flow of migrants to Europe."There cannot be any concessions on the matter of human rights or the criteria for visa liberalization," Hollande told reporters ahead of the resumption next week of tough negotiations between Turkey and the EU in Brussels.Under a controversial draft agreement reached this week, Turkey would take back all migrants landing illegally in Greece in a bid to reduce their incentive to pay people smugglers for dangerous boat crossings to the Greek islands.In return for every Syrian sent back from Greece, the EU would resettle one Syrian refugee from camps in Turkey -- which is hosting about 2.7 million people who have fled the conflict across the border.The question of human rights in Turkey and visa liberalization should be "a factor for clarification and transparency in the relations between Turkey and Europe," Hollande said.Earlier this week, the French leader said visa liberalization for Turkish nationals, slated to go into effect in June, would only take place if Ankara met 72 conditions.Describing Turkey's willingness to readmit refugees and migrants who left illegally for Greece as "very important", he said there could be visa liberalization but only according to the "road-map" that had already been outlined."What has been agreed on is that the principle of visa liberalization could take place... in June if all the criteria are respected and there are 72 of them," he said, one of which involves the rolling out of biometric ID cards."If the criteria are not met, the June date will not be met either," he said.Turkey is also demanding six billion euros ($6.6 billion) in aid, visa-free access for its nationals within Europe's passport-free Schengen zone and for swifter action to process its bid to join the EU.The plan to expel migrants en masse from Greece has sparked international criticism, with the UN's top officials on refugees and human rights questioning whether it would be legal.Hollande spoke after meeting in Paris on March 12 with more than a dozen social democrat leaders from the EU, including Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.
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A wrecking ball is looming over the historic building at the heart of Canadian aviation in World War II, amid questions about its status as a heritage site. The Downsview Park building houses the privately run Canadian Air and Space Museum which is being evicted, along with 10 other tenants so the structure can be demolished, façade intact, and replaced with a four-rink ice skating complex.
The de Havilland Tiger Moth sits near the entrance to the Air and Space Museum. ( DAVID COOPER / Toronto Star ) Archival photo of the former de Havilland plant in Toronto's Downsview Park, which is currently home to the Canadian Air and Space Museum. ( THE CANADIAN PRESS )
All tours, co-op placements and educational programs have been cancelled since Sept. 20, when the museum was served with an eviction notice. Museum CEO Robert Cohen says the 65 Carl Hall Rd. building, which is on federal land, is indeed a heritage site — and to lose it is “a slap in the face” to Canada’s rich aviation history. The site, built in 1929, was home to de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. — one of Canada’s most successful aircraft manufacturers.
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But the proof of the building’s heritage status seems to have vanished. Until Oct. 26, the building was listed as “a recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental value” on the Canada Historic Places website. This has been called an error by Parks Canada, the federal agency that oversees heritage sites. The entry in the official register of the agency’s Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office is gone. David Soknacki, the chair of Parc Downsview Park, the Crown corporation in charge of the redevelopment, has said the building is not currently a heritage building. The Tory MP for York Centre, Mark Adler, originally said the building was officially designated as a historic site, but later recanted.
The de Havilland building may have lost its recognized heritage designation when the Department of National Defence transferred ownership of the property to Parc Downsview Park in 2006. However, the City of Toronto still considers the building, among others in Downsview Park, “significant heritage resources,” according to Mary MacDonald, acting manager of Toronto’s Heritage Preservation Services.
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It is listed on the inventory of heritage properties and MacDonald says there has been no demolition request for the building yet. “This was the nerve centre of de Havilland Aircraft company,” said Cohen. The company built 2,500 Mosquito fighter bombers and Tiger Moth trainers between 1939 and 1945. Today, it houses a full-scale replica of the Avro CF-105 Arrow jet interceptor — one of Canada’s most famed aircraft achievements — painstakingly built by volunteers and veterans. Soknacki has said the museum does not draw enough business and owes $100,000 in rent for 2011. The building also needs $3.5 million worth of work, he said, a figure disputed by Cohen. The corporation has offered to pay for storage space for the artifacts until the museum can find a solution. However, Cohen says the Avro Arrow replica cannot fit in storage without the wings being sawn off. Soknacki has also said that any proposal for a new museum on the 272-hectare grounds at Downsview Park will be considered. “This isn’t hostility. This is one public body wrestling with a building that’s falling apart, needing the space and willing to do what can reasonably be done to accommodate its tenants,” Soknacki said. The new skating complex, scheduled to open in September 2013, could ease Toronto’s ice time shortage with city and community programs. Cohen says he received a letter from James C. Floyd, the 97-year-old former chief engineer at Avro, instrumental in the design of the Avro Arrow. “He couldn’t believe what is happening,” said Cohen. The museum has five months left to vacate, and volunteers are appealing to the federal government to intervene. With files from the Canadian Press
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Name and etymology Edit
The word ćevap comes from Turkish kebab, sometimes with the South Slavic diminutive ending -čići (Albanian: Qebapa/Qofte; Croatian: ćevapčići/ćevapi; Slovene: čevapčiči/čevapi; Bosnian, Serbian: ћевапи/ћевапчићи ćevapi/ćevapčići; Macedonian: ќебапчиња, kjebapčinja; Bulgarian: Кебапчета, kebapcheta, Czech: čevabčiči, Slovak: čevapčiči). The word ćevapi is plural; the singular form ćevap is rarely used, as a typical serving consists of several ćevapi.
History Edit
Preparation Edit
A type of mixed-meat Serbian Ćevapčići. They are usually served of 5-10 pieces on a plate or in a flatbread (lepinje or somun), often with chopped onions, sour cream, kajmak, ajvar, cottage cheese, minced red pepper and salt. Bosnian-type ćevapi (halal) are made from two types of minced beef meat, hand mixed and formed with a funnel, while formed ćevapi are grilled. Serbian-type ćevapi (ćevapčići) are made of either beef, lamb or pork, or mixed. In Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia, čevapčiči is generally served with mustard mixed with finely chopped raw onions and potatoes or French fries, in a common fast food manner.
Varieties Edit
Ćevapčići are shown on the right in this example of Serbian cuisine. Sarajevski ćevap , from Sarajevo, Bosnia, meat mix of beef and sheepmeat
, from Sarajevo, Bosnia, meat mix of beef and sheepmeat Travnički ćevapi , from Travnik, Bosnia, meat mix of beef, veal, mutton and lamb
, from Travnik, Bosnia, meat mix of beef, veal, mutton and lamb Banjalučki ćevapi , from Banja Luka, Bosnia, beef meat
, from Banja Luka, Bosnia, beef meat Tuzlanski ćevapi , from Tuzla, Bosnia, meat mix of beef, mutton and lamb
, from Tuzla, Bosnia, meat mix of beef, mutton and lamb Novopazarski ćevap , from Novi Pazar, Serbia, traditionally sheepmeat
, from Novi Pazar, Serbia, traditionally sheepmeat Leskovački ćevap , from Leskovac, Serbia, veal meat
, from Leskovac, Serbia, veal meat šiš-ćevap There are variations in meat content and seasoning. The dish is kept simple, and traditionally served in somun with onions and/or kajmak and yogurt as appetizer.
See also Edit
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(CNN) The economy's in the tank, the currency's crumbling, and he's risking diplomatic isolation for doubling down on Ukraine.
So how is it that Russian President Vladimir Putin's popularity is at a whopping 86%?
That's the conclusion of a poll conducted this month by the Levada Center. Last month, Putin's approval rating was at 85%.
The Levada-Center describes itself as an independent, non-governmental polling and sociological research organization.
And it has found that Putin's approval ratings have been holding steady in the mid-80s since around May last year, which incidentally is when the Ukraine/Crimea conflict bubbled up.
What gives?
The answer is simple, says Ben Judah, author of "Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In and Out of Love with Vladimir Putin."
The numbers lie
"An opinion poll can only be conducted in a democracy with a free press," he explained. "In a country with no free press, where people are arrested for expressing their opinions, where the truth is hidden from them, where the media even online is almost all controlled by the government -- when a pollster phones people up and asks, 'Hello, do you approve of Vladimir Putin,' the answer is overwhelmingly yes.
"So what that opinion poll is, is not a poll of approval but it's a poll of fear."
There's another factor at play.
Putin has remained defiant in the face of Western sanctions and political pressure to stand down in Ukraine. And that defiance is earning him political points at home despite the impact on the Russian economy.
The numbers don't
Henry Hale, an international affairs professor at The George Washington University specializing in Russian politics, said on the whole, the polls reflect the reality on the ground of popular support for Putin.
"I don't think Russians are really hiding their feelings," Hale told CNN in December , adding that the polls indicate support for Putin, but not necessarily the depth of that support.
Media propaganda plays a key role in bolstering Putin's popularity, Hale said, especially in the portrayal of Ukraine's popular revolt as a fascist takeover and in portraying the annexation of Crimea as, essentially, a rescue mission.
The numbers may change
Nationalism's OK, but families have mouths to feed.
And if Russia's economic problems get worse, that could bode ill for Putin.
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Police shot and killed an armed teen in the South Bronx early today after the suspect chased and shot at another man, then refused to drop his gun, police said.
Two rookie cops heard shots fired near East 151st Street and Courtlandt Avenue around 3 a.m. and ran in the direction of fire, police said. The uniformed officers saw Shaaliver Douse, 14, of the South Bronx, chasing another person through the streets, according to cops.
Douse, who was arrested in May on attempted murder charges for shooting a 15-year-old, fired at the man running on East 151st Street this morning, police said.
Two rookie cops, assigned to the high-crime area on an Impact team, just months after graduating police academy, identified themselves as police officers and told Douse to drop the gun, according to an NYPD statement..
Douse refused and one of the officers fired one round, striking the gunman in the jaw, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators recovered a blood-spattered Astra A 100 9mm semi-automatic handgun at the scene, cops said.
No one else was injured, according to police.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly dismissed suggestions that the cops should have wounded the boy instead of killing him.
“You shoot to stop. You can’t shoot to wound. That only happens in Western movies,” Kelly said at a press conference at NYPD headquarters.
“Regardless of the circumstances, this is a crushing blow to any parent,” he said.
Asked if Douse was the youngest person to be fatally shot by a cop, Kelly replied, “I don’t recall any other at this juncture. There may have been, I just don’t recall.”
Douse’s family was furious.
“They’re making it all up,” said his aunt, Quwana Barcene. “There was no gun. It’s all a cover-up. It’s what the police do. They kill us and cover it up.
“It’s not fair. It was my sister’s only child. You shouldn’t have to bury your child. My beautiful nephew got shot in the head. A mother of one now has to bury her only child.”
Douse was slain yards from Alfred E. Smith HS, where relatives said he went to school.
The two officers, ages 26 and 27, were taken to Jacobi Hospital for ringing in the ears and trauma, police said.
Douse had a court appearance scheduled for Aug. 23, for weapons possession, records show.
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Story highlights There are only six northern white rhinos left in the world
Suni was the only male left of his kind that could mate
Now there is only one, plus two females
Mating has not happened often, but conservationist still hope for offspring
(CNN) Unique? Suni was much more than that. He was vital to the survival of his kind.
So, on Friday, after rangers found the northern white rhino lifeless in his hut on a Kenyan wildlife conservancy, a short countdown to extinction began.
Suni was one of only seven northern whites left in the world, all of which live in captivity. There are none known to be left in the wild.
More importantly, Suni was one of only two breeding males left, said the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in a statement.
Now the conservationists have but one male and two females that can breed. And that doesn't happen often. When Suni mated with female Najin in April 2012, it was her first time in ten years.
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As you know, it’s mandatory these days that the Anglophone world be obsessed by one Scandinavian lifestyle concept or another. In 2016 it was hygge, a Danish word that somehow simultaneously is a) untranslatable and b) means “cosiness” – and which last year was the topic of approximately two billion different coffee-table books (along with a splendid takedown in this newspaper by Charlotte Higgins, from which it should never recover). In 2017, the signs are that the Fashionable Scandinavian Concept will be lagom, a Swedish word meaning just the right amount; not too much, or too little. This moment in history – days before the inauguration of an unstable US president who rode to power on a wave of anger and conspiracy theories – might not seem hospitable to the spirit of moderation. But maybe that’s exactly why we need it.
The problem with moderation, Peter Wehner argued in a recent New York Times essay, is that it’s seen as intrinsically lily-livered, a lukewarm compromise between more resolute extremes – “a philosophy for tender souls”, as Jean-Paul Sartre said of liberalism. I don’t want to be moderately opposed to dishonest, misogynistic, quasi-fascist politicians; when extremists run the world, we should be extremely committed to their defeat. Yet on the other hand, deep down I know that a victory for My Team over Their Team at the next election or referendum won’t solve much in the long term, either: humiliating the other side simply ensures they’ll come roaring back, more furious than ever, until they regain sufficient power to humiliate me.
From mangata to kilig: 10 untranslatable words - in pictures Read more
Is there a way out of this dilemma? Wehner argues there is, that we should think of moderation as “a disposition, not an ideology”: not a set of views, but a way of relating to your views, and to those who disagree. Moderates “do not see the world in Manichean terms that divide it into forces of good (or light) and evil (or darkness)”, writes the political scientist Aurelian Craiutu, in a new book, Faces Of Moderation, which Wehner quotes. True moderation doesn’t mean you’ve got to split the difference between your opinions and other people’s (for example, to concede that racism might have something to be said for it); but it does mean conceding that nobody’s unreachable or irredeemable. This is a difficult distinction to live by; I don’t claim to be any good at it myself (especially on Twitter). But it’s definitely not pathetic or weak-willed; it’s far more tough-minded than the low-effort option of just writing off the opposition.
Honestly, from the Swedes I’ve talked to, I’m not sure lagom encompasses this kind of muscular compassion for your foes: it’s more about a Swedish preference for modesty and not standing out. Then again, isn’t the whole point of these borrowed Scandinavian terms that they can mean whatever we want? So when it carpets every bookshop later this year, we might at least infuse lagom with a bit of defiance – a hard-nosed alternative to the easy extremism of the age.
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President Staben’s Statement
Football Conference Affiliation Press Conference
April 28, 2016
Thank you for joining us. With me are UI Athletic Director Rob Spear and Head Football Coach Paul Petrino.
I announce today the University of Idaho Vandal football team will accept an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference, pending State Board of Education approval, starting in fall 2018.
While I understand the magnitude of this decision and the strong opinions that surround it, I am confident the Big Sky Conference is the best possible choice for our football program and our student-athletes.
Moving football to the Big Sky is also the right choice for our students, for academic excellence and for the long-term success and stature of the University of Idaho. We are, first and foremost, the state's leading residential and research university.
The University of Idaho’s prestige and relevance will be complemented by our football program, not defined by it. We will be defined by the institution-wide success of our individual and societal impacts, measured by our entire student body experience, our academic and research impact and our statewide engagement.
While the passion and dedication of our student-athletes has been consistently strong, UI has always been one of the lowest-resourced FBS teams and therefore has struggled to achieve a winning record during our time in the FBS. To become successful enough to affiliate with any FBS conference would entail unjustifiable, unsustainable expenditures. Competing as an independent with an extremely uncertain conference affiliation would be irresponsible when we have the alternative of joining one of the most stable FCS conferences.
Big Sky allows us to renew traditional rivalries and offers our athletes the opportunity to excel at an appropriate level of competition, just as they do in our other Big Sky sports programs. Conference stability is important to the future of Vandal Athletics. We can’t provide stability by “hoping” another conference will ask us to join them, or that an FBS conference “might” be realigned in the future to better fit UI.
UI has a long history of success on and off the field as part of the Big Sky Conference. Playing geographically similar schools allows for exciting, successful football, much like we have seen in our other athletic programs.
Finally, we have spent a significant amount of time considering our football conference options - in fact, the right football conference affiliation for UI was something I was asked about during my interview process over two years ago. Since the Sun Belt announced in March that it would move forward with a 10-team league, we have engaged in dialogue with stakeholders statewide, listened to opinions on all sides of the question and analyzed the input. Joining the stability of the Big Sky Conference will provide our student-athletes with the greatest experience and path to success.
Providing the best possible experience for all UI students, across all aspects of university life, is our responsibility and privilege. Moving to the Big Sky is the right decision for the University of Idaho and for our football program. I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and dedication in our football program and am confident we are ready to move forward.
We’d be happy to stand for questions.
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Up close with Sharp's 8K TV at CES. You can still see the pixels, but the image looks amazing.
