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Notice for anyone planning a long-distance hike or ride on the Arizona Trail: While the trail can be a great place to practice social distancing to avoid potential exposure to COVID-19, there is still a risk of transmission, particularly in high-use areas like trailheads and off-trail gathering areas, such as hostels and within gateway communities. While you yourself may fall into a lower risk category for developing a serious case of COVID-19, all of us at the Arizona Trail Association (ATA) are writing because we are concerned for your safety as well as the safety of those who live and work in Arizona Trail gateway communities. These communities are home to vulnerable populations, including the elderly and those without health insurance, and many have limited medical facilities that could become easily overwhelmed by even a small number of COVID-19 cases. If you are planning to begin a long-distance hike or ride on the AZT in the next six weeks, you must be prepared – mentally and financially – to self-quarantine in a private hotel room for at least two weeks if you think you are exposed to the virus and/or begin to develop symptoms. Traveling home from the trail to self-quarantine would endanger those around you and people on your route home. We understand that finances are often already tight on a long-distance hike and that preparing for such an outcome may be impossible for you. If you are unable to budget for the possibility of paying for a hotel room, food delivery, and medication for two weeks in the event that you are exposed to COVID-19, we urge you to consider postponing your AZT journey until the situation improves. We understand that this may be upsetting – many of you have been planning this journey for years, and we know that an opportunity to spend months on the AZT is life-changing. However, in issuing this guidance, we are thinking of the elderly man working part-time at the checkout counter of the grocery store where you will resupply, and the woman without health insurance who cleans your hostel or hotel room. We are thinking of the fact that many trailside communities along the AZT are small and isolated, and may be hours away from the closest COVID-19 testing center or, more importantly, the closest hospital equipped to treat patients in severe respiratory distress. This article includes an easy-to-follow explanation of who should self-quarantine or isolate as of March 13, 2020; however, as the situation continues to evolve, we encourage you to consult CDC guidelines for up-to-date information about who should self-quarantine and for how long. Additionally, we recommend that AZT travelers take extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 along the AZT. These include washing your hands often (at least 200 feet from water sources), staying home if you’re sick, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and avoiding unnecessary skin contact with others. We are encouraging at-risk individuals to postpone their travels. On March 5th, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated public guidance encouraging those older and/or with underlying medical conditions to stay at home to minimize all interactions with the public. The ATA is encouraging greater safety for those that require heightened protection from COVID-19. If you’re not in an at-risk category, we are not suggesting that you cancel your trip – simply that you be adequately prepared to take necessary steps to protect those around you in the event you become sick.

Victorian police have arrested dozens of young suspects in crimes such as carjackings and aggravated burglaries as they admit street gangs have "absolutely" become a problem in Melbourne. Key points: Police said many of the young people involved in "high-harm" crime in Melbourne knew one another Police said many of the young people involved in "high-harm" crime in Melbourne knew one another Some of those arrested have been charged with what police call "horrendous crimes" Some of those arrested have been charged with what police call "horrendous crimes" It follows another operation targeting "swarming", in which groups enter stores and steal property Police made the arrests over three days in suburbs including Cranbourne, Dandenong, Reservoir, Sunshine and Truganina, as well as the Geelong suburb of Norlane. Victoria Police Commander Tim Hansen said those arrested were aged between 15 and 21, and were allegedly behind a range of "high-harm, high-impact" crimes including home invasions, carjackings and aggravated burglaries. "What we do know is there are kids out there who seek the notoriety of being in a gang," Commander Hansen said. "If what we're looking for is an absolute agreement that we have street gangs in Victoria … then, yes, absolutely that's the case." Commander Hansen said young offenders entering the criminal justice system for the first time were being charged with more violent crime than police had observed previously. "These crimes include carjackings, aggravated burglaries, armed robbery and serious street robberies — all horrendous crimes which leave a long-lasting impact on victims. A 19-year-old Cheltenham man was arrested and released pending further enquiries. ( Supplied: Victoria Police ) "A number of offenders would hit retail outlets simultaneously and, by force or coercion, steal mainly electronic items, but also clothing and alcohol." Suburbs where arrests occurred include: Cranbourne Cranbourne Clyde North Clyde North Dandenong Dandenong Narre Warren Narre Warren Frankston Frankston Pakenham Pakenham Reservoir Reservoir Sunshine Sunshine Truganina Truganina Lara Lara Norlane Commander Hansen said arresting the group en masse showed police were "listening to the community" and sent a "clear statement that this offending absolutely has our attention". "If you keep offending, we are coming after you." The arrests were part of Operation Liege, which was focused on reducing youth offending across the state. Commander Hansen said it followed a separate recent police operation which saw 34 people charged over "swarming" offences, where a group of people enter and steal from a store en masse. Victorian crime statistics released last month revealed the number of home invasions and carjackings had risen over the past year. At the time, police said combatting those high-impact crimes was an "absolute priority", and they had set up new teams in Melbourne's outer suburbs to tackle the offending.

Eight people were asked to recall an unrequited love and then declare their love to the camera.

Brave Browser Review – Introduction Brave Browser is the latest unique browser to join the ever-expanding market. In our review about Brave browser, we’ll try and see what makes it unique and why you should switch to it. Until then, let’s see what you need to know about it. The open source and free browser from Brave Software Inc. has positioned itself as the browser that loads faster with better privacy protection. The firm was co-founded by Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript and a co-founder of Mozilla. Brave keeps data safe and provides users with the power to save or delete it. It features a built-in ad tracker and blocker. Unlike most common browsers, Brave also helps to fight phishing and malware. In this Brave browser review, we’ve analyzed what are the things that makes Brave browser special – and if you wanna give it a try, you can easily download it from here. Understanding the Brave Browser Model Brave is a more-or-less standard browser that lets users browse, run web apps and display online content. It is free to download and use. Furthermore, they remember site authentication information. With their default ad blocking, they caused a buzz in the market. It was viewed by many as a threat to content creators. But, the fact is that some of the users can support the content creators even more this way. The Brave Browser User Interface Brave offers a clean and crisp interface that is intuitive to use. It has all the elements you would expect in your ideal browser. Furthermore, its individual tabs support icons for quick identification, and hovering the cursor over a tab offers details on the page in that tab without having to click on the tab and activate it. The browser also displays statistics about the content the browser has blocked. These statistics are very useful. Furthermore, it displays photos, the current time and shortcuts to your favorite sites. Like other websites, one would expect these features to have an effect on speed. However, this is not the case. Its very easy to use, with a streamlined design and the useful option to preview the content of tabs. One of the things that made us love it even more while we were writing this Brave browser review, was the fact that they display how many hours of ad loading they saved you – pretty cool, right? Brave Rewards System For Content Creators and Users Content creators depend on ads to sustain their operations. However, the ads are not displayed on Brave browser. So how does this browser support online publishers? The browser has a unique approach when it comes to compensating of creators. Rewarding is done through the Brave Ads network and user donations. Publishers are required to register with the network before qualifying for revenue. Registered publishers earn 55% of the replaced ad revenue. Brave comes with an inbuilt BAT wallet. This wallet enables users to support their favorite websites. Users can load the wallet and allocate a specified amount of BAT to their preferred sites. The wallet can be funded through Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and BAT token. Credit card holders use payment processor Uphold. You can set a monthly budget of BAT to be automatically distributed to sites you frequently visit. You also have the power to set the percentage to be contributed. Brave users are not able to view any ads but still, support their favorite website. For users, you can earn in BAT by browsing websites that are a part of their publishers program. If users consent to replace usual adverts, with anonymous adverts from Brave, they get paid in Basic Attention Token (BAT). A single user gets 15% of the revenue. The revenue depends on the time you spend using the browser. Brave BAT is the browser’s cryptocurrency with a real use case – helping people earn ad revenue or supporting their favorite content creators. Unlike Chrome and Mozilla, Brave is mostly users based – so people have the power to decide. However, you have to enable Brave ads because the browser blocks all ads by default. Before receiving any payments, the BAT token wallet needs to be activated first. For users who don’t want to support any website, they neither earn nor contribute. They enjoy fast browsing. Is Brave a safe browser? Yes, it actually is. Brave is way safer than Chrome and Firefox as its a privacy focused browser. The Brave Shields work to protect your PC, Laptop or mobile phone against malware & other malicious scripts. One of the things that Brave is known for is the possibility of blocking ads and trackers as well as blocking scripts. Brave is based on its BAT token, which you can earn with Brave while surfing. You have the option to earn with brave or enjoy a secure fast browsing experience. However, Brave will never collect,store or sell any personal data about you. The data is your personal property and they have no right about it ( as per Brave’s terms of service). This is one of the reasons why million monthly active users chose Brave as their default browser. The Brave BAT is the main way Brave is making money. One of the most important things is that the Brave browser have all these security features on default from when you install it. You don’t need to edit them or be a computer guru to solve those, they come like that since you install it. Brave also blocks ad trackers and also – you can create a private tab with tor browser, which basically makes you completely anonymous. For more details, you can check the Brave github as the entire project is open source. Why Brave Settled For BAT Current delivery of digital ads relies on tracking browsing history, cookies, search question, and third parties. Brave does not support these tactics. With the use of BAT, the role of intermediaries and tracking is eliminated from the inventory catalog of current ads. Integration of BAT into the browser involves implementing BAT Ads system. The system displays ads to users based on locally stored information. With the data, ads targeting is done locally. Their model also promotes privacy. The browsing history is kept private, as all data required for ad-matching never leaves your system. Another thing that makes it a bit unique, the quality ads matching. Wrong ad matching is one of the reasons why some users hate ads. With BAT model, a user can select the ads he or she wants to see. The platform however, shields the anonymity of users while assuring the authenticity of their viewing. It is, therefore, safe to say that BAT represents a fundamental rethinking of the way digital ads are delivered. By the time of writing this article, BAT had a market capitalization of $244,798,134. Compared to the dollar, BAT is valued at $0.196773. How Is Brave Browser Funded? Brave Software’s financial life is shrouded in privacy. However, the company managed to raise $35 million in just seconds by selling the BAT cryptocurrency to investors in their public ICO. However, they have other revenue streams. For example, they kept a third of the 1.5 billion BATs and as starter seed for browser users’ wallets (300 million BATs). At the current BAT value, Brave’s 200 million equaled just over $70 million. The money will be channeled towards establishing a better blockchain-based digital advertising system with a strong privacy inside it. Benefits of Brave Browser The browser is gaining popularity. It has been viewed as the next Google chrome.It appears to be the solution to challenges that come with regular browsers. We’ve also made a Brave vs Google Chrome comparison – you can check that out too and see our unbiased opinion about them. Until then, you can check what made us write this Brave browser review and why we think you should switch to it as soon as possible. Default Ad Blocker Brave blocks ads automatically. Users are no longer required to search the web for a perfect ad blocker. The auto-blocking protects your device from malware and extensive tracking by advertisers. Brave is also working on a plan to replace ads that appear harmful. Tracking ads by Brave is accurate. Users are served with the right ads because they do the tracking using local data. If an ad is irrelevant to the user, it is pulled down. You get the appropriate ads based on this model. A user’s data stays within the device since we have no third parties involved. While the browser blocks third-party cookies, the first party cookies are not blocked by default. Users have the option to prevent or enable cookies on a given website. However, Brave does not block ads displayed in search results. You will be able to see AdWords advertisements within Google’s results. This is because Ad blocking extensions don’t stymie search ads either. Improved Privacy During Browsing Blocking of malicious ads automatically allows safe browsing. Brave does not have access to identifiable user data. The anonymity aggregated ad campaign related data is used for accounting. However, this data cannot be traced back to a user’s device. Brave also comes with additional tactics to boost privacy while browsing. The incorporation of HTTPS everywhere allows usage of web encryption whenever available. The fingerprinting feature bars third parties from tracking your activity. This feature can be activated in the settings tab. Brave is not as secure as Tor browser, because its based on chromium. However, its million monthly active users are pretty much happy with the privacy options offered by Brave. Compared to popular browsers such as chrome and mozilla or even microsofts edge – Brave run way smoother than any of them and does all that while keeping the privacy of the users intact. The browsing experience is amazing, even if you have viewing ads activated. Brave is Faster Brave’s load speeds emerge on top. Fast browsing is supported by Brave’s lack of thirds party ads. You, therefore, have less content to download before accessing your favorite website. However, Brave’s rendering speeds is almost as good as Google Chrome and Mozilla. You Get Paid To Browser – If You Want The concept of getting paid for browsing has been a dream. However, Brave browser has changed the game. All you have to do is to enable Brave ads. View the ads and get 15% of the revenue. For content creators, you are supported by users who love your content. All payments are in the form of BAT tokens. BAT payments are issued monthly and converted in USD or not converted at all – based on your choice. If you however don’t want to earn BAT, you can make brave run without ads and get the best surfing experience. Viewing ads on Brave is not mandatory and you can make brave block ads anytime you want. Don’t believe us? Download Brave and try it out. How Does Brave Browser Work? You can download brave and run it on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux platforms. Users on these platforms can browse securely, and fast. It accomplishes this without using a lot of your computer’s memory. Unlike most common browsers, Brave does not use much RAM. Brave uses at least 170MB of your RAM. It is important to note that Brave is based on chromium browser. Browsers built on this platform are known to consume a lot of memory, but Braves load time & resources used are way lower than expected. Brave’s Use of Chrome extensions Brave is set up on the Chromium platform. Chromium is an open-source system that also powers popular browsers like Google Chrome and soon Microsoft Edge. Based on the Chromium capability, you can almost use all Chrome extensions on Brave. The extensions on Chrome can be added to Brave through the Chrome Web Store. Make sure you read messages accompanying extensions carefully. It is up to you to make responsible decisions when installing 3rd party extensions with respect to your data. You can enable, disable, remove and view additional details/options for your installed extensions in the extensions window. This is perfect, as you can import your password managers from Chrome to Brave and enjoy the best browsing experience of Brave blocking ads and trackers and blocking scripts that might harm your experience. Pros Interface. Brave offers a simple, clean and intuitive interface. Speed. Based on the default ad blocker, Brave’s speed is fast. Ad and tracker blocking. Brave’s ad-blocking is a new one in the industry. Privacy and security. Along with its blocking features, Brave’s anti-tracking tools are among the best. Allows Chrome extensions – such as password managers and other important ones. Cons Brave Rewards. Brave’s opt-in ad display and compensation program not clear to many people. Who is Behind Brave? The Brave browser was co-founded by Brendan Eich. He is the creator of the Javascript programming language. Brendan is also the co-founder of Mozilla, the organization behind the open-source web browser Firefox. Brandan works along with other notable names in the tech industry. We have Brian Bondy who co-founded Brave also. Yan Zhu is the Security & Privacy Engineering personnel and she formally worked with Yahoo. Scott Locklin is the current BAT Smart Contracts and Economic manager. He is also the co-founder of Kerf Software. Here are other team members behind the Brave project. The Brave team also lined up a team of advisor led by Ankur Nandwani who previously worked with leading exchange Coinbase. Is Brave a safe browser? Yes, it actually is. Brave is way safer than Chrome and Firefox as its a privacy focused browser. The Brave Shields work to protect your PC, Laptop or mobile phone against malware & other malicious scripts. One of the things that Brave is known for is the possibility of blocking ads and trackers as well as blocking scripts. Brave is based on its BAT token, which you can earn with Brave while surfing. You have the option to earn with brave or enjoy a secure fast browsing experience. However, Brave will never collect,store or sell any personal data about you. The data is your personal property and they have no right about it ( as per Brave’s terms of service). This is one of the reasons why million monthly active users chose Brave as their default browser. The Brave BAT is the main way Brave is making money. One of the most important things is that the Brave browser have all these security features on default from when you install it. You don’t need to edit them or be a computer guru to solve those, they come like that since you install it. Brave also blocks ad trackers and also – you can create a private tab with tor browser, which basically makes you completely anonymous. For more details, you can check the Brave github as the entire project is open source. Brave Users Since 2018, Brave browser users have grown by over 450%. Elsewhere BAT’s active users have grown from 1 million per month in January 2018 to a total of 5.5 million active users in January 2019. As seen above, Brave works along with the Basic Attention Token (BAT). In March 2019, Brave reached over 20 million downloads on the Google Play store for Android devices. With 3 million monthly active users, a great browsing experience and the fact that you can earn with Brave – we don’t see a reason why you wouldn’t download Brave and give it a try. Web 3.0 Browser Benchmark Battle – Chrome vs Firefox vs Edge vs Brave Over the last couple of months, Brave improved a lot. They gained more users, most of the major bugs were solved and the team is building even if the market is down. But how fast is Brave compared to other browsers? Can brave support the latest technologies? Let’s find our together. We’ve tested Firefox, Edge, Chrome and Brave using Basemark. The results are here and it appears Brave surprised everyone. First of all, we tested Edge. Remember, that these test are not 100% accurate and it depends from browser to browser. Edge for example, had a low score due to the fact that the test wasn’t able to run Web GL 2.0 on Edge. However, on a different laptop the test run properly and Edge got over 250 – which is a great score. The, we give it a try with Mozilla Firefox. The contender for the first place of the most used browser did a lot better than Edge. It appears that Firefox is on his right path and the continuously building that the team does improved the browser a lot over the time. Chrome did good too. With 255.57 points, its the best browser so far. The page load and responsiveness capabilities is the highest so far and makes it a perfect choice for the people that want to browse the internet. But what about privacy? Well, if you care about that, check below how much Brave did. Brave actually scored 397.81. This is more than 3 times Edge did and 1.5x compared to Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Of course, the test is not 100% accurate but you can test yourself with Basemark 3.0. Brave crushed their competitors even though its built on Chromium. Brave browser worked hard on creating the best browser for any privacy enthusiasts, and the results can be seen below. Conclusion Brave browser is an interesting product that seeks to revolutionize the market and the digital advertising model. The browser is fast and can save up time and money. Furthermore, users can earn some extra income for browsing ads from the Brave ads service. Give it a try and download Brave from here.

PLEASE WHITELIST US. If it weren’t for the ads, LaptopMedia wouldn’t be running. Our articles are free to read but the equipment in our Labs isn’t. We want to be as objective and unbiased as possible, and you can help us keep our jobs by whitelisting our media in your adblocker. Although everyone is talking about the newly announced GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti GPUs and the hype is absolutely real, we really don’t want to burst your bubble but the news about notebooks coming equipped with those GPUs isn’t good. We received an interesting information from our valuable source that NVIDIA is planning to release its mobile version of the GeForce GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti sometime during January 2017 so don’t hold your breath. Wonder why’s the hold-up? We have a few theories. The most probable one would be the manufacturing process. We’ve already heard about NVIDIA changing its fab process for the GTX 1050 cards from 16nm TSMC to 14nm by Samsung. This might also be the reason for the late delivery of the notebooks with this GPU. Maybe the technology needs a little more work or the change comes a little bit late. Also, this way the GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti won’t receive the rumored refresh the rest of the GPUs are going to get with the 14nm Samsung chips. And by the beginning of the next year, all of the Pascal GPUs will migrate to Samsung’s 14nm chips. Another possible reason is money. NVIDIA will surely be selling. tons of new hardware during the holidays and will rely on the GTX 1050 hold-up to boost its sales of the high-end graphics – the GTX 1060, 1070 and 1080. Either way, the GTX 1050-powered notebooks won’t be coming very soon so if you were planning to buy a cheap high-performance notebook with GTX 1050 Ti for the holidays, you might want to hold on to your money for a while. Still, there’s a slight chance that NVIDIA’s plans might change until the end of the year so if we have new information from our sources, we’ll keep you in touch. …or, you can choose between the already available gaming notebooks on the market so you won’t miss the much-deserved Christmas present: http://amzn.to/2eJUy5d

March 14 (UPI) — Hungarian President Janos Ader was re-elected by parliament to a second five-year term, defeating a challenger his party claimed was backed by George Soros. In the balloting, 170 of 191 members of parliament voted in the two rounds of the election. The first round required a two-thirds majority. Members of parliament voted in two rounds to re-elect Ader, a member of the Fidesz party, headed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The ruling right-wing Fidesz-KDNP coalition delivered 131 votes for Ader in the first round of the election — two short of the required supermajority — with opposition parties combining for 39 votes for challenger Laszlo Majtenyi. The second round required a simple majority, and Ader defeated Majtenyi by 131 to 39, with the DK opposition party abstaining. Prior to the casting of ballots, both candidates gave a 15-minute speech to parliament. Majtenyi thanked those ministers who had supported him, and jokingly noted that he had not extended thanks to George Soros, the Hungarian-born billionaire who has financed left-wing and social justice movements around the world through his Open Society Foundations. He went on to say that “the state has succumbed to corruption” and must return to the rule of law. Ader talked of the accomplishments of his first term, including the Serbian government accepting his apology for war crimes committed by Hungarian military personnel in WWII. He went on to detail his participation in the fight against climate change, and closed by quoting a Hungarian poet named Janos Arany: “If we don’t have a homeland, then we don’t exist. We won’t have oxen or sheep, we won’t have homes or land. We will not be ourselves, because a homeland is built from these things. Now the question is, do we want the homeland to live, or not?”

（ＣＮＮ） インド東部ジャルカンド州ゴッダにある大規模な露天掘りの炭坑で３１日までに、崩落事故が発生し少なくとも７人が死亡、３０人が生き埋めになった。複数の警察当局者が明かした。 ゴッダ警察の署長によると、生き埋めになった正確な人数は不明。車両２０台も地滑りの土砂に埋もれているという。死亡した７人の遺体は崩落現場から回収された。 崩落原因は調査中。採掘作業は地面から約６０メートル下の場所で行われていたとの情報もある。 警察当局者らによると、事故が発生したのは現地時間の２９日夕だが、技術的な困難により救助隊がただちに作業を開始できなかったとしている。同警察署長が確認したところによれば、国家災害対応隊（ＮＤＲＦ）が支援のため現場に向かっているという。

The U.S. Department of Justice in 2014 advised the Spokane Police Department to evaluate its policy on neck restraints . A spokesman for the department didn’t respond to a message Wednesday seeking comment on the policy. Jenkins said all officers in his department receive annual training on how and when to use the neck restraint. Done incorrectly, he said, it can be dangerous. Pullman police have used force to subdue arrestees 122 times since April 2014, Jenkins said. That includes any grabbing of wrists or arms to gain compliance, he said. Officers used a lateral vascular neck restraint in 26 of those cases, he said. Proponents of the move insist it’s safer than a chokehold , although civil rights advocates scoff at the distinction and some law enforcement agencies refrain from using the technique . Neck holds became a subject of intense debate after the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who gasped “I can’t breathe” while being restrained by New York police. “If needed, it can render someone unconscious until police can subdue him,” Pullman police Chief Gary Jenkins said. “It’s a level of force that we employ if lower levels of force, like grabbing an arm or a wrist or something like that, are ineffective.” Ideally, a person’s windpipe is placed in the crook of the officer’s elbow, rather than pressed against the officer’s forearm. Pressure is applied to the carotid arteries on the sides of the neck to avoid crushing the trachea. Police use the term “lateral vascular neck restraint” to describe a neck hold that restricts blood circulation but not air flow. Pullman police used a neck hold and a Taser to subdue a former Washington State University football player after he allegedly tried to spend counterfeit cash at a liquor store and became confrontational with employees and bystanders. Treshon Broughton, a WSU senior who finished his Cougar football career last season, faces charges of resisting arrest and obstructing a law enforcement officer for the Feb. 18 incident at Adams Mall, a popular drinking spot. Broughton, 22, has been released from the Whitman County Jail and was arraigned on the charges, both gross misdemeanors, on Wednesday. Attempts to contact him and his attorney were unsuccessful. According to a police report, Officer Shane Emerson responded to Bob’s Corner Market just before 2 a.m. and found Broughton arguing with employees inside. Employees later told police Broughton had tried to buy a cigarette lighter with a $20 bill that was obviously fake. Emerson asked Broughton for his ID, but he refused to cooperate and the officer suspected he might run, according to the report. Emerson grabbed Broughton’s arm and tried to place him in handcuffs, but Broughton resisted and threw his arms in the air, questioning why he was under arrest, the report states. Emerson wrote in the report that Broughton appeared drunk and there was the smell of liquor on his breath. He wrote, “I did not feel comfortable with his resistance and felt it was prudent to fully detain him.” A second officer, Alex Gordon, arrived and ordered Broughton to comply, but he refused, according to the report. “Officer Gordon attempted to place Broughton into a lateral vascular neck restraint and Broughton was able to get out of his hold,” Emerson wrote. “We took Broughton to the ground and he remained on his knees, pushing up with his arms. For the record, Broughton was a member of the 2016 WSU football team and from my training and experience appeared exceptionally strong.” The grappling continued and, at one point, Broughton rolled on top of Emerson, according to the report. After issuing a warning that Broughton ignored, Gordon deployed his Taser into Broughton’s upper back, the report states. Emerson then pinned Broughton to the ground and put on handcuffs. He was searched incident to arrest and no currency of any kind was found on his person, fake or otherwise, the report states. The officers said Broughton’s behavior didn’t improve after he was booked into jail. “Broughton was later placed into a restraint chair, as he was kicking his cell door, removed all of his clothing but his underwear and was yelling, refusing to calm down,” the report states. “When Broughton was later released, he flooded his cell, demanding to have toilet paper. We offered him toilet paper and he said he would continue to flood his cell unless he was placed into a dry one. He was placed back into a restraint chair.”