If you followed our CES 2012 coverage, you'll know that while Sharp's press conference presentation underwhelmed us (a smart tv on a smart car? c'mon), the 8K TV they had on the convention floor is a strong contender for the single best technology we saw at the entire show. Unfortunately, it's also the kind of thing that's difficult to convey in words or even show in high-def video footage. But I did manage to take some macro and wide-angle photos that may give you a sense of what 8K looks like. The 85-inch LCD TV was showing video shot by one of very few 8K cameras in the world--owned by Japanese broadcast studio NHK. Sharp reps couldn't divulge exactly how this video was being fed to the TV, but heard from a little bird that the TV is displaying video from an array of 16 HDMI cables.
Here are two scenes that were shown in the 8K TV demo. I zoomed in on both shots to show you just how much detail 8K resolution allows.
In this first scene, 8K allowed us to look all the way down a street in Washington DC, with the street lights, sign, and pedestrians all identifiable in clear view. (Click the images for the full-resolution photo)
Here's the same scene, but with a photo taken up close to the screen. I've highlighted the area where it fits into the full 85" screen. You can make out the pixels at this range, but also see how much detail is in the image.
The second scene is even more impressive. The first shot of this Japanese log-riding festival already is cropped in to the screen, and you can make out the heads and clothing on every person. In the scenes where the camera is facing the crowd (as in the image at the top of this story), every face is clearly visible.
And here it is zoomed in to the highlighted area. Click the image for its full size.
It really is something that you have to see to believe. It's just a technology prototype, but this is the kind of demo that gets us excited for the future of home theater technology.
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The mayor of one of Virginia's largest cities said Wednesday that he would delay assistance to Syrian refugees, citing Japanese internment during World War II as partial inspiration.
In a statement on Wednesday, Roanoke Mayor David Bowers (D) praised Roosevelt's decision to forcefully quarantine more than 100,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans living in the US to internment camps for more than three years, in the name of national defense.
In the wake of the Paris terror attacks that left at least 129 dead last week, he said the US should treat the Syrian refugee crisis with the same seriousness.
"I'm reminded that President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and it appears that threat of harm to America from ISIS now is just as real and serious as that from enemies then," Bowers said in the statement.
Bowers' office declined to immediately comment when reached by Business Insider.
In a statement on Thursday, Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), a Japanese-American who was interned during World War II, released a joint statement condemning Bowers.
“Mayor Bowers' comments about Japanese internment do not represent the values of the Democratic Party, and his rhetoric has no place in our party," Wasserman Schultz and Honda said.
"The cruel and baseless Japanese internment policies enacted during World War II are an ugly stain on our democracy, and should not be used to justify future exclusionary policies. Mayor Bowers should reflect on dark moments like these in our history when the dual crises of war abroad and the perceived threat of terror at home have emboldened dangerous xenophobia in America."
Though the mayor appears to be making a distinction between Japanese-Americans and Japanese "foreign nationals," many families were comprised of immigrant Japanese citizens and their Japanese-American children.
Japanese internment is widely regarded as one of the largest civil-liberties violations ever perpetrated by the US government.
Roosevelt's decision, which displaced the vast majority of Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants, resulted in the loss of assets, businesses, and homes. It helped fuel widespread discrimination of Japanese-Americans that lasted for years after the end of the war.
Conditions at the hastily assembled camps have been described as brutal. Many Japanese-Americans slept in overcrowded converted barracks and horse stalls — where families were divided by small, makeshift partitions.
In 1991, President George H. W. Bush issued a formal apology accompanying the federal government's reparations payments to Japanese-Americans, saying the US should "recognize that serious injustices were done."
"A monetary sum and words alone cannot restore lost years or erase painful memories; neither can they fully convey our nation's resolve to rectify injustice and to uphold the rights of individuals," Bush said. "We can never fully right the wrongs of the past, but we can take a clear stand for justice and recognize that serious injustices were done to Japanese Americans during WW II."
In the wake of the Paris attacks, more than two-dozen state governors have suggested they will refuse to admit Syrian refugees within their borders, as part of President Barack Obama's plan to resettle up to 10,000 refugees over the next fiscal year.
Legal experts contend that though states often assist the federal government in resettling refugees, there's very little they can do if someone who is already admitted as a refugee decides to move to a state.
"States have absolutely no legal authority to bar someone who is granted refugee status from entering their state, since it's federal law that determines whether someone is a refugee," Greg Chen, director of advocacy at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told Business Insider on Monday.
In a press call on Tuesday, senior Obama administration officials also worked to calm fears that terrorists could attempt to pose as refugees. They described in detail the rigorous US refugee vetting process.
This story was updated on Thursday with a statement from the DNC.
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Different shapes, same hate: Taryn Brumfitt. She knows because she used to do the same. "You are so disgusting. You shouldn’t go out. Your husband doesn’t want to be with you. You are gross. Look at how your tummy wobbles.'' This was what the Adelaide-based mum of three used to tell herself when she looked in the mirror. So she decided to do something about it. What followed involved a bikini contest and a blog, along with transformation photos and footage that have gone viral. So much so that Rosie O'Donnell has invested in Taryn's latest project and hers was one of the Huffington Post's most read stories last week, generating 258,000 Facebook ''likes''.
Taryn's 'before' shot. But, this is no ordinary transformation story. In fact, the narrative is decidedly backwards. Following the birth of her third child, Mikaela in 2009, Brumfitt headed to a cosmetic surgeon. She wanted a tummy tuck and a boob job. After years of fighting ''unsuccessfully'' to get her pre-baby body back, she was delighted, she says, at the thought of getting ''it all fixed''. Taryn's 'after' shot. A week later, while watching her daughter play, she was struck by a question. ''How am I going to teach her to love her body if her mum can't do the same?''
Plagued by the thought, she hit the ''rock-bottom'' of self-loathing. Taryn's brother Jason, with Sean Penn, on the set of Thin Red Line. ''I felt so trapped,'' she said. ''I wanted the surgery for me, but I couldn't do it for her.'' Then another thought occurred to her: ''I wonder whether it's possible to love my body without surgery?'' The thought grew and every time she looked at herself in the mirror and started to tell herself she was disgusting or fat she stopped herself. ''I had to fake it until I made it,'' she says. ''It started really slowly and was a conversation of 'what if?'''
She began a blog called Body Image Movement about her journey towards self-acceptance. ''I know if I can change, then I other women can change too,'' she says. ''So many women feel [bad about themselves] and they don't want to feel it any more.'' It wasn't just about changing her thoughts, but her approach to exercise and eating, too; making healthier choices to ''feel better'', rather than punish herself. In the midst of this quest remained curiosity about the typical transformation – the ''fat'' to ''thin'' fantasy where life and self-perception miraculously perfect themselves to match perfectly honed limbs. She began training two to three hours a day, ate a protein-dense diet and ''didn't have much time to be with my family''. ''I looked healthier, but I was extremely imbalanced,'' says Brumfitt, who showed off her new form in front of more than 700 people in a 2012 INBA bikini contest. ''I was really grumpy ... it's not easy to have that body.''
She concluded that the shining image doesn't always represent the reality. ''I did have the perfect body and, you know what, nothing changed about how I felt about my body.'' The result of the experiment was Brumfitt's surprising ''before'' and ''after'' shots. Her ''before'' picture is from the bikini contest, all toned, fake-tanned limbs, drawn-in belly, glamour make-up and megawatt smile. It contrasts with the ''after'' photo, which shows an attractive, smiling blonde with pale skin and the supple curves of a woman who is toned in some parts, soft in others.
The project to create EMBRACE – pegged as ''The documentary that will create global change'' – has already raised $152,000 and the trailer has had more than 3 million views. Loading ''We are constantly told to be something other than what we are,'' she says. ''That we are gross or that we need to change ... We're not encouraged to love our bodies unless they conform to one idea of beauty ... but beauty is so much more. We need a different currency for beauty. We have to change the currency of health and beauty.''
And that starts with challenging our perceptions, she says. On her blog, in response to the ''trolls'', she writes: ''I’ll think of you next year as I take my healthy, wobbly belly across my first triathlon finish line. I’ll remember to salute you with my middle finger teamed with a positive and chirpy, ''Go f*ck yourself!''
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After years of fixating on the deficit, both Republicans and the media have missed the good news: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is predicting this year’s deficit will be the smallest since 2008.
If Congress does nothing, the amount the government spends more than it takes in will fall to $378 billion, a fraction of the more than $1.4 trillion budget deficit President Obama inherited from George W. Bush.
“This is not good news — or not unambiguously good news, at any rate,” writes The New York Times‘ Paul Krugman. “A deficit falling to probably less than 5 percent of GDP this year and well below that next year is MUCH TOO LOW for an economy whose private sector is still engaged in a vicious circle of deleveraging.”
Cutting spending when unemployment is high and interest rates are low makes little sense with millions out of work. The sequester is already punishing the unemployed, though the small amount it shrinks the deficit has already been dwarfed by increases in revenue.
And Republicans want to make the situation worse.
Despite the fact that the deficit is falling at its fastest rate since the 1940s, the House Republican Conference met Wednesday to plot its strategy for raising the debt limit. The House GOP invoked the Boehner rule — any increase in the limit must be matched by spending cuts — for the first time in 2011. The result was billions of dollars in damage to the economy through lowered consumer confidence and hiring.
According to The Hill:
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), said that, for him and many members of the conservative Republican Study Committee, any deal to raise the debt ceiling would have to be tied to a budget that would balance in 10 years ‘at a minimum.’
As usual, the GOP’s demands for “cutting the deficit” are actually for “cutting spending,” since they refuse any plan that includes increased tax revenue, even if it comes from closing loopholes on the rich and corporations that pay little or nothing in taxes.
And you can’t hope Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will be able to prevent his party from pursuing another crisis, given that he’s admitted that he’s lost control of his conference.
A recent poll found that only 6 percent of the American public knew the deficit was shrinking. The CBO’s report coming in the midst of scandalmania will keep the information from getting out, making another debt standoff more likely.
The truth is we’ve never had a short-term deficit crisis.
“Deficit doves are right to look at this report say it shows that deficit panic is unwarranted, and that policymakers should focus on boosting the economy instead of cutting debt,” Bloomberg‘s Josh Barro reports. “But they were right to say that before the report came out, too.”
The good news is that the deficit is shrinking so quickly — leading to a $113 billion surplus in April — that the date we reach the debt limit keeps being put off to further and further into the future.
But eventually we will need to raise the limit again, and that’s when the GOP will ignore reality and punish the unemployed some more.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
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Universe sharing seems to be the norm these days thanks to Marvel. However the realm of superheroes isn’t the only place where characters can share the screen and a rumoured crossover by two other widely loved characters has had geeks everywhere frothing at the mouth. Despite the fan-imagining WhoLock getting over 3.1 million views on YouTube and sprouting positive reactions all over the world, the idea of a Doctor Who and Sherlock crossover has been a pipe-dream…until now!
During a Q&A in Cardiff at the premiere of the new series of Doctor Who, show runner Steven Moffat – who is also the co-creator and co-writer of Sherlock – claimed that the possibility of the two shows crossing over had been discussed and that if it was solely up to him, it would eventually happen even if it was just for a one-off special:
“Look I’m going to come clean on this: I would… Go speak to Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss and Sue Vertue, OK? They’re all in the way. I’m not the killjoy, it’s that lot. It’s probably not going to happen.”
After some groans from the over-enthusiastic crowd:
“I know…What a bunch of killjoys I work with.”
Despite claiming he wanted it to happen, he then went on to state that his “killjoy” work colleagues were probably right:
“You know in some ways, I think Mark [Gatiss] has got a point when he says that however good you imagine [the crossover], it would be almost better in your imagination than it would be if the two grand old egotists actually met. They’d just both go off in opposite corners and sulk that there was someone cleverer than them.”
It’s difficult to decipher if Moffat is just teasing fans or if he is being genuine. To be fair he’s probably a little tired of getting asked the same question over and over again everywhere he goes. Recently the crossover idea is something that has unfortunately almost taken over the hype of both shows entirely. Personally I hope it doesn’t happen, although I wouldn’t totally be against the idea of dropping some easter-eggs in there just for the fans.
Would any of you like to see The Doctor and Sherlock share a screen?
“Deep Breath” premieres on BBC One and in cinemas on August 23.
Gavin Logan – Follow me on Twitter
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The STM is temporarily pulling its AZUR trains out of service, potentially putting the timeline of a $1.2-billion train contract in jeopardy, after an hours-long Metro shutdown Saturday.
A stretch of the Orange line — at one point between Côte-Vertu and Lionel-Groulx — was closed from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning due to an equipment problem.
The STM says the closure was caused by an AZUR train passing through Du Collège station that damaged signalling equipment.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre joined other dignitaries when the new AZUR Metro cars entered service for the first time on Feb. 7, 2016. (Jaela Bernstien/CBC) A contact shoe, which is the part of the train that touches the rail and electrifies it, was also damaged. However, it is unclear if the train damaged the track or vice versa.
Upon inspection, the transit authority found damage on all 12 AZUR trains and one MR-73 train due to abnormal contact between the track and the trains.
But the damage on the AZUR trains was more pronounced, which prompted the decision to take them out of service.
The STM will install cameras under some trains to analyze what's going on.
Trains in service for less than a year
After months of delays, the AZUR trains were first put into service last February. A total of 52 AZUR trains are supposed to be brought into service by 2018.
Three AZUR trains were pulled out of service in June after a crack was found in a nut holding together one train's suspension system.
The 468 new cars that make up the 52 trains are being built by the Bombardier-Alstom consortium, at a cost of $1.2 billion.
A spokeswoman for Alstom said there is no design problem with the new trains, but rather a physical anomaly that has yet to be determined.
She said the consortium supports the STM's investigation.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said he spoke to representatives from Bombardier and Alstom and asked to have answers about what exactly happened by Friday.
Opposition slams STM, mayor
The leader of the Official Opposition at city hall is taking the mayor and the STM to task for what she says is a lack of leadership.
Projet Montréal Leader Valérie Plante says she knows mechanical problems and other incidents on the Metro are inevitable but the issue, she said, is how the STM handles those situations.
The STM deployed shuttle buses during Saturday's Metro shutdown, but many commuters complained about how the situation was handled. (Radio-Canada) When the Metro goes down, the STM brings in buses to shuttle passengers from station to station, which is what happened Saturday. But there were long lines and many commuters complained about the way the situation was handled.
The STM initially said the closure would last 45 minutes.
Plante said there aren't enough buses to handle the demand in emergency situations.
"We hear people saying they have been waiting two hours in the cold for a bus. That is not acceptable," Plante told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.
"There needs to be more ... buses, and there needs to be a more transparent, a more accurate system of communication."
Projet Montréal Leader Valérie Plante says she knows mechanical problem and incidents are inevitable on the Metro, but she wants to see the city's response to those incidents improve. (Radio-Canada)
STM, mayor defend response to shutdown
On Monday, the STM defended its response to the shutdown, saying it dispatched more employees to affected stations, brought in 53 buses to act as shuttles and kept commuters informed via Twitter and inside the stations themselves.
Coderre said millions of dollars of the city budget goes to the STM each year, and that having hundreds of buses and drivers on standby in case of a shutdown is unrealistic.
He pointed out the AZUR trains have been running for months without any issues and accused critics of "throwing oil on the fire."
"The least we can do, is to let these workers and engineers in the field do their job," he said.
Mayor Denis Coderre says STM employees did exemplary job following the partial Metro shutdown Saturday afternoon. (Radio-Canada)
Plante said the Coderre administration has invested money in the STM, but "it's too little too late."
"I want the mayor to take the Metro. I want him to experience what it means to be stuck in a breakdown with kids in the cold," she said.
The shutdown came only weeks after the STM promised better communication and increased service heading into 2017.
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The intricacies and intrigues in the Russia investigation continued to unspool on Wednesday, when it came to light that special counsel Robert Mueller’s team investigated Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, as reported by Fox News.
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In May, Rosenstein penned a memo criticizing then-FBI Director James Comey’s handling of the investigation in Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state. That memo was then cited by the Trump administration for reasoning behind Comey’s firing later that month.
To further complicate the investigation, Rosenstein’s position places him as the overseer of the Justice Department’s investigation into the Trump team’s alleged ties to Russia after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself.
“We’re faced with a constitutional mess over at the Justice Department, where Rosenstein is being interviewed by the guy he’s supposed to be supervising in theory,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told FOX Business’ Lou Dobbs on “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”
If Sessions refuses to “un-recuse” himself from the investigation, President Donald Trump should exercise his authority under the Constitution to remove Mueller from the special counselor, he said.
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Earlier this week, CNN reported that U.S. investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort under special court orders, both before and after the November presidential election.
“I think the special counselor regulations, and Mueller’s appointment, are constitutionally suspect,” Fitton said.
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A 22-year-old man is in trouble after his car plunged into St. John's Harbour behind Atlantic Place Monday afternoon.