Police say they are looking for at least two people who robbed a bank in Torrance at midday Tuesday. About 11:40 a.m. multiple people walked into the Cal-Com Federal Credit Union in the 20000 block of Hawthorne Boulevard in a takeover-style robbery, said Torrance police Lt. Kyle Goffney. At least one of the robbers flashed a gun during the robbery, he said. One round was fired but no one was hit, he said. The robbers got away with a “substantial” amount of cash in unknown denominations, Goffney said. There have been no arrests and the FBI is aiding in the investigation. For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.

Listen to me Silver of Stances, for I speak the will of the goddess!260 years of perpetual war against the Spry Beards (Ha! Beards they say! Those pointy-eared freaks crack me up.) and the Ivy Of Kisses have diminished our numbers to less then a hundred.Great beasts have destroyed our hillocks and the forestfolk have finished the job.All our fortresses have fallen to the pointy-eared foe, this mountainhome is the only place remaining to us.The other Children Of The Mountains have succumbed to betrayal and heresy, inviting goblins and even elves into their swelling ranks while we remain pure.Our copper mines have nearly run out after centuries of conflict.Our bronze-clad war-preachers can barely hold their ground against the onslaught of giant grizzlies, enormous eagles and colossal cougars with their ancient armor and weapons degrading with every skull we split.Yet we stand strong. Nikot Greatclashes looks down upon us, the goddess is with us. Fortresses, war and valor are her domain and we are her chosen people. She has shown me a place not far from our mountains yet deep within the forests of our enemy. A place where the roots of dark, dense, coniferous woods grap rocks full of precious iron, proud marble and glorious gold.The enemy does not yet know we have found this place, this is our chance to surprise them. There we will erect our fortress, our temple of war and their forests will fuel our fires, their rivers quell the thirst of our industry and from the deep rocks we will melt the iron and steel to feed our forges.We will not break. We will not die. For the glory of Nikot we will build the greatest fort the Planets of Omen have ever seen. And on our walls they shall break, their blood will fertilize the land and our hammers and axes will bear witness to the favour of the goddess and WE. WILL. KILL. THEM.Now I turn to you my beloved brother, most exalted King, give the word and send out a party to prepare the arrival of our forces. Let them pierce the Aquifer and begin building our new home. Send them to strike the earth!

On December 14, the staffers of The Weekly Standard were called into a meeting and told that the issue they'd just put to bed would be their last. Writers and editors, many of whom had been with the magazine since it was launched 23 years earlier, were ordered to clean out their offices by the end of the day. They were not given boxes. By Reason's lights, the editors of The Weekly Standard were consistently wrong about almost everything: the advisability of foreign military adventurism, the ethics of bioengineering and reproductive technology, the prospects for a John McCain presidency, and how many biographies of Lionel Trilling any sane human being could possibly be expected to care about, just to name a few. For The Weekly Standard, the fundamental unit was the nation, not the individual. The magazine's signal achievement was making the case for the Iraq War, and in the wake of 9/11 the editors unreservedly endorsed classical notions of martial valor, civic duty, and traditional masculinity. They stuck by drug prohibition and straights-only marriage even as the nation left those notions behind. And yet. Bill Kristol, Fred Barnes, Steve Hayes, and the rest of the gang put together a magazine every single week because they thought that by doing so they could make the world a better place. And the very act of publishing the magazine was actually a small step toward that end, because the world is a better place when the people with whom you disagree offer the very best versions of their arguments. It's better still if they do so in a carefully curated package on a regular basis. When The Weekly Standard tweaked its opponents, it did so lightly and in a spirit of fun. When it attacked, it did so advisedly, because it thought a great deal was at stake. And when its writers argued in earnest, as they did most of the time, they did so with the benefit of historical literacy, occasional insider information, and ruthless copy editing and fact checking. My first full-time job in journalism was at The Weekly Standard, so I am far from a disinterested observer. I was an uneasy fit from the beginning. They indulged me as a kind of domesticated pet libertarian—harmless enough, but not ultimately consequential. Which was fair. Still, the Standard was, in many ways, a home for ideological and partisan misfits. The flagship journal of neoconservatism housed more than one anti-war senior editor. Kristol himself, who stepped sideways into journalism from the once-lively, now-forgotten world of blast-fax policy wonkery, was always a conservative. But the magazine he edited until 2016 was at times only barely Republican. In 1995, when The Weekly Standard was just a few weeks old, President Bill Clinton launched a military intervention in Bosnia. The Standard supported the president (while also publishing a dissent from Charles Krauthammer), "for which sin a not-insignificant chunk of our original subscribers immediately canceled out on us," Kristol wrote in the magazine's 10th anniversary issue. As he later elaborated on C-SPAN, critics "wrote in saying they didn't subscribe to a conservative magazine so they could read editorials defending Bill Clinton." While the Standard by and large plumped for the GOP during its lifespan, its loyalty was not unconditional. Republicans, never fully grokking this about the magazine, were surprised and disappointed over and over. But The Weekly Standard's willingness to cross party lines and give the other guys credit was admirable and rare. Rarer still, it had a willingness to call out the failings of its own team. At the end of its run, the Standard once again came in for some "strange new respect" from the left after Kristol emerged as one of the most prominent voices on the right to oppose Donald Trump. But despite what you may have read in the president's Twitter feed, Kristol's opposition to the current president was not what killed The Weekly Standard. Philip Anschutz, who owned the magazine and dealt the death blow, is hardly a hardcore Trumpster. In the version of the story told by Standard alumni David Brooks and John Podhoretz, Anschutz simply grew tired of the Standard's editorial intransigence. Like his predecessor Rupert Murdoch, he turned his focus and favor toward the more conventional and potentially profitable media assets in his portfolio. But unlike Murdoch, who had let the Standard go to another owner as he zeroed in on The Wall Street Journal and Fox News, Anschutz opted to launch a direct competitor based out of his other major media property, the Washington Examiner. By euthanizing the Standard, he was able to grab its subscribers and reduce his new magazine's competition. While the transition could have been better executed—someone should have at least stocked up on boxes for the departing staff—it's hardly petty penny-pinching to prefer not to sink a couple of million dollars a year into an enterprise that strenuously resists your efforts to monetize its content and ignores your suggestions about its editorial line. The shuttering of the Standard has been offered as a parable about the changing journalism industry, and it was hardly the only magazine to stare death in the face this year. Digital publications such as Mic and Rare died or dramatically shrank. Refinery 29 and Rookie closed up shop. Time, Fortune, and The Atlantic all have dedicated billionaire backers for now, and New York magazine is on the search for its own sugar daddy. But Vice, BuzzFeed, and Vox trimmed staff and made changes to their business models in 2018. Perhaps the Standard was just another casualty of a tough business climate? Reason, along with Mother Jones, The Nation, and now National Review, is supported by a large and varied group of donors. That nonprofit model has protected us from much upheaval in the industry over the decades. All of these stories have elements of truth—if anything, journalism faces a Murder on the Orient Express scenario, death by a thousand cuts. The newsweekly barely exists anymore as a genre, and it would have been hard for The Weekly Standard to switch to biweekly or monthly; it suffered for having a mandatory publication schedule right there in the title. Editors never quite settled on whether to reserve the best stuff for print (thus putting out a book of old news every week) or going all-in online. If insider accounts are to be believed, Anschutz's Clarity Media didn't live up to its name in communications with Hayes, who succeeded Kristol as editor in chief, over the last year. And an anti-Trump Beltway-insider right-leaning magazine does have a rather limited audience. When the erstwhile Standard staffers gathered at writer Andrew Ferguson's house after the firings, the atmosphere was uncannily like a wake (or perhaps a shiva, as co-founder John Podhoretz joked). People who believed in the power of a magazine to bring about change sat around eating ham and drinking whiskey. They wondered—as those who are left behind do after a death—whether they had done the best they could while the magazine was alive, whether they had left the world better than they'd found it. Those are always hard questions to answer. But they are the right ones to ask. Funerary orations often reveal more about the hopes and fears of the eulogist than the deceased. This one is no exception. I have to believe there is power in the deep liberal humanism implicit in the format of a classic American political magazine. You've got the news of the day, war and scandal, votes and vetoes. But the politics is literally bound together with essays about arts and culture. The message is unmistakable and easy to lose sight of in 2019: There is more to a good life than politics. A steady diet of horse races and roll calls, broken up only by weather reports or news of the weird, is like having a tube of Pringles for dinner and washing it down with a Coke Zero. Sure, it might be fun from time to time, but make it a daily habit and you'll eventually rot from the inside out. That's what cable news and clickbait sites have to offer. And it's not enough. Whether or not it succeeds every time, a political magazine aims to provide a balanced meal. In its best issues, it offers a moveable (type) feast, powered by a genuine belief in the power of words and ideas to improve things. The Weekly Standard was one such magazine. And the death of a magazine that gets to all the wrong answers the right way is a terrible loss.

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After spending some time with the LG V30 in New York City last month, I was excited to use it as my daily driver back home. Over Labor Day weekend, I got the chance to do just that, and the phone has made a lasting impression on me. As I mentioned in my first impressions last week, the LG V30 is a solid phone across the board. It has great specifications, an excellent camera, and a gorgeous new OLED display with super thin bezels. How does it hold up in daily use? It’s been excellent so far. I’ve been using the V30 as my daily driver for the past 5 days, and so far the most impressive aspect to me has been the display. LG’s phones usually pale in comparison to the competition, especially Samsung. In the V30, though, LG has included an OLED display which is vibrant, sharp, and most importantly bright. Even on the two sunny days I’ve had during my testing so far, the screen is easily usable outdoors. There have been some complaints about the display circulating around, but I’d mostly chalk that up to the pre-production units that myself and other reviewers currently have on hand. Regardless, none of the problems are actually visible in general usage. Battery life has also been a big question surrounding the V30. A high-resolution 6-inch display combined with a 3,300 mAh battery isn’t necessarily a great formula, but on the V30 it actually holds up pretty well. Over the past few days, the phone’s battery has easily gotten me through each day, regardless of the amount of use. The heaviest day of usage was the day I received the phone. While setting up my apps and testing a bunch of the new features, I racked up about 3 hours of screen-on time over the course of about 14 hours, and the phone ended the day with about 18% remaining. On days two and three, the phone was used slightly less, but still racked up around 2 hours of screen-on time. By the end of the day, the phone wasn’t even down to 30%. The last feature I really enjoyed in my first few days with the phone has been the camera. LG’s dual-camera system has always been my favorite use for the technology with the super wide-angle sensor, and I think LG has finally perfected it this time around. The 16MP primary sensor is has an astounding f/1.6 sensor and bottom line, it’s fantastic. Regardless of the shooting conditions, that sensor is capable of taking some seriously awesome pictures, even on pre-production software. The wide-angle sensor has seen the biggest improvements though. Instead of ditching low-light performance for a wider view, this secondary sensor basically has no compromises. The f/1.9 aperture offers better low-light performance and there’s also far less distortion in its shots compared to the LG G6 and other past flagships. That’s all in auto mode too. Messing with the manual mode opens up a whole new world of possibilities, and the partnership with GRAPHY makes it ridiculously easy to get a starting point for various settings. Video on the V30 is also pretty incredible. The OIS in the primary sensor works great (as you can see in the video below) and I’ve been more than happy with the colors and sharpness of videos. I haven’t had much time to play with the special “Cine Video” functionality, but in limited testing it has been great. I just love it so much… pic.twitter.com/gTGxxeXXnR — Ben Schoon (@NexusBen) September 3, 2017 Overall, I’m incredibly impressed so far with the LG V30. When this phone does go on sale, it’s going to be a tough one to compete against. LG certainly has a player here in the intense fall market of new releases. Stay tuned, as our full review is coming soon. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

An easy and Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup full of incredible flavours, naturally thickened with no need for cream cheese or heavy creams! Ready in less than 30 minutes, our tomato soup recipe is loved by so many readers around the world! For kids to ask for this Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup repetitively, it must mean something…right? Tomato Soup Full of basil and a hint of garlic, this soup will most likely be on you weekly rotation, no matter the season. I garnished this soup with blistered tomato pieces, shaved parmesan and basil. Make ahead and freeze in advance OR serve immediately. This soup is the perfect start to a meal, or as a meal in itself. To get that creamy texture, I added in a secret weapon. No cream cheese or heavy/thickened creams are needed. Roasted Tomatoes With tomato soup, you can go the quick route and pour canned tomatoes in a pot and simmer them for 15-20 minutes until they’re soft. Or, you can go the really lazy route, (which I have done on more than 552 occasions), and heat tomato soup directly from a can. The problem with that is: Bland flavours You don’t know what’s in it Then there’s this recipe. Going that extra step and roasting tomatoes along with whole (smashed) garlic cloves on a sheet pan until they’re soft and sweetened naturally with their own juices, develops a natural flavour incomparable to canned soup. Most people I know are completely turned off making tomato soup because if you can get it in a can, then what’s the point of going through all of the hassle of making your own, right? Not ‘neymore. The flavours in this soup cannot be found on any supermarket shelf. Any. Where. How To Make Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup I use a humble potato to thicken this soup. Of course you can leave it out if you wish, but is adds a thick and creamy texture and compliments the tomato flavour nicely. However, you can use thickened cream if you wish! (About 1/2 – 3/4 cup for the whole pot.) If using the potato, fry it along with diced onion and red bell peppers (capsicums), until the onion is transparent and the potatoes are beginning to crisp up adds even more flavour into this soup (while your tomatoes are roasting). Pour in your broth/stock and simmer the potatoes until they’re soft. Add the tomatoes once they’re done; add the basil; blitz with a stick blender, and viola! SOUP! No additives, preservatives or artificial colours/flavours, and homemade soup done in less than 30 minutes. Serve with grilled cheese or cheesy toasts — whichever works for you. And dip away, my friends. So thick and cream Roasted Tomato Basil Soup! The Garlic Cheese Bread in the video is found here. More Soup Recipes To Soothe Your Soul! Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup + VIDEO! Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup Tomato Soup on VIDEO!

東京大学の大学生や院生５人による集団わいせつ事件で、強制わいせつと暴行の罪に問われた同大４年、松見謙佑被告（２２）の初公判が５日、東京地裁で開かれた。松見被告は罪状認否で罪を全て認め「自分勝手な行動で被害者を深く傷つけ反省しています」などと謝罪。この日は証拠調べで、主に事件関係者の調書が読み上げられたが、そこで明かされたのが、かつての早稲田大学の「スーパーフリー」をほうふつさせる東大“ヤリサー”のおぞましい実態だ。 冒頭陳述によると、松見被告らは今年４月「誕生日研究会」なるサークルを設立。事件があったのは５月１０～１１日にかけての夜で、餌食にされたのは池袋であったサークル飲み会に参加した女子大生Ａさんだ。 １次会から巣鴨のサークルメンバー宅へ場所を移し、男たちは酔った彼女を全裸にし、鬼畜の限りを尽くした。 松見被告はＡさんの上に馬乗りになりキスをし、そのままの姿勢でカップラーメンを食べ始め、故意に麺を落とした。Ａさんが激しく泣いたため、通報を恐れた東大生・河本泰知被告（２２＝強制わいせつ罪で起訴）が２人を引き離すと、Ａさんは周りの制止を振り切り部屋を飛び出し、公衆電話から１１０番通報――これで事件が発覚した。 Ａさんは本人調書で、松見被告と同じ罪に問われた院生、松本昂樹被告（２３）との関係を告白している。 「松本とは平成２７年１０月に知り合い、肉体関係もあった。私と付き合う気がないのは分かっていたし、松本にカノジョもできたので、友人として接していた」 １次会でエロい雰囲気を作ったのは、この松本被告と東大生Ｉだった。 「池袋での集会は、遅れてきた松本とＩが合流すると雰囲気が変わり、ゲームに負けると罰として焼酎を一気飲みさせるような流れになった。私は酔って寝たフリをしていたが、松本やＩが『起きろ』と胸をつついたり、松本が『こいつマジで胸デカいから触っていいよ』などと言っていた。私は我慢して何も言わなかった。松見が背中に手を回しブラのホックを外した」 ２次会はパスして帰ろうとしたが、松本被告に「お前どこ行くんだよ」と引き留められたＡさん。巣鴨のマンションでの暴行描写は実に赤裸々だった。 「松見が突然Ｔシャツをはいで、背後から胸をもまれた。ズボンもはぎ取られ、正座に前かがみになった。松本が私の背中を一発叩いたので、それにあおられたのか、松見も私の背中や尻をバンバン叩いてきた。この辺りから私は泣いていました。松見は割り箸で肛門をつついてきたりした。陰部にドライヤーを当てられたが、熱かったし意味が分からないので『やめて！』と言った」 松見被告はじめサークルメンバーはみな調書で、このサークルの目的が「女性を酒に酔わせてわいせつな行為をすること」と供述している。また松見被告の調書によれば、松本被告はＡさんのことを「こいつ俺のセフレだから、何でもしていいよ」と紹介。その松本被告は、自身の役割などについてこう白状している。 「私のポジションは被害者を泥酔させる目的で率先して飲ませたり、あおる役割だと思っていました。２次会では全裸にされた被害者がすすり泣いていたが、松見がその背中を叩き、私も被害者をみんなのオモチャにしよう、飲み会に引き続き参加させようと叩いた。松見はうずくまっている被害者をさらに足で蹴っていた。盛り上がってきて目的が達成できそうだと思ったので、外に出て交際相手と電話していた。部屋に戻ると被害者は大泣きしていたので『何泣いてんだよ』と言った」 また４月１８日にも、松本被告が「××を呼んでＡＶ撮影しよう」と言いだし、河本被告宅で女性を酔わせセックスしたことが明らかに。こうした調書読み上げを聞く松見被告は無表情。眼鏡を掛け、なで肩に水色シャツとウインドブレーカーを羽織るその見た目からは想像もつかないが、酒が入ると豹変するのは彼自身も自覚していた。 「酒を飲むと理性も記憶もなくなることがあった。酔った行為で周りがどう思うか気にせず、楽しい飲み会を優先していた」（本人調書から） 傍聴席にいた東大生によると「松見被告は確かに酒癖が悪く『彼が飲み会に出るなら欠席する』という声も聞いたことがある。カノジョもいたがセフレもいたという噂。保釈されているけど学校には姿を見せてない」という。 事件では３被告ら５人が逮捕され、Ｉら２人は不起訴とされた。

At the end of March, Bandai celebrated the 70th anniversary of the birth of legendary British singer Freddie Mercury, best known as the lead for Queen (and to 00's anime watchers for his Cromartie High School appearances) with an S.H.Figuarts. Using photos from his 1986 Wembley Stadium performance in Queen's final tour, 300 hours into the 3D modeling and Tamashii coloring process. As with the line's January figure celebrating the 75th birthday of Bruce Lee, the response from Japanese figures collectors wasn't exactly what you'd call "reverent."