The man was driving while suspended and owed $10,000 in fines, according to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
After a short stay in hospital, he was arrested and taken to St. John's city lock-up for overnight, until an appearance before a judge on Tuesday morning.
The car was travelling east on the harbour apron when it struck a piece of the red wooden barrier and slipped into the harbour.
Jason Gosse was walking by when the accident happened. He didn't see the car driving around, but he heard the crash and immediately called 911.
"I saw a car partially submerged. The guy tried to get out through one side, he couldn't get out through the drivers side, so he went over to the passenger side and he was able to get out," Gosse said.
"Just after he got out he was clinging to the car for a couple of seconds, but the car went down and pulled him under. Then he came back up and swam over to the wharf."
The car traveled about 9 metres before it hit the water.
A boom truck recovered the vehicle Monday afternoon.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants Jack Wilshere to show his commitment to the club by signing a new contract.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who has recently returned to action after a 15-month injury lay-off, has two-and-half-years left on his current deal.
"He [Wilshere] has always been very committed to this club and I hope he will show that," Wenger said.
Jack Wilshere factfile Born on 1 January 1992
Joined Arsenal in October 2001
Made senior debut against Blackburn as a substitute in a 4-0 victory
Scored first Arsenal goal versus Sheffield United in a Carling Cup tie
Spent second half of 2009-10 season on loan at Bolton
Makes England debut versus Hungary in August 2010
Arsenal's most-used player in 2010-11 season
"There is only one way to show that and it is to commit your long-term future to the club."
Wilshere has come through the ranks at Arsenal and has already broken through into the senior England side.
He was an unused substitute in Arsenal's draw with Aston Villa on Saturday, with Wenger resting Wilshere after two games in quick succession, but he is expected to figure against Everton on Wednesday.
Wenger added: "We have quite a lot of British players. Like [Kieran] Gibbs, [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and, of course, we still have the case of [Theo] Walcott.
"You want them all on long-term contracts."
Walcott, who is out of contract in summer 2013, has yet to agree a new deal and Wenger said there was "no news" on that front.
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1. Sea Island Shrimp House
Multiple locations, (210) 342-7771, shrimphouse.com
From turning his father’s downtown landmark Manhattan Cafe into one of SA’s first desegregated restaurants back in ’63 to co-founding a “fast-casual” eatery specializing in wild-caught, sustainable seafood in ’65, restaurateur Dan Anthony lived life ahead of the curve. Nearly half a century after Anthony opened his Rector Street flagship (with wife Chrissy and friend Henry Reed), Sea Island is a flourishing homegrown chain that serves roughly one ton of fish daily to customers at six local restaurants — all owned and operated by the Anthony family. Offering a wealth of fried combos (served with homey sides like hushpuppies and coleslaw) alongside such time-tested signatures as “World Famous Charbroiled Shrimp,” the menu’s evolved to include Mexican-inspired dishes (including ceviche and fish tacos) and is wisely rounded out with grilled options for the calorie counters and beef kabobs for the ichthyophobic.
2. Sandbar Fish House
200 E Grayson, (210) 212-2221, sandbarsa.com
3. Wildfish Seafood Grille & Steaks
1834 N Loop 1604 W, (210) 493-1600, wildfishseafoodgrille.com
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The Second Amendment Foundation has secured a leaked document which we are dubbing, “The Democrat’s Gun Control Playbook.”
The 70+ page document (click to download) has instructions on how anti-gun groups and politicians can divide pro-gun supporters, fight the NRA, and even how to capitalize on national shooting tragedies in order to further an agenda of more gun control.
According to Opposing Views,
The document states that “The most powerful time to communicate is when concern and emotions are running at their peak … The debate over gun violence in America is periodically punctuated by high-profile gun violence incidents including Columbine, Virginia Tech, Tucson, the Trayvon Martin killing, Aurora and Oak Creek. When an incident such as these attracts sustained media attention, it creates a unique climate for our communications efforts.”
According to the SAF’s Alan Gotlieb’s article on the document, it also lays out ways to discredit the 5 million member strong NRA,
As revealed on Page 23 of the guide, they found a “sharp ideological divide,” with self-described liberals concurring with the “extreme” statement by a two-to-one margin, while conservatives by a whopping 81 percent margin agreed with the “mainstream” description. The report acknowledges, “outside of our base, an easy assumption that people think of the NRA as an out-of-control, extreme organization would be misplaced.” So far, the NRA has not taken a position on either Washington initiative, but the guide appears aimed, at least in part, at demonizing the five-million-member association as something of a national bogeyman.
Gotlieb also points out how the document calls for attacking “stand your ground” self defense laws. The document basically admits that the real purpose of the law isn’t likely to cause alarm, and the laws need to be sensationalized with more extreme language.
On Page 45, the guide addresses Stand Your Ground laws and counsels the use of provocative substitute phrases including “Shoot First” and “Kill at Will,” asserting that these terms are “more accurate and persuasive.” In the process, it also identifies terms that should be avoided in public debate, among them the term “duty to retreat,” noting that the term may be an established legal principle, but it coveys weakness to the public and is “hard to defend.” In Washington State, court rulings dating back almost a century have enshrined the principle that there is “no duty to retreat” from an attack that occurs in a place where the victim has a right to be.
Anti-gunners like to say gun owners are being manipulated by the NRA and the political right, however after looking at this document, if anti-gunners think they aren’t being manipulated, they’re blind.
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Queen Margrethe II of Denmark revives claim of right under 500 year old Udal Law to reclaim sovereignty of Shetland and Orkney Isles.
By Ilaf Maheedaf
AN INDEPENDENT Scotland will have to hand back Shetland and Orkney according to Denmark’s British Ambassador.
In partnership with Norway’s King Harald V, the Danish regent Queen Margrethe II intends reviving the ancient rites of Udal Law which were ratified by the Scottish parliament in 1567.
According to Udal law, the Scottish parliament is legally bound to return the islands to Norway upon repayment of the Kalmar Union dowry following the betrothal of Margaret of Denmark to King James III of Scotland in 1468.
The Danish Queen claims to have in her possession authenticated copies of the 1575-7 Orkney & Shetland Lawbooks which allow the islands to revert to their previous territorial possession under the Kalmar Union.
Every copy of these books were believed destroyed by an agent of the Scottish crown, Patrick Stuart, around 1579.
But acclaimed Danish historian Olaf Gerritupyeson discovered copies of the books in the Soviet wartime archives in Moscow.
He believes the Nazis looted the historical lawbooks after the occupation of Denmark by the Wehrmacht in 1940.
Under the auspice of Udal law the Orkneys and Shetlands will revert back to Denmark and Norway on the repayment of the dowry believed to be around 10,000 Kroner.
It has been calculated that, due to interest rates and inflation, the figure could be as high as $3.7 billion dollars.
Norwegian Finance Minister Sigbjørn Jahnsen has already tabled a motion in Norways’s parliament seeking permission to use monies from Norway’s Oil Fund on behalf of the Norwegian and Danish governments.
He said: “This could be one of the most lucrative and ethical investments we make with our Investment Fund monies.”
Controversially, historian David Starkey helped verify the authenticity of the lawbooks and the constitutional legality of the dowry repayments.
He said: “There is no doubting the wording of the laws contained in these ratified lawbooks. Should Denmark or Norway make the requisite dowry repayment, Scotland must return the sovereign territories – they have no right over the islands in any type of constitutional law.
“The only contentious issue appears to be just how much the 10,000 Kroner would be worth in today’s currency.”
Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslip said: “We are currently seeking alternative views on the legal implications of these laws.
“The Scottish government is sure they wouldn’t stand up to the rigours of modern International advocacy.”
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Michael Savage is not my particular cup of tea for a variety of reasons. Having said that, he is influential among a significant number of people who tend to vote GOP at election time. Savage has, for quite a while, been a major Trump supporter. Back in July he referred to Trump as the “Winston Churchill of our time.”
Yesterday, though, he said he might withdraw his support unless Donald Trump meets a single precondition.
SAVAGE: I want to focus on a story circulating in the media about Ted Cruz having had five extramarital affairs. Which Cruz calls garbage. I find this to be disgusting, by the way, because I have been a victim of assassination by innuendo my entire career. Both from those who pose as constitutional conservatives and smeared me day and night, and others in the media. They’ve assassinated me by innuendo and thus far I’ve survived it. It’s not pretty to live through this garbage. But when it comes from conservatives it is even more irking. Because I thought conservatives were better than liberals. But no, they’re not better than liberals. It’s just another business for most people.
Now I go where the truth is, so let me start with my opinion. This came out today from Fox32 News in Chicago based upon a National Enquirer story that just broke which says Cruz was involved in five extramarital affairs citing unnamed “political insiders.” Now Cruz vehemently denied the claims today. Do we have the sound of Cruz, Robert, if we do would you kindly play it?
CRUZ: The National Enquirer published a story. It is a story that quoted one source on the record, Roger Stone, Donald Trump’s chief political adviser. Let me be clear, this National Enquirer story is garbage. It is complete and utter lies. It is a tabloid smear. And it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.
SAVAGE: Well, by what I have learned, and this is an exclusive to the Savage Nation, you’re not going to hear it from anyone else. Because no one has the source I have on this story, I have sources. And let me tell you something, I support Donald Trump but the scandal is false. That’s what I’ve been told by someone who has a source, someone who I, let us say, work with closelym who I would trust with my life, has a source inside the Enquirer. He called the Enquirer and he was told this, this was all anonymous, I’m quoting now. He said, “We don’t have it.” Meaning it’s all innuendo. And it was written very carefully, implying it without stating it, to smear Ted Cruz. So I asked who owns the Enquirer? And the source told me the Enquirer is owned by AMI. AMI is run by a David Pecker (I swear I am not making that up). David Pecker is a close friend of Donald Trump. David Pecker flies to Florida from New York on Trump’s private jet. I was told again, I can’t confirm it deny it, that Mr. Pecker, what a name, is personally involved in the anti-Cruz stories.
Now, I don’t blame Donald Trump, but if he finds out this Pecker is behind it he should get rid of this connection. Because this in not going to help him at all. David Pecker is chairman, president, and CEO of America Media Inc. AMI owns the National Enquirer, The Star, The Globe. So, my friends, in my opinion this is utter garbage and Cruz is rightly offended. This is assassination by innuendo. It’s important that you hear this, it’s real important that you hear this, because I go where the truth is. I’ve supported Trump and probably still will, but if he won’t disavow this guy Pecker and this story I may withdraw my support from anyone in this campaign. I’ll tell you right now, I’ll tell you right now, I have nothing to gain or lose personally from it, unlike many in the media who are tied at the hip to the candidates they support, I am not going to support anyone who engages in assassination by innuendo. So that’s all I’m going to say on that matter.
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iTunes Extras (US and CA only) and BluRay/DVD Bonus Features: DELETED SCENES (11:58) Candid conversations on a variety of topics, including Counterintuitive Science, The Laws Governing The Universe, The Anthropic Principal, Communication Techniques, Sir Isaac Newton, and The Word “Believe” EXTENDED INTERVIEWS (55:01) More in depth conversations with Woody Allen, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Hawking, Werner Herzog, Cormac McCarthy, Ian McEwan, Tim Minchin, James Morrison, Bill Pullman, and Sarah Silverman. ON THE ROAD WITH THE UNBELIEVERS (9:13) A behind the scenes featurette with the filmmakers discussing the inspiration and process of making The Unbelievers. ORIGINAL TRAILER (1:47) Purchase US BluRay Purchase US DVD Purchase UK DVD iTunes USA iTunes Canada
The film includes interviews with celebrities and other influential people who support the work of these controversial speakers, including:
Ricky Gervais
Stephen Hawking
Sarah Silverman
Bill Pullman
Tim Minchin
Eddie Izzard
Ian McEwan
Sam Harris
Dan Dennett
James Randi
Michael Shermer
David Silverman
Woody Allen
Cameron Diaz
Werner Herzog
Bill Maher
Stephen Colbert
Adam Savage
Ayaan Hirsi-Ali
Penn Jillette
Cormac McCarthy
Paul Provenza
James Morrison
...and more.
The Unbelievers was released in the US, Canada, Ireland, and the UK on iTunes, Amazon, and various other platforms on June 3, 2014. More info on additional countries, VOD carriers, DVD release, and bonus features coming soon.
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This is for others, going through something similar.
First and foremost, I am so sorry.
This is a pain that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
I’ve read many stories, with all their variations, and all their heartache.
Loved ones are lost everyday, in many different circumstances.
None of them are easy.
None of them go without destroying the person they leave behind.
All of them leave behind people forever changed by the crucible they burn in.
I have no advice to give.
No words that will ease your pain.
None other than “I understand”.
I understand, in the worst possible way, the pain you feel.
I understand that nothing will ever be the same again.
I understand that you will move forward, and then backward.
I understand that you will feel guilty for both the joy and sadness you feel.
I understand that people will say they understand, but they won’t.
I understand that you will, eventually, get better.
I’m not there.
Not yet.
But I know its possible.
I’ve read too many accounts to disbelieve that.
But, as I’ve said before, “better” has a new meaning for us.
Better, now, is finite.
Better speaks only of the past.
Better means better than yesterday.
Better than last week.
Not better than before.
Maybe never better than before.
But here we are.
Suffering.
Wallowing in our grief.
Going through stages that aren’t really stages, but a way of life.
At least for now.
Hopefully just for now.
For each one of us, our grief is unique.
There is no commonality in our own personal experiences.
But there are overlaps.
Places where, when we share our grief, we see heads nodding.
Nodding with understanding.
In my own grief support group, one of our members told of how every night she takes a whiff of her husband’s cologne.
She told us she feels crazy for doing such a thing.
I told her I do the same.
Nodding with understanding.
We, her and I, are very different in our approaches.
She doesn’t like to grieve in public.
I write for all to see.
Personal, with overlaps.
My greatest wish is not have no voice.
No reason for a voice.
I only started writing after her death.
Only started writing, because if I didn’t…
I don’t know how to finish that sentence, but I’m positive the outcome would not have been good.
I started writing because, after writing her eulogy, I found I still had things to say.
Not, that so far, what I’ve written has been good.
What I’ve written so far has been the worst of what I feel.
I’m still only inspired by my pain.
By my loss.
My hope is that this changes.
My hope is that I am eventually able to chronicle 23 years of love and life.
I yearn for it.
But I’m, so far, unable to do it.
My wife was full of life and love.
I miss everything about her and our life together.
I don’t know how I’ll move on.
I have no advice about that.
No advice other than: one foot in front of the other.
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Wales Green Party concern over Kirsty Williams 'doing a Nick Clegg'
13 October 2016
The Wales Green Party is deeply disappointed at the Assembly's opposition to enacting an Autism Act for Wales. The Senedd voted 27-24 against the motion and the autism community are left waiting for assurances that autism will be treated with the seriousness it warrants.
Kirsty Williams, Welsh Liberal Democrat and Education Secretary in the Welsh Assembly, opposed the motion despite the Welsh Liberal Democrats manifesto promising: “An Autism Bill, to meet the needs of autistic people for the next Assembly term and beyond.”
Every Labour Party Assembly Member in attendance voted against the motion.
Alice Hooker-Stroud, Leader of the Wales Green Party said:
“I am surprised to see Kirsty Williams’ u-turn on this Act. It harks back to Nick Clegg and the Tories in Westminster, going back on promises made to Lib Dem voters.
If I had voted for her, I'd be calling for reassurances that she won't allow Welsh Labour to ride roughshod over her promises during the election campaign in return for her cabinet position. I'd be keeping a close eye on her actions in the Senedd in relation to those of Welsh Labour, who have once again showed that they are unwilling to listen to advice from the community most affected by their actions.
The National Autistic Society Cymru, experts, and the autism community have shown overwhelming support for the Act. Welsh Labour's partisanship cannot go unchallenged when it comes at the cost of people in desperate need of recognition and support."
Lisa Rapado, Wales Green Party member and National Autistic Society member added:
“The result of the vote yesterday was beyond disappointing as we see the wait for autism diagnosis taking longer than ever, and ever increasing numbers of families being left with no choice but to home school their children as fewer schools seem able to deal with children on the autism spectrum.
This community has been surveyed about its needs on a regular basis and survey fatigue is setting in with many – it’s past time for the Labour Government to stop the surveys and start delivering. They have proven to be unwilling, but the autism community in Wales will continue to fight for an Autism Act that could do so much good.”
The Wales Green Party pledged to support an Autism Act for Wales in their National Assembly for Wales manifesto and it forms part of their Policies for a Sustainable Society for Wales
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Easily check for the doneness of meat without using a thermometer by comparing how the meat feels with the feeling of your hand as you touch different fingers together.
Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
There are two basic methods to test for how done your meat is while you are cooking it—use a meat thermometer, or press on the meat with your fingertips.
The problem with the meat thermometer approach is that when you poke a hole into the meat with a thermometer, it can let juices escape, juices that you would rather have stay in the meat. For this reason, most experienced cooks rely on a “finger test” method, especially on steaks (whole roasts are better tested with a thermometer).
My mother has been trying to get me to test meat with my fingertips for years, and for years, being somewhat of a scaredy cat (won’t it burn my fingers?) I ignored, avoided, ran away from the idea.
Then my friend David showed me up. Here’s a guy who loves to grill but doesn’t know how to boil water. (Really. Cannot boil water. Just ask him, he’s proud of the fact.) David taught me how to test for the doneness of meat using this method and these days half the time I don’t even bother with a thermometer.
Now the point of this story is not to embarrass David (though that would be fun, if it were even possible) but to encourage you, if like me, you’ve been shying away from trying this approach. This really isn’t rocket science.
This is one of those things that gets easier with practice. The next time you cook a steak, even if you are still planning to rely on a meat thermometer, press on the meat here and there while it cooks, and compare the feeling of the meat with the following finger test. With practice, you will become more confident.
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They bullied her to the point of suicide & they keep bullying her!
The cavalcade of gay and transgender porn actors who hounded August Ames until she committed suicide this week are making excuses for the attacks that her family believes contributed to her death.
Ames, whose real name is Mercedes Grabowski, took her own life this week after she became the subject of a harassment campaign following her refusal to have sex with gay actors.
The late adult film actress denied accusations of homophobia, clarifying that she did not want to risk her health by having sex with “crossover” performers, who are not subject to the same health testing protocols as their straight counterparts.
Her brother, James Grabowski, blames her tragic death on those who harassed her. “I want my sister’s death to be recognized as a serious issue–bullying is not OK,” he told British newspaper Sun Online.”It cost me my baby sister’s life.”
Ames previously revealed her struggles with depression and sexual abuse in a podcast.
Following her death, some of Ames’ detractors took to social media to justify their actions. Transgender activist Zinnia Jones, who produces amateur porn under the name Satana Kennedy, defended the harassment.
(Click images to enlarge)
Male pornstar Jaxton Wheeler, who told August Ames to swallow a cyanide pill for her opinions and hounded the late performer for days, doubled down on his comments following her death.
He stated that he was “going to sleep just fine” despite Ames’ suicide, because he “stood up for the Gay and Bisexual community.” Following harsh criticism, Wheeler made his Twitter account private.
Another gay pornstar, Bruce Beckham accused Ames of being an “uneducated homophobe” and called her opinions a cry for attention.
Following her suicide, he defended his attacks as “educational” and said she chose “to end her own life when faced with confrontation, accountability, and education.”
“Life isn’t easy, but none of us get a pass for bad behavior,” he concluded.
After being called out for his callous remarks, Beckham issued a pithy reply to say he was “sorry for calling you homophobic without initiating private discourse.”
Despite his attacks on Ames’ supposed ignorance, Beckham acknowledged twice in November that PREP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) only protects against HIV, but not other STDs, noting the importance of partner disclosure.
He made his comments in response to comments on bareback videos he produced.
Wesley Woods, another gay porn actor who hounded Ames for her “homophobia,” said he has received backlash for his attacks. Speaking to Hornet, Woods says that while he considers her suicide “tragic,” he “firmly stands behind” what he said and expressed frustration for bullying her.
Austin Wilde, another porn actor who took issue with Ames’ tweets described his remarks as “neither threatening or harassing, I do stand by my words.” He doubled down by saying her opinion “displayed her to be homophobic and uneducated on the subject [of health testing].”
Transgender performer Aspen Brooks was one of many porn actors who urged their followers to attack Ames, indicating that the late pornstar was “calling you all dirty men.”
Brooks later complained about being verbally abused following Ames’ suicide. “I don’t think I deserve this,” Brooks said, downplaying the abusive remarks sent to Ames.
August Ames’ tragic suicide should be a lesson to social justice warriors on Twitter to live what they constantly preach, but it’s clear that the only thing they care about is earning social currency.
Source: dangerous.com
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When President Trump lands in China on Wednesday, the world will witness a rare spectacle. The leaders of the world’s two most powerful nations will meet against the impressive backdrop of a military honor guard, a formal banquet and other set pieces in what Chinese officials are touting as a “state visit-plus.” Trump has displayed a soft spot for such official pomp and pageantry, and few countries do it better than China. On a personal level, Trump and President Xi Jinping already established a warm chemistry when the Chinese leader visited Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
Behind the lavish ceremonies and smiling photo ops, however, the issues confronting Xi and Trump — from North Korea’s accelerated nuclear weapons program to a yawning trade imbalance — are deadly serious. For many years, a central challenge in geopolitics has been U.S. efforts as a status-quo superpower to peacefully integrate a rising China into the rules-based international order, predicated on free trade and freedom from intimidation. As the creator and guarantor of that post-World War II order, the U.S. has long enjoyed the world’s No. 1 economy, its only superpower military, and a globe-spanning architecture of alliances that has been the envy of its adversaries for nearly a century.
By promoting a transactional “America First” foreign policy and rejecting multilateral free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Trump administration has abandoned the critical free-trade pillar of U.S. strategy, sowing confusion and anxiety among our Asian allies. Meanwhile, fresh from a party congress that has made him the most powerful Chinese leader in decades, Xi is eager to step in with a $1 trillion “One Belt, One Road” infrastructure investment initiative designed to draw Asian neighbors into Beijing’s orbit. In that sense, it will be hard not to view the Trump-Xi meeting as a symbolic passing of the torch of Asian dominance from the former to the latter.
“After President Trump killed TPP, there was real resentment among senior Asian officials who felt they had wasted seven years negotiating that trade pact, and had now been discredited with their own constituencies for the compromises they made,” former Defense Secretary William Cohen, now chief of the Cohen Group strategic consulting firm, said in an interview. “Meanwhile, a senior Chinese official personally told me Beijing was glad Trump killed the pact, because they saw a real opportunity to become not just a regional power, but a world economic and military power. So the Chinese are looking like the grand strategists now.”
Mathew Goodman is a senior adviser for Asian economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and previously was the White House coordinator for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. “The decision to withdraw from TPP was an unforced error that really set back our position in the region,” he said. At a time when traditional U.S. allies in Asia are questioning the Trump administration’s commitment to the region, he noted, Xi is giving speeches at economic forums such as Davos this year, claiming the mantle of leadership on globalization and free trade. To add insult to injury, “One Belt, One Road” steals a page from the strategic playbook of the U.S., best illustrated by America’s postwar Marshall Plan for the rebuilding of Europe that helped cement the bedrock Western alliance.
“With its investment in roads and ports across the region under the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, China is stressing their intent to show new leadership in the region in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from TPP,” said Goodman, speaking at a recent CSIS briefing on the Trump trip. “So the withdrawal from TPP left a big vacuum. The region is now looking for something from President Trump to fill that vacuum, or otherwise I think China and others are going to move in.”
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My Best Friend got this figurine for me in a little shop in Astoria, Queens. Sadly I don’t know the artist.
Gyms will promise almost anything to get you in the door – weight loss, a certain look (“long, lean muscles”, “sculpted muscles” etc.) But they can’t provide a single study that shows that more than a tiny fraction of people achieve these results, let alone maintain them long-term.
If gyms were honest, I think they would say something like this:
Thanks for considering joining our gym. We want to tell you up front that we can’t guarantee anything, and any gym that says they can is trying to take advantage of you. Our bodies – including their size, shape, the type of muscle we build, health, abilities, and athletic potential – are complex and influenced by a number of factors, many of which are out of our control. Evidence suggests that exercise is a good way to help increase our odds for health (which is not an obligation, a barometer of worthiness, or guaranteed under any circumstances.) Exercise is always optional, and if you’re just starting out, or starting over, that’s great. Remember that, regardless, there’s no need to go too hard too fast – unless you want to be the fittest person in traction. Besides, the research shows that even a little bit of movement can be beneficial and most of the benefits of movement can be gained from about 30 minutes of movement about 5 times a week. And it can be any movement, it can even be broken up into smaller bits. We know that the research shows that internal motivation works better than external motivation, and that the first step to deciding how you want to take care of your body is realizing that your body is worthy of care, so you won’t find any body shaming trainers or messages here. We recommend that you find some movement that you really enjoy at a time that is as easy as possible for you to make.
That’s what I think gyms should say if they were telling the truth. If they were really trying to do the best thing I think they’d also say:
You’ll notice that our gym has instructors, trainers, and pictures with positive images of people of all sizes, because of course “fitness” and “health” are not a body size. You are not a “before” picture and there is no “after” picture, there’s just “during” and we’re glad that you are here.
Regardless, if you’re contemplating joining a gym (or any fitness center) remember that they work for you, you do not work for them. Your goals are what is important here, not what goals they might want you to have. You have ever right to approach your movement using Size Acceptance and Health at Every Size, and to find a gym and fitness professionals who will support you in that.
Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:
If you are uncomfortable with my selling things on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post
As this year draws to a close, gyms in the US are starting to gear up for their “New Year’s Resolution” advertising. Which is to say that they are writing checks that their actual results can’t cash. But don’t worry, when their promises turn out to be not worth the annoying postcards they’re printed on, they’ll blame you for failing, and try to sell you the same thing again next year.
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Ugly details emerged Friday from the standoff involving a gay man who was forced to leave his sick husband’s bedside by hospital staff and police. According to Think Progress, Roger Gorley was ignored by hospital staff, then beaten by police as he desperately clung to the rail of his partner Allen Mansell’s bed. After he’d been bloodied and subdued, Gorley was accused of having AIDS by one officer, who refused to touch him without gloves and insisted that his handcuffs be thrown away after they were used on Gorley.
New information from an account of Gorley’s arrest published online and from an interview that Gorley’s daughter Amanda did with John Aravosis from Americablog paint an upsetting and disturbing picture of the ordeal that Gorley faced trying to assert his legal rights of power of attorney at his husband’s bedside.
Mansell and Gorley have been bound by a civil union for five years, granting them each power of attorney over each other’s health decisions, the kind of arrangement that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg called a “skim milk marriage” in oral arguments regarding same sex marriage before the Supreme Court earlier this month.
Mansell suffers from severe depression, which is being treated with Electroshock Therapy (ECT) at Research Medical Center in Kansas City twice per month. Research Medical is not Mansell’s primary hospital, but rather where he goes specifically for ECT sessions. Normally, the two men use St. Luke’s Medical Center in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, where their legal arrangement is respected by hospital staff.
Paramedics took Mansell to Research Medical on Tuesday, April 9 when he became sluggish and intermittently responsive at home. When Gorley arrived at the hospital, he was met by his partner’s brother Lee Mansell and sister Pat, who disapprove of the two men’s relationship. Lee Mansell asserted that he was next of kin and would be making all of his brother’s health decisions.
Gorley reportedly said, “This is my husband. I know what he wants and needs. You are never around. You need to leave.”
A nurse informed Gorley that he would have to leave because of his agitated state. When Gorley replied that he was Mansell’s husband and next of kin, she replied, “I know who you two are. You need to leave.”
Protesting that his legal status entitles him to be in the room with his husband, Gorley took hold of the railing of Mansell’s bed and refused to let go. The nurse then called police.
When officers arrived, they pounded on Gorley’s arm until he lost his grip, then threw him to the floor, sending his glasses and hearing aids flying and leaving him bloody and battered and nursing a swollen and badly bruised wrist. He was placed in handcuffs and taken to jail.
Mansell was in and out of consciousness during the confrontation, during which he repeatedly insisted, “I want him here,” but to no avail.
The hospital issued a restraining order against Gorley, but finally relented and allowed him to see Mansell on Thursday night after Gorley “showed up and threw a fit,” according to his daughter’s testimony. She told Americablog that her family is in contact with the ACLU and federal officials have promised to investigate the situation “in a speedy manner.”
President Barack Obama issued a memo in April of 2010 ordering all hospitals that receive federal funding to grant full visitation rights to same sex partners. The order also required hospitals to respect existing power of attorney arrangements of all patients, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status.
Watch April 11 video from WDAF about Gorley’s arrest, embedded below:
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The commentary from the former Arkansas governor comes as Flake has appeared on multiple CNN and MSNBC programs to promote his new book, "Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle.""This book from Senator Flake that he wrote, ‘Conscience of a Conservative,’ could have also just been called 'Trolling President Trump,'" said Fox News anchor Leland Vittert during ainterview with Huckabee on Fox's "America's Newsroom." "So, if we’re going to go back to Reagan’s 11th Commandment [of never attacking a fellow Republican], who is at fault here?”“Jeff Flake writing a book trying to poke at Donald Trump. He should have known that when you poke at Donald Trump, he is going to come back at you," responded Huckabee, a network contributor."I wish the senator would understand: If he’s got a difference with the president, take it to him, but do it in private," he continued. "What it seemed that Jeff Flake was interested in doing was selling a lot of books by taking on Donald Trump on every liberal show that was just gushing over him for having done that."Huckabee then praised Democrats for their unity while taking another shot at Flake."You know, the Democrats stick together. You let one of the Democrats say something ridiculous and they circle the wagons behind that person, they never call them out," he concluded. "A Republican can’t wait to run in front of a camera and trash the president.”Flake saidthat Trump is "inviting" a presidential primary challenge in 2020 because he's focusing on keeping his base happy too much."I think that the way that, the direction he's headed right now, just kinda drilling down on the base rather than trying to expand the base, I think he's inviting one," said Flake in a radio interview.The president has criticized Flake on several occasions of late via Twitter while praising his to the Republian primary opponent, former state Sen. Kelli Ward."Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!" Trump tweeted last week. He also went after Flake again in amorning tweet on crime and border security.
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Just days after Matt Damon confirmed that he's settled on his first directing project, the actor tells GQ that he and Ben Affleck have also chosen their next collaboration: a movie about the reputed former godfather of the Irish Mob, one of the coldest, most ruthless figures in the history of organized crime.
"We're doing a Whitey Bulger movie," Damon says of the leader of South Boston's Winter Hill Gang, who had been on the lam for 16 years and was wanted for 19 murders, among other things, when he was apprehended in Santa Monica in June. "Warner's got it for us."
Damon will star as Bulger, Affleck will direct, and Terence Winter, of _The Sopranos _and Boardwalk Empire fame, is writing the script. Last year, Damon and Affleck cemented a first-look deal with Warner Bros., where their production company is now based. Damon has made nine movies at the studio in the last decade, while Affleck has become one of Warner's go-to directors, making Gone Baby Gone, The Town and the soon-to-be-completed Argo, a comedy about the Iran hostage crisis. Warner's also recently tapped Affleck to adapt and direct Stephen King's mammoth apocalyptic novel The Stand.
There'd been talk that Damon and Affleck, who won Oscars in 1998 for their best original screenplay Good Will Hunting, would next reteam on The Trade, about two Yankees pitchers who swapped wives in the '70s. But legal challenges have slowed that project, Damon says.
"That might happen at some point," he says. But the Bulger picture will come first.
"There are a couple of competing movies and I don't think it's been announced yet that we're doing it," Damon says. "But the sooner it's announced the better, just because everyone else will back off, hopefully. I'm really excited about it."
Previously announced Bulger projects include one from producer Graham King, who won the Best Picture Oscar for another Damon film, Martin Scorsese's The Departed, which depicted a character based on Bulger (played by Jack Nicholson). King has reportedly acquired the rights of the Winter Hill Gang's chief enforcer, John Martorano. Another project, which borrows its title from the Bulger book Black Mass by Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, is reportedly in the works from producer Brian Oliver. And actor Peter Facinelli, perhaps best known for the Twilight Saga, is said to be producing an adaptation of Edward MacKenzie and Phyllis Karas's book Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer for Whitey Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob.
Bulger fled Boston, Affleck and Damon's hometown, just before his federal racketeering indictment in January 1995. It was later revealed in federal court that he was a longtime FBI informant who had been warned by his corrupt handler, former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr.—the basis for Damon's character in The Departed—that he was about to be arrested. Bulger was eighty-one by the time the Feds finally caught up to him last summer, living by the beach with his girlfriend.
So will Damon play the young, vital Bulger or the aging fugitive? The actor says he doesn't yet know. "If it's a straight biopic, we'll do it over a period of time. But it's always a question of what part of the story do you tell, and biopics are always a little cumbersome," Damon says. "So do we find another way in? We're still figuring it out."
Last week, meanwhile, Damon confirmed that he will be directing his first film for Warner Bros.: a script he co-wrote with John Krasinski of The Office. He's keeping mum about the idea, which Krasinski originally developed with Dave Eggers, but to say, "It's about a salesman who goes to this small town and how the salesman is changed by his experience there." Reports last week that the movie resembles Erin Brockovich and involves a mass poisoning in the town are wrong, he says, shaking his head.