The only problem was that Columbus had left behind a fairly important bit of information. "He didn't take back the knowledge of how to process it," said Betty Fussell, the author of "The Story of Corn," which chronicles the grain's several-thousand-year history. "That might sound innocuous, but it probably changed the course of history." Over the next few hundred years, most of Europe grew to misunderstand corn rather than embrace it. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the grain endured a different fate: It thrived, and eventually found its way to the very center of the American diet. AD AD Today, the United States is the largest producer and consumer of corn — and by a long shot. Corn is in the sodas Americans drink and the potato chips they snack on; it's in hamburgers and french fries, sauces and salad dressings, baked goods, breakfast cereals, virtually all poultry, and even most fish. The grain is so ubiquitous that it would take longer to list the foods that contain traces of it than to pinpoint the ones that don't. "Our entire diet has been colonized by this one plant," Michael Pollan told National Public Radio in 2003. But corn wasn't always so omnipresent. It took time for European settlers to warm to corn and, most importantly, a coalescence of fortunate events for it to sprout into an industrial behemoth. AD The choo-choo grain AD Until the 1800s, corn was eaten mostly by the poor. It was a cheap and prolific crop, consumed by farmers and fed to prisoners. And it was also used as a commodity. As Pollan wrote in his poignant 2006 book "The Omnivore's Dilemma," corn "was both the currency traders used to pay for slaves in Africa and the food upon which slaves subsisted during their passage to America." But then came the industrial revolution, and with it three essential technologies that helped propel the grain from the diets of the impoverished to dining tables all over the country. The first was an iron plow, which allowed farmers to sow deep into the soil, and on much larger scales. The Midwest was planted with corn on a commercial basis precisely because of this new, simple but revolutionary tool. Two other advancements had an equally large effect, even though they touched corn production more tangentially. AD AD "One of the most important boons for corn might have been that the commercial farms in the Midwest grew up at the same time as the canneries and railroads," Fussell said. Until then, corn was mainly distributed locally. But the rise of trains, which moved the harvest well beyond county limits, and the advent of canning, which meant it could keep for much longer, allowed farmers to grow with hundreds of thousands of mouths in mind. In the coming decades, the amount of land dedicated to corn grew incredibly quickly. It would be another half-century, however, until corn made its way to the center of the American diet. AD Help from science and price Corn is what Fussell calls a genetic monster, because it's highly adaptable and easily manipulated. And there is, perhaps, no better example of its mutant-like qualities than what happened shortly after the turn of the 20th century. AD In the 1920s and 1930s, scientists discovered a way to boost corn production to a level that was previously unthinkable. They bred hybrid strains that had larger ears and could be grown closer together, which allowed farmers to produce a lot more corn without more land. The discovery, coupled with the introduction of new industrial fertilizers and more efficient farm tools, such as tractors, led to a thunderous rise in output. In the following decades, "the number of bushels of corn per acre doubled, and then continued to rise each year," as Paul Roberts wrote in his 2009 book "The End of Food." Corn yields have risen ever since, with only brief interruptions due to sporadic droughts, interruptions that farmers are countering with further engineered corn. Advancements in farming technology and science paved the way for corn's ascent in the American food system, but what has allowed for corn to seep into just about every food Americans eat today is that, above all, it is inexpensive. AD AD "Corn has and always will be cheap, because it grows everywhere in the world," said Fussell. At present, a bushel of corn costs about $4 — less than half the price of soybeans, and a good deal less than wheat. And the price is falling. What we grow, what we eat The most incredible thing about the corn grown in America today is how little of it we actually eat. Less than 10 percent of the corn used in the United States is directly ingested by humans. The bulk is either turned into ethanol, for use as fuel, or fed to the hundreds of millions of animals we raise. Cows, chickens, pigs and even fish, which are fed pellets made largely of corn, eat several times the amount of the grain consumed by people each year. AD The relative cheapness of corn and general usefulness of it as a form of energy — both for living animals and living, more generally — have proved important enough that the government subsidizes its production to the tune of some $4.5 billion each year. The result is perpetuation of ambitious growing goals: Farmers, realizing that the more efficient they are, the more money they will get, grow more and more corn. The more corn there is, the lower its price, and the greater the incentive to use it in as many ways as possible. AD To talk about corn without talking about the different varieties would be to overlook an important facet of its ubiquity in the United States. There are many types, but the most commonly eaten forms can be divided into three general categories. The first, which is perhaps the most romanticized, is sweet corn. Sweet corn is what Americans grill in the summer, and boil or bake during the rest of the year. It's eaten on the cob. It gets stuck in your teeth. And it accounts for only about 1 percent of the corn grown in America. AD Flint corn, which has a soft center and harder outer shell, is what most people know as popcorn. It became popular in the 1960s after Jiffy Pop, which cooked the kernels in aluminum foil on the stovetop, was introduced, and rose further in the 1970s and 1980s, shortly after the introduction of the microwave. Today, much like sweet corn, flint accounts for a steady but comparatively insignificant portion of the U.S. corn crop. AD And then there's dent corn, a.k.a. field corn, the most important kinds. It accounts for the vast majority of corn grown in America today, as well as the vast majority of the corn Americans eat. It's in most animals we eat, because it's fed to most animals we raise for slaughter; it's in most of the beverages we drink, because high-fructose corn syrup, which is derived from flint corn, is the most commonly used commercial sweetener; it's even in our cheese, because our cows munch on it instead of grazing on grass. It's largely invisible, in other words, but also virtually inseparable from the American diet. AD "People have this kind of nostalgic understanding of corn," said Fussell. "They think of corn on the cob and popcorn. But the truth is that field corn is what we are really talking about when we talk about the dominance of corn in the United States." AD "It's in almost every product in the supermarket today," she said. "That's no exaggeration."

Judge Andrew Napolitano believes that a probe by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. , will re-evaluate the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and its “potential for abuse,” eventually leading to major changes on the heels of the Mueller report. “Senator Graham, who is a lawyer and military judge as well as a senator, is aware that FISA poses the potential for abuse,” Napolitano, Fox News' senior judicial analyst, said Monday on “America’s Newsroom.” BULK OF MUELLER CASES AGAINST TRUMP ASSOCIATES BASED ON FALSE STATEMENTS “Some of us have been arguing… for 41 years, that’s the time that FISA has been in existence, that it has a corrupting effect on the FBI. That it is too easy to start an intelligence operation with FISA rules by presenting shaky evidence to FISA judges and getting a search warrant on innocent people and then morph that into a criminal investigation.” Graham said Monday that he will probe alleged abuses of FISA at the start of the Russia investigation. “He’s going to look into how did all this start. Did it start because there were bad actors in the FBI? Yes, there probably were. Did it start because there were defective procedures in place? Yes, like FISA,” Napolitano told co-host Sandra Smith. “And I think he’s not going to be surprised by what he finds. But he’s going to have a treasure trove of potential corrections by way of legislation that the Congress can make.” GRAHAM SENDS OMINOUS TWEET TO COMEY: SEE YOU SOON “I’d like to find somebody, like a Mr. Mueller, that can look into what happened with the FISA warrants, the counterintelligence investigation. Am I right to be concerned? It seems pretty bad on its face—but there are some people that are never going to accept the Mueller report, but by any reasonable standard, Mueller thoroughly investigated the Trump campaign. You cannot say that about the other side of the story,” Graham told reporters Monday. Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

The Price is Right has named its very first male model, striking a blow for Plinko-related gender-equality everywhere. Twenty-four-year-old Rob Wilson—the frontrunner in EW’s own poll—demonstrated the blank smile and awkward stance necessary to show off wood-paneled hot tubs and karaoke machines, beating out hundreds of other similarly qualified hopefuls. Wilson’s stint starts Oct. 15 and will last for at least one week, marking a break in the CBS game show’s 40-year history of exclusively female models.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'Lucy': "People try to kill themselves to speed up their referral." Nearly all health professionals believe there are not enough mental health services for children who have suffered sexual abuse, a survey has suggested. The NSPCC surveyed 1,256 people in the UK, including psychologists, teachers, GPs and social workers, and 96% said there was insufficient help. Just over half blamed waiting lists, and 78% said accessing help had become more difficult in the last five years. The government says an extra £1.4bn is being spent to improve the situation. NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said the situation "shames the nation" and called for better access to therapy. The charity says abused children often have to develop chronic mental health problems, be suicidal or self-harming before services become available to them. It found that in many cases children have to wait more than five months to get specialist support. "There is no early intervention," said one of the professionals surveyed. "The child needs to have severe mental health problems before a service is available to them, due to the numbers and waiting lists." Another said the range of services available was "shockingly low". A senior clinician, responsible for the care of thousands of children, told the BBC that staff felt "desperate" about the lack of help available. Image copyright SPL In addition to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) - which provides access to psychologists, nurses and social workers - the survey also looked at services such as counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy, provided by the NHS and the voluntary and private sectors. Some 98% of the professionals polled said there was not enough of these services either. When asked about their experience of accessing all services in the previous six months, the barriers included cuts to services, not enough places and overly-stringent criteria. "The views of professionals in this survey speak loud and clear," said Mr Wanless. "The government and those that commission services urgently need to increase what is currently available to support this most vulnerable group of children." The NSPCC said victims were often referred to mental health services by GPs and councils, and while not all abused children would have a diagnosable issue, many would still need therapeutic support to help them deal with the trauma. It said if abused children did not receive the right kind of help and support, the damage could last a lifetime and many could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or suicidal thoughts in adulthood. The charity is launching a new campaign - It's Time - to raise awareness of the problems abused children face in getting help. 'Money being invested' At first, the campaign wants to rally at least 100,000 members of the public to its cause, with supporters being asked to exert pressure on MPs to have funding prioritised. A Department of Health spokeswoman said the government had pledged further investment. "We are investing £1.4bn into young people's mental health and are working with local areas to improve services in hospitals, schools and communities so young people get better quality mental health care as quickly as possible, a key part of which involves helping the victims of abuse," she said.

The Thunderbolt 3 standard has been available for roughly four years now, but cable lengths have so far generally been limited to a couple of meters due to signal degradation over long distances of copper wiring. While the use of copper Thunderbolt 3 cables limits their length, it does allow for additional features like the ability to carry power and fallback use of USB modes at slower speeds. Areca's 30-meter optical Thunderbolt 3 cable There is an alternative to copper cables that allows for longer cable lengths, and that's optical fiber cables, which use light to transmit signals over long distances with high fidelity. While there have been optical versions of Thunderbolt 1 and 2 cables, the Thunderbolt 3 standard has been very slow in seeing optical cables come to market. The market for optical Thunderbolt cables is relatively small given their expense and the fact that the vast majority of users have no need to run cables longer than a couple of meters, but for those who do need long cables, the wait for Thunderbolt 3 cables has been a long one. That wait finally appears to be coming to an end, however, as we're starting to see signs of the cables coming to market. Taiwanese company Areca has recently launched optical Thunderbolt 3 cables, available in 10-, 20- and 30-meter lengths. The cables are available through B&H, but with pricing coming in at $559, $699, and $799 respectively, these are obviously only for pro-level users who absolutely need the highest performance over long distances. And remember that these cables can only carry Thunderbolt 3 data and don't fall back to USB or provide power to or from connected devices. B&H currently lists expected availability of 7-10 business days on all three cable lengths, and Areca told me a few weeks ago that supplies were somewhat constrained as its factories were still trying to ramp production back up. Areca tells me that beyond the cables that have shown up at B&H, the company is also planning a special-order 50-meter cable and has also been considering a shorter 5.5- or 6-meter cable, although the minimal price difference between that and the 10-meter version may not make it worthwhile. Corning's optical Thunderbolt 3 connectors One of the major optical cable manufacturers users have been looking to for Thunderbolt 3 cables is Corning , and it appears its cables may be close to coming to market as well. One MacRumors reader let us know that Corning's cables have started appearing on websites of some European resellers like MacConsult in lengths ranging from 5.5 meters to 50 meters. Based on these listings, Corning's pricing looks like it will be starting at around the equivalent of $400 in the U.S., a bit less than Areca but still out of the range of the average consumer. Corning tells me that while samples of its optical Thunderbolt 3 cables have been shown at trade shows over the past couple of years, it's not quite ready to officially launch them and shared the following statement: Corning’s Thunderbolt 3 cables have not yet been launched publicly, although we have shown preliminary samples at industry events. We look forward to their launch, although a date has not been scheduled. It seems likely that Corning is still awaiting final certification from Intel and that a distributor may have gotten a bit ahead of itself in pushing out preliminary listings to some resellers, but hopefully we can expect Corning's cables to hit the market fairly soon. The annual NAB show in April would have been a good opportunity for Corning to launch its cables if final certification from Intel was imminent, but as with nearly every other trade show, NAB 2020 has been canceled, so we'll have to wait and see what Corning's plans are. Optical Thunderbolt 3 cables are hitting the market just as Intel has started teasing Thunderbolt 4, although it's unclear what the differences between the two versions will be, as they appear to offer the same maximum transfer speeds. USB4 is also coming to market in the relatively near future and will essentially unify Thunderbolt 3 and USB with Thunderbolt 3's theoretical maximum 40 Gb/s speeds.

Environment Variables Considered Harmful for Your Secrets Storing your secret keys securely yet easily accessible for your code running in your production environment is a challenging task. With secret keys I mean for instance your keys for accessing 3rd-party APIs, keys used to encrypt/sign cookies, hash user passwords and so on. There are dire consequences if your production secret keys would get into the wrong hands. You'll want to tightly control how and when your secret keys are accessible. We are probably in agreement on how not to store your secret keys, that is: in your code or in the same source control repository as your code. There are usually just too many people or 3rd-party services with (potential) access to your code repository who don't need to (and thus shouldn't) know your production secret keys. One great document on how to architect modern web applications is the The Twelve Factor App. It documents 12 principles (or factors as they call it) every web developer should know. Their chapter on "Config" states: "Store config in the environment". While I agree that the OS's environment is a good place for general configuration, I can't recommend this for anything you'd like to keep secret. When you store your secret keys in the environment, you are still prone to accidentally expose them -- exactly what we want to avoid. Let's have a closer look at the environment and environment variables. This is a feature of any OS you'd be using to host web apps, including Linux, MacOS and Windows. Environment variables have been used for system configuration since basically forever and are designed to pass configuration from the parent process to its child processes. A child process by default inherits a copy of all environment variables (called the environment) from its parent process. And within those properties of the environment lie the issues when it is used to store secret keys: The environment is implicitly available to the process. It's hard to track access and how its content gets exposed. It's easy to grab the whole environment and print it out (can be useful for debugging) or send it as part of an error report for instance. The whole environment is passed down to child processes (if not explicitly filtered) which violates the principle of least privilege. So your secret keys are implicitly made available to any 3rd-party tools you're using (like ImageMagick to resize an image). It's hard to say what those 3rd-party tools will do with the environment, especially in rare occasions like crashes. External developers are not necessarily aware that your environment contains secret keys. By doing so your requirements (tightly controlled access) no longer match with most developers implicit expectation (nothing special in the environment, just generic system configuration). This is a dangerous mismatch. Our solution thus has been to use a configuration file which is managed by the server's configuration management software (chef in our case). This way we can store secret keys outside of the code repository, and manage them using the same tool used to configure our servers. This solution, while not perfect, doesn't expose our secret keys to child processes and requires explicit access, which also communicates how developers should work with it. But no matter which solution you choose, be aware of the different caveats on how you store your secret keys.

Posted by James Donaldson on April 20, 2020 In these unprecedented times, we are often subject to necessary measures which are equally unprecedented. The upcoming Contact Tracing program which Google and Apple have partnered to create fits this criterion. As details emerge about how this Contact Tracing program works, we at Copperhead are paying close attention. Our users rightly expect choice about the information they disclose to the public, and we intend to continue to empower people to make informed decisions with their technology. Ultimately, CopperheadOS users will be empowered to make the choice to turn on Bluetooth scanning and be visible to mobile devices running the Contact Tracing app. CopperheadOS users will not be subject to any update which installs the Contact Tracing client application. CopperheadOS devices are completely “de-Googled”. Google Play Store and Services are not present in CopperheadOS. This means that Google cannot push the update which would install the Contact Tracing client application to stock Android devices. However, this fact alone does not mean that CopperheadOS users cannot be traced to contacts with stock Android or iOS devices. The device you're using may be privacy enabled and security protected but that does not guarantee the people around you share the same values as you do. In our latest release we have done a complete review and revamp of CopperheadOS's privacy by default settings. Specifically regarding contact tracing, we have accounted for the ability to passively trace Bluetooth scanning devices not running the Contact Tracing client application. By setting the default for Bluetooth scanning to off, we hope to empower our users to make an informed decision to participate in the COVID-19 Contact Tracing program. We urge our users to participate in the Contact Tracing program so long as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, as the data collected could prove invaluable in helping to curtail the spread of this horrific disease. Industry experts have both praised and criticized Google for their transparency and efforts to protect the privacy of their users in the Contact Tracing program. Even still, we at Copperhead believe that informed consent is a critical component of this system which is being built. If the system is built for medical purposes or not, the system should always be subject to data collection by consent and privacy by default. To all our users and communities at large, we hope you all Stay Home, and Stay Safe.

東京医科大学に端を発した医学部入試の不正問題。複数の私立大学の医学部で、浪人生や女子を不利に扱う入試の実態が発覚した。 浪人生は受験勉強の期間が長いアドバンテージがある。女子が優位なのは、結婚や出産を経ても仕事が続けやすい医師を目指し、優秀な女子受験生が集中するため。さらに地道な受験勉強を続ける女子は、男子より学力が高い傾向にあることも無視できない。一部の大学で女子や浪人生を不利に扱う入試が常態化していたのは、定員が少ない医学部の間口は狭く、入試のハードルが高いためだ。 注目度が高まっている医学部入試。この難関学部に強い高校はどこなのか。現役男子の優遇というバイアスがかからない、国公立大医学部の5年間の合格実績から検証してみた。5年間比較としたのは、単年比較では、順位にブレが生じるため。医学部合格実績が高い高校でも、現役生が数多く合格した翌年は、力のある浪人生が相対的に減少するため、高校全体の合格者数が減る傾向にある。 医学部に5年で572人合格した東海がトップ 医学部合格者数ランキングの1位は、この5年間で572人が合格している東海。難関がゆえに隔年現象が起こりやすい国公立大医学部入試にあって、2016年から3年連続で合格者が増え続けている。単年比較の合格者数ランキングでも、2018年春まで11年連続でトップを続けている。東海の合格者が最も多いのは名古屋大学で、2018年度は38人が合格。同大医学部のおよそ3人に1人は東海出身者だ。 学費が安い国公立大医学部は日本全国の大学が志望対象となるが、地元に設置大学が多いに越したことはない。東海がある中部圏には、名古屋大学に加え浜松医科大学、岐阜大学、名古屋市立大学、三重大学の5校が医学部を設置しており、こうした環境も合格実績を支えている。中部圏でランクインしている高校には、22位の南山、25位の滝、28位の旭丘などがある。 2位以下は、2位ラ・サール、3位洛南、4位灘、5位久留米大学附設、6位開成と続き、7位の東大寺学園までが5年間で300人を超える合格実績を出している。とくに灘は医学部の中でも最難関の東京大学と京都大学の合格者が多く、2018年は両校合わせて37人が合格。同年の灘の全国公立大医学部合格者数の4割近くを占めている。

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―――――――――――――――――――――――――― 『Prey』は、CERO Z（18歳以上のみ対象）のソフトです。 ※18歳未満の方は購入できません。 ―――――――――――――――――――――――――― ベセスダ・ソフトワークスから5月18日に発売されるPS4/XBOX One/PC用ソフト『Prey』。開発は『Dishonored（ディスオナード）』シリーズで知られるArkane Studiosが担当しており、同スタジオのお家芸“さまざまなプレイスタイルによる攻略手段”が用意されているとのこと。 そんな本作を幸運にもいち早く体験できる機会に恵まれたので、今回は私、ライターのhororoがプレイした感想をお届けしていこうと思います！ まず本作がどのようなゲームなのかを簡単に説明しましょう。わかりやすく言ってしまえば、地球外生命体（エイリアン）が引き起こすパニックを描いた、FPSタイプのSFアクションゲームです。 “ティフォン”と呼ばれるそのエイリアンは、黒いツタが集合したような独特の体を持っており、種類によってさまざまな特殊能力を使用します。なかには物体に変化するものもいるため、一見何もない部屋でも、もしかしたらエイリアンが擬態しているかも……。そんな世界を1人で探索することになるので、もう終始ドキドキです！ 驚異的な能力を持つティフォンですが、今の説明でしっくりこない方は下の動画を見ていただければわかるかと！ 【動画】『Prey』ティフォン研究報告 なんとなく本作の概要をつかめたと思うので、ここからは実際に体験した内容と感想をもとに『Prey』のもっと深い部分へご案内します。 このゲームの時代設定は2032年。主人公のモーガン・ユウは、宇宙空間に浮かぶ宇宙ステーションのタロスIで“とある実験”に参加していたようですが、どうやら記憶の大部分を失ってしまっているようです。 そして実験の最中に例のティフォンが出現し、ステーション内は阿鼻叫喚の地獄絵図に。目覚めたそこは無数のティフォンの巣と化しており、主人公はそんな絶望の世界で生き抜くことを余儀なくされたわけです！ 窮地に陥った主人公でしたが、謎の人物のメッセージに導かれてステーション内を探索することに。この声の主のガイドに従い、本来の自分の記憶を求めて情報を集めていくのが当面の目標となるようです。 ステーション内は壊滅状態で、場所によっては照明が落ち、暗闇の中を頼りないライトで照らしながら進むという、ホラーゲームのような緊迫感がありました。ただ自分はホラーが苦手なので、体験会から逃げ出したい気分になりましたが（笑）。 序盤をある程度プレイしたところ、ティフォンとガンガン戦うというより、戦闘を避けながら探索するほうがメインになっている気がしました。もちろん、FPS慣れしている人は戦闘メインで進むという選択もありです。自由度が高く、自分の好きなスタイルで遊べるのはいいですね。 時には、戦わざるを得ない状況に陥ることがあります。最初に手に入れた武器はレンチ！ レンチ（のようなもの）といえば、洋ゲーではお決まりの近接武器です（久しく見ていない気も）。ともあれ、これがあれば百人力！ で、最初に出てきたわけですよ。いかにもレンチで殴ったら即潰れそうな小さい敵が。これを見たら誰もが「余裕」と思うハズ！ でもね、このゲームはそんな予想を裏切ってきました。 そいつの動きはとにかく早くて、攻撃が中々当たりません。それどころか、2、3発殴っても死なないし、複数で襲ってくることもあるし、ティフォンがいかに危険な存在かを分からせられました……。そう、相手は未知の存在。小さいからって気を抜いてはいけないんです。目標をセンターにいれて殴る。これ大事。 ちなみに、本作には体力の自動回復はあるものの、1発殴られると死んでしまう程度までしか回復しません。頼れる“治療キット”はそうそう手に入るものでもありませんし、食べ物を拾い食いしたところで回復量が少なく、やはり心もとないです。 ここまでの説明で過酷すぎると思ったかもしれませんが、生き残るすべはあります。主人公が着ているスーツには“スーツコンディション”という数値があり、これが高いほど敵から攻撃を受けるダメージを軽減できます。 スーツコンディションは“スーツ修復キット”というアイテムで回復することを確認できたので、体力とスーツコンディションの管理が重要になってきそうですね。 先に進めることで、ティフォンに対抗できる優秀な武器が手に入ります。なかでも特徴的なのが“グルーキャノン”。着弾すると即座に凝固する特殊な弾を撃ち出せる銃で、ティフォンを固めて動けなくしたり、炎を消化したりできます。 さらに漏電した床の上に道を作る、壁を登る道を作るなど、探索でも活躍するのがポイント。用途が幅広いせいか、今回のプレイではグルーキャノンの弾薬が結構手に入りやすく思いました。 武器だけでなく、近くのティフォンを自動的に攻撃してくれるタレットを使うこともできました。しかもこのタレット、弾切れしないうえに持ち運び可能！ あまりに便利だったので、思わず「あれ？ これ持ち運べば楽勝じゃないですか？」とスタッフに質問したら、敵が多いとすぐに壊されてしまうとのこと。まあ、そんなに甘くはないですね（笑）。 他にも“ニューロモッド”という薬品のようなアイテムも手に入れました。これは、注射することによって特殊能力を得られるという優れモノ。効果は申し分ないのですが、問題は使い方です。 注射の針をブスッと目に突き刺すんですよ、目に。初めて見た時は、思わず「ウッ！」と声が出ました。 ニューロモッドによって習得できる特殊能力は、ツリー式になっていました。前提のスキルを取っていけば、より強力なスキルが使えるようになります。 スキルの数はとにかく多く、しかも序盤ではほしいものばかり。体力の最大値を上げて戦闘面を強化するか、ハッキング能力を得て探索面を強化するか。プレイスタイルに合わせて能力を選択していくのが、Arkane Studiosらしくてイイ！ 今回体験できた部分は、全体から見ればほんの触り程度ですが、それでも本作独特の緊張感やプレイスタイルの多彩さ、物語の奥深さなどを感じることができました。本当に幅広い戦術が用意されていて、攻略法を他の人と比べて楽しんだり、別のプレイスタイルで2周目に挑戦したりできますね。 ハマる人はどっぷり漬かってしまうようなポテンシャルを持っている本作。状況に応じた解答を自分で考えるのが好きな人、久々に歯ごたえのあるゲームを遊びたい人はぜひプレイしてみてください！ (C) 2017 BETHESDA SOFTWORKS LLC, A ZENIMAX MEDIA COMPANY. DEVELOPED IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARKANE STUDIOS. PREY, ARKANE, BETHESDA, BETHESDA SOFTWORKS, ZENIMAX AND RELATED LOGOS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OR TRADEMARKS OF ZENIMAX MEDIA INC. IN THE U.S. AND/OR OTHER COUNTRIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL OTHER TRADEMARKS OR TRADE NAMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. データ ▼『Prey』 ■メーカー：ベセスダ・ソフトワークス/ゼニマックス・アジア ■対応機種：PC（Windows） ■ジャンル：ACT ■発売日：2017年5月18日 ■価格：7,980円＋税 関連サイト

The most recent installation of my sample packs for producers out there. Each sample has been created and taken from recent and unreleased tracks, so they represent the quality and character of sounds I use in my own productions.