"Nobody gets poisoned," says Damon, who plans to direct the untitled film early next year. "I don't know where that came from."
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Thursday, June 16th, 2016
In a damning reversal recently, a Santa Clara district attorney who'd originally shown support for an embattled judge under fire for the sentence he imposed in a Stanford sexual assault case opted to block that judge from taking on a different one.In a statement Tuesday, DA Jeff Rosen said: "We lack confidence that Judge [Aaron] Persky can fairly participate in this upcoming hearing in which a male nurse sexually assaulted an anesthetized female patient."On June 3, Persky sentenced former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner , 20, to six months in prison and three years of probation after he was found guilty in March of sexually assaulting an intoxicated, unconscious woman on campus.The ruling prompted outrage across the country from critics as well as abusive and threatening phone calls.In an earlier statement, Rosen said that "while I strongly disagree with the sentence that Judge Persky issued in the Brock Turner case, I do not believe he should be removed from his judgeship."On Tuesday, Rosen said seeking Persky's removal from that case was "a rare and carefully considered step for our Office.""In the future, we will evaluate each case on its own merits and decide if we should use our legal right to ask for another judge in order to protect public safety and pursue justice," he said in a statement.Santa Clara deputy public defender Gary Goodman called Persky a "great jurist" who follows the rules and treats everyone fairly. He said the actions being taken against Persky were "absurd."In Palo Alto, nearly a dozen would-be jurors refused to take part in a separate misdemeanor case because Persky was presiding. And so far, more than 1.2 million signatures have been collected for a petition on the website Change.org that calls for Persky's removal."We the people would like to petition that Judge Aaron Persky be removed from his judicial position for the lenient sentence he allowed in the Brock Turner rape case," reads a statement on the petition's page . "Despite a unanimous guilty verdict, three felony convictions, the objections of 250 Stanford students, Jeff Rosen, the district attorney for Santa Clara, as well as the deputy district attorney who likened Turner to a predator searching for prey, Judge Persky allowed the lenient sentence suggested by the probation department."Another petition is also under way that could get Persky legally removed from office, if it garners the signatures of 70,000 residents.Persky is on a planned vacation."It's just not right for a jurist of his ability," Goodman said. "You want people like that on the bench and you do not want that to be quelled by these kinds of attacks. ... It's OK to disagree with the [Stanford] sentence like Rosen did but the other stuff is way overboard."Persky has not commented publicly about his decision because Turner plans to appeal his conviction. He is expected to be released three months early on Sept. 2.null
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book reveals China raised British sub Yellow Sea
Steven Schwankert engaged in a seven-year transcontinental quest that discovered that China had salvaged the submarine but he was never able to confirm the reason why. Steven Schwankert engaged in a seven-year transcontinental quest that discovered that China had salvaged the submarine but he was never able to confirm the reason why. Photo: Andy Wong, Associated Press Photo: Andy Wong, Associated Press Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close book reveals China raised British sub 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Beijing --
A lifelong scuba diving obsession led Steven Schwankert to the tale of the HMS Poseidon and the startling discovery that the British submarine, which sank off the northeastern coast of China in the 1930s, had been raised by the Chinese in 1972.
That revelation lies at the heart of Schwankert's upcoming book, "The Real Poseidon Adventure: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine" and an accompanying documentary film chronicling his search for answers about what became of the sunken vessel.
The seven-year transcontinental quest saw frustrations, triumphs and deeply emotional experiences, none more so than bringing together descendants of the Poseidon's crew and sharing with them new information about the submarine's fate.
"I only wish we'd been able to find more relatives. It feels like we've taken on this incredible responsibility of being custodians of this history," said the 42-year-old Schwankert, an American journalist and diving instructor who has lived in Beijing for more than a decade.
The Poseidon was barely two years old and among the most modern submarines in the British fleet when it arrived at a leased British naval base on Liugong Island, 2.5 miles offshore from the port of Weihai. While conducting exercises on June 9, 1931, the captain inadvertently turned into a Chinese cargo ship that had altered course in the same direction to avoid hitting the submarine, which was traveling on the surface.
Its hull shattered, the Poseidon sank within four minutes, coming to rest on the sea floor 100 feet below. Thirty men scrambled out of hatches before it went down, but 26 remained inside, eight in the watertight forward torpedo room.
In a daring move, the eight popped the hatch and attempted to surface using a Davis lung, an early forerunner of scuba gear that included a store of pure oxygen and a kind of canvas brake to prevent rising too quickly. Six of them made it to the surface, the first-ever such escape in the history of submarining.
As the project evolved, a key question emerged: Why had China opted to salvage the sub? Naval convention frowns upon such secret operations.
Schwankert was unable to answer the question. .
Chinese authorities confirmed the 1972 salvage operation but said poor record-keeping and the passage of time had left no additional information.
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Annual world drug report says number of new legal highs available on world market now outstrips number of illicit drugs under international control
The international drug control system is "floundering" for the first time in the face of the rapid rise of potentially harmful legal highs or new psychoactive drugs, the United Nations has warned.
The UN's annual world drug report says the number of new legal highs available on the world market – more than 300 – has now outstripped the total number of illicit drugs under international control.
The 2013 report published on Wednesday says the newly developed legal high industry has gone global in the past year, with 70 out of the 80 countries surveyed reporting the emergence of new psychoactive substances with significant market share.
The UN's office on drugs and crime (UNODC) says the speed and creativity in the emergence of these new designer drugs has left the international drug control system floundering for the first time since its establishment in 1961.
It warns that far from being "low-risk fun", the new generation of drugs sold online are untested for safety and are potentially far more dangerous than traditional drugs such as cocaine and cannabis, the markets for which have remained stable.
The report says the use of legal highs has taken off most strongly in the US, where 11% of 17- and 18-year-olds say they have used them. They are now the second most popular class of recreational drug among American students after cannabis.
This is twice the level of use reported among European teenagers, of whom 5% of all 15-to-24-year-olds say they have already experimented with legal highs. Britain accounts for nearly a quarter of the entire legal high market in Europe,followed by Poland (17%), France (14%) and Germany (12%).
But the new psychoactive phenonema is also making inroads into Latin America, Asia and parts of Africa. Brazil has reported the emergence of mephedrone and plant-based substances such as Salvia divinorum. But their use is also now reported in China, Japan and Indonesia. In the African continent, Angola, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe all reported to the UN the emergence of these drugs in the past year.
"Marketed as legal highs and designer drugs, new psychoactive substances are proliferating at an unprecedented rate and posing unforeseen public health challenges," says the report. UNODC's executive director, Yury Fedotov, said a UN early warning system and concerted action to prevent the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of these substances was needed.
"This is an alarming drug problem – but the drugs are legal. Sold openly, including via the internet, psychoactive substances which have not been tested for safety can be far more dangerous than traditional drugs.
"Street names such as 'spice', 'meow-meow' and 'bath salts' mislead young people into believing they are indulging in low-risk fun. Given the infinite scope to alter their chemical structure, new formulations are outpacing efforts to impose international controls," says the UN report.
"While law enforcement lags behind, criminals have been quick to tap into this lucrative market. The adverse effects and addictive potential of most of these uncontrolled substances are at best poorly understood."
The most popular legal highs imitate the effects of more traditional drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy. They are synthesised by chemists operating out of south-east Asia and sold globally through a mushrooming network of internet shops. As soon as authorities are able to ban one set of chemical compounds in one jurisdiction, the chemists simply adjust the chemical structure to produce a different derivative that is not caught by the legal ban.
The G8 group of countries published a new international agreement on Tuesday on tackling legal highs. The agreement is designed to improve information sharing on the new substances including their impact on public health and on supply routes.
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Sneak Peak – New 2017 Traxxas Vehicle
2017 is expected to be yet another huge year for Traxxas. To get the year kicked off right, Traxxas has released a teaser of one of their new vehicles for 2017. No other details have been mentioned, so you’ll have to look at the image above and start guessing. What scale will it be? Will it have legendary power inside? Will it have a bunch of scale detailing like the Traxxas 2017 Ford Raptor? We have none of the answers, but are really looking forward to seeing what Traxxas has in store for all of us hobbyists in the coming year.
To visit the official Traxxas website you can Click Right Here, or you can hit up This Link for more Traxxas news on BigSquidRC.
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If there is one word that can be safely applied to the anti-abortion lawmakers in Texas, it is “stubborn.”
Today, just a month after a federal judge in Austin blocked a new state health department rule that would require women to bury aborted or miscarried fetal tissue, lawmakers in the Texas House State Affairs Committee held an hourslong hearing considering a bill that seeks to do exactly that.
The point of the measure is to honor the “dignity of the deceased” and nothing more, said the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Byron Cook. “Let me be clear: This bill has nothing to do with the abortion procedure whatsoever.”
Of course, the bill does directly impact the provision of abortion and women seeking such care, as noted by Judge Sam Sparks in a strongly worded January 27 order blocking the Department of Health Services rule. While state lawyers have argued that U.S. Supreme Court precedent protects Texas’s ability to pass a measure that demonstrates its interest in “potential life,” Sparks wrote that desire couldn’t justify a rule that relates to the disposal of aborted or miscarried tissue, an activity that occurs “when there is no potential life to protect.”
And Sparks derided the state’s suggestion that imposing a new cremation and burial scheme on health care providers wouldn’t lead to additional costs for patients — which could burden a woman’s ability to access safe and legal abortion — and concluded that the rule read more like a “pretext for restriction abortion access,” and less like a measure designed to honor fetal dignity.
During the Wednesday hearing on Cook’s bill, a lawyer for the state attorney general scoffed at Sparks’s ruling, noting that it has already been appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals — a notoriously conservative panel that often signs off on Texas’s draconian restrictions on reproductive autonomy, regardless of whether those restrictions are constitutional.
Nonetheless, concerns about the measure persist. While the bill is clearly intended to attack abortion providers, Dr. Kimberly Carter, representing the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said there is concern about how the law would apply to women who seek miscarriage care at individual physician offices, at community health centers, or at birthing centers, among other places. Given that 20 to 25 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, that is hardly of little concern. She also noted that fetal tissue after miscarriage is often transported to a pathology lab for testing (as aborted remains are at times transported to crime labs when allegations of sexual assault have been made) and said that the pathology labs are “definitely not ready” to have to comply with a fetal burial law.
Still, many of the abortion foes who regularly testify in favor of such measures at the Texas Capitol did not appear to concern themselves with such practical matters and instead congratulated the committee for its commitment to addressing what one supporter called a “critical issue.”
“The bodies of victims of abortion should never be treated like medical waste,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life.
Cook’s bill is by no means the only pending measure seeking to restrict access to abortion — nor is it the most extreme. Indeed, the hearing on Cook’s bill started to come off the rails mid-afternoon when a series of hard-line anti-abortion activists testified against the measure as not going far enough.
Members of Abolish Abortion Texas, who have rallied around a measure that would criminalize abortion in the state, railed against Cook’s burial measure as not being sufficiently pro-life: How could lawmakers say that burying fetal remains offers dignity while still allowing the “murder of unborn babies,” many asked. And they took exception to the fact that Cook, who is also chair of the State Affairs Committee, would call up his own bill while as yet failing to schedule the criminalization bill for such a hearing. Not used to being the target of such pro-life animus, for much of the hearing Cook sounded perturbed by the turn of events.
The criminalization measure filed by North Texas Rep. Tony Tinderholt defines life as beginning at fertilization and would require the enforcement of the state’s murder statutes against both doctors and women seeking care — despite the fact that doing so would violate constitutional protections. “Rep. Tinderholt would tell you Texans can decide, and the Legislature can decide if every human should be protected,” Tinderholt spokesman Luke Macias told the Austin Chronicle. “We shouldn’t have to ask permission from any court system along the way.”
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It is the first time the club, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, have posted a profit since entering administration in 2009, when they were relegated to League One.
Total revenue increased to £106m (up from £71.8m the previous year), with the rise accounted for by the more lucrative television rights deal.
However, the St Mary's Stadium outfit expanded the wage bill from £41.4m to £55.2m and showed debts of approximately £50m.
Chief executive officer Gareth Rogers told the club's official website: "There are lots of positives to take from these financial results. Recording the first profit and positive net asset position for the first time since administration in 2009 is very pleasing.
"It shows the health of the club and the group is strong and the foundations are there to be built on.
"The opening of the Staplewood Campus training ground in November was an important step for the football club. A substantial investment was ploughed into the development and the state-of-the-art facilities will further enhance the staff's ability to maximise the potential of our first team and academy players.
"Our focus remains on developing significant commercial growth which will support our vision to create a sustainable business model.
"We have a strong business plan in place and we're already seeing the green shoots of that plan. We believe it is possible to be a well-managed, well-structured football club that is successful both on and off the pitch."
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Ed Miliband will today invoke the deep-rooted history of Labour in Scotland as he makes an emotional plea for voters to stick with his party .
The Labour leader will ask traditional supporters to consider the loyalty of their parents and grandparents to the party in his first direct admission that the SNP are on the brink of winning in their heartlands.
In an effort to take the mantle of social justice back from a rampant SNP who threaten to wipe out every Labour seat in the country, Miliband will tell Scots: “Nationalism never built a school. It never lifted people out of poverty.”
In his strongest attack yet on the SNP, Miliband will make an appeal to patriotism and Scotland’s Labour traditions.
He will say that nationalism is a gamble that would leave Cameron in Downing Street and Scots in poverty.
Miliband is due to tell a rally in Glasgow: “Nationalism never created a welfare state that healed the sick and protected our most vulnerable. It is Labour values, Labour ideas and the determination of people across Scotland that has built this country to what it is today.
“Remember throughout history, it’s Labour values that have changed Scotland.”
Miliband will fire the starting gun on a frantic final weekend of election campaigning at the Glasgow rally after a day of working to win over voters in England, Wales and Scotland.
He will call on people across Scotland to help Labour sweep to power and to be part of the radical government he wants to lead.
poll loading Did your parents and grandparents vote Labour? 0+ VOTES SO FAR YES NO
Miliband is expected to say: “I’ve never pretended that changing our country, standing up to vested interests, building a better Scotland would be easy.
“It will be hard. But I want the people of Scotland to join me, join Labour, join people across the United Kingdom, in making it happen.
He will add: “We could be under a week away from a Labour Government. I don’t want anyone here to look back and wish you had been part of the change we are going to make.”
Miliband will make big references to Labour’s Scottish heritage in the hope that by tapping into voters’ memories of social change, he can bring them back to the party in the final week before the poll.
He will say that Scotland has always led social change across Britain and will invoke great Labour names from Keir Hardie to Donald Dewar to reconnect the party to Scots.
He will say: “Imagine all the people you know who have built Labour in Scotland.
“Your grandparents who fought for their rights in the shipyards and mines across this country.
“Your mums and dads, many of whom delivered leaflets for Labour or knocked on doors.
“We could be on the verge of electing a Labour government. They would want to be part of it. They would want to be part of building the better future.”
But the Labour leader’s strongest appeal will be for Scots to be part of the change that will kick David Cameron out of power. A vote for the SNP risks leaving the Tories in charge, he will warn.
Miliband will say: “Be part of booking the removal vans that will roll up outside Downing Street next Friday.
“So let’s come together and get the Labour government that Scotland needs to kick the Tories out on Thursday.”
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As reported earlier, Rep. Dennis Kucinich plans on forcing this issue before Thanksgiving.
From Brad Blog — “You know, I introduced House Resolution 333 because I heard from the American people and they said they wanted some response to make Dick Cheney accountable for the statements that he made that took us into a war based on lies. And the statements he made that would take us into a conflict against Iran. Again, more lies.
The President is now openly invoking the specter of World War III with respect to Iran. He ought to be held accountable also. I’m the only member of Congress who stepped forward on the issue of making Dick Cheney accountable. And now we have 21 members who’ve joined me. That’s a step in the right direction. But I’m going to go beyond that. I’m going to call a privileged resolution, at which point, would force a vote — at least if it’s only on a procedural motion — members are going to have to confront this issue of impeachment. They’re not going to escape it. This is a question of defending our Constitution. It really is.”
Original Article
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An extraordinary showdown between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin has intensified, with the jurist denying wrongdoing, and disputing Mr. Harper's recollection of the facts.
The court issued a statement a little after noon on Friday, defending itself against the top-level attack on its integrity: "At no time was there any communication between Chief Justice McLachlin and the government regarding any case before the courts."
The Prime Minister's Office had levelled a serious, but indirectly phrased, accusation the evening before – that Chief Justice McLachlin tried to involve Mr. Harper in an inappropriate discussion about a case that was either before the court or that could come before the court. If true, the longest-serving chief justice in the court's history might have to resign, or face the unheard-of prospect that the House of Commons and Senate would unite to force her off the bench.