Von Tobias Wolf Dresden. Der Titel klingt nach einem Seminar in politischer Philosophie. „Über die Faszination des Marxschen Denkens“ ist der Vortrag überschrieben, den Lothar Fritze im Januar hielt. Nur, wo, bei wem und zu welchem Anlass der Professor ihn zum Besten gab, beschäftigt nun auch das sächsische Wissenschaftsministerium. Denn Fritze, Mitarbeiter am Dresdner Hannah-Arendt-Institut für Totalitarismusforschung, trug ausgerechnet bei der „Winterakademie“ des „Instituts für Staatspolitik“ im anhaltischen Schnellroda vor – einer Denkfabrik der Neuen Rechten. Sie fungiert weitgehend abseits der Öffentlichkeit als Schnittstelle zwischen Rechtsextremisten, extremen Konservativen, Pegida-Anführern und Parteien wie der AfD. Stammgäste sind unter anderem Anhänger der rechtsextremen Identitären Bewegung, (IB), die vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtet wird – eine junge, sich modern und hipp gebende Organisation, die nicht mehr viel mit dem Bild von Neonazis mit Springerstiefeln und Glatze zu tun hat. IB-Aktivisten wie der Österreicher Martin Sellner gehen in Schnellroda ein und aus. AfD-Rechtsaußen Björn Höcke hielt hier eine Rede, die eine Lehre verschiedener Menschentypen propagiert und an die Rassentheorie der Nationalsozialisten erinnert. Imageschaden befürchtet In diesem Umfeld ist Professor Fritze, der Erforscher deutscher Diktaturen, aufgetreten, der seine Kollegen vom Hannah-Arendt-Insitut damit nicht zum ersten Mal in Bedrängnis bringt. Er hatte 1999 den Dresdner Historikerstreit ausgelöst, als er dem gescheiterten Hitler-Attentäter Georg Elser die moralische Legitimation für seinen Tötungsversuch im November 1939 absprach. Infolge des Streits musste Fritzes Chef gehen, der umstrittene Forscher blieb. Wie Wissenschaftsministerin Eva-Maria Stange (SPD) jetzt auf Anfrage des Grünen-Landtagsabgeordneten Valentin Lippmann erklärte, entspreche die Teilnahme an der „Winterakademie“ nicht dem Forschungsauftrag und der Außendarstellung des Instituts. Mit anderen Worten: Dem Institut, in dem Lothar Fritze mit seinen Thesen weitgehend allein ist, droht mal wieder ein großer Imageschaden, ist aus der Einrichtung zu hören. Die Teilnahme sei nicht im Vorfeld bei der Institutsleitung angezeigt worden, weil sie in die Freizeit des Mitarbeiters fiel, so Stange weiter. Nur: Fritze wollte das ganze als Dienstreise deklarieren. Das sei abgelehnt worden. Es habe dazu ein Personalgespräch gegeben. Eine schriftliche SZ-Anfrage beantwortete Fritze nicht. Thomas Lindenberger, Chef des Hannah-Arendt-Instituts stellt klar, die Einrichtung „weiß sich einer kritischen wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit totalitären Systemen und extremistischen Bestrebungen verpflichtet. Daher lehnen wir eine Zusammenarbeit mit Einrichtungen der Neuen Rechten strikt ab.“ Das gelte auch für das „Institut für Staatspolitik“. Mitbegründer der Stichwortfabrik für die intellektuelle Neue Rechte ist Götz Kubitschek – ein Publizist, der mit antisemitischen Äußerungen auffällt und Begriffe wie „Holocaust-Industrie“ verwendet. Kubitschek steht den Völkisch-Nationalen in der AfD nahe, zu denen auch der Dresdner Bundestagsabgeordnete Jens Maier gehört, der im Januar 2017 mit Höcke im Dresdner Ballhaus Watzke auftrat. Maier sprach dort über eine angebliche „Herstellung von Mischvölkern“ in Europa und bezeichnete die Aufarbeitung der NS-Zeit als „Schuldkult“, den er für „endgültig beendet“ erklärte. Im Publikum applaudierte auch der Höcke-Vertraute Götz Kubitschek. Der 47-jährige Vordenker der Neuen Rechten lebt mit seiner Frau Ellen Kositza in dem Haus, in dem neben dem „Institut für Staatspolitik“ der Antaios-Verlag residiert. Letzterer ist spätestens seit der Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017 ein Begriff, als es an dessen Stand zu Tumulten kam. Ähnliches wiederholte sich jetzt bei der Leipziger Buchmesse. Einem größeren Publikum zeigte sich Kubitschek zuletzt beim Dresdner Dichterstreit zwischen Uwe Tellkamp und Durs Grünbein, als er im Kulturpalast forderte, der Riss in der Gesellschaft müsse noch tiefer werden. Kubitschek verantwortet seit 2003 außerdem die rechte Zeitschrift „Sezession“, in der er vor ein paar Jahren die denkwürdige These formulierte: „Unser Ziel ist nicht die Beteiligung am Diskurs, sondern sein Ende als Konsensform.“ Für Experten ist die „Sezession“ ein extremistisches Publikationsorgan. Das hielt Professor Lothar Fritze jedoch nicht davon ab, auch darin mit einem Interview und einem Gastbeitrag aufzutauchen. Berichtigung: In einer früheren Version dieses Artikels haben wir irrtümlich berichtet, Professor Fritze habe seine Teilnahme an der „Winterakademie“ des „Instituts für Staatspolitik“ als Dienstreise deklarieren und dafür Geld haben wollen. Professor Fritze hat seinen diesbezüglichen Dienstreiseantrag jedoch mit dem Vermerk „ohne Kostenerstattung“ gestellt. Wir bitten den Fehler zu entschuldigen.

Source: COVID-19 causes multiple shocks to Zimbabwe’s businesses: World Bank – Xinhua | English.news.cn HARARE (Xinhua) — The COVID-19 pandemic caused multiple shocks to businesses in Zimbabwe, with close to 90 percent of formal businesses suspending operations for about seven weeks on average since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in March, according […] The post COVID-19 causes multiple shocks to Zimbabwe’s businesses: World Bank appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation. … Continue reading…

Hyunsoo Leo Kim / Virginian-Pilot / AP State senator Creigh Deeds, right, with his son Gus while campaigning for governor of Virginia in 2009 Updated: 3:50 p.m. Virginia State Senator Creigh Deeds has improved from critical to fair condition Tuesday after sustaining stab wounds at his Bath County home. His 24-year-old son, Gus, died from a gunshot wound at the scene less than a day after receiving a emergency mental health evaluation. “At this time we are not looking for any suspects,” said Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police. “Based on the evidence we have right now, we are looking into this as an attempted murder and suicide.” Dennis Cropper, executive director of Rockbridge County Community Services Board, said that Gus Deeds was evaluated on Monday under an Emergency Custody Order, but was released because there was no space in any of the regional psychiatric facilities, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Under an Emergency Custody Order, or ECO, Deeds could be held for as long as four hours to decide whether he could be held for up to 48 hours on a temporary detention order. State law prohibits Geller from confirming or denying anything about the younger Deeds’s medical condition. “The motive and the sequence of events is the real crux and focus of the investigation,” Geller said. “Unfortunately it’s not like a TV show when you can wrap up the entire case within an hour.” Geller said that Deeds escaped from the home he shared with his current wife and son after the stabbing, and was walking towards Route 42 when he was picked up by a cousin who lives nearby. The cousin drove him to his home and called 911. Deeds, who was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2009, is being treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. He was conscious and speaking when he was airlifted to the hospital, Geller said. Gus Deeds’s remains were transported to the office of the medical examiner in Roanoke for autopsy, Geller said. “The news from this morning is utterly heartbreaking. Creigh Deeds is an exceptional and committed public servant who has always done what he believes is best for Virginia and who gives his all to public service,” Governor Bob McDonnell said in a statement. “We join people across the Commonwealth and country in wishing him a full recovery,” Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe, who lost to Deeds in the 2009 gubernatorial primary, said in a statement. Mo Elleithee, Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee and a former adviser to Deeds, called the news “devastating.” “He’s so committed to his community, he’s so committed to the state, he’s so committed to his family,” he told TIME. “When bad things happen to good people it just breaks your heart a little bit.” With reporting by Alex Rogers [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

A Chinese security personal stands guard at the entrance to the nuclear power plant in Qinshan, in China's Zhejiang province June 10, 2005. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in spent fuel reprocessing technology that could potentially solve China’s uranium supply problem, state television reported on Monday. The technology, developed and tested at the No.404 Factory of China National Nuclear Corp in the Gobi desert in remote Gansu province, enables the re-use of irradiated fuel and is able to boost the usage rate of uranium materials at nuclear plants by 60 folds. “With the new technology, China’s existing detected uranium resources can be used for 3,000 years,” Chinese Central Television reported. China, as well as France, the United Kingdom and Russia, actively supports reprocessing as a means for the management of highly radioactive spent fuel and as a source of fissile material for future nuclear fuel supply. But independent scientists argued that commercial application of nuclear fuel reprocessing has always been hindered by cost, technology, proliferation risk and safety challenges. China has 171,400 tons of proven uranium resources spread mainly in eight provinces -- Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Yunnan. China is planning a massive push into nuclear power in an effort to wean itself off coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. It now has 12 working reactors with 10.15 gigawatt of total generating capacity. China has set an official target of 40 gigawatts (GW) of installed nuclear generating capacity by 2020, but the government indicated it could double the goal to about 80 GW as faster expansion was one of the more feasible solutions for achieving emissions reduction goals. As such, China will need to source more than 60 percent of the uranium needed for its nuclear power plants from overseas by 2020, even if the country moves forward with a modest nuclear expansion plan, Chinese researchers say.

Daniel Krause has spent countless hours inside a hot and cramped mobile kitchen slinging eggs and bacon since he launched the Cracked Truck back in 2012 in downstate Champaign. He’ll use those hard-earned lessons when he opens his first Chicago restaurant. Krause plans to debut Cracked on Milwaukee sometime before October 1 at 1359 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park. “The truck taught me the Murphy’s law of the restaurant industry — anything that can go wrong will go wrong on a day-to-day basis in a truck,” said Krause, noting regular struggles with lights, water, and refrigeration. He vividly recalls a sweltering summer day with little ventilation when he had enough: “I was like, ‘fuck this, we’re opening a restaurant.’” The Wicker Park spot will feature the familiar menu as the Cracked truck, including portable items like loaded tater tots, the “Morning Bender” sandwich (cheddar, hash browns, fried egg, cream cheese), plus classic sit-down breakfast and brunch items. Diners can also anticipate dishes like biscuits and gravy and chilaquiles. Krause also plans to offer boozy brunch drinks like mimosas and Bloody Marys, plus draft beer. The 2,400 square-foot space in Wicker Park seats around 55, and will offer table service as well as a walk-up counter, embracing Cracked’s quick-bite-to-go roots. Krause and business partner Elliott West built out portions of the space themselves. Krause plans to add a mural of the Chicago skyline in the style of the truck’s colorful wrap. He plans to open up patio seating next summer. It’s the former Le Duck space. Krause opened this first restaurant, Cracked on Green, in 2017 in Champaign. Opening a restaurant can result in “visions of grandeur,” he warned: “You have all this space, your mind just goes crazy with ideas and you have to put it back in check,” he said. “We need to keep it simple and make sure food flies out of the kitchen in quality way.” Krause added a second truck in 2017. “I was still in the mindset of being a truck company,” he said. “Watching how expensive it was to go from one to two trucks, to operate, house, and maintain them — it was a freaking nightmare.” After building a customer base, Krause wondered if the food trucks were worth the effort. That’s why he opened the Champaign restaurant. West, who joined him in 2016 after attending culinary school, helped open that restaurant. He worked as general manager for two years. Another partner, Lewis Nisbet, joined Cracked last year and operates the Champaign location. Champaign is the home of the University of Illinois. If tater tots from college towns along Milwaukee Avenue sound familiar, look across the street. East Lansing, Michigan’s Conrad’s Grill opened in October in Wicker Park. It’s a Michigan State University favorite. Meanwhile, Krause plans to slim down from two trucks to one as he tries to make his brand lean and mean. The company’s name is Cracked: The Egg Came First. Stay tuned for more news as the restaurant progresses. Block Club first reported this story.

Update, May 29, 2015 at 2.26 p.m. ET: -Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of Chesterfield, Missouri; and Vanya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, won the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in a tie. -Here’s a Storify of this year’s racist and xenophobic tweets from user Jeff Chu. === It’s the week of the 88th Scripps National Spelling Bee, in which 285 Americans under 15 are vying to become national speller-in-chief. But amidst the fanfare that surrounds the Scripps competition, airing in part today on ESPN, is the prevalence of two problematic race-based narratives that arise without fail each year. The first is related to the need to justify why Indian-Americans have won the spelling bee for the last seven years in a row. Rather than focusing on the hard work and dedication of each of the Indian-American champions or the conditions that may have helped them to achieve—including economic resources or “South Asian community spelling bees” that provide the opportunity for spellers to practice—we seem determined to attach a cultural significance to the trend. This narrative goes something like this: Indians have a cultural gene that leads them to be successful. This notion of cultural exceptionalism contends that Indian-Americans possess special, innate cultural characteristics that propel them to thrive more than other non-white groups. Even the Washington Post explored the spelling bee trend in a story this week that quotes the Scripps bee’s director, past winners and scholars on their thoughts about the “domination” of Indian-Americans in the competition. But the narrative of cultural exceptionalism is misleading and harmful. It’s safe to say that all families place an emphasis on education and want their children to succeed. However, not all families have access to resources and institutions that enable their children to do well. When we rely on culture as the reason for success, we ignore the structural realities that prevent many children of color or poor children from reaching their goals. We also end up placing the onus on families to ensure academic achievement, rather than compelling the public and private sectors to also provide valuable services and benefits that can help all children succeed. Holding onto cultural exceptionalism as a justification for success also creates chasms between communities of color, and renders invisible the experiences of many people who do not fit into this framework. It reinforces a cultural and racial hierarchy that unnecessarily divides us through false assumptions about one another. These wedges end up undergirding struggles around other issues, such as affirmative action in which communities of color—especially Indian- and Chinese-Americans—are often pitted against black and Latino communities. Even within the Indian-American community, the notion of cultural exceptionalism is damaging for its monolithic characterization of community experiences. When South Asians are touted as cultural success stories across the board, the community’s experiences become homogeneous. The realities of those who fall outside the framework are often not addressed, much less acknowledged. Take for example the fact that 22 percent of the Indian-American population in the United States has either limited or no proficiency in English, or that about 20 percent of Indian-Americans does not have a two- or four-year college degree. While the achievements of South Asians who are Silicon Valley CEOs, spelling bee champions and science whizzes should be celebrated and lauded at every turn, they should not be presented as the only or prevailing narrative about the experiences of SouthAsian communities. We must challenge the inaccurate representations that imply all South Asians have the same privileges and opportunities so that we can fully attend to the needs and challenges facing our communities. The Scripps spelling bee shouldn’t be a justification for cultural or racial superiority. But it is most definitely an apt benchmark to assess our national appetite for diversity and inclusion. In recent years, for example, the public response to Indian-American national spelling bee champions has been nothing short of racist and xenophobic. An article in The Times of India recounts the various reactions: Another reader said, “How is it that foreigners who are new to America are able to win the spelling bee like this?” while another reader posted, “First they took our beauty queen title then they take our bee. Whats [sic] next they take away our jobs…” Another said, “The kids in the spelling bee should only be AMERICAN”. Another tweet said “Shocking that neither of the Spelling bee champs have names that sound American #Sriram #Ansun.” These remarks give us a sense of the racial anxiety that is pervasive in America, a trend that is becoming more visible and pernicious as the country’s demographics dramatically change. With a population of nearly 4 million, South Asians are the fastest-growing race group in the United States. As South Asians become more visible in sectors perceived as “American”—the Scripps National Spelling Bee or the Miss America pageant (won by Nina Davuluri in 2014)—the backlash rears its head, with portrayals of South Asians as un-American, as undesirable immigrants who seek to corrupt the nation. These perceptions are not new. The notions that South Asians are forever foreigners, worthy of suspicion, or job-stealers are ones that community members have contended with for over 100 years in the United States. Even today, despite accepting South Asian success in some arenas—cab drivers, domestic workers, computer programmers, and even CEOs of startups—there are others that are reserved for “real” Americans (read: white, Christian, citizen). Being a hardworking child of immigrants, even with the title of spelling bee champion, does not automatically mean that one belongs to this country. For South Asians in particular, the struggle for racial justice must include the dismantlement of the cultural exceptionalism myth. Instead of placing Indian-American spelling champions in a special category or demeaning them as un-American, we should be able to find a place in the middle by pushing back against the misleading race-based narratives that surround the Scripps National Spelling Bee. We can applaud the commitment of all the students who are participating in the competition without resorting to divisive cultural tropes. And we can treat those who win—of whatever background—with respect and dignity. For a humorous take on the Scripps spelling bee and the Indian-American angle, check out the video below of Hari Kondabolu on the W. Kamau Bell show, “Totally Biased,” in 2013. Deepa Iyer is the Activist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland’s Asian American Studies program and the former director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT). She is the author of the book, “We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future” forthcoming from the New Press in November 2015. Iyer serves on the board of Colorlines’ publisher, Race Forward.

The Senate Intelligence Committee said that they have found zero evidence to suggest Trump Tower was wiretapped. President Trump has made the allegation that the Obama White House ordered the action, which sent Congress scrambling for answers and evidence. Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016," said Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Mark Warner (D-VA), who serve ad the chairman and ranking member respectively of the senate Intelligence Committee. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said there is no physical evidence of a wiretap, but added that the tower could have been under surveillance (via Washington Examiner): House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., pushed back against his Senate counterparts' categorical conclusion that Trump Tower was never under surveillance during the campaign or presidential transition. Nunes stood by his Wednesday assertion that there was no "physical" wiretap on then-candidate and President-elect Trump. But beyond that, he said, is unknowable. […] There was no physical wiretap on Trump but "you can't rule out surveillance because we know for a fact that they picked up incidental collection on General Flynn—now we don't know if that was it," Nunes told reporters on Thursday. Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz that Trump is probably right to think that Trump Tower was under surveillance, but added that the president was wrong to accuse Obama of being behind the action.

In 1981, most folks thought punk rock died with Sid Vicious, Black Flag was a bug spray, and skateboarding was an activity confined to a handful of lunatics in California. Hardcore punk and skateboarding were both interests that folks had to learn about the hard way, before the Internet put everyone's obsessions at the click of a mouse. But a bunch of kids in Phoenix knew that hardcore skating and hardcore punk belonged together. And when upstart Phoenix band JFA released its debut EP, a seven-minute seven-inch titled Blatant Localism, the band helped launch a new breed of extreme music that would make them underground stars and make Phoenix a mecca of skate punk. In 2015, skate punk is still thriving in Arizona, and AZPX Records, a local label run by longtime skaters and punk loyalists Rob Locker and Tom Lopez, is celebrating 13 years of putting some of the Southwest's best skate punk on plastic. You can't celebrate a birthday without a party, and AZPX will be marking its anniversary with a show at ThirdSpace on Saturday, September 26, headlined by the band that started it all, JFA, and featuring a jam-packed bill of local punk talent, including Dephinger, the Smoke Bombs, Fat Gray Cat, the Father Figures (a band featuring New Times contributor Tom Reardon), Poolside Sacrifice, Kevin Daly, Phoenix Hooker Cops, and Early Grabs. Locker has been a skater since he bought his first board in 1977 at age 10. While he was a late convert to rock 'n' roll (which he blames on "having a mellow older sister who was into Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Barry Man-I-Blow"), that changed a few years later. Info The AZPX concert takes place Saturday, September 26, at ThirdSpace. "Punk was introduced to me be my neighbor, who was getting into bands like the Clash, X, Devo, and the Dead Kennedys," Locker says. "When I started skating with other people, Charles Amparan turned me onto hardcore punk bands that lived in my town, and some of them even skateboarded, too! This blew me away. People who lived here actually made records?" After decades of following the scene and selling quality skate gear, in 2002 Locker decided it was time to do something to help document the history of Arizona skate-punk. "Tom Lopez and I started the AZPX Records label as a project that would focus on making previously unavailable classic Arizona recordings available once again," Locker says. "This was in 2002, before the hip vinyl revolution and at the birth of the mp3 and streaming. Our first release was a remastered version of the super-rare Junior Achievement album, Fade to Black. Tom was the contact point with the past, he was a walking Facebook before it even existed. He kept a mental track of everyone from the day, and coordinated most of the Junior Achievement release." AZPX soon evolved from reissuing vintage material to documenting the current breed of Southwest skate punk, issuing high-impact music from Dephinger, the Smoke Bombs, Fat Gray Cat, and many more. While Tom Lopez left AZPX in 2005, Locker and his wife, Tara, along with business partner Nick Sewell, are keeping the label alive and well. One AZPX band that bridges the gap between past and present is the Father Figures, featuring Michael Cornelius, who was JFA's original bassist back in 1981. Cornelius already had some local punk cred as a member of the Jr. CHemists (that capital H was deliberate), and had been skating for years. "I started skating before there was punk rock, back in 1973 or so," Cornelius says. "It was even before urethane wheels!" Between punk rock and skateboarding, Cornelius and Locker are longtime friends, and Cornelius has nothing but good things to say about AZPX and the local scene. "Rob loves the music and skateboarding," Cornelius says. "No one is more dedicated to making stuff happen in our scene. It's a lot of collaborative DIY stuff. Our releases are pretty much DIY, but Rob helps us with packaging it all up. Same with the other AZPX bands. Together, we are a mutually supportive community. We are always planning the next thing and working together. It's actually the best time I have ever had working in music. It's lots of fun and no drama now that we are all grownups." While Cornelius left JFA in 1984, he's still good friends with his old bandmates, saying, "We have played about one show a year with JFA ever since the Father Figures started six years ago. Don [Redondo] and Brian [Brannon] are like my brothers. When we get together, it's like a punk rock homecoming." And Cornelius is expecting the AZPX to be a serious skate punk blowout. "The whole thing is going to be crazy," Cornelius says. "Each band has 20 minutes, so they are going to just blast out as much as they can. No warming up or holding back. Neil [Hounchell], who owns ThirdSpace, is from the '80s punk scene, too — he was in Soylent Green. So it's a throwback to our musical roots. The show is definitely the homecoming event for Phoenix punks."

The U.K. government should reassess its invitation to U.S. President Donald Trump for a state visit later this year, according to London Mayor Sadiq Khan. "I don't think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the U.S.A. in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for," Khan told U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 on Monday evening. "When you have a special relationship it is no different from when you have got a close mate. You stand with them in times of adversity but you call them out when they are wrong. There are many things about which Donald Trump is wrong," he said. On Tuesday morning he reiterated his stance, telling the BBC that "there are so many things Donald Trump is wrong about, and in those circumstances I'm not in favour of a state visit." Tweet 1 Khan's comments came after Trump criticized the mayor's reaction to Saturday's London attack. Trump said on Twitter: "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed'." Khan responded saying the president had taken his comments out of context. The mayor had said: "Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. There's no reason to be alarmed." In a second tweet, Trump said: "Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his 'no reason to be alarmed' statement." Tweet 2 U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was quick in saying that the invitation to the U.S. had been issued and accepted. "I see no reason to rescind it," he said Monday, according to Reuters. However, Johnson, the previous mayor of London, added that Khan was right in reassuring citizens about the presence of armed officers.

There is a native API for animation in JavaScript known as the Web Animations API. We’ll call it WAAPI in this post. MDN has good documentation on it, and Dan Wilson has a great article series. In this article, we’ll compare WAAPI and animations done in CSS. A note on browser support WAAPI has a comprehensive and robust polyfill, making it usable in production today, even while browser support is limited. As ever, you can check Can I Use for browser support data. However, that doesn’t provide very good info on support of all the sub features of WAAPI. Here’s a checker for that: See the Pen WAAPI Browser Support Test by Dan Wilson (@danwilson) on CodePen. To experiment with all features without a polyfill, use Firefox Nightly. The basics of WAAPI If you’ve ever used jQuery’s .animate() , the basic syntax of WAAPI should look pretty familiar. var element = document.querySelector('.animate-me'); element.animate(keyframes, 1000); The animate method accepts two parameters: keyframes and duration. In contrast to jQuery, not only does it have the benefit of being built into the browser, it’s also more performant. The first argument, the keyframes, should be an array of objects. Each object is a keyframe in our animation. Here’s a simple example: var keyframes = [ { opacity: 0 }, { opacity: 1 } ]; The second argument, the duration, is how long we want the animation to last . In the example above it is 1000 milliseconds. Let’s look at a more exciting example. Recreating an animista CSS animation with WAAPI Here’s some CSS code I yanked from the awesome animista for something calling itself the “slide-in-blurred-top” entrance animation. It looks pretty sweet. The actual perf is much better than this GIF. Here’s those keyframes in CSS: 0% { transform: translateY(-1000px) scaleY(2.5) scaleX(.2); transform-origin: 50% 0; filter: blur(40px); opacity: 0; } 100% { transform: translateY(0) scaleY(1) scaleX(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; filter: blur(0); opacity: 1; } Here’s the same code in WAAPI: var keyframes = [ { transform: 'translateY(-1000px) scaleY(2.5) scaleX(.2)', transformOrigin: '50% 0', filter: 'blur(40px)', opacity: 0 }, { transform: 'translateY(0) scaleY(1) scaleX(1)', transformOrigin: '50% 50%', filter: 'blur(0)', opacity: 1 } ]; We’ve already seen how easy it is to apply the keyframes to whichever element we want to animate: element.animate(keyframes, 700); To keep the example simple, I’ve only specified the duration. However, we can use this second parameter to pass in far more options. At the very least, we should also specify an easing. Here’s the full list of available options with some example values: var options = { iterations: Infinity, iterationStart: 0, delay: 0, endDelay: 0, direction: 'alternate', duration: 700, fill: 'forwards', easing: 'ease-out', } element.animate(keyframes, options); With these options, our animation will start at the beginning with no delay and loop forever alternating between playing forwards and in reverse. See the Pen motion blur waapi circle by CSS GRID (@cssgrid) on CodePen. Annoyingly, for those of us familiar with CSS animations, some of the terminologies varies from what we’re used to. Although on the plus side, things are a lot quicker to type! It’s easing rather than animation-timing-function rather than Rather than animation-iteration-count it’s iterations . If we want the animation to repeat forever it’s Infinity rather than infinite. Somewhat confusingly, Infinity isn’t in quotes. Infinity is a JavaScript keyword, whereas the other values are strings. it’s . If we want the animation to repeat forever it’s rather than infinite. Somewhat confusingly, Infinity isn’t in quotes. is a JavaScript keyword, whereas the other values are strings. We use milliseconds instead of seconds, which should be familiar to anyone who’s written much JavaScript before. (You can use milliseconds in CSS animations as well, but few people do.) Let’s take a closer look at one of the options: iterationStart . I was stumped when I first came across iterationStart . Why would you want to start on a specified iteration rather than just decreasing the number of iterations? This option is mostly useful when you use a decimal number. For example, you could set it to .5 , and the animation would start half way through. It takes two halves to make a whole, so if your iteration count is set to one and your iterationStart is set to .5 , the animation will play from halfway through until the end of the animation, then start at the beginning of the animation and end in the middle! It is worth noting that you can also set the total number of iterations to less than one. For example: var option = { iterations: .5, iterationStart: .5 } This would play the animation from the middle until the end. endDelay: endDelay is useful if you want to string multiple animations after each other, but want there to be a gap between the end of one animation and the start of any subsequent ones. Here’s a useful video to explain from Patrick Brosset. Easing Easing is one of the most important elements in any animation. WAAPI offers us two different ways to set easing — within our keyframes array or within our options object. In CSS, if you applied animation-timing-function: ease-in-out you might assume that the start of your animation would ease in, and the end of your animation would ease out. In fact, the easing applies between keyframes, not over the entire animation. This can give fine-grained control over the feel of an animation. WAAPI also offers this ability. var keyframes = [ { opacity: 0, easing: 'ease-in' }, { opacity: 0.5, easing: 'ease-out' }, { opacity: 1 } ] It’s worth noting that in both CSS and WAAPI, you shouldn’t pass in an easing value for the last frame, as this will have no effect. This is a mistake a lot of people make. Sometimes it’s a lot more intuitive to add easing over an entire animation. This is not possible with CSS, but can now be achieved with WAAPI. var options = { duration: 1000, easing: 'ease-in-out', } You can see the difference between these two kinds of easing in this Pen: See the Pen Same animation, different easing by CSS GRID (@cssgrid) on CodePen. Ease vs Linear It’s worth noting another difference between CSS animation and WAAPI: the default of CSS is ease , while the default of WAAPI is linear . Ease is actually a version of ease-in-out and is a pretty nice option if you’re feeling lazy. Meanwhile, linear is deadly dull and lifeless — a consistent speed that looks mechanical and unnatural. It was probably chosen as the default as it is the most neutral option. However, it makes it even more important to apply an easing when working with WAAPI than when working with CSS, lest your animation look tedious and robotic. Performance WAAPI provides the same performance improvements as CSS animations, although that doesn’t mean a smooth animation is inevitable. I had hoped that the performance optimizations of this API would mean we could escape the use of will-change and the totally hacky translateZ — and eventually, it might. However, at least in the current browser implementations, these properties can still be helpful and necessary in dealing with jank issues. However, at least if you have a delay on your animation, you don’t need to worry about using will-change . The primary author of the web animations spec had some interesting advice over on the Animation for Work Slack community, which hopefully he won’t mind me repeating here: If you have a positive delay, you don’t need will-change since the browser will layerize at the start of the delay and when the animation starts it will be ready to go. WAAPI Versus CSS Animations? WAAPI gives us a syntax to do in JavaScript what we could already achieve in a stylesheet. Yet, they shouldn’t be seen as rivals. If we decide to stick to CSS for our animations and transitions, we can interact with those animations with WAAPI. Animation Object The .animate() method doesn’t just animate our element, it also returns something. var myAnimation = element.animate(keyframes, options); Animation object viewed in a console If we take a look at the return value in the console, we’ll see its an animation object. This offers us all sorts of functionality, some of which is pretty self-explanatory, like myAnimation.pause() . We could already achieve a similar result with CSS animations by changing the animation-play-state property, but the WAAPI syntax is somewhat terser than element.style.animationPlayState = "paused" . We also have the power to easily reverse our animation with myAnimation.reverse() , which again, is only a slight improvement over changing the animation-direction CSS property with our script. However, up until now, manipulating @keyframe s with JavaScript hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world. Even something as simple as restarting an animation takes a bit of know-how, as Chris Coyier has previously written about. Using WAAPI we can simply use myAnimation.play() to replay the animation from the beginning if it had previously completed, or to play it from mid-iteration if we had paused it. We can even change the speed of an animation with complete ease. myAnimation.playbackRate = 2; // speed it up myAnimation.playbackRate = .4; // use a number less than one to slow it down This method will return an array of any animation objects for any animations we’ve defined with WAAPI, as well as for any CSS transitions or animations. element.getAnimations() // returns any animations or transitions applied to our element using CSS or WAAPI If you feel comfortable and content using CSS for defining and applying your animations, getAnimations() allows you to use the API in conjunction with @keyframe s. It’s possible to continue to use CSS for the bulk of your animation work and still get the benefit of the API when you need it. Let’s see how easy that is. Even if a DOM element only has one animation applied to it, getAnimations() will always return an array. Let’s grab that single animation object to work with. var h2 = document.querySelector("h2"); var myCSSAnimation = h2.getAnimations()[0]; Now we can use the web animation API on our CSS animation :) myCSSAnimation.playbackRate = 4; myCSSAnimation.reverse(); Promises and Events We already have a variety of events triggered by CSS that we can utilise in our JavaScript code : animationstart , animationend , animationiteration and transitionend . I often need to listen for the end of an animation or transition in order to then remove the element it was applied to from the DOM. The equivalent of using animationend or transitionend for such a purpose in WAAPI would again make use of the animation object: myAnimation.onfinish = function() { element.remove(); } WAAPI offers us the choice of working with both events and promises. The .finished property of our animation object will return a promise that will resolve at the end of the animation. Here’s what the example above would look like using a promise: myAnimation.finished.then(() => element.remove()) Let’s look at a slightly more involved example yanked from the Mozilla Developer Network. Promise.all expects an array of promises and will only run our callback function once all of those promises have resolved. As we’ve already seen, element.getAnimations() returns an array of animation objects. We can map over all the animation objects in the array calling .finished on each of them, giving us the needed array of promises. In this example, it’s only after all the animations on the page have finished that our function will run. Promise.all(document.getAnimations().map(animation => animation.finished)).then(function() { // do something cool }) The Future The features mentioned in this article are just the beginning. The current spec and implementation look to be the start of something great.

Diversity Visa Lottery (GreenCard Lottery) Every year, 50, 000 diversity visas are available through the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, according to Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) mandated by the U.S. Congress. Such Visas are made available to persons from countries that have historically low rates of immigration to the United States. A random and computer-generated drawing determines who can enter through the program. No single country may receive more than seven percent of the available Diversity Visas. Persons from countries with more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the past five years are not eligible for the Diversity Visa Program. Distribution of diversity visas in the green card lottery Visas are selected based on a regional basis, where countries that have sent fewer immigrants in the past 5 years receive more visas. Countries in Africa and Europe currently receive the greatest amount of visas in the lottery program. In addition, no country may receive more than 3,500 visas (7% of the the total 50,000 available visas). Diversity Visa Lottery Selection Process Each year more than 50, 000 applicants are selected for the lottery program, in order to account for those that are unable to pursue the visa. Even if selected, some individuals are ineligible to obtain a visa, and thus being selected for the program does not guarantee that you will obtain the visa. The most common reason for being ineligible after selected is a lack of a high school diploma, or two years of work experience in a job that requires at least two years of training. Important Dates: The Diversity Visa 2016 program dates will be released soon. The filing period will be held on around October 2014 to November 2014, lasting 30 days. Check the Status of your 2012 DV Lottery application: Applicants for the 2014 DV lottery are able to check the status of their application through June 30th 2014. Check the status of your application online at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Qualifying Occupations for the DV Lottery Applicants: DV entrant Requirements: Entrants must have at least a high school education or its equivalent, or at least two years of work experience, in the past five years, in a job that requires at least two years of training or experience. Entrants must have at least a high school education or its equivalent, or at least two years of work experience, in the past five years, in a job that requires at least two years of training or experience. Must be born in a qualifying country, or you may claim your parents’ country of birth, if your parents were either born in that qualifying country or resided in that country at the time of your birth. You may claim your spouse’s country of birth, if her country’s natives are eligible for the program, as long as you and your spouse are on the DV application, and if selected, are issued visas and enter the United States at the same time Click Here to see a list of Qualifying Countries Click Here to see a list of Non-qualifying Countries Return to Top Green Card Lottery Frequently Asked Questions (Green Card Lottery FAQ) Is there a green card lottery Application Fee? No, there is no green card lottery application fee. If however, you are selected to win the green card lottery, you must pay a processing fee. An attorney may be hired to review and submit your application. Each year, millions of green card lottery applications are rejected due to not following the application guidelines. Do I need an attorney to apply for the Green Card Lottery? No. You do not need a lawyer in order to participate in the diversity visa lottery (Green Card Lottery) program. However, the chances of your application being rejected due to error may be greatly reduced by hiring a lawyer to prepare your green card lottery application. Each year, millions of applications are rejected due to not following the guidelines set by the Department of State. Can I apply for the green card lottery outside of the United States? Yes, you may submit an application for the green card lottery abroad, as long as you meet the requirements set forth by the Department of State. Is there a minimum required age in order to apply for the diversity green card lottery? There is no minimum age for green card lottery applicants, however, the education requirements set forth by the Department of State, will essentially exclude applicants that are under 18. Can I apply for the Green Card Lottery even though I have a pending nonimmigrant visa petition? You may apply for the green card lottery even if you have a pending nonimmigrant visa application. You do not need to specify that you have applied for the green card lottery on your nonimmigrant visa petition. Is there a limit to the number of green card applications that I can submit? Any individual can only file one green card lottery application each year. If the applicant submits more than one application, they will be disqualified by the Department of State. The applicant’s spouse, however, is free to file a green card lottery application as well. In this case, if one party wins the green card lottery, the spouse may enter as well. Can my spouse also apply for the green card lottery? Yes, a husband and wife may both apply for the green card lottery. You may submit separate applications. It is important to remember that you must include your husband or wife’s name on your green card lottery application. If either of you are selected for the visa lottery, your husband or wife will be able to obtain a green card as well. Can I apply for the visa lottery/green card lottery each year? Yes, you may apply under the visa lottery program each year. Your chances of winning the visa lottery will remain the same. How are visa lottery/green card lottery winners chosen? Green card lottery winners are chosen randomly by a computer. Green card lottery winners will be notified by mail, and those that are not selected will not hear back from the USCIS. Email notifications are NOT sent out to winners. Do my chances of winning the green card lottery increase if I apply early? No, applicants that submit early applications will have the same chances of all other applicants. Winners are only selected after the application cycle has officially closed. Can I apply for the green card lottery/visa lottery while in the United States? Yes, you may apply for the green card lottery while in the United States. If you are in the U.S. under a nonimmigrant visa, or visitor visa, you may still apply for the green card lottery. You do not need to return to your home country in order to apply for the green card lottery. In addition, an attorney may assist you in filing your green card lottery application. Are illegal aliens in the United States allowed to apply for the green card lottery? No, if you are currently in the United States illegally, you may not apply for the green card lottery. This includes those that remained in the U.S. after their nonimmigrant visa has expired. In order to apply for the green card lottery, you must reside outside the United States or be in the United States under a nonimmigrant visa. How will I know if I win the Green Card Lottery? You will NOT receive notification if you are selected via email. Notifications are available in May of each year through the Department of state website www.dvlottery.state.gov. If you receive a notification via email, you can be assured that it was sent by a third party NOT affiliated with the government. You will only receive notification by email after you are selected and have responded to the notifications on the Department of State website. The status of your DV-2015 application may be viewed beginning May, 1 2014 to June 30th 2014. How long may I stay in the U.S. with a green card? You may remain in the United States indefinitely if you are selected for the visa lottery and receive a green card. As a green card holder, you must maintain a permanent residence in the U.S.A. Can I become a U.S. citizen after winning the green card lottery? After you obtain a green card and remain in the United States for 5 consecutive years, you may apply for citizenship. What was the glitch in the 2012 diversity visa lottery? In 2011, many “winners” were notified via mail that they were chosen for the 2012 visa lottery. However, it was discovered that a computer programming glitch resulted in an error, in which 90% of the winners chosen were those that applied within the first few days of the application period. This obviously put the remaining applicants at a great disadvantage. It was decided that since the results were clearly not random, a second drawing would occur. Those that were accidentally chosen for the green card lottery were not eligible to be winners unless they were selected in the second drawing. Lawsuits arose, however, it was ruled that since the initial results were not random, those initially selected were not eligible to enter the U.S. under the program. Are there any ways to increase my chances of winning the visa lottery/green card lottery? If your application was filed correctly then there are no ways to increase your chances of winning. If you are married, however, your chances can increase slightly if your spouse applies for the green card lottery as well. In addition, hiring an attorney can greatly reduce your chances of improperly filing your green card lottery application. Millions of applicant applications are rejected because of improper filing and missing information. An attorney can assist you in completing and filing your application and answer any questions you may have regarding the diversity visa lottery. Return to Top Qualifying Countries for the 2014 DV Lottery (Greencard Lottery) South America, North America, and the Caribbean ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA ARGENTINA BARBADOS BELIZE BOLIVIA CHILE COSTA RICA CUBA DOMINICA GRENADA GUYANA HONDURAS NICARAGUA PANAMA PARAGUAY SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS SAINT LUCIA SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES SURINAME THE BAHAMAS TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO URUGUAY VENEZUELA Europe ALBANIA ANDORRA ARMENIA AUSTRIA AZERBAIJAN BELARUS BELGIUM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA CROATIA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GEORGIA GERMANY GREECE HUNGARY ICELAND IRELAND ITALY KAZAKHSTAN KYRGYZSTAN LATVIA LIECHTENSTEIN LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MACEDONIA, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MALTA MOLDOVA MONACO NETHERLANDS (including components and dependent areas overseas) NORTHERN IRELAND NORWAY PORTUGAL POLAND ROMANIA RUSSIA SAN MARINO SLOVAKIA SLOVENIA SPAIN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND TAJIKISTAN TURKEY TURKMENISTAN UKRAINE UZBEKISTAN VATICAN CITY YUGOSLAVIA, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF Oceania AUSTRALIA FIJI KIRIBATI MARSHALL ISLANDS MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF NAURU NEW ZEALAND PALAU PAPUA NEW GUINEA SOLOMON ISLANDS TONGA TUVALU VANUATU SAMOA Africa ALGERIA ANGOLA BENIN BOTSWANA BURKINA FASO BURUNDI CAMEROON CAPE VERDE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHAD COMOROS CONGO CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE DJIBOUTI EGYPT EQUATORIAL GUINEA ERITREA ETHIOPIA GABON GAMBIA, THE GHANA GUINEA GUINEA-BISSAU IVORY COAST KENYA LESOTHO LIBERIA LIBYA MADAGASCAR MALAWI MALI MAURITANIA MAURITIUS MOROCCO MOZAMBIQUE NAMIBIA NIGER NIGERIA RWANDA SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE SENEGAL SEYCHELLES SIERRA LEONE SOMALIA SOUTH AFRICA SUDAN SWAZILAND TANZANIA TOGO TUNISIA UGANDA ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE Asia AFGHANISTAN BAHRAIN BHUTAN BRUNEI BURMA CAMBODIA HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION INDONESIA IRAN IRAQ ISRAEL JAPAN JORDAN KUWAIT LAOS LEBANON MACAU SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION MALAYSIA MALDIVES MONGOLIA NEPAL NORTH KOREA OMAN QATAR SAUDI ARABIA SINGAPORE SRI LANKA SYRIA TAIWAN THAILAND UNITED ARAB EMIRATES YEMEN Return to Top Nonqualifying Countries Persons from the following countries are not eligible to apply for the 2014 DV Lottery: BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Return to Top History of the Visa Lottery Program The green card lottery was established by the Immigration Act of 1990, in which 55, 000 immigrant visas would be available annually to those selected in the annual drawing. The first green card lottery was held in 1995.The program was established to promote diversity of the immigrant population in the United States through the selection of individuals from countries that are underrepresented in the immigrant population. Individuals from countries that have sent more than 50, 000 immigrants to the United States in the past 5 years, are not allowed to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The number of diversity visas available per year has been 50, 000, after the implementation of the NACARA (Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act) in 1996. Thus 5,000 visas are reserved for Nicaraguans, Cubans, Guatemalanas, Salvadorans, and those from former Soviet bloc countries who had arrived to the United States as asylees, and who have remained in the United States for at least 5 years, since December 1, 1995. These visas granted under the NACARA are valid for asylees and their dependents. DV-2016 APPLICATION FILING Our Law Office will prepare, review, and submit your application for the low fee of $45 per individual, or $75 for a family (husband and wife). Our immigration law office will gather and review your information, and prepare it for submission during the next application cycle in October, 2014. Contact our immigration law office for details. Return to Top Written by:Mark Carmel To see if you are eligible for other U.S. visas or green cards, please check out our main site ImmiLawyers.com You may be eligible to enter the United States through other methods of immigration. Return to Top

Anonymous Hackers managed to take down the official website of Turkey’s Prime Minister ( basbakanlik.gov.tr ) – ( Report )Cyber Attacks were not stopped here; A Combo Cyber Attack of ( Anonymous and Syrian Electronic Army ) on the Prime Minister’s website leaked more than 60 Gov. Email Login Credentials related to the P.M Website. We also reported yesterday, a list of websites hacked under #OpTurkeywhich also contain govt. websites of turkey. As the press release coming from the both ends (Anonymous and Syrian Electronic Army) not matching with each other because Anonymous Hacker press release say that they leaked username of the login credentials and will not leak any of the password as they respect privacy, on the other hand it seems Syrian Electronic Army doesn’t respect privacy they leaked the Full list of username and passwords of Gov. Emails. Anonymous also stated a Note in their press release: Anonymous has also recovered phone numbers and passwords for many of these users. However: Anonymous will not share any phone numbers because Anonymous respects people’s privacy. Anonymous will not share most of the email passwords because Anonymous does not believe in the full use of power against the weak. Anonymous truly believes there is big lesson for those who think on the above 2 points. If needed, anonymous will disclose one password, so citizens of the world can attest to the genuine hack and to the value of this information. Anonymous will choose a user whose mailbox contains thousands of emails, yet there is no secret or classified information in those emails.

claims his religion is the only way to be moral lies about everything 14,143 shares

New Noise Magazine is pleased to be bringing forth the extremely fuzzed out tune “Rachel” by The Soft Underground. With a raging bass line and tight drum patterns the song’s foundation is set right into the core of rock. A blazing guitar solo sweeps through the middle of the song, setting it ablaze with a gritty aesthetic. Take a listen to the track below and get ready for some fiery licks to ring out through the mix. “‘Rachel’ was written around the same time as we were making our first album. That’s probably why it sounds closer to our last album than any of the other songs. Lyrically, it’s just a laundry list of complaints about everything from technology to the fake-ness of Hollywood actors.” – The Soft Underground Facebook | Website The Soft Underground was formed in New York City by drummer, Andrew McCarty and guitarist, Charlie Hickey, after they met at music school. The two bonded over their enthusiasm of bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine. After many gigs playing under different incarnations of the band, the duo eventually recruited vocalist, Brannon Barnett, before beginning work on their debut album, Lost in Translation. Throughout 2014, the band split their time between New Jersey and Tennessee to record and mix the album, and released their debut single, “Limousine”, in December. Doug McCausland of Alternative Nation wrote of the single, “the band definitely has a knack for writing rock songs with hooks, as evident in their track “Limousine”, which I could see as a potential radio single.” On October 30, 2015, The Soft Underground released their debut record, Lost in Translation to positive critical review.