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"The PM is imputing inappropriate interference to the Chief Justice and it's very personal, it's superpersonal," McGill University law professor Robert Leckey said.
Until now, the Conservative government and the country's highest court had wrestled each other in the traditional ways – in court filings and hearings. But after five rulings in as many weeks in which the court rejected key elements of the government's agenda, something changed. Those rulings, in sum, were a rejection of Mr. Harper's long-held views on Parliament's supremacy.
And then, on Thursday evening, Mr. Harper registered a serious allegation against the Chief Justice in the court of public opinion. And the conflict between the court and the government moved on to uncharted ground.
The Chief Justice, the Prime Minister's Office said in a news release, had tried to involve him in an inappropriate conversation about a case.
"Neither the Prime Minister nor the Minister of Justice would ever call a sitting judge on a matter that is or may be before their court," the release said. "The Chief Justice initiated the call to the Minister of Justice. After the Minister received her call he advised the Prime Minister that given the subject she wished to raise, taking a phone call from the Chief Justice would be inadvisable and inappropriate."
The case in question was the Supreme Court appointment of Justice Marc Nadon, a member of the Federal Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court Act does not expressly say that Federal Court judges are eligible to fill one of the three spots reserved for Quebec on the Supreme Court. (The court ruled Justice Nadon ineligible in March, the first time in a common-law country an appointed Supreme Court judge had been rejected by a court as ineligible, according to political scientist Carl Baar.)
The PMO's statement follows a recent pattern of blaming the judiciary for the government's inability to move forward on Senate reform, a key concern for many Conservative voters. Last week, Mr. Harper called the court's ruling on the matter a "decision for the status quo," which he said almost no Canadian could support.
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Responding to the PMO's statement, the court said that Chief Justice McLachlin's contact with the Justice Minister occurred on July 31 – two months before Justice Nadon was chosen for the court. The court said she was simply flagging the potential issue around the eligibility of a Federal Court judge. It also said that her office had made preliminary inquiries about contacting the Prime Minister, but that the Chief Justice had decided against it – a much different version from the PMO's statement.
Legal observers, including the Canadian Bar Association, representing 37,000 lawyers and judges, said that they found no fault with the Chief Justice, and that it is common practice in Canada for chief justices to consult with governments during the appointment process. John Major, a former Supreme Court judge, called her contacts with the government "innocuous."
"I don't view it as calling about a case. It's about the operation of the court," he said.
Adam Dodek, a University of Ottawa law professor, said that if the government felt the Chief Justice had acted inappropriately, the Justice Minister had an obligation to publicly challenge her ability to hear the case before it began.
Fred Headon, president of the Canadian Bar Association, said he hopes the PMO's statement was based on a misunderstanding. "It is troubling because it threatens to discredit the chief and the institution of the court and by extension the judiciary throughout Canada."
With a report from Kim Mackrael in Ottawa
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Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has exposed a powerful malware that infiltrates smartphones to secretly mine cryptrocurrency and carry out DDoS attacks.
Loapi, the malicious software, is so power-hungry that it can overheat your battery and fry your phone. The virus physically destroyed the Kaspersky Lab test phone just two days after being infected with it.
Kaspersky Lab wrote a blog detailing how Loapi works and the range of pernicious activities it can carry out. “Because of the constant load caused by the mining module and generated traffic, the battery bulged and deformed the phone cover,” the blog says.
Loapi is Trojan malware that is most commonly picked up by users who click on ad banner advertising in adult content apps. Pop up advertisements for fake anti-virus software is also a common vehicle for the malware.
Once on the phone, Loapi constantly asks for administrator rights. “It doesn’t take no for an answer; notification after notification appears on the screen until the desperate user finally gives in and taps OK,” Kaspersky Lab explained.
The insidious app even shuts down the settings window and locks the screen if the person tries to deny it administrator rights. If the user tries to download anti-virus software to protect the phone, Loapi flags it as malware and demands it be removed.
READ MORE: Bad Rabbit cryptoware attack: New virus hits companies in Russia, Turkey, Germany & Ukraine
After seizing administrator rights, the versatile malware manipulates the phone into carrying out a number of functions including mining the Monero cryptocurrency, signing the phone’s owner up to paid subscription services, plaguing them with more ads and even turning the phone into a zombie to be used in DDoS attacks.
Spain’s national police warned people about the malware via Twitter.
Kaspersky advises that the best way to avoid having your phone infected with Loapi is to only download apps from official stores; disabling the installation of apps from unknown sources; only downloading apps that you really need; and using reliable anti-virus software.
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For the faint of heart, a microbial flash mob might just do the trick.
A direct injection of photosynthetic bacteria—plus a little light—provided cellular life-support to the weak, blood-starved hearts of rats suffering simulated heart attacks. The bacterial jolt supplied much-needed oxygen to the gasping tissue and prevented long-term damage, Stanford researchers report this week in Science Advances. In fact, after a short recovery period the treated rodents had a 30-percent boost in heart function compared with control animals.
“In humans, an increase of this magnitude would have profound clinical implications, likely representing the difference between a healthy patient and one suffering from heart failure,” the authors conclude. They’re hopeful that one day the microbial menders could be used to help human heart attack patients and those undergoing heart surgery or heart transplants. There are some tall hurdles to get to those goals, the authors admit, but the results so far show promise.
Bright friendship
For the study, the researchers first made sure that the bacteria were benign and happy cohabitants with mammalian cells. In well-lit experiments, the researchers, led by cardiovascular surgeon Joseph Woo, grew rat cells alongside Synechococcus elongates. These photosynthetic bacteria convert carbon dioxide and light across a broad wavelength spectrum into oxygen and energy. In petri dishes, the two types of cells seemed chummy. S. elongates even shared their home-made oxygen with their heart cell neighbors—exactly what the researchers hoped to see.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Cohen et al.
This is because during a heart attack, open heart surgery, or a heart transplant, a living heart gets cut off from full blood flow. And that blood delivers critical oxygen and nutrients to the cells that make up the hard-working organ, plus it sweeps away waste products, such as carbon dioxide. Without blood flow, the cells become stressed, damaged, and can eventually die off—for a patient, that means heart failure and possibly death. But if well-lit S. elongates were around, they could provide microbial life-support for the heart cells, the researchers hypothesized.
Light-hearted
In rats, the bacteria seemed to do just that. Woo and colleagues cut off blood flow to the hearts of rats and then injected bacteria—either in the light and dark—or saline. After ten minutes and twenty minutes, rats that got the dark bacteria treatment had oxygen levels in their heart tissue boosted, at most, three-fold compared with those that got the saline control. At both time points, the rats with lit bacteria showed an average oxygen level boost of a more-impressive 25-fold.
After 45 minutes, the bacteria treatment with light improved heart function by 30 percent compared with the dark therapy. There was an average of 60-percent improvement compared with the saline control rats, but there was a lot more variation on this figure.
In another experiment, Woo and colleagues blocked the blood flow to rats’ hearts for 60 minutes while injecting either saline or S. elongates. Then the researchers left the heart exposed under light for another 60 minutes. Twenty-four hours and four weeks later, the S. elongates-treated rats had less heart damage and improved function over the saline controls.
The researchers also noted that the bacteria didn’t seem to produce any immune response in the rats and cleared from the heart quietly within a day.
Though the results are promising, there is still a lot of work to be done to figure out if it will work in humans. For one thing, researchers will need far more data to prove that S. elongates won’t cause any complications or infections in humans. Also, most heart-attack victims don’t have invasive surgery, so getting a light source directly into the heart to power the bacterial life-line will be tricky. The researchers are already brewing up ideas, including engineering the bacteria to produce their own light.
“Because S. elongatus is amenable to genetic engineering, there are countless possibilities regarding the augmentation of energy production, in vivo tracking, and growth control,” the researchers conclude optimistically. Despite the obstacles in the therapy’s infancy, “the data suggest a very real benefit from the use of photosynthesis to treat [blood-starved heart] disease.”
Science Advances, 2017. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.1603078 (About DOIs).
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“The first thing I will say is there were a lot of good things that were done last year offensively,” he said. “But the one thing that stands out is we need to run the football better than we did last year. There is no blame associated there, as there are always factors that are involved. But that is probably the biggest thing we have to do, because then your play action builds off of that, your time of possession increases where you can control the ball and you are in better third down situations. All of those things tie in together. Now, it’s hard to say you can improve on all of those things significantly in the offseason because there are no pads, but I think you can lay the groundwork for what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. That will carry over into training camp.”
It’s also no secret that an improved rushing attack will bring balance to an offense that drastically leaned on the passing game in 2015.
“You can do so many things when you are blessed with a quarterback like Philip Rivers,” Whisenhunt continued. “We’ve got to be able to do things that will complement him, and a good running game is one of those that we have to get better at.”
Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead are expected to be the lead dogs in a running back corps that also includes proven rushers Branden Oliver and Donald Brown. Even though Gordon’s rookie year didn’t live up to his expectations, Whisenhunt sees a bright future in store for number 28.
“As a young player, you never know how that first year is going to go,” he said. “Just like the ball didn’t quite bounce the team’s way last year, the same went for him. But I can say this. I’ve talked to Melvin a little bit, and had a chance to meet him briefly. I didn’t get a chance to spend much time with him, but with all of the work we did on him as a player coming out, I was very excited about him as a player and what he brings to the table. The same for some of what I saw of him on tape from last season.”
It’s no secret that Gordon struggled with ball security his rookie season as he coughed it up far too many times. Still, that is not uncommon for young players as Whisenhunt drew a comparison to one of the most dynamic running backs of the 21st century.
“Obviously one thing that jumps into everybody’s mind are his fumbles, but if you think back to Tiki Barber and what a great player he was, well he struggled with fumbles early on, too. So let’s not panic about that. Yes, it is something we’ve got to work on, but Melvin is a talented guy. The important thing for us is what does he do well from a run game perspective? Is it a power/counter scheme, or is it a zone scheme? What are his strengths, and how do they fit with us? How can we put him in those situations? I think it is important he gets reps, and comfortable with the courses he is taking. Last year, he didn’t get a chance to be exposed to that, so it will be easier for him with us having him for the whole offseason. He is also a good receiver, and catches the ball well out of the backfield. I’m excited about what he is going to be, and I am looking forward to that.”
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My Bobby kick continues! It’s funny to me because Stranger isn’t one of those songs I typically go out of my way to listen to, but when trying to figure out what today’s song would be it just popped out to me. When I think of Bobby tunes Stranger and I Need A Miracle are two that rarely appear at the forefront of my mind. I’d have to say that of the two I like Feel Like A Stranger better, but that’s just me.
This show took place on Bobby’s 42nd birthday so that may explain some of the extra oomph! this evening. That, and from what I understand, NYC area Dead shows had an energy all their own. There are a lot of gems on Nightfall of Diamonds!
This version of Feel Like A Stranger starts off with Jerry and Brent leading the way. Brent’s using that synth sound again. I’m still not sure what I think about it, but I do know that I prefer the runs he makes on the regular keyboard much more. I want to say Jerry is using his envelope filter for that thwacking sound. Stranger is one of the songs that seems like it was almost always delivered with a lot of energy, and that is certainly the case here. Bobby’s “let’s get on with the show” line evokes a cheer from the crowd of NY Deadheads. Garcia searches for the right notes in a jammed out chorus and Phil just keeps moving. Always moving. Forward. Furthur.
Jerry and Brent add backing vocals throughout and Bobby even seems to cede the lead vocals to Brent so he can add his own ad libbed response to Brent’s call. Jerry and Phil dance around each other in the solo that follows. Phil covers the fretboard like a jazz player here. Around 5:30 Brent starts to assert himself as well, before giving the spotlike back to Jerry. Bobby throws out some interesting rhythm parts, as is his wont, as well. Finally Jerry tags the main melody line and the rest of the band falls in line. A final flurry of notes precede the final three staccato hits to end the tune.
Complete Setlist 10/16/89
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This has to be one of the most self-righteous arguments from a developer I’ve seen in a while. So you’re basically saying you decided to put the game up for free on torrent sites, then people saw it and said “hell yeah, I’ll download that for free” and then you realized people weren’t going to pay for it because you had posted it on the torrent site. But hey, you included a section in the game where they were guilt tripped for pirating it. And I’m sure that really ruined their day.
Because you know what makes someone resort to piracy? Ease of access and lack of customer loyalty. If your fans do not have an easy, safe way of downloading your game where they feel that game will be safe and secure, they won’t want to buy it. And if you have not established a strong connection with your fans through community development and prior quality of your work, your fans will not be likely to purchase your game.
So please. Go ahead and generalize gamers as being filthy pirates who will ruin the game industry. We ruined your chance of breaking even making this game, so we certainly deserve to get thrown under the bus on this one. After all, you are making a video game for gamers to play, but there’s so many of us that maybe we won’t notice you’re using generalizations to insult us all for something that perhaps a few hundred thousand people did.
And regarding the “irony” of this situation. The irony is not that people pirated this game and then played a game where a game company failed because of piracy. The irony is that you posted your game to a torrent site, watched in horror as people downloaded your game for free when they were given the option, and then got self-righteous when you didn’t make enough money to get that kitchen remodeling your wife has been begging you for.
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First look at New Game! The Challenge Stage!
5pb.'s training adventure game based on the anime and manga.
Famitsu has gone up with its first online preview of New Game! The Challenge Stage, 5pb.’s newly announced PlayStation 4 and PS Vita training adventure game based on the New Game! anime and manga.
New Game! The Challenge Stage is set at the game development company Eagle Jump and puts players in the role of Aoba Suzukaze, who is tasked with creating add-on downloadable content for a hurriedly decided RPG epic. Training parts see players learn skills from their more experience co-workers, with parameters changing based on which co-workers you learn from. Adventure Parts will advance the story, and friendships will change based on your responses. Later on, you’ll be able to enjoy the individual episodes of the co-workers you befriended earlier on.
New Game! The Challenge Stage is due out for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita in Japan on January 26, 2017. It will cost 7,300 yen for the standard edition and 10,300 yen for the limited edition.
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One of the lots up for sale is on Fourth Ave in the South End. / photo via Albany County Land Bank
The Albany County Land Bank is selling off a handful of vacant lots around the city of Albany for $100 each (plus a few other costs) in a program it's calling... "Spend a little, get a lot!"*
The application process starts today, June 1, and runs through June 30. Press release blurbage:
The Land Bank has identified 40 tax-foreclosed, vacant lots to participate in the program. Most of the lots are located in the Land Bank's Focus Areas: the Arbor Hill, Sheridan Hollow, South End, West End and West Hill neighborhoods in the City of Albany. To be eligible, buyers must be property owners located on the same block as the participating lot and must be current on all taxes, water/sewer bills, and have no outstanding code violations or unresolved foreclosures. Preference will be given to applications based on factors including proximity to the lot and ownership status. Buyers will have 30 days from the date of purchase to ensure the property meets all City of Albany codes and will be required to retain ownership of the property for a period of five years.
The land bank link above has a map of the vacant lots, along with a detailed info page explaining eligibility and some of the additional costs involved. (Though the purchase price is just $100, total costs will be at least $700.)
Vacant lots are kind of like missing teeth in a streetscape, especially in dense neighborhoods. Bringing some sort of activity to them -- a garden, a neighborhood gathering space, just some regularly-mown grass -- can be a big help to a street.
Land bank?
Land banks are a relatively new concept. The idea is that they serve as a bridge between when a vacant property is seized in tax foreclosure and when it's bought by a new owner for renovation and/or redevelopment. Land banks acquire the properties, stabilize them, and then market them for sale with the aim of finding buyers who will redevelop them responsibly. The orgs can also "bank" properties (thus the name) to group them or otherwise set them up for better chances of successful development.
The Capital Region has three land banks: Albany County Land Bank, Troy Community Land Bank, and Capital Region Land Bank (Schenectady and Amsterdam).
* (rimshot) They'll be here all week.
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Judging A Generation Of Home Buyers Based On TV Shows like ‘House Hunters’
I was reading a post over at Lenpenzo.com last week about his kitchen remodel, and I especially enjoyed it for two reasons:
We recently remodeled our kitchen ourselves, so I could identify with his experiences. Len confessed that he wasn’t really paying attention to his wife when she requested the remodel expand into the bathroom based on some leftover granite they had from the kitchen. Part of the reason for the distraction? Len was watching the show ‘House Hunters’ on TV. He literally paid the price for not listening! I really appreciated his honesty here; not only did he admit to not paying attention to his wife, but he admitted it was over a tv show.