どんな生活をしたいか、想像してみよう 土地を探す際、つい資産価値や勤務先との距離関係などから目星をつけてはいないでしょうか。耳にしたことのある街だから、住みやすい街のランキングに入っていたからといった情報ばかりにとらわれてしまうと、実際に住んだ時のイメージがどんどん遠ざかってしまいます。住みたい土地のエリアがなかなか決められない、という場合は条件をいくつか挙げてみましょう。 生活の利便性を優先し都心や勤務先に近い場所にするのか、もしくは育児のために住みやすさや環境を重視し郊外にするのか、人それぞれ住環境に求める条件は異なります。そうした条件を挙げるだけでも、おのずとエリアは狭められてくるでしょう。まずは自分はどういった場所に住みたいのか、都心と郊外ならどちらが理想とする生活に近いのかという2択から始めてみてはいかがでしょうか。 実際の生活を想像しながら探そう もし気に入った土地やエリアを見つけたら、まずそこでどういう暮らしをするか具体的に想像してみましょう。生活するには、周辺にどんな施設があるのか知っておく必要があります。特に、日常の買い物はどうするのかは重要です。帰りが遅い場合は、営業時間も押さえておかねばなりません。スーパーやコンビニだけ充実していても生活には不十分です。ホームセンターやドラッグストアなどの買い物施設はどれくらい充実しているのか、チェックしておきましょう。 休日に過ごせるショッピングセンターや公園、図書館などの公共施設、さらに子供がいる場合は保育園や小学校など福祉・教育施設も大切なポイントです。また、病院もチェックしておいた方が良いでしょう。周辺に内科、小児科、皮膚科、耳鼻科、眼科はそろっているか、総合病院はあるか、診察時間も合わせて確認しておくと安心です。どの施設に関しても、家からの交通手段とルートを検討しておきましょう。

IPCC has lost its scientific objectivity London, 25 February: The GWPF has, for a long time, warned policymakers and the public that the leadership of the IPCC has been losing its scientific objectivity and has been adopting environmentalism as a missionary cause. The astonishing letter of resignation released yesterday by its outgoing chairman, RK Pachauri, drops all pretence to the contrary and proves that our concerns were valid. In it he states: “For me the protection of Planet Earth, the survival of all species and sustainability of our ecosystems is more than a mission. It is my religion and my dharma.” The author of that statement has, for the past 13 years, been one of the world’s most influential government advisers in the area of energy and climate policy, and one of the most visible spokespersons for climate science. During this time we have witnessed a near-complete shutting down of open scientific debate, militant hostility to any questioning of the claims or assertions of the IPCC, and the zealous promulgation of costly and irrational energy policies with inadequate regard for the balancing of human costs and benefits. It is clear that a missionary environmentalist mindset has been embedded at the highest levels of the IPCC, and we reiterate our concerns that it has been spreading throughout the organisation, with the full support of the leadership. We call upon policymakers to begin asking some overdue questions about this organisation upon which they rely so heavily. In particular, we are left to wonder how Dr Pachauri’s extreme biases have affected the work of the IPCC in recent years and the advice it gives to governments. Full statement here Share this: Print Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit Like this: Like Loading...

The Killers - Just another Girl live from Bethlehem PA 9/19/19. MY 100th show and JAG request story. Wanted to offer a little insight and share this special moment last night for the many who have asked about it. I still firmly believe it’s not the number of shows that you go to but rather the next show! Can’t express how happy and fortunate I know I am to have shared a few special moments with these guys and the fact that they even know who I am! Having seen the band so many times they have gotten to know and recognize this old face. No I don’t have personal info of any of the boys but I do have means to get messages to them on rare occasions when it’s fitting. I use this very sparingly as they are super busy, I’m not Elton John, and they have bigger fish to fry then me. Knowing the Bethlehem show would be my 100th I got a message to them several weeks ago that this would be my 100th and if I had a request it would be to hear JAG as I had never heard it live. I received word back that the message was relayed to the boy and we crossed our fingers. I kept most of this to myself and only told a few special friends of my request, just before doors so they might be prepared. Doors and the dash for the barrier were one of the craziest I’ve ever been a part of. I looked for an opening as I raced from the back of the venue, past experience has taught me to quickly find and pick a spot and then commit. If you hesitate for possible other choices, you’ll lose! I ended up right in front of Ted and hoped for the best. When we hadn’t gotten JAG by the end of the first set I wasn’t sure it would happen. Then they came out for the encore, Brandon shot me a huge smile, pointed directly at me and said thanks John. It’s hard to put into words how happy this made me, but I will admit to having glassy eyes. I think Ted saw that and gave me a nod! Got a few glances from Brandon through the song and then he gave me that same smile and pointed back to me again. When the show ended the stage manager gave me Ted’s set list and I levitated out of the venue. Special thanks out to the band and crew for all the appreciation and kindness they have shown me and all their fans over the years.

A senior Minnesota corrections official who resigned last week was under investigation for leaking the identity of a survivor of a sexual crime and for lobbying to get state funds for her husband’s charity, state documents show. Sarah Walker, who was deputy commissioner of the Department of Corrections, was the subject of a number of complaints from fellow DOC employees, including allegedly leaking to the media the identity of a fellow DOC employee who was sexually groped, according to records released by the department Thursday evening. In statements earlier this week, Walker has generally denied any wrongdoing and specifically denied lobbying for her husband’s charity — an effort that was ultimately unsuccessful. She declined to discuss specifics Thursday evening, providing the Pioneer Press the following statement: “I am relieved to see the specifics of the complaints against me finally made public. I am out of the state with family, attending my father-in-law’s memorial service, and look forward to responding upon my return home.” Commissioner Paul Schnell said he initiated the investigation after being brought various “bits and pieces” by others, including state lawmakers. “The indication is that some of the information that I had received which prompted the investigation appears to have some level of corroboration,” Schnell said in an interview Thursday evening. But, he emphasized, the investigation was only in a “preliminary” stage when Walker resigned. Once she resigned, the investigation stopped, he said. As such, there was no final determination as to Walker’s conduct. THE BACKGROUND Last week, Walker abruptly resigned. As one of two deputy commissioners, she essentially oversaw half of the Department of Corrections — the operations that fall outside of the actual state prisons themselves. A longtime lobbyist and advocate for criminal justice issues who was well-known at the Capitol and in Twin Cities political circles, her departure caused a stir because she had only been on the job six months. She had been seen as emblematic of a number of appointments under the new administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who played up his wide-ranging searches for outsiders to get involved in state government. Walker was appointed by Schnell. Walz had appointed Schnell, a former police officer and chief in the east metro. Schnell came into the post with a stated goal of reducing the state’s prison population by focusing on rehabilitation, treatment and re-introduction for nonviolent offenders, with an eye toward reducing the disparate racial impacts of locking up repeat drug-crime offenders. Schnell’s progressive and empathetic posture seemed to fit with Walker, who had championed the idea of respectful reintegration of ex-cons into society, including restoring voting rights for many. In her resignation letter, Walker wasn’t clear on why she left, saying, “in my short time as Deputy Commissioner, I have become convinced that my voice and skills are best suited for pushing for wide-spread reform from the outside.” She didn’t elaborate and has declined to since. Within hours of her resignation becoming news, it was revealed that she was under investigation for “complaints.” Walker said she had done nothing wrong, left voluntarily, and “I am unaware of the nature or origin of these complaints.” Related Articles Trump expected to announce conservative Amy Coney Barrett for court Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes history at Capitol amid replacement turmoil Despite Trump attacks, both parties vow orderly election Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump visit metro, pushing law-and-order message. Dems: What about the pandemic? Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump visit salon damaged in Minneapolis unrest The next day, she said she was being investigated for a complaint regarding improper lobbying on state time, citing her own sources within the administration, but vehemently denied that charge. She blamed political rivals. Internal files released Thursday by the DOC, including summaries of interviews by human-resources officials conducted earlier this month, include a number of complaints about Walker’s workplace style, but the two most significant are the lobbying and the leaking. OUTING A SEXUAL SURVIVOR A DOC employee who survived a sexual crime had confided in Walker after Walker asked her about it, according to the woman’s heavily redacted account. The incident involved a DOC employee groping the woman at a state-sponsored event attended by state employees. Walker herself was the subject of #MeToo publicity in 2017, when she came forward with sexual harassment allegations against Republican state Rep. Tony Cornish, who soon after resigned. However, the woman in the DOC case did not want her story public. According to her, Walker leaked her identity to a Twin Cities reporter, who contacted the employee. The employee eventually decided to speak with Minnesota Public Radio News, fearing it was the only way to have any control over facts surrounding her situation. “It has been an extremely difficult and stressful period of time for me,” the woman said in a letter to an HR worker. “I am severely concerned about my information and other confidential information being leaked to the media, the chilling effect that it has, and the way I was treated by being forced into having conversations with current and former colleagues about something traumatic that happened to me … ” LOBBYING FOR HER HUSBAND Walker has denied lobbying for her husband, Minneapolis attorney Brock Hunter, who help found the nonprofit Veterans Defense Project, which seeks to improve legal representation for military veterans. The nonprofit was awarded $500,000 in state grants in 2017 and 2018. It sought $800,000 over the next two years this spring, but the effort eventually stalled this year at the Legislature. Skepticism included some lawmakers wondering aloud whether the money would be wise, and an anonymous note sent to lawmakers and the media questioned Walker’s connection to the charity. Schnell said until that note was shown to him, he was unaware that Walker had a connection to the charity. Twice in May, as lawmakers were hammering out state spending plans, Walker erroneously texted messages to a DOC colleague that were meant for a lobbyist working with the charity. “Trying to save brocks bill,” she wrote on May 20. Hunter was out of state on a family matter Thursday and unavailable for comment. Walker appeared to be trying to specifically lobby high-powered Republicans in Washington, D.C., to influence lawmakers in St. Paul as the bill languished in the GOP-controlled State Senate. In one text, she mentioned potential efforts by U.S. Sen Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and “the white house.” In another, on May 17, she texted: “Ugh i cant believe i have to ask emmer for a favor.” Minnesota U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, a Republican, could not be reached for comment Thursday evening. The texts appear to contradict a statement Walker provided to the Pioneer Press earlier in the week that read, in part: ” I did not meet with any legislators (or) have any communication with legislators regarding the VDP.” Records released by the DOC Thursday also reveal that Walker had edited at least some documents related to the charity’s request on her state computer. As a public official, Walker is required to file a statement of economic interest with state officials. As of Thursday, she had not filed one since being appointed this year. REPUBLICAN REACTION Rep. Marion O’Neill, R-Maple Lake, Republican Lead on the House Corrections Division, issued the following statement on Thursday evening: “The documents released this evening directly contradict Ms. Walker’s claim that she did not engage in lobbying on behalf of her husband’s organization. In addition, she may have violated state law by releasing non-public personnel data, re-victimizing a survivor of sexual assault in the process. I urge the Walz administration to review the investigative data and take appropriate action to hold Ms. Walker accountable if there is evidence that Ms. Walker violated state law.” O’Neill had requested the data, which also was requested by several news outlets, including the Pioneer Press. Ryan Faircloth contributed to this story.

A German law firm will hit a new low next week, even for companies engaged in the file-sharing settlement letter business. The company says that from September 1st it will begin publishing the details of individuals it claims have infringed their clients' copyrights by sharing hardcore pornography online. To make matters worse, they're threatening to target churches, police stations and Arabs first. Neither the Pirate Party nor Anonymous are happy and now the latter are threatening action of their own. When the RIAA embarked on its file-sharing settlement letter campaign last decade it unwittingly created a monster. Although the music industry group discontinued its actions in this field some time ago, dozens of other companies – notably in the porn business – followed in their footsteps. The exact figures aren’t clear, but several hundred thousands individuals have been pursued for cash settlements for file-sharing in the United States and around Europe the problem is even worse. Germany has been hit by the trolls particularly hard, and it is from there that a new horror story is developing. In a statement on its website the Urmann law firm explains that a large number of the file-sharing cases it is involved in end in settlements, a situation that is “often more useful than going through the courts.” However, the company says that if necessary it will go to court to get justice for its clients, but there are things it can do to persuade stubborn individuals to pay up instead of having a hearing. Starting September 1st, Urmann says it will begin publishing the personal details of Internet account holders it claims have violated their clients’ copyrights. The exact number is unknown, but Urmann previously claimed to have the identities of 150,000 individuals. According to comments made by the law firm to Der Spiegel, the bulk of the firm’s clients aren’t record label owners either – they’re sellers of German hardcore pornography. But the worst is yet to come. According to comments an Urmann insider made to Wochenblatt, the law firm is planning to target the most vulnerable people first – those with IP addresses registered to churches, police stations and – quite unbelievably – the embassies of Arab countries. Urmann insists that it is completely entitled to take this action because the law is on its side. The company is leaning on a 2007 Federal Constitutional Court ruling that deemed it legal for law firms to publish the names of their clients’ opponents in order to advertise their services. However, there is some debate if the ruling applies since it was targeted at commercial opponents, not regular citizens. Bernd Schlömer of the German Pirate Party describes the law firm’s threats to undermine the privacy rights of individuals as “shocking” and says that Urmann’s actions could be construed as “legal coercion.” Perhaps not surprisingly, the loose-knit activist collective Anonymous are also unhappy and are hinting at action of their own. “A law firm has announced that shortly it will publish a so-called enemies list on the web,” the group said in an announcement. “Once the list of Urmann and colleagues is online, we will take care of it!” Urmann courted controversy last year when it started an auction to sell the unpaid settlements of 70,000 alleged file-sharers to the highest bidder.

Liberal Leader James Cowan wants the Senate rules committee to investigate whether "outside interference" with the independent audit into Senator Mike Duffy's expenses could constitute a breach of privilege. In the formal letter of notice submitted earlier today, Cowan argued that the alleged interference "began virtually from inception," starting with a call purportedly made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's then-chief of staff Nigel Wright to "a member of the [Senate internal economy] committee" seeking changes to the press release announcing the referrals to Deloitte. Using the latest batch of court filings to bolster his claim, Cowan argued that the alleged interference "began virtually from inception," starting with a call purportedly made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's then-chief of staff Nigel Wright to "a member of the [internal economy] committee" seeking changes to the press release announcing the referrals to Deloitte. Senate Liberal Leader James Cowan (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press) In the court documents, RCMP Cpl. Greg Horton alleges Wright and Duffy committed bribery, fraud and breach of trust when Wright wrote Duffy a cheque for more than $90,000 to cover Duffy's questionable Senate expenses. Horton also alleges the Prime Minister's Office tried to interfere with an audit into Duffy's expenses, as well as with the Senate committee's report on the audit. According to Cowan, that initial communication from Wright was only the beginning. "The interference continued when Mr. Michael Runia, a managing partner with Deloitte, telephoned auditor Gary Timm allegedly at the request of the Prime Minister's Office, seeking information about the [Duffy] audit," he noted in his submission. "That this call ... was inappropriate," Cowan told his colleagues during his address to the Senate chamber this afternoon, has been acknowledged by everyone." What remains unknown, in his view, however, is why the call was made at all. Cowan also brought up those now infamous emails between Wright and other PMO staffers on the audit process. "Why should the chief of staff to the PM be sending emails discussing the desired outcome of an independent audit?" If the Speaker were to find a prima facie breach of privilege, Cowan said he would propose that the matter be sent to the Senate rules committee for further investigation. Not surprisingly, Conservative Senate Leader Claude Carignan appeared unmoved by Cowan's concern that the privilege of the upper house may have been violated. How, he wondered, would a simple request for a change in the wording of a press release constitute interference? "That's unbelievable," he told his colleagues. "I'm awestruck." Independent Senator Anne Cools also spoke out against Cowan, arguing that his proposed remedy would effectively be asking one committee to rule on the work conducted by another. After hearing interventions from both sides, Senate Speaker Noel Kinsella took the matter under advisement, and will likely hand down his ruling next week. Cowan's move came the day after the Conservative-controlled Upper House nixed a motion that would have ordered the Senate internal economy committee to question Runia about his involvement in the Duffy audit. He made a similarly unsuccessful bid to hear from Runia after the committee met with the Deloitte audit team last week. Read the full notice letter below. Mobile users, click here to view in your browser.

I'm very pleased to have Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House join us on C&L to live chat with all of you about the new health care reform bill that was just released. The House unveiled its plan yesterday entitled: America’s Affordable Health Choices Act. It's a comprehensive plan that does include what appears to be a very good public option. Speaker Pelosi will take as many questions as she can on this issue for an hour or so and I know you a have a lot of questions. TNR's Jonathan Cohen, who has been following the health care debate, is very optimistic about what is happening. The three House committees writing health care legislation have just released the full text of their bill. And my immediate, admittedly tentative reaction is strongly positive. Once fully implemented, this reform plan will accomplish most of the goals on my mental checklist: Generous subisidies, available to people making up to 400 percent of the poverty line Expansion of Medicaid to cover people making less than 133 percent of the poverty line Guarantees of solid benefits for everybody, with limits on out-of-pocket spending Strong regulation of insurers, including requirements that insurers provide insurance to people with pre-existing conditions without higher rates An individual mandate, so that everybody (or what passes for everybody in these discussions) gets into the system and assumes some financial responsibility A public plan, one that appears to be strong, although I'll reserve judgment on that until I hear from the experts Choice of public and private plan, at first just for individuals and small businesses, but later for larger businesses and--possibly--eventually for everybody Efforts at payment reform, if not necessarily as strong as they could be Investment in primary care and prevention, which is not sexy but potentially important for general health...read on Scarecrow writes: The House released its health care reform bill today and will begin three simultaneous committee markups on different provisions later this week. Video of Waxman's statement, courtesy of TPM. You can access House Committee summaries and the actual text at the House Education and Labor Committee site. Help us read through the bill. First impression from the summaries: it's an excellent reform package, with lots of very worthwhile features. But we'll be looking through the details in the next few days. Here's Matt Yglesias on the new plan: The House of Representatives is now prepared to unveil their health reform legislation with markup taking place tomorrow and Thursday. It’s a good bill (more on that later) but it’s worth also giving a tip of the cap in the direction of the House process. The chairs and members of the three relevant committees did a great mitzvah by putting egos aside, forming a unified “tri-committee” bill writing process, largely shutting up about their internal negotiations, and getting down to the job of writing a bill that fits the parameters Americans voted for in November. So what’s in the bill? -- Well, there’s a fairly strong public plan. It needs to be financially self-supporting and nobody will be forced to accept its reimbursement rates, but it will be open to anyone with access to the Health Insurance Exchange will model its payments on Medicare and they say the default assumption will be that anyone who serves Medicare clients will also take Public Plan clients. I'm still going through the entire plan myself, but please, let's welcome the Speaker to the blogosphere. Editor's note: Off-topic and rude/inappropriate comments are not welcome and will be dispensed with. Just a warning. Play nice. FROM THE SITEMONITOR: Comments at this post are now closed. Speaker Pelosi is no longer here to read your comments, and sitemonitors must move on to more recent threads. Thanks to those who participated. If you wish to discuss healthcare some more, trust me, this blog will be posting on it again frequently, and you are also welcome to use the nightly open thread.

"Why not a gyroplane above the Waterloo region?" CBC-TV's Rick Mercer replied when asked why his season-premiere episode Tuesday night features a daring flight above Southern Ontario in a tiny airborne contraption. "Imagine," he told CBC Radio's Craig Norris in Kitchener-Waterloo, "it's your own personal helicopter!" The highly-successful Rick Mercer Report kicks off its 14th season on the public broadcaster with Mercer aloft in a bright yellow aircraft (co-)piloted by Neil Laubach of Fergus. "In Kitchener-Waterloo there's fields, there's runways, the world is your oyster," Mercer said about the unlimited potential of personal flying machines. 'Good hands' Mercer is known for his humorous ambush interviews of politicians, hitting them with pointed questions. But his popular program also features derring-do stunts such as dangling from the CN Tower. "You know what... they're things that freak people out," he said, "but they're always safe. They're always safe. I have no interest in being hurt at this age," Mercer quipped. "So if I jump out of a plane, I do it strapped to a Canadian soldier. You find the best people." "If you go up in a gyroplane you don't just go up with 'Bob's House of Gyroplanes' at the side of the road," he jested, "you go to Kitchener-Waterloo and you go to Gyro Ontario. [Neil Laubach's] the foremost expert in the country, and then you're in good hands." Although, Mercer added, "when you're at two-thousand feet in a flying golf cart you don't feel that way, psychologically. But you know you're in good hands." 14 years When asked what it is about the show that's kept it popular for so many years, Mercer was quick to say "it's not me, it's the country." "We're very lucky that a lot of families watch the show," he revealed, "People watch with their kids, it's like imprinting the country." The national nature of the program – shooting on location across Canada – is what keeps the program's appeal fresh, Mercer said. "Next week maybe we'll show off seals in Newfoundland," Mercer explained, "or Haida villages in Haida Gwaii, or flying above Kitchener-Waterloo. We're constantly showing off these places ... we're showing people that aren't necessarily famous," he said, "I put them on TV and people like it." "The more specialized we are, the more unapologetically Canadian we are, the ratings are always strong." The Rick Mercer Report starts its programming season Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 8:00 ET. That's 8:30 in Newfoundland, Newfoundlander Mercer reminds us.

A Florida judge on Friday temporarily blocked a new law that prevents ex-convicts from voting in the state until they have paid all of their fees, fines and restitution, according to a report. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle said the law, passed by the Republican-controlled legislature this year, could be unconstitutional, Central Florida's News 13 reported. FLORIDA’S FELONS FACE UNEXPECTED OBSTACLES BEFORE VOTING IN 2020 Florida “cannot deny restoration of a felon’s right to vote solely because the felon does not have the financial resources to pay the other financial obligations,” Hinkle ruled. The judge added that Florida must establish a way for felons to register to vote if it’s determined they are “genuinely unable” to pay their fees and restitution, according to News 13. Last fall, Florida voters approved Amendment 4 that restores voting rights to some ex-convicts. Lawmakers said they were clarifying the amendment with the new law. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Secretary of State Laurel Lee and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis had asked that the lawsuit brought by 17 complainants be thrown out. The Florida State Conference of the NAACP, the Orange County Branch of the NAACP, and the League of Women Voters of Florida -- who are representing felons in the suit -- claim it is unconstitutional to condition voting rights on the payment of fees. The case will head to the Florida Supreme Court, News 13 reported.