I am a big fan of shows like House Hunters and Property Virgins. (Although I hate that name by the way. The host has to obnoxiously scream ‘VIRGIN’ at least 5 times each episode.) For those who don’t know the premise of these home shows, a real estate agent shows three properties to a prospective home buyer. At the end of the show, the buyer usually picks one of the three homes, the deal always go through, and everyone claps and is happy. Oh, and the house is always perfectly decorated 2 months later when the crew comes back to check to see how everything is going.
Usually, the people looking for a home on these shows are young and recently out of college. Often times, their expectations are completely unrealistic. One woman in her early 20s wanted to live on the ocean in California for $220,000. Shockingly, she couldn’t find a home that fit her budget – go figure. So, she was forced to look at condos that were about 30 minutes away from the beach. (Waaah!)
I laugh when I watch these programs. Many of these home buyers are so clueless, I just crack up. One episode I watched recently showed a house that was 2400 square feet, but the paint colors weren’t right, and the buyer was whining about this and that. Guess what? 2400 square feet of house is too much for anyone just out of college! My gosh, we had to live in an apartment for 2 years to save up money for a down payment on our little 1,000 sq ft ranch that only had one bathroom. (Gasp!)
So where do these ‘kids’ get these expectations from? Were they raised in a house worthy of Teen Cribs? How do they have all this money? Where did these high standards come from? The attitude of some of these people makes me want to smack them through the tv. I guess I was raised more modestly, which is a good thing because I am generally happy with whatever my surroundings are.
I know the home buyers on these shows are a small slice of people that are actually in the housing market. However, based on the people portrayed, most young people can afford a house over $300,000 that is move-in ready. I always think of friends and family from previous generations that lived in a 1200 sq. ft house their whole lives and had only one bathroom. Now, these young’uns must have a master suite with a walk in closet. How come what was good enough for generations previous isn’t good enough for young people today? Are kids getting more and more indulged with each generation? I can just hear my grandma saying “why do they need all that space. That is just a waste”, and I agree.
Have you ever watched these shows and thought “What are these kids thinking?” Or “I must have chosen the wrong career?”
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Military-Style Units From Government Agencies That Have No Association with National Security are Wreaking Havoc on Non-Violent Citizens
All throughout the United States there are government agencies who have no association with national security acquiring military-like equipment, according to news talk KFLD.
Many agencies are also receiving SWAT teams including the Department of Agriculture, the Railroad Retirement Board, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Office of Personnel Management, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Education Department.
In almost prophetic fashion Ron Paul in a 1997 warned about the militarization of federal bureaucrats; including the BLM, which was not yet armed.
“All government power is ultimately gun power and serves the interests of those who despise or do not comprehend the principles of liberty,” said Dr. Paul. “The gun in the hands of law-abiding citizens serves to hold in check arrogant and aggressive government. Guns in the hands of the bureaucrats do the opposite. The founders of this country fully understood this fact.”
Which is exactly what we are seeing today with the over militarization of government agencies that have no reason to be armed.
The USDA has used its new military power to threaten people who grow lemon trees; force large fines on people for selling bunnies; confiscate grapes for no real reason; and ruin the livelihoods of small farmers.
One USDA SWAT team even seized bees privately owned that were proven resistant to Monsanto’s GMO Roundup and killed all remaining Queens. This shows the incestuous relationship between crooked corporations like George Soro’s Monsanto and government agencies.
The USDA is not alone in it’s abuse of power. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have recently used their swat teams to bully Americans for lobbyist interests or to punish political enemies.
Given the nations current debt, which approaching 20 trillion dollars, it seems like a foolish investment and wasteful to tax payers to buy all these unnecessary military equipment.
Why does US Department of Agriculture (USDA) need submachine guns? The agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) is requesting .40 Caliber semiautomatic submachine guns along with 320,000 rounds of hollow point ammo.
Why is the US Postal Service soliciting proposals for assorted small arms ammunition?
Why has the Social Security Administration requested 174,000 rounds of hollow-point bullets?
Why does the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the National Weather Service, need 46,000 rounds of hollow point ammo?
For what purpose does the EPA need a SWAT team?
Why do colleges need MRAPS and militarized campus police?
Why are government agencies raiding non-violent citizens? Al Armendariz, the regional administrator who was video-taped saying the EPAs “philosophy” is to “crucify” and “make examples” of US energy producers.
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Daring-Do and the Sapphire Stone", but I changed it since it didn't make any sense because we know that this is the Sapphire Stone cover.
And for those of you that still aren't convinced that this is in fact, "The Griffon's Goblet" and not "The Sapphire Stone", I suggest you watch this video and look closely at the cover of the book RD picks up
----Started this when "Read it and Weep" came out. Got lazy. Picked it up again today when I saw the cover of the book Rainbow Dash was reading in "A Friend in Deed".Daring-Do <3The goblet is so plain. Forgive me, I wasn't feeling creative enough to make it look awesome. About the spelling of "griffon", in case any of you are wondering (and I know some of you will ask), I used this spelling since the show used it in the episode "Griffon the Brush-Off".Anyway, I'm off to finish my college portfolio. Expect some new Two Sides posters and Final Fantasy ponies soon ^^As always,Art (c) * TehJadeh MLP:FiM, Daring-Do (c) Hasbro,
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Living standards still face squeeze as earnings have failed to keep pace with rising inflation
UK pay growth has started to edge up amid signs that the lowest level of unemployment since the mid 1970s may be increasing workers’ bargaining power.
Office for National Statistics figures showed that earnings growth in the three months to June was 2.1% higher than in the same period in 2016, and up from 2% in the three months to May and a recent low of 1.8% in April.
The ONS said unemployment in the quarter ending in June was down 57,000 on the previous three months at 1,484,000. The jobless rate fell to a 42-year low of 4.4%. Employment was up by 125,000 at 32.1 million in the three months to June, the highest rate (75.1%) since modern records began in 1971.
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Its breakdown of the 338,000 increase in employment over the past year found that full-time jobs were up by 380,000, while part-time posts fell by 43,000. Male employment was at a level not seen since 1991, while female employment was at the highest rate since 1971.
The ability of the economy to generate new jobs contradicts warnings by the Treasury before last year’s EU referendum that a vote to leave would lead to a sharp rise in the jobless total. The then chancellor George Osborne predicted that unemployment would rise by 500,000 within two years of a vote to leave. The first year following the Brexit vote saw unemployment fall by 157,000.
But despite the additional jobs and the acceleration in earnings growth, living standards remain under pressure because pay has failed to keep pace with inflation, which stood at 2.6% in June.
The increase from 0.9% a year earlier has largely been the result of dearer import prices caused by the drop in the value of the pound since the Brexit vote.
Ruth Gregory, the UK economist at Capital Economics, said: “The latest labour market figures provided some signs that the tightening in the labour market may be leading to a recovery in wage growth at long last.”
The increase in employment had beaten consensus expectations of a 97,000 rise, she added.
The City responded to the unemployment and earnings data by pushing up the value of the pound against the dollar by half a cent on foreign exchanges.
A tighter labour market is seen as strengthening the hand of the hawks on the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, who are pressing for an increase in interest rates.
The ONS reported that the availability of jobs in the UK continues to attract workers from overseas, but found that the rate of increase had slowed over the past year.
Between April and June 2016, and the same three months of 2017, the number of non-UK nationals from the EU working in Britain rose by 126,000 to 2.37 million. In the previous year, there had been an increase of 242,000. The number of workers from the rest of the world fell by 18,000 between April and June.
While the private sector continues to take on more staff, ONS figures showed state employment had fallen to its lowest level since 1999. The number of public sector jobs in the three months to March stood at 5.42 million, down 7,000 over the quarter and 20,000 over the year.
Matt Hughes, a senior labour market statistician at the ONS, said: “The employment picture remains strong, with a new record high employment rate and another fall in the unemployment rate. Despite the strong jobs picture, however, real earnings continue to decline.
“The number of workers born elsewhere in the EU continues to increase, but the annual rate of change has slowed markedly.
“New figures on the number of workers who say they are on zero-hours contracts show a small drop on last year.”
Damian Hinds, the employment minister, said the 338,000 increase in employment in the year to June had been primarily driven by full-time, permanent jobs. “More than 3 million more people are in work now than in 2010, with seven in 10 of these roles being in higher-skilled work,” he said.
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The Premier League has opted against staging fixtures on Christmas Eve.
December 24 falls on a Sunday this year and there had been speculation matches could be played on that date.
However, in announcing the broadcast selections for the Christmas period, the Premier League said there would be no games on December 24.
A Premier League statement read: "There will be no Premier League fixtures on Sunday, December 24.
"Four matches have been selected for live UK coverage that weekend, with three to be televised on Saturday, December 23."
Arsenal's match with Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium will take place on Friday, December 22.
Everton v Chelsea, Burnley v Tottenham and Leicester against Manchester United will all be televised on Saturday, December 23, the latter with a 1945GMT kick-off
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BHOPAL: The Jain community in Patharia block of Damoh district in the Bundelkhand region is learnt to have decided to dissuade the girls from their community from wearing jeans and T-shirt.The community members allegedly lit a bonfire of jeans and t-shirts in the presence of minister for agriculture Ramkrishna Kusumaria, who is also an MLA from Patharia,."It was a spontaneous decision taken during a religious event of the community this afternoon," said KC Jain, a member of Jain Panchayat of Patharia. "When the girls wear jeans and T-shirt, they are exposed leading to crimes. So we decided to discourage girls from wearing such outfits," he added."The girls should wear salwar-kameez and sari in accordance to our culture," Jain said.Jamuna Jain, another senior community member and a BJP leader, said, "If they continue to wear jeans and T-shirt, we will try to convince them as well as their family."Soon a number of jeans and t shirts were brought on the spot and set afire. The minister was also present on the occasion and was the first among the lot to set the heap of jeans and t-shirts afire.
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(CNN) -- Fresh fighting erupted Sunday between Somalia's transitional government forces and Islamist rebels, continuing a wave of violence that a top United Nations official called a "grave violation of human rights" that could possibly amount to war crimes.
The fighting restarted Sunday with heavy fire in a district north of the capital, Mogadishu, Somalia's Shabelle radio reported, quoting officials and witnesses.
On Saturday, the security director for the transitional government was killed and at least 40 people, mostly civilians were rushed to Mogadishu hospitals, according to Shabelle.
The United Nations' human rights chief said the strife in Somalia has caused "enormous suffering and massive displacement."
"In this new wave of attacks, it is clear that civilians -- especially women and children -- are bearing the brunt of the violence," said Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
She said attacks against civilians have been a signature feature of the conflicts that have plagued the Horn of Africa nation.
"There needs to be a much greater effort to protect civilians. Displaced people and human rights defenders, aid workers and journalists are among those most exposed, and in some cases are being directly targeted," she added.
Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and sparked brutal clan infighting.
The transitional government has struggled to establish authority, challenged by Islamist groups that have seized control of Mogadishu and much of the south.
The United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 people have been forced to flee Mogadishu since the latest round of fighting began in early May between the government and the Al-Shabab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups.
U.N. investigators, who spoke with refugees and internally displaced persons, reported that militants had carried out executions, planted land mines, bombs and other explosive devices in civilian areas, and used civilians as human shields, according to a statement from the office of the high commissioner for human rights.
The high commissioner also said there were reports of torture and evidence of child recruitment by forces fighting in Somalia.
"Some of these acts might amount to war crimes," Pillay said.
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Nov. 7, 2016, 11:09 AM GMT / Updated Nov. 7, 2016, 11:09 AM GMT By Monica Alba
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hillary Clinton campaigned with one of the most effective messengers her campaign has employed here Sunday night: a Gold Star father who has an uncanny ability to get under Donald Trump’s skin.
Khizr Khan recounted the way the Republican nominee repeatedly “attacked” his family after he spoke at the Democratic National Convention this summer.
Khan’s son died while serving in Iraq in 2004 and his speech in Philadelphia gained significant traction after he held up a pocket constitution and challenged Trump to read it.
On Sunday, Khan said he had a few “questions” for him.
“Would my son, Captain Humayun Khan have a place in your America? Would Muslims have a place in your America? Would Latinos have a place in your America? Would African Americans have a place in your America, Donald Trump? Would anyone who isn’t like you have a place in your America? Well thankfully, Mr. Trump, this isn’t your America,” he said.
In response to each question, the crowd inside the Radisson ballroom yelled “No!”
Related: Families of War Dead Demand Apology From Trump
He lauded Clinton as “the strongest, most qualified representator of the fundamental values which have made this country the symbol of hope and dignity for all through out the world.”
The grave marker for U.S. Army Captain Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan,who was killed in Iraq in 2004 in a roadside explosion, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. PAUL J. RICHARDS / AFP - Getty Images, file
Khan and Clinton took the stage together — to a rousing and sustained standing ovation. She sat behind him as he spoke and he did the same during her remarks.
Clinton, for her part, delivered a version of her closing argument, urging people to vote in order to reject Trump’s “dark and divisive” vision.
“We have to begin listening to one another and respecting one another,” she said. “This election is a moment of reckoning. It is a choice between division and unity. Between strong, steady leadership or a loose cannon, who could put everything else at risk.”
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Anytime you read about health-savings accounts (HSAs), there's the obligatory windup about how quickly they're growing. And the uptake has been notable, mainly due to the growth in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), which workers must be covered by in order to contribute to an HSA. A survey by America's Health Insurance Plans showed that the number of Americans covered by HDHPs--and who are, in turn, eligible for HSAs--rose by two million between 2014 and 2015, a more than 10% growth rate.
But plenty of workers who are eligible to contribute to HSAs don't take full advantage of them. Even though HSAs offer the best tax treatment of any savings vehicle--pretax contributions, tax-free compounding, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified healthcare expenses--only 4% of HSA holders choose to invest their funds, according to research from HelloWallet, a Morningstar company.
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A San Francisco man was sentenced Monday to 439 years to life in prison for burglarizing and robbing four older victims in the Nob Hill neighborhood.
Dwayne Whitaker, 51, was found guilty of committing a series of attacks in July and August of 2008 on the four victims as they entered their residences with groceries in hand, according to the district attorney’s office.
Three of the victims were older than 65, and one victim was 55, and they were unable to defend themselves. Three were hospitalized, but one victim managed to call for help and his partner and neighbors were able to catch Whitaker and hold him until police arrived, prosecutors said.
Whitaker was deemed incompetent to stand trial until April 2013, and then sought to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He was eventually found guilty of two counts of first-degree burglary, one count of first-degree robbery, one count of attempted robbery, two counts of assault, elder abuse with great bodily injury, and receiving or buying stolen property.
“This man preyed upon the elderly and defenseless,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “His actions were repulsive, and the sentence he received ensures he will never be able to hurt anyone again.”
Prosecutors asked for a life sentence for Whitaker because he had previously been convicted of crimes that counted as strikes under the state’s “three strikes” law. Judge Gail Dekreon sentenced him to 439 years to life, to the relief of Whitaker’s victims.
“The incident left me fearful and scared to leave my home,” said Robin Currier, one of his victims. “I’m relieved that I’ll never have to look over my shoulder and see this man, and I hope elderly San Franciscans share my sense of relief.”
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In what seems like an Alan Partridge sketch gone supernova, a man has allegedly severed his genitals on a railing.
Unfortunately for the unnamed Russian geezer, Lynn was not there to come to his aid and the spike didn't pierce his foot. As previously stated, it went through his nadgers.
genitals on fence
Credit: Vkontakte/east2west News
His intentions are unknown, however it has been reported that he attempted to scale the fence while drunk, which was never going to end well.
Luckily, unlike Partridge, the fella didn't have to muster the courage to head to a presentation while bleeding profusely. Instead, he wormed his way off the spike, leaving a good chunk of his manhood behind, and made his way to a local hospital in south west Russia, the Daily Mail reports.
hospital
Credit: Vkontakte/east2west News
In a grim alternative to what his pissed mind no doubt envisioned - a heroic jump into a poetic vault, mimicking urban Parkour wannabes, before landing via an epic swan dive - he lessened his chances of having kids by 100 percent. He also needs new jeans.
Such was the severity of the incident, many locals rushed to the aid of the man, helping him on his journey to hospital. Oh, wait, no. That's not right. They rushed to take pictures of the severed penis, which hung from the spike in Kuznetsk, Penza Oblast.
"The man said no-one else was involved in the accident," a Russian police officer told Progorod58, a local news website. "He impaled himself while climbing over the metal fence."
Eurgh. Let's just watch the Partridge sketch, shall we?
Credit: BBC/I'm Alan Partridge
It could be worse. Actually, I don't know; it's debatable whether the following incident is worse, just as bad, or slightly better - last year, one man from Honduras gave all his love to a homemade sex toy, which was literally just a plastic bottle, but ended up getting his penis stuck in it for four days.