(Reuters) - The United States and Britain on Monday accused Russia of launching cyber attacks on computer routers, firewalls and other networking equipment used by government agencies, businesses and critical infrastructure operators around the globe. Washington and London issued a joint alert saying the campaign by Russian government-backed hackers was intended to advance spying, intellectual property theft and other “malicious” activities and could be escalated to launch offensive attacks. It followed a series of warnings by Western governments that Moscow is behind a string of cyber attacks. The United States, Britain and other nations in February accused Russia of releasing the “NotPetya” virus, which in 2017 crippled parts of Ukraine’s infrastructure and damaged computers across the globe, costing companies billions of dollars. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Russia’s embassy in London issued a statement citing British accusations of cyber threats from Moscow as “striking examples of a reckless, provocative and unfounded policy against Russia.” Moscow has denied previous accusations that it carried out cyber attacks on the United States and other countries. U.S. intelligence agencies last year accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 election with a hacking and propaganda campaign supporting Donald Trump’s campaign for president. Last month the Trump administration blamed Russia for a campaign of cyber attacks that targeted the U.S. power grid. American and British officials said that the attacks disclosed on Monday affected a wide range of organizations including internet service providers, private businesses and critical infrastructure providers. They did not identify victims or provide details on the impact of the attacks. “When we see malicious cyber activity, whether it be from the Kremlin or other malicious nation-state actors, we are going to push back,” said Rob Joyce, the White House cyber security coordinator. Relations between Russia and Britain were already on edge after Prime Minister Theresa May blamed Moscow for the March 4 nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the city of Salisbury. “This is yet another example of Russia’s disregard for international norms and global order - this time through a campaign of cyber espionage and aggression, which attempts to disrupt governments and destabilize business,” a British government spokesman said in London. Britain and the United States said they issued the new alert to help targets protect themselves and persuade victims to share information with government investigators so they can better understand the threat. “We don’t have full insight into the scope of the compromise,” said U.S. Department of Homeland Security cyber security official Jeanette Manfra. The alert is not related to the suspected chemical weapons attack in a town in Syria that prompted a U.S.-led military strike over the weekend targeting facilities of the Russian-backed Syrian government, Joyce said. Shortly after the announcement, the White House said Joyce would leave his post and return to the U.S. National Security Agency. U.S. and British officials warned that infected routers could be used to launch future offensive cyber operations. “They could be pre-positioning for use in times of tension,” said Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the British government’s National Cyber Security Centre cyber defense agency, who added that “millions of machines” were targeted.

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States That Drink the Most Beer Total consumption of beer in the U.S. has fallen for the third straight year, according to a report published by the Beer Institute, a beer lobbying group. Since 2008, total beer consumption has fallen by as much as 11% in some states. Americans still, however, consume a massive amount of the foamy beverage — an estimated 6.3 billion gallons in 2011. Nationwide, 28.3 gallons of beer a year were consumed for every American of legal age. See the Ten States Some states consume far less than others. In Connecticut, only 21.8 gallons were purchased per resident in 2011. In Utah, it was just 19.2 gallons. In three states, however, the Beer Institute estimates that more than 40 gallons of beer were consumed per person. Based on Beer Institute’s report, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 states that drink the most beer. In an interview with Beer Institute Chief Economist Lester Jones, he discussed the factors that cause beer consumption per capita to be higher in some states. Jones pointed out that the numbers can be misleading. The report measures the total amount of beer sold in the state. It does not, however, indicate how much is actually consumed by residents of that state. So-called “blue laws,” are state laws that prohibit the sale of liquor on Sundays. Other state regulation does not allow beer sale gas stations, convenience stores, or grocery stores. These laws likely encourage thirsty residents to drive across state lines to purchase beer. In fact, many of the states on 24/7 Wall St.’s have few of those restrictive laws. In eight of the 10 states, beer is legally sold at gas stations and convenience stores. The sale of beer on Sundays is also legal in all 10 states. According to Jones, there is an even more important reason for residents to seek out some states to purchase beer: taxes. New Hampshire has the highest per capita alcohol consumption because “anyone who is driving through or lives on the border of New Hampshire will probably opt for the 5% or 6% savings, and just go into the state to buy their alcohol there,” he said. As a result, it is common for New Hampshire liquor stores to be visited by residents of Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. Despite the other factors that can influence consumption, there appears to be a strong relationship between the amount of beer purchased in a state and the prevalence of drinking — both casual and heavy — within the state. Based on a Centers for Disease Control survey for 2011, all 10 states had a larger-than-average proportion of residents who reported binge drinking. Even in states like New Hampshire, where outside purchasers account for a portion of total beer sales, 65.8% of those surveyed reported having at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, the second-highest percentage in the country. In North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, high consumption appears to be driven by the type of jobs in the state. Relative to the rest of the country, these states have booming energy, farming and construction industries. According to Jones, these jobs are traditionally filled by men aged 25 to 54, which is the core beer-drinking demographics. The Beer Institute calculated the total amount of beer sold in the state each year, and, dividing it by the total population over the age of 21, estimated the average consumption per person. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 10 states with the highest consumption in gallons per capita in 2011. In addition, the Beer Institute provided data on alcohol taxes, rules and regulations related to the consumption of beer and liquor, and changes in consumption dating back to 2003. 24/7 Wall St. also reviewed heavy-drinking and binge-drinking data provided for 2011 by the CDC.

With huge towers planned on either end of Canal Street, Boston is considering making the popular street near TD Garden and North Station more pedestrian-friendly. Among the short-term changes under consideration are encouraging more restaurants to do more outdoor seating and allow more street vendors on the sidewalks. And later, perhaps within six to 10 years, the city could extend the sidewalk, reducing space for vehicles and parking, to make the stretch even more wide open for walkers. The goal would be to rebuild the street in such a way that would make drivers feel like “they are intruding on a pedestrian space,” according to a transportation plan for the North Station area released Wednesday. Gina Fiandaca, the city’s transportation commissioner, said the plans for the street are not final.

Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy's oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies. Cossiga's tendency to be outspoken upset the Italian political establishment, and he was forced to resign after revealing the existence of, and his part in setting up, Operation Gladio. This was a rogue intelligence network under NATO auspices that carried out bombings across Europe in the 1960s, 1970s and '80s. Gladio's specialty was to carry out what they termed "false flag" operations-terror attacks that were blamed on their domestic and geopolitical opposition. In March 2001, Gladio agent Vincenzo Vinciguerra stated, in sworn testimony, "You had to attack civilians, the people, women, children, innocent people, unknown people far removed from any political game. The reason was quite simple: to force the public to turn to the state to ask for greater security." More...

Australian jihadis Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar have been accused of enslaving and raping women from the Yazidi religious minority in northern Iraq. Two women who say they escaped from the pair have accused the jihadis of buying women from a slave market and forcing them into marriage. They said the Australians, who are fighting for the Islamic State group in Syria, had bought them after they were kidnapped in Iraq and taken deep into Syrian territory last year. One of them told the ABC that Sharrouf, who has been convicted and jailed for his involvement in a terrorist plot in Australia, threatened to kill her. “At night he was taking a girl downstairs, and when the girl returned she’d tell us, ‘He told me you have to marry me or else I will sell you, and if you say anything to my wife I will sell you or kill you,’ ” she said. It was also claimed that Sharrouf demanded they convert to Islam. “He tried to ban us from crying and showing our sadness,” the woman, Layla, said. “He threatened to sell us if we did. He said, ‘Why are you sad? Forget about your home and family. This is your home and we are your family now. Forget about your Gods, for good, because we have killed them all.’” Sharrouf’s children were also accused of torturing the women. Elomar was accused of raping or threatening to rape two Yazidi women. “One of my friends was with us all the day but he was taking her by force at night,” Layla said. The second woman, Nazdar, said of a friend: “She told me, ‘He said that I must marry him or else he is going to sell me.’ And every day he was bringing people to his home offering to sell them my friend.” The ABC has obtained images which it says show Sharrouf at a shooting range along with a young woman who may be his eldest daughter. Three boys said to be Sharrouf’s sons are also seen in military fatigues, the youngest holding a submachine gun. Last year Sharrouf posted a photo on the internet of his young son holding up a severed head. Layla and Nazdar have now taken refuge in northern Iraq.

“You’re not going to get far working at Burger King,” she told me. Davis has been able to find minimum-wage work over the years at fast-food restaurants and grocery stores, but the money is barely enough to feed five kids, pay the rent, and put gas in her car. Improving her opportunities through education, a key idea behind welfare reform, was nearly impossible with the jobs available to her and the time constraints she faced because of motherhood. A few years ago, she tried to go back to school, but the only classes that fit her schedule were online. It was tough to attend online classes and do school work while raising five kids and working part-time, so Davis ended up failing two semesters and quitting. She knows that she needs a job where she has room for advancement to make it worth the time she’ll sacrifice away for her children. But at the state jobs office, she told me, “they just want to send you out there, get any job, accept any job, they don’t care if you’re happy with the job.” Seefeldt and Sandstrom found that Davis’s struggles are typical of single mothers without more education and work experience: They face big barriers re-entering the workforce—dealing with childcare, transportation, and health insurance, all for paltry wages. Unfortunately, many mothers who do find work are only one crisis away from losing that job. One broken car, one sick kid, one court date can upend the fragile system they’d created for themselves. “The mantra in Michigan was a job, a better job, a career: Through work you would experience upward mobility,” Seefeldt told me. “There was never any evidence that was the case.” The lack of good, steady jobs makes it clear why single mothers rely on “packaging strategies,” as Seefeldt and Sandstrom term them. Sometimes, these strategies become so entrenched that women don’t need to depend on assistance from the government at all, especially when there are numerous hurdles to clear in order for them to receive benefits. Suzanne Morrisey did her doctoral research on women in Syracuse, New York, eligible for benefits through Women with Infants and Children (WIC). Part of her research focused on why so many mothers in Syracuse who qualified for WIC were not enrolled in the program (women who are pregnant and on Medicaid are eligible for WIC). In nearby counties, three-quarters of eligible women were enrolled in WIC; in Syracuse, fewer than half were. Morrisey found that women in Syracuse had created their own social networks that sometimes provided what they could get from WIC, but with a lot less hassle. If the father of their child brought over a big case of infant formula, there’s little reason for them to go to a WIC office, wait in line and receive vouchers, which they have to bring to a supermarket, where they are perhaps stigmatized for using benefits. Solutions come from surprising places. One woman had a friend who worked at a clinic and gave her free expired formula, for example. Another would rely on the woman she called her “mother-in-law,” even though she wasn’t married to the father of her child, and was no longer in a relationship with him. Still others would trade childcare or share food that might soon spoil.

Essendon has confirmed new recruit Adam Cooney will miss the next three matches with a hamstring injury. The former Bulldog has made an impressive start to his career with the Bombers, averaging 15 possessions a game. But he’ll have to watch from the sidelines when Essendon takes on Collingwood on Saturday. “That was disappointing. Just before three quarter time he had a definite tear to his hamstring,” Club Doctor Bruce Reid said. David Zaharakis left the field briefly during the Bombers win over Carlton. He copped a kick to the knee and will be monitored throughout the week. “He came off the ground for a couple of minutes and played out the second half. He’s running pretty freely today so we’ll see how he is on Thursday,” Dr Reid said. Club medical staff are also keeping an eye on Jake Carlisle. The key forward was troubled by a groin complaint during the second quarter last weekend. He had precautionary scans on Monday but was running well at training today. Paul Chapman is a certain starter despite having to leave the field after his clash with Carlton’s Chris Yarran. “He’s as good as gold and will play,” Dr Reid said. There was bad news for Lauchlan Dalgleish in the VFL. The dashing defender suffered a knee injury. “He’s got a grade one posterior cruciate ligament so he’ll miss a couple of weeks,” Dr Reid said.

T-shirt with my reddit gifts bio on the front (and in full). Cash for bourbon because my SS is awesome.

Update: On May 30, 2016, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed the solar-site management bill into law. Solar power is poised to take off in Minnesota. And in the process, it might just give a little boost to birds. Back in 2013, Minnesota set a statewide goal of generating 10 percent of its energy from solar by 2030. That same year, a different law gave a leg up to community solar “gardens”—facilities where groups and residents can subscribe to solar power to offset their own electricity use. Altogether, photovoltaic (PV) cells are expected to go up on some 4,500 acres of former farmland in the state by the end of this year. Now, a bill has been penned to encourage the planting of native grasses and wildflowers in and around new solar PV facilities. That way the projects not only provide clean energy, but also support pollinators like hummingbirds, bees, and monarch butterflies. (Many pollinators have declined in recent years from habitat loss, pesticides, pathogens, and other factors.) The extra habitat would also help grassland birds that feed on insects, such as Eastern Meadowlarks and Grasshopper Sparrows, both of which are imperiled in the state. And in case you're wondering, PV panels aren't the kind of solar power source that causes birds to burst into flames (though they don't have the most perfect record either). Unlike concentrating solar power, they don’t use mirrors to focus the sun’s rays to spin a turbine. Typically solar companies cover their properties with gravel, concrete, or turf grass, says Audubon Minnesota communications manager Ashley Peters; converting that land into native vegetation will boost local biodiversity. Though the new plans will only help to recover a fraction of lost habitat, it’s a step in the right direction, proponents say: If the approach is used on the pending 4,500 acres, it would represent the equivalent of more than 2 million 6’ x 12’ native-plant gardens. The bill has finished working its way through committees in the state legislature and hasn’t drawn any opponents so far. Once it passes next month, it will codify a set of standards that defines pollinator-friendly habitat, developed and overseen by the state's Department of Natural Resources and Board of Water and Soil Resources. The bill will also require participating companies to make their planting plans available to the public. This would ensure that they're delivering on their habitat claims, and gives them another way to promote the environmental benefits, says Rob Davis, director of the Media & Innovation Lab at Fresh Energy. The organization, which is the primary force behind the bill, designs market-based policies that will ease and encourage a transition to clean energy. The proposed law also provides common ground for agribusiness and environmentalists, who in the past have sparred over issues such as water quality and conversion of habitat into farmland, says Kimberly Scott, Audubon Minnesota’s policy and legislative liaison. The program would, however, be strictly voluntary. “I’m not sure there’s the political appetite for [a requirement] in Minnesota,” says Scott. Still, Peters notes that passing a bill that promotes friendlier solar plants would allow more companies to catch wind of the approach. And Fresh Energy’s Davis points out that municipal governments can require pollinator habitat as part of a permit for projects below a certain size. Several solar companies have already pledged to plant native habitat at their Minnesota facilities. And farming organizations have also aligned in support: “It’s an easy and logical way to add [pollinator] habitat that is so critically needed, and add that habitat around solar panels, which are also contributing to a healthier planet," Minnesota Corn Growers Association executive director Adam Birr wrote in an email.

Takavuosina kaavailtu kilometripohjainen tienkäyttömaksu olisi kerätty satelliittipohjaisella järjestelmällä. Sitä moitittiin kalliiksi, ja lopulta hanke taisi kaatua siihen, että autoilijat eivät pitäneet ajatuksesta, että heidän liikkeitään olisi pystytty järjestelmällä seuraamaan tarkastikin. Ilmeisesti tästä viisastuneena on kehitelty järjestelmää, joka olisi paitsi edullinen ja tietoturvallinen, myös muuta kuin autoilijan kyyläysjärjestelmä. Ylen tietojen mukaan asiakasmaksun keräämisessä on ollut esillä ainakin kolme eri vaihtoehtoa. 1. Liikenteen palvelupaketti Liikenneoperaattori liisaa esimerkiksi 10 000 autoa autoliikkeeltä. Operaattori ostaa suunnitteilla olevalta valtion liikenneverkkoyhtiöltä kuhunkin autoon esimerkiksi 30 000 ajokilometriä, tietyn määrän bussiliikennettä, ja vaikka junaliikennettä. Liikennepaketti kokonaisuutena myydään kuluttajalle esim. 80 euron kiinteään kuukausihintaan. 2. Autokohtainen tiedonkeruu Asennetaan auton OBD-porttiin eli tiedonsiirtoväylään laite, jossa on sim-kortti, eli "auton liittymäkortti". Joissakin uusissa automalleissa sirukortti löytyy jo navigaattorista. Tiedot mm. ajokiilometreistä kootaan tiivistelmäksi, ja lähetetään operaattorille maksutietoja varten. Tiedon keräys ei ole reaaliaikaista, eikä kukaan pääse näkemään tietoja kuin vasta mahdollisessa laskutuksen riitatilanteessa. Kerätään vain laskutuksen kannalta olennaiset tiedot. 3. Prepaid OBD-portiin kytketään laite, johon voi laittaa sirukortin tai auton muuhun sirupaikkaan hankitaan prepaid-tyyppinen siru tai muu tunniste, jossa on etukäteen ostetut ajokilometrit. Olipa asiakasmaksun keräämistapa mikä tahansa, asiakasmaksun ideana on, että autoilijan kokonaiskustannukset eivät nykyisestä ainakaan nousisi. Myös väärinkäytön mahdollisuus pyritään ottamaan huomioon. Eri valmistajat kehittävät ratkaisuja, joilla se voitaisiin tehokkaimmin estää. Yksi vaihtoehto voisi olla eräänlainen OBD-portin sinetti. Isompi OBD-porttiin liittyvän ratkaisun ongelma lienee se, että porttia ei vanhemmissa autoissa ole. Ylen tietojen mukaan järjestelmiä, joita voitaisiin hyödyntää asiakasmaksun keräämisessä on kehitteillä, tulossa myyntiin tai jo myynnissä ainakin parilla suurella elektroniikkavalmistajilla. Myös parin kotimaisen puhelinoperaattorin nimet ovat olleet suunnitelmissa esillä. Uusimmissa premium-autoissa mobiiliteknologiaa hyödynnetään jo nyt monella tavalla. Tällä hetkellä hankkeen vaihtoehdot ovat vielä erittäin spekulatiivisia. Ennen kuin suunnitelmat voivat edetä on selvitettävä mm. mikä olisi valtion uuden liikenneverkkoyhtiön taseen arvo, ja kassavirta sekä se, miten yhtiö voisi toimia halutulla tavalla markkinaehtoisesti. Liikenneministeri Anne Berner (kesk.) kertoi maanantaina tiedotustilaisuudessa, että asiakasmaksulla voitaisiin korvata autoilusta kerättäviä veroja jopa kahdella miljardilla. Asialle on luonnollisesti saatava myös riittävän laaja poliittinen hyväksyntä.

Man jailed over cling film mummification 'sex death' Published duration 18 December 2014 image copyright PA image caption Richard Bowler was convicted of manslaughter through gross negligence following a trial A man has been jailed for five years for causing the death of a man covered in cling film during a sex game. Alun Williams, 47, died from a heart attack after being wrapped up during the bondage session at a flat in Dover. Richard Bowler, 35, of Sturry Road, Canterbury, was found guilty of manslaughter through gross negligence at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday. His co-defendant David Connor, 23, also of Sturry Road, was cleared of the same charge, which the pair had both denied. 'Delay caused death' A post-mortem report said wrapping in cling film had caused Mr Williams to dehydrate, which led to his heart attack. Judge Adele Williams told Bowler during sentencing: "In my judgment, you lost sight of the fact that day that Alun Williams was a human being and thought of him as your 'sex buddy', as you put it." She said his failure to monitor or check Mr Williams led to his death and the delay in Bowler getting help was "reprehensible". The court heard Mr Williams, the head chef for P&O Ferries, was unable to regulate his body temperature after being what was described in court as effectively "mummified". He had an interest in bondage and "mummification" and would meet men online for sex, jurors were told. Mr Williams visited the pair at the flat in East Street where Bowler, who has cerebral palsy, and Mr Connor, his informal carer, were then living. Just after 06:00 BST on 20 August, Mr Connor walked to the taxi rank where his mother worked and said: "Mum, Richard's killed someone." During a phone call to the emergency services the same morning, Bowler said: "It's a bit embarrassing. It's my friend, he's called Alun. I have known him for five years. I'm gay, he's gay. image copyright PA image caption David Connor said he was only acting on the instructions of Mr Williams and Bowler "We had a bit of a kinky sex game and he's stopped breathing. "I thought he was just sleeping. I am sorry, I should have called before. He takes ketamine and that mongs him out. "He's on my bed, he's wrapped in a PVC sheet with tape and that." After being put through to the ambulance service, he cut open the wrapping to perform CPR. Bowler denied the charge of manslaughter through gross negligence, saying he took all reasonable care of Mr Williams and could not have foreseen that covering him in cling film and PVC would have led to his death. Mr Connor said he was only acting on the instructions of Mr Williams and Bowler. Police found drugs including ketamine, cocaine, methamphetamine and amyl nitrate, otherwise known as poppers, in Mr Williams' rucksack. Following the sentencing, Det Insp Richard Vickery, said: "This is a tragic death of a man well-liked by his colleagues and friends. "Bowler had a responsibility to look after the welfare of Mr Williams when he entered their home and spent the evening with him. "Due to the nature in which he was restrained he should never have left him alone for extended periods of time, but he did. "I hope this verdict and sentence goes some way to providing those who were close to Mr Williams some closure after what has been a very difficult time."

The rise of ISIS has generated strong concerns in nations around the world, and a new Pew Research Center survey finds broad global support for American military efforts against the terrorist group. And unlike the Iraq War a decade ago, the current U.S. air campaign in Iraq and Syria is backed by majorities in America’s European allies and endorsed by publics in key Middle Eastern nations. However, global publics mostly oppose another element of recent U.S. national security policy: the harsh interrogation methods used against suspected terrorists in the wake of 9/11 that many consider torture. A median of 50% across 40 nations surveyed say they oppose these practices, which were detailed in a widely publicized U.S. Senate report in December 2014. Only 35% believe they were justified. Americans disagree – nearly six-in-ten (58%) say they were justified. And more broadly, Americans are more supportive of using torture than others around the world. The U.S. is one of only 12 countries where half or more approve of their own government using torture against suspected terrorists. Overall, ratings for the U.S. remain mostly positive, with a global median of 69% expressing a favorable opinion of the country. President Obama also remains popular in most countries, and his ratings have improved over the last year in 14 nations. The biggest gains are found in India, which the president visited in January. About three-in-four Indians (74%) now express confidence in Obama, compared with 48% a year ago. By far, the sharpest decline in Obama’s image occurred in Israel. Following a year marked by tensions between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over negotiations with Iran, confidence in Obama slipped from 71% in Israel to 49%. Eight-in-ten Israelis disapprove of how Obama is dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, assessments of U.S. economic power are on the rise. After the onset of the Great Recession in 2008, many believed the global economic balance of power was shifting, as China’s economy expanded while the U.S. struggled. But over the last year, as the American economy has continued to rebound, the number of people naming the U.S. as the top economy has increased, especially in Europe. Still, when asked about the future, most publics think China has eclipsed or will eventually eclipse the U.S. as the dominant superpower. China’s rise has generated anxiety and security concerns among many of its neighbors, and the Asian nations surveyed mostly welcome U.S. plans to commit more military resources to the Asia-Pacific region, which is part of a U.S. strategy sometimes referred to as the “pivot” or “rebalancing” toward Asia. Half or more in Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, India, Australia and South Korea say a greater American military commitment to the region would be a good thing because it could help maintain peace. Malaysia is the only Asian nation where more than half (54%) takes the opposite view that the pivot is bad because it could lead to conflict with China. There is also considerable support for the major economic component of the pivot: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. This trade agreement, which is currently under negotiation, would deepen economic ties among a number of nations on both sides of the Pacific. Roughly half or more in seven of the nine TPP nations in the study believe the agreement would be a good thing for their country. However, the American public’s embrace of the pivot is somewhat tepid. By a 49%-29% margin, Americans support TPP, although nearly a quarter offer no opinion. They are more divided over committing additional defense resources to Asia – 47% support the idea, while 43% oppose it. Nonetheless, when asked whether the U.S. should use military force to defend an Asian ally that got into a military conflict with China, 56% of Americans say yes, while 34% say no. Key allies in the region have faith that Washington would come to their defense. Fully 73% of South Koreans, 66% of Filipinos and 60% of Japanese say the U.S. would use force if their country were involved in a military conflict with China. In the U.S., there are substantial partisan divides over American engagement in Asia. Republicans are less supportive than Democrats or independents of a potential trade deal, but more supportive of American military commitments in the region. Even though Asian publics largely welcome American economic and security initiatives, they also value their economic relationships with China. In fact, in Australia and South Korea, two close American allies, the balance of opinion is that having strong economic ties with China is more important than having such ties with U.S. In China itself, America’s intentions are viewed with suspicion. More than half (54%) believe the U.S. is trying to prevent China from becoming equally as powerful; just 28% say the U.S. accepts that China will eventually be an equal power. These are among the main findings of a new Pew Research Center survey, conducted in 40 nations among 45,435 respondents from March 25 to May 27, 2015. (See here for a map of countries included in the survey). China’s Global Image The survey finds that overall ratings for China are mostly positive. A global median of 55% express a favorable view of China, while 34% have a negative opinion. Ratings tend to be especially positive in sub-Saharan Africa (a median of 70% favorable), although they are still slightly lower than the ratings received by the U.S. in the region. The U.S. also receives higher marks than China in Asia, Latin America and especially Europe. The opposite is true, however, in the Middle East. One thing China and the U.S. have in common is that both nations tend to get better ratings among young people. In 18 nations, people under age 30 are more likely than those 50 and older to express a positive opinion of China. And this is especially true in the U.S., where 55% of 18-29 year-olds offer a favorable view, compared with 27% of people 50 and over. Meanwhile, 59% of Chinese under age 30 see the U.S. favorably, compared with only 29% of those ages 50+. However, global images of the U.S. and China are very different when it comes to individual rights. A global median of just 34% believe the Chinese government respects the personal freedoms of its people. Large majorities (about three-quarters or more) in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea and throughout the EU say China does not respect these rights. There are exceptions however: In ten countries, at least six-in-ten say China does respect individual liberty, including the Asian nations of Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia. In contrast to China, the U.S. gets relatively high marks on individual liberty – a global median of 63% say the American government does respect the personal freedoms of its citizens. Europeans More Critical of U.S. on Personal Freedoms, but Positive about Its Economic Power Europeans, however, stand out as increasingly critical of the U.S. government when it comes to protecting the freedoms of its people. Across the Western European nations polled, ratings for the U.S. on this issue declined between 2013 and 2014, at least partly in response to Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s electronic surveillance programs. This year’s survey highlights further declines, perhaps in response to highly publicized stories over the last year, such as those concerning harsh interrogation techniques in the post-9/11 era, as well as the controversy in the U.S. regarding police treatment of African-Americans and other minorities. In Germany, France and the United Kingdom, fewer people believe the U.S. government respects personal freedoms than was the case in 2008, the final year of the George W. Bush administration, which was widely unpopular in Western Europe. At the same time that Europeans give the U.S. poorer ratings for this element of soft power, they believe American economic power is on the rise. Between 2009 and 2012, Europeans increasingly saw China, rather than the U.S., as the world’s economic leader. However, the pendulum has swung back in the other direction since 2012, and today Europeans are now essentially divided on this question. A median of 41% across five EU nations – Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Spain – name China as the top economy, while a median of 39% say it is America. American Public an Outlier on Torture Views about America’s post-9/11 interrogations are strongly correlated with how people feel about the potential use of torture in their own countries. Across the nations surveyed, a median of 40% believe their own governments would be justified in using torture against people suspected of terrorism in order to gain information about possible attacks. A median of 45% oppose this idea. Compared with other nations, Americans are generally more supportive of using torture in this type of situation. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) in the U.S. say it could be justified, making it one of only 12 countries surveyed where at least half hold this view. Countries with higher levels of support for the use of torture by their own governments tend to also have higher levels of support for the use of torture techniques by the U.S. government following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Capitals play their final exhibition game Sunday against St. Louis, so the situation could still be fluid, but I’ll take an early stab at projecting the opening-night roster. We already know that Boyd won’t be ready for the start of the season, meaning the fourth-line center job will go to Nic Dowd. Washington is replacing a faceoff and penalty-killing specialist in Jay Beagle, who signed with Vancouver this summer, and Dowd has impressed in both areas. He’s hopeful his offensive production will rebound to what it was two years ago, when he had six goals and 16 assists with Los Angeles. The Capitals reassigned forward Shane Gersich to the American Hockey League, and wingers Riley Barber and Liam O’Brien were waived. Assuming they clear, they’ll also be sent down to Hershey. Those players are better suited playing regularly in the AHL than sitting in the press box as extras because the Capitals don’t have any lineup spots available for forwards. AD AD It’s unclear if Kempny will be ready for opening night; he hasn’t practiced the past two days, but Coach Todd Reirden said Friday that he’s “progressing.” The timeline for coming back from a concussion varies from person to person and circumstance to circumstance. Washington has nine defensemen left on the roster, including Aaron Ness and Jonas Siegenthaler, and Reirden has been especially impressed with Siegenthaler’s camp. If the Capitals have a healthy blue line, it makes more sense for Siegenthaler to continue developing in the AHL, but Kempny’s injury might create room for him to at least start the season here. “Everyone looked in the summer at our situation, and we had seven returning defensemen,” Reirden said. “It just goes to show that so much can change in this game. So quickly things can develop, or go south in that same respect, for certain players and opportunities. Every year, there’s someone who steps up, and he’s been that guy for us.” Jayson Megna’s speed and versatility — he can play center or wing — might give him the edge over Australian Nathan Walker to make the opening-night roster. Assuming Kempny doesn’t play Wednesday and Boyd starts the season on injured reserve to free up an additional roster spot, here’s a projection that fits under the NHL salary cap (thanks to CapFriendly.com): AD AD In Saturday’s practice — Kempny still was not out there — Christian Djoos skated on the left side of John Carlson with Madison Bowey on the right side of Brooks Orpik. I think that’s the most likely combination for opening night if Kempny doesn’t play, but Siegenthaler impressed beside Carlson in Friday’s game, which would leave Djoos on the third pairing with Orpik. How Sunday’s preseason game goes might determine a lot. If the Capitals intend on keeping Siegenthaler around until Kempny’s healthy — and I think that’s their plan — then there’s certainly some pressure on Bowey to not lose his place in the pecking order. He played in 51 games last season, and he’s in the first year of a new one-way, two-year deal worth $2 million. Washington would have to expose him to waivers to send him down to the AHL, and the team definitely won’t do that. That gives him some added security over Siegenthaler, who is still waivers-exempt.

A salute to menu music, shop songs and other oft ignored tunes from consoles and handhelds. Download now 00:00 – GameCube demo disc 05:38 – Initial Setup (PS Vita) 09:02 – Home Screen (PS Vita) 10:49 – Shop (PS Vita) 27:30 – Shop 2014 (Wii U) 29:08 – Shop Summer 2014 (Wii U) 36:52 – eShop (Nintendo 3DS) 49:57 – Launch (PlayStation Demo Disc)

Not sure if I liked the music Or just glad it's over 129 shares

(Reuters) - A federal judge has ruled that Tesla must defend itself at a trial over allegations it knew foreign workers at its California assembly plant were threatened with deportation if they reported an injury and worked long shifts that violated forced labor laws. FILE PHOTO: A Tesla showroom is seen in Santa Monica, California, U.S., January 4, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, in San Jose, California, dismissed most of the seven claims against Tesla on Monday, but allowed two claims to survive, paving the way for the plaintiffs to seek documents and witnesses to build their case. The decision comes as Tesla is under pressure to turn a profit and days after Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk stepped down as chairman to settle allegations by regulators that he misled investors. Tesla has been plagued with safety complaints brought by workers, allegations that Tesla denies. Workers say that long hours and pressure to deliver vehicles quickly takes a toll, and some have pushed for a union. Tesla said it investigated the allegations and broke ties with a subcontractor, ISM Vuzem, that it said did not live up to its expectations. “We’ve also since improved our supplier contracts and policies to better stop bad behavior,” it said in a statement. According to the lawsuit, Gregor Lesnik of Slovenia came to the United States on a B-1 visa and worked 250 hours per month for less than $950, well below minimum wage. It also alleges that foreign workers were threatened with deportation or reduced pay if they reported injuries or became ill. The 2016 lawsuit by Lesnik and Stjepan Papes of Croatia seeks class action status on behalf of foreigners with B-1 visas working at construction sites at U.S. auto plants. Tesla was one of several automakers named as defendants, but the only one that was not dismissed from the case because plaintiffs only alleged to have suffered threats of deportation at Tesla’s plant in Fremont, California. Koh denied a motion to dismiss for two Tesla subcontractors, Eisenmann Corp and ISM Vuzem because they operated at the same plant. Eisenmann and Vuzem did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Koh said her ruling was based on a “generous reading of the at times incomprehensible” lawsuit, but also said the allegations against Tesla and Eisenmann were “uncharacteristically specific.” Koh rejected arguments that Tesla and Eisenmann were not liable because the alleged abuses were committed by Vuzem. Koh said a party that benefits financially from another’s abuses also bears liability. The claims she dismissed alleged violations of the False Claims Act, Fair Labor Standards Act and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

Today's statistical fallacy (slightly redacted by editor) comes from Joel on Software: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1%. Martin Fowler said, "We are still working hard to hire only the very top fraction of software developers (the target is around the top 0.5 to 1%)." I hear this from almost every software company. "We hire the top 1% or less," they all say. Could they all be hiring the top 1%? Where are all the other 99%? General Motors? When you get 200 resumes, and hire the best person, does that mean you're hiring the top 0.5%? Think about what happens to the other 199 that you didn't hire. They go look for another job. The entire world could consist of 1,000,000 programmers, of whom the worst 199 keep applying for every job and never getting them, but the best 999,801 always get jobs as soon as they apply for one. So every time a job is listed the 199 losers apply, as usual, and one guy from the pool of 999,801 applies, and he gets the job, of course, because he's the best, and now, in this contrived example, every employer thinks they're getting the top 0.5% when they're actually getting the top 99.9801%. I'm exaggerating a lot, but the point is, when you select 1 out of 200 applicants, the other 199 don't give up and go into plumbing (although I wish they would... plumbers are impossible to find). They apply again somewhere else, and contribute to some other employer's self-delusions about how selective they are. This might explain some other phenomena I've heard of, such as the "slush heap" of inconceivably awful stories received in the mail by every fiction publisher that accepts unsolicited manuscripts. When a story is good enough to be published, it's accepted and removed from the system. Otherwise the hapless author sends it to another publisher! Perhaps most novice writers aren't quite as dreadful (on average) as editors seem to believe? Editors will disproportionately encounter the work of novice writers who are not only awkward, but so incompetent as to be unaware of their own incompetence, and so proud that they can't take a hint. PS: Two other areas where this might apply: Students who apply to your program/department for admission. And, grant proposals. PPS: Robert Scarth comments, "This might also explain why some women often think that 'all men are bastards' - there are a few cads out there in continual circulation and with no intention to settle down, whereas men with honourable intentions have much fewer relationships, and settle down more quickly."

Donald Trump hasn't released any further details on what “no new deals” in his tweet meant, leaving him plenty of wiggle room to redefine the pledge later. | AP Photo Presidential transition ‘No new deals’? Trump critics aren’t buying it It’s a bold promise, but observers can’t figure out how Trump could keep it without closing his business empire entirely. Hours after going back on his promised press conference on avoiding conflicts of interest, President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter late Monday night to make a bold promise: “No new deals” for his business during his time in office. It’s a big, bold promise that, if enacted, would go a long way toward protecting his administration’s credibility. It’s also, according to Trump’s critics, a promise that is impossible for Trump to keep. Trump is stepping away from his business, but he plans to maintain ownership of his sprawling empire of hotels, real estate, golf courses and other investments, as well as of the trademark licenses attached to his name. That means he’ll have a major financial stake in the moves his sons, Eric and Donald Jr., make to keep the company going. Trump also controls 500-plus private companies, and those rely on routine transactions. Added up, that means there will be new deals — and lots of them. “It makes no sense. You can’t run a business without deals,” said Richard Painter, the former top ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House. “He’s going to receive rent from foreign controlled entities. He’s going to continue to rent rooms to diplomats from foreign countries.” Norm Eisen, President Barack Obama’s former top White House ethics lawyer, added: “All he’s saying is that he will not add brand-new major projects. Of course, managing the existing ones will involve a constant flow of new transactions, contracts, negotiations, customers and, expansions.” “In other words, ‘new deals,’” Eisen added. The “no new deals” pledge came soon after Trump’s team announced he was postponing a “major press conference” set for Dec. 15 where he’d promised he would lay out a comprehensive plan for untangling himself from his business interests. (As part of the tweet mini-spree, Trump also announced that his daughter Ivanka wouldn’t be involved in the day-to-day management of the company, a task that will fall to his adult sons and a council of executives.) Trump didn’t release any further details on what “no new deals” meant, leaving him plenty of wiggle room to redefine the pledge later. But the blanket promise didn’t satisfy Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “The idea that Mr. Trump won’t do any future deals completely misses the point,” the lawmaker said in a statement to POLITICO. “He already has a web of global entanglements that has to be addressed. Giving his kids control of the business is not going to fix this. He seems to be in denial, and that may be why he canceled his press conference.” But Trump’s pledge shouldn’t be dismissed outright, said Kenneth Gross, an ethics lawyer and former enforcement official from the Federal Election Commission. While it’s difficult know the full extent of Trump’s business arrangements given the limits on what information is publicly available for a private company, Gross said the promise does provide a useful signal that any major new acquisitions will be shelved. “I’d say no new deals is a step in the right direction. It could be a significant step in the right direction,” he told POLITICO. Monday’s tweet marked the first time Trump had publicly made the “no new deals” pledge, though it apparently was among the items long under consideration inside Trump Tower. Just days after the Nov. 8 election, CNBC cited an unnamed source close to the president-elect’s family who said business expansions were headed for the backburner now that Trump was on his way to the White House. “They’re going to just manage them and let the existing assets grow organically. But they’re not going to do a lot of new deals or acquisitions,” the source told CNBC. Trump’s ‘no new deals’ pledge also came as Republicans have been privately grousing to his team over how he’s been handling concerns about his business conflicts, including his remarks during a Sunday appearance on FOX News. There, the president-elect sought to deflect a question about his administration’s potential ethical landmines by confirming he was still taking business meetings as recently as last week. “I am turning down billions of dollars of deals,” Trump said, citing an unspecified offer involving “seven deals with one big player, great player, last week, because I thought it could be perceived as a conflict of interest.” While Trump has political room to maneuver on his business conflicts – House Speaker Paul Ryan last week said the president-elect can handle the issue “however he wants to” -- a former associate to the president-elect said the GOP is very much concerned about the long-term effect that Democratic hits on the topic will have on the party. “That’s going to have legs…’The guy wants to drain the swamp, yet he’s making money off the Oval Office,’” said the Republican source. Trump’s businesses have been the subject of intense scrutiny since his upset White House victory. His daughter Ivanka was in attendance during his first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The new Trump hotel in the renovated Old Post Office Building just blocks from the White House has been booked this month by the Azerbaijani and Bahraini embassies. The president-elect’s business executives have also been reported visiting both Taiwan and Cuba in recent months, though in both instances the company has issued statements to reporters explaining there are no plans for expansions in the countries. “It is important for us to understand the dynamics of the markets that our competitors are exploring,” a Trump Organization spokesperson said in a statement referring to the Cuba visit. Some of Trump’s business efforts also appear to be winding down. Citing corporate registrations in Delaware, the AP reported last Friday that Trump had shuttered some of his companies since the election, including four related to potential Saudi Arabia business ventures. Trump general counsel Alan Garten told the wire service that the four companies closure was part of routine “housecleaning.”

Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Almost every man alive can trace his origins to one man who lived about 135,000 years ago, new research suggests. And that ancient man likely shared the planet with the mother of all women. The findings, detailed Thursday in the journal Science, come from the most complete analysis of the male sex chromosome, or the Y chromosome, to date. The results overturn earlier research, which suggested that men's most recent common ancestor lived just 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. Despite their overlap in time, ancient "Adam" and ancient "Eve" probably didn't even live near each other, let alone mate. [The 10 Biggest Mysteries of the First Humans] "Those two people didn't know each other," said Melissa Wilson Sayres, a geneticist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study. Tracing history Researchers believe that modern humans left Africa between 60,000 and 200,000 years ago, and that the mother of all women likely emerged from East Africa. But beyond that, the details get fuzzy. The Y chromosome is passed down identically from father to son, so mutations, or point changes, in the male sex chromosome can trace the male line back to the father of all humans. By contrast, DNA from the mitochondria, the energy powerhouse of the cell, is carried inside the egg, so only women pass it on to their children. The DNA hidden inside mitochondria, therefore, can reveal the maternal lineage to an ancient Eve. But over time, the male chromosome gets bloated with duplicated, jumbled-up stretches of DNA, said study co-author Carlos Bustamante, a geneticist at Stanford University in California. As a result, piecing together fragments of DNA from gene sequencing was like trying to assemble a puzzle without the image on the box top, making thorough analysis difficult. Y chromosome Bustamante and his colleagues assembled a much bigger piece of the puzzle by sequencing the entire genome of the Y chromosome for 69 men from seven global populations, from African San Bushmen to the Yakut of Siberia. Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings. This site is protected by recaptcha By assuming a mutation rate anchored to archaeological events (such as the migration of people across the Bering Strait), the team concluded that all males in their global sample shared a single male ancestor in Africa roughly 125,000 to 156,000 years ago. In addition, mitochondrial DNA from the men, as well as similar samples from 24 women, revealed that all women on the planet trace back to a mitochondrial Eve, who lived in Africa between 99,000 and 148,000 years ago — almost the same time period during which the Y-chromosome Adam lived. More ancient Adam But the results, though fascinating, are just part of the story, said Michael Hammer, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the study. A separate study in the same issue of the journal Science found that men shared a common ancestor between 180,000 and 200,000 years ago. And in a study detailed in March in the American Journal of Human Genetics, Hammer's group showed that several men in Africa have unique, divergent Y chromosomes that trace back to an even more ancient man who lived between 237,000 and 581,000 years ago. [Unraveling the Human Genome: 6 Molecular Milestones] "It doesn't even fit on the family tree that the Bustamante lab has constructed — It's older," Hammer told LiveScience. Gene studies always rely on a sample of DNA and, therefore, provide an incomplete picture of human history. For instance, Hammer's group sampled a different group of men than Bustamante's lab did, leading to different estimates of how old common ancestors really are. Adam and Eve? These primeval people aren't parallel to the biblical Adam and Eve. They weren't the first modern humans on the planet, but instead just the two out of thousands of people alive at the time with unbroken male or female lineages that continue on today. The rest of the human genome contains tiny snippets of DNA from many other ancestors — they just don't show up in mitochondrial or Y-chromosome DNA, Hammer said. (For instance, if an ancient woman had only sons, then her mitochondrial DNA would disappear, even though the son would pass on a quarter of her DNA via the rest of his genome.) As a follow-up, Bustamante's lab is sequencing Y chromosomes from nearly 2,000 other men. Those data could help pinpoint precisely where in Africa these ancient humans lived. "It's very exciting," Wilson Sayres told LiveScience. "As we get more populations across the world, we can start to understand exactly where we came from physically." Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook and Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

When Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced her Accountable Capitalism Act it was hailed on the left as "bold new legislation to curb corporate greed," and criticized on the right as a proposal to "destroy capitalism" and "nationalize every major business in the United States of America." However, the reality is very different. Sen. Warren's bill is not radical at all. Rather, it represents a much needed attempt to return our country to the commonsense economic policy that guided its growth and prosperity for most of our history. Whatever the eventual fate of her bill, Warren has served her country well by pointing out that the present focus on shareholder profit as a company's only goal needs to change. It is important to understand and recognize that the goals of our great American corporations have changed profoundly over time. To see this, one has only to compare two statements from the Business Roundtable, an enormously influential group of major corporate CEOs. In 1981, the Business Roundtable wrote in its Statement on Corporate Responsibility that companies should always consider the effects their actions have on a number of groups including their shareholders, their communities, their employees, and society at large. But by 1997, their Statement on Corporate Governance discussed only how they could best serve their shareholders. These Roundtable statements show how the whole outlook and thinking of our corporations have changed away from a concern for the general welfare. The consequences of that change are not as well-known as they should be. It is a fact, although one that is often obscured, that most corporate stock belongs to those who are already wealthy. So, intended or not, our corporations have as their goal today, making the wealthy wealthier. And that is what is actually happening in our country. Many other negative consequences of this goal are well spelled out by two distinguished academic observers: Lynn Stout in The Shareholder Value Myth and Marina Von Neumann Whitman in New World, New Rules: The Changing Role of the American Corporation But our corporations do not have to act this way. The Business Roundtable statements show clearly that there was a time when corporations behaved differently. What we are doing now is the exception, not the rule. Is there anything we can do now that will cause our corporations to better serve our country? The answer to that question is a very clear "yes." There are in fact many things we can do. Certainly one significant possibility, as suggested in Warren's bill, is to have employees serve on the boards of our largest corporations along with those who represent the shareholders, and that the board clearly acknowledge its obligation to consider the interests of all the stakeholders. But there are other possibilities as well. We live in a complex world and different approaches may work better in different industries. Some of these many possibilities are discussed in an article I wrote with economic historian Richard Sylla, The American Corporation. Many more are discussed in Christopher Mackin's Wealth at Work: Employee Ownership and Responsible Accumulation. Some approaches such as Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs) and cooperatives are already widely used either here or abroad. In our insurance industry, familiar names such as State Farm or Mutual of Omaha are mutual insurance companies. In these companies it is the insured, rather than outside shareholders, who are paid the profits from company operations. There are many more possibilities we can find or invent that are well-suited to today's world and to our rapidly changing technologies. It is important to realize that the problem we have today with our corporations is not a problem of evil men. Rather, it is the natural result of a flawed system. Fortunately, in our country, unlike in many autocratic countries, we have the freedom to explore and make changes in that system. We can act with or without the participation of government, and with or without the cooperation of those who currently benefit most from the status quo. We should use that freedom to explore, to develop, and to adopt a variety of corporate goals that serve our country better. We should restore our corporations to their proper role: building a stronger and more widely prosperous America. Building a more widely prosperous country will not be easy. Nobel laurate Michael Spence made an important point when he wrote in 2011: This is not a problem for which there are easy answers. As the issue becomes more pressing, ideology and orthodoxy must be set aside, and creativity, flexibility, and pragmatism must be encouraged. The United States will not be able to deduce its way toward the solutions, it will have to experiment its way forward. Warren is not standing by and ignoring or denying the problem we have. Her proposal is the beginning of a renewal process our country badly needs. We should thank Warren for getting this essential process moving. Ralph Gomory has been awarded the National Medal of Science. He has held significant leadership positions in both industry and the nonprofit world and has written widely and testified to Congress on issues of trade and corporate governance.

Post to smaller sub reddits They are nicer and will give you more up votes 233 shares

On the eve