Unfortunately for the 50-year-old, who didn't bother to seek medical help for obvious reasons, he was told he'd have to his manhood amputated.
The ghetto sex toy turned man trap caused his middle stump to get necrosis, which is a type of injury which causes cells to die. When rushed to hospital, with the bottle still attached to him, his penis had began to decay and had turned black. His penis died. Ouch.
RIP both of these guys' members.
Featured Image Credit: BBC/PA
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A Phoenix man who collected millions of dollars in death benefits after three different business partners and his wife were murdered has apparently died while on a cruise.
Peter Mizioch passed away this weekend, according to Crime Watch Daily, a nationally-syndicated crime show that spoke to family members Monday.
The cause of death wasn’t immediately known.
It’s the latest twist in a decades-long saga and it comes just two weeks after an ABC15 report that focused on Mizioch pleading guilty to federal tax evasion charges.
After Mizioch pleaded guilty, a federal judge allowed him to take a Disney cruise before his sentencing.
The timing of his death comes just days before Crime Watch Daily was set to air a months-long investigation into Mizioch’s ties to the four unsolved murders. The show’s investigation airs Tuesday.
During the past four decades, three of Mizioch’s business partners and his wife, Phyllis, have been murdered.
All of the murder cases are unsolved.
A fourth business partner of Mizioch was also shot in the back in 1979. The victim in that case survived.
The four murder victims had key-man business or life insurance policies that listed Peter Mizioch as a beneficiary.
In total, Mizioch has collected $8 million in death benefits, media reports and court records show.
In the 2010 murder of Phyllis Mizioch, the insurance company refused to pay out death benefits to Peter Mizioch because Phoenix Police considered him a suspect, records show.
READ THE INSURANCE COMPANY’S LAWSUIT
A federal judge eventually ruled that the benefits had to be paid.
The family of Phyllis Mizioch, who said the couple was about to divorce, also filed a wrongful-death lawsuit that was later dismissed.
Outside the courthouse Wednesday, a tense scene unfolded when ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing approached Mizioch to ask him about the tax evasion case and unsolved murders.
Mizioch didn’t answer any questions and remained calm and silent before getting into a SUV.
But his defense attorney Larry Debus yelled “get out of my way” before pushing Biscobing.
SEE MORE OF THE TENSE MOMENTS IN ABC15’S PREVIOUS REPORT
After turning to look at the camera, Debus quickly pivoted away and walked across the street before getting into a truck.
Debus is a well-known Phoenix attorney. "His clients range from Glenn Campbell to the “Trunk Murderess” Winnie Ruth Judd, and many professional athletes," according to a description by his law firm.
**Crime Watch Daily airs on ABC15 at 3 p.m.
Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at [email protected]
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A lifeguard in Alexandria, Virginia, told police she was raped and abducted while on the job. News4's Darcy Spencer reports. (Published Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016)
A woman working as a lifeguard at a pool in Alexandria, Virginia, was abducted and raped by a man Saturday afternoon, police said.
Alexandria police said the 24-year-old woman reported to police that at about 2 p.m., an unknown man approached her while she was at work at a pool in the 200 block of South Pickett Street.
The man took out a gun and raped her, police said. The victim called for help after the suspect fled.
The suspect is described as a white man in his mid-30s, tall and thin with short hair and dark eyes. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, light-colored jeans and a blue baseball cap, police said.
"It's just horrific. I am shocked," said a resident who frequents the pool. "I've live here since 1998 and there's nothing like that has ever happened."
Anyone with information about the assault or the man is asked to call police at (703) 746-6613.
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Jack Lessenberry for Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017
Getting a state constitutional amendment on the ballot is a lot harder than it sounds, as many groups have found out over the years.
You have to have the manpower and patience and discipline to collect 315,654 valid signatures within six months. Some of the signatures are always thrown out, often because some people sign twice or aren’t registered to vote.
Normally, the only way you make it is if you have the money to pay professionals to get signatures, usually at the going rate of a dollar a name or more. But the grass roots group Voters Not Politicians got more than 425,000 in less than four months, and did it entirely with volunteers. Early this fall, I saw people standing in line at Detroit’s Eastern Market for a chance to sign their petitions, something I’ve never seen before.
People, not just Democrats, are upset by the outrageous gerrymandering that has made most of our congressional and legislative districts not competitive, something which breeds incompetence, arrogance, and corruption.
Gerrymandering has given the Republican Party effective permanent control of the state senate, but Democrats are anything but saints.
They would almost certainly do the same thing if they could; they’ve done so in Maryland and Illinois. But the system has been rigged here to make sure they’ll never get that chance.
And the ability to do this at all is both wrong and wrong for democracy. Most people understand that; I’ve talked to more than one Trump voter who signed these petitions. Former Republican Congressman Joe Schwarz was an enthusiastic supporter.
But not those in power now, who fear losing control. Republicans know very well that if this gets on the ballot, it will pass, no matter how many misleading ads, paid for by secret dark money, they put on the air. A similar anti-gerrymandering proposal in Ohio got 71 percent of the vote a few years ago. Republicans, and allied special interests, intend to do everything they can to get the courts to keep this from getting before the voters.
They and their allies, such as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, have created a number of front groups, with misleading names like Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution, and are raising money for legal challenges. They are planning multiple lines of attack.
One approach will be to have the proposal thrown out on a technicality because of a mistake, soon corrected, in an affidavit attached to the petitions when Voters Not Politicians was getting this effort certified by the state. But they will also challenge it on the grounds that it is unconstitutional because it seeks to change too many sections of Michigan’s Constitution.
Those who are opposed to representative democracy are powerful and well-funded, and very used to getting their way. These days, men like state senators Arlan Meekhof and Dave Robertson don’t even bother to conceal their contempt for any effort that would make it easier for people to vote, or that would allow the citizens to know who is paying for commercials like the one that falsely implied that Supreme Court Justice Bridget McCormack supported terrorists.
The citizens who signed these petitions have made their intentions known. Whether the voters themselves get a chance to decide will be now up to a handful of judges.
Jack Lessenberry is Michigan Radio’s Senior Political Analyst. Views expressed in his essays are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.
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AT&T is trying to nudge customers on grandfathered unlimited data plans to switch to ones with limited data. But the company's latest move isn't all that punitive: AT&T is raising the price, but for the first time in seven years, and by only $5 a month.
The $30-per-month plan will cost $35 starting in February, AT&T announced. The change will affect a few million customers.
Compared to AT&T's years-long history of throttling customers on the old unlimited plans (which aren't offered to new customers), the price increase is pretty tame. It's also still cheap compared to Verizon, which recently raised its unlimited price from $30 to $50 a month. (The AT&T and Verizon prices don't include what customers pay for voice calls and text messaging, which can bring the total bill closer to the $80-100 range.)
But AT&T seems to expect some people to switch to limited plans because of the $5-per-month increase. The announcement reminded customers that "You can change your plan at any time," and encouraged them to learn about the "Benefits of Mobile Share Value" plans, which are limited and can cost more but include tethering and rollover data.
"Should you decide to cancel your wireless service because of the $5/mo. increase, we will waive the early termination fees (ETFs)," as long as customers cancel within 60 days after the price increase, AT&T also said.
Customers on device payment plans would still be responsible for paying off the entire device cost. Customers who want to switch carriers may need to ask AT&T to unlock their phones. Those who switch to a different plan but stay with AT&T will not be able to switch back to unlimited data in the future.
The remaining unlimited data customers often don't have contracts anymore, so AT&T could probably just force them onto limited data packages or raise the price even higher. Instead, the company has taken steps that might make holding onto unlimited data a hassle.
AT&T threatens to revoke unlimited data plans when it suspects that customers are tethering or sharing their phone's Internet connection with another device. We wrote about one man who said he was not tethering but received such a threat anyway.
AT&T also used to throttle unlimited data customers once they hit 5GB of usage in a month, slowing them down at all hours of the day and night until the billing cycle reset. AT&T finally changed the policy for all unlimited data users this year so that customers would only be throttled when the network is congested. AT&T also raised the throttle point from 5GB to 22GB. Now, customers can use 22GB without fear of throttling, but for the rest of the month they could be throttled if they connect to a congested tower.
AT&T's throttling of unlimited data drew a $100 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission and a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission, and the company is fighting both agencies to avoid having to pay the fine or refunds to customers. The FCC and FTC argue that AT&T deceived customers by marketing data plans as unlimited when in fact they were throttled to speeds that make using Internet services difficult or impossible.
AT&T has 57.7 million postpaid phone subscribers with smartphones, and nearly 90 percent of them are on usage-based data plans, instead of unlimited ones, AT&T said in a recent report to investors. That puts the total number of unlimited data customers at 5.77 million or so.
While AT&T and Verizon no longer offer unlimited data to new customers, T-Mobile and Sprint do. Sprint sells unlimited high-speed data with unlimited talking and texting for $70 a month. T-Mobile last month raised its unlimited plan's price from $80 to $95 per month, but existing customers can keep their previous rates for at least two years.
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Former hedge fund manager Shah Gilani notes:
In creating MERS, these institutions actually changed the land-title system that this country – for much of its history – has relied upon to determine legal ownership status of land titleholders .
Not only did the lenders sidestep (read that to mean avoid ) paying billions of dollars in fees to local governments, they paid themselves from the fees that MERS collected.
MERS is facing class-action lawsuits and civil racketeering suits around the country and their members are being individually named in all these suits. One suit alleges that MERS owes California a potential $60 billion to $120 billion in unpaid land-recording fees.
If suits against MERS and all its members are successful, unpaid recording fees and fines (that can be as much as $10,000 per incident) would make every one of them insolvent.
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A man missing nearly 30 years has been found alive and safe, living just 80 miles away from where he disappeared. He had reportedly been suffering major memory loss due to a head injury.
Edgar Latulip was 21-years-old when he vanished in September 1986 from a group home in Kitchener, Ontario. According to local news reports at the time, Latulip, who had developmental delays, was being treated after attempting suicide. Officials believed he may have jumped on a bus bound for Lake Ontario or Niagara Falls to possibly try again.
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But decades later, the results of a DNA test have confirmed…
Read the rest of this story from our partners at NBC News
Contact us at [email protected].
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There comes a time when even the most ardent open source users might not want to manage their own servers and patch their own software. So goes the thinking behind Cloud Dataproc, Google’s (GOOG) new managed big-data service for running Hadoop and Spark as a service on Google’s cloud computing platform.
Hadoop and Spark are popular open source technologies for processing large amounts of data, but they are notoriously difficult to operate, especially in large deployments. Commercial technology vendors such as Cloudera and Hortonworks (HDP) are trying to solve this problem for users running these technologies in data centers, but the easiest option—for those willing to give up some control over their server—is just to have a cloud provider take care of it for them.
Other cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT), already offer managed services for Hadoop and Spark, so Google is not exactly blazing any new trails here. Where Google says it is doing something different is on cost: Cloud Dataproc costs just 1 cent per CPU per hour (billed by the minute), and can cost between 50% to 70% less than comparable services depending on how much customers use it, Google Cloud Product Manager Greg DeMichillie told Fortune.
Google is also touting the integration of Cloud Dataproc with the company’s other cloud computing services for big data—including BigQuery, Cloud Storage and Cloud Bigtable (a database technology)—and the ability to work with Dataproc using standard interfaces. DeMichillie said Dataproc clusters take an average of about 90 seconds to come online, compared with at least several minutes if you’re deploying them on local servers, or even running open source Hadoop or Spark on cloud-provider virtual machines. Minutes—whether it’s 2 or 30—can make a big difference if you need those resources now, or if you’re being billed while machines are still spinning up.
Really, though, Google created Dataproc because customers wanted it and Google had a void in its cloud platform by not having it. Big data workloads are becoming more important with each passing day, especially as trends such as the Internet of Things provide a tangible, viable use case for years’ worth of talk about data analysis. If you’re a cloud provider and the only options for users are try to manage open source software on your own or use our proprietary big data technology (Cloud Dataflow, in Google’s case), customers might start looking elsewhere.
Google might truly believe it proprietary Cloud Dataflow is the best way to manage and run data jobs (much like Microsoft might really believe the Prajna technology it’s building is superior), “but you do have to make some adjustments,” DeMichillie acknowledged.
“The thing we learned across all these things is there’s no one-size fits all,” he said. “… We definitely did talk to customers who were telling us [they would] really rather have a fully managed service [for open source technologies].”
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I recently got together with Ron Kaplan who is a well known artificial intelligence researcher in the area of natural language processing. Ron is a Distinguished Scientist at Nuance Communications. The conversation is about 1 hour long and the main theme was the recent comments about dangers from artificial intelligence made by Professor Stephen Hawking and also Elon Musk, as well as Eugene Goostman the chatbot that supposedly passed the Turing Test. Beyond this, the conversation ranges near and far covering whether it is ridiculous to suggest that Siri is a conscious being, reflective computing, NL interfaces and access to knowledge, communicating with wives, the effects of my diet, and the future of human languages when universal translation becomes widely available.
VIDEO BELOW
Ron is a Senior Director and Distinguished Scientist at Nuance Communications. Previously he served as Chief Scientist and a Principal Researcher at the Powerset division of Microsoft Bing.
He is also a Consulting Professor in the Linguistics Department at Stanford University and a Principal of Stanford’s Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI). He was previously a Research Fellow at the Palo Alto Research Center (formerly the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center), where he was the manager of research in Natural Language Theory and Technology.
Ron’s book Intelligent Linguistic Architectures describes his research and approach, and is worthy addition to any technical library.
The book collects papers that are at the cutting edge of research in computational and theoretical linguistics. As all of the papers represent research areas in which Ronald M. Kaplan has made foundational contributions, the papers in the volume represent a tribute to the vital role he has played in the development of computational linguistic research and linguistic theory, particularly within Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG).
Part one, “Generation and Translation,” contains contributions on the design of the most optimal architecture for machine translation, parsing and generation, as well as proposals for a machine translation system which successfully combines statistical methods with deep natural language processing.
Part two, “Grammar Engineering and Applications,” focuses on practical natural language processing such as using the LFG grammar development platform XLE for implementing tutoring systems, building large lexicons and grammars, exploring interactions of tagging and parsing, and building large grammars and lexical resources from treebanks.
Part three, “Formal Issues,” examines difficult linguistic data and their treatment in formal linguistic theory. These papers range from contributions on Optimality Theoretical vs. finite-state treatments of Finnish prosody to mixed-category constructions to theories of discourse and coordination. Foundational issues addressed include interactions between morphology and syntax in complex predicates, coordination and agreement, and the resolution of coordination asymmetries via f-structure analysis.
Part four, “Semantics and Inference,” examines the fundamental issue of compositionality in syntactic and semantic theory, and presents cutting edge research on theoretical and practical issues in mapping from linguistic structures to knowledge representations.
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A global research team has shown that men whose red blood cells are lacking a Y chromosome – a phenomenon known as loss of Y – may be more susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s. The researchers believe that the loss of Y could be a biomarker for Alzheimer’s, allowing physicians to diagnose the disease in its early stages.
The Y chromosome contains the genetic information necessary for many of the factors that make an individual physiologically male – including development of the testes – but in some men, their Y chromosome begins to degenerate as they age. As men tend to live shorter lives compared to women, and men are more likely to develop non-sex-linked cancers, this loss of Y may explain the differences in mortality between the sexes.
In order to investigate the potential link between loss of Y and Alzheimer’s, Professors Lars Forsberg and Jan Dumanski, from the Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology at Uppsala University, Sweden, set up a collaboration with researchers in the UK, France, the US and Canada. Forsberg’s previous research interests included determining what effects the loss of the Y chromosome had on cancer development and progression.
“The idea for this research project came to me when I was writing our first paper on the relationship between loss of Y and the development of non-blood cancers,” said Forsberg. “In thinking about the process known as immunosurveillance – the body’s ability to fight disease development throughout life – I found that it had been well studied in Alzheimer’s disease, and hence it occurred to me that loss of Y might be involved in this disease too.”
The researchers studied the prevalence of Y chromosomes in the red blood cells of 3,300 men aged 37 to 96. Approximately 17 percent of the men showed a loss of Y in a minimum of 10 percent of their red blood cells.
The researchers found that elderly men more commonly displayed loss of Y. While the study contained a wide age range, the average age for study participants was 73.
Individuals with a pre-existing Alzheimer’s diagnosis were more likely to have a loss of Y. Interestingly, those identified as having a loss of Y were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s in the follow-up period after the study.
The researchers suggest that the degraded Y chromosome may lower the red blood cell’s ability to function during an immune response. Regardless, the researchers say that loss of Y could act as a biomarker to encourage physicians to begin neurological testing for Alzheimer’s.
More than 5 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s in the US alone; this number is expected to rise to 14 million by 2050.
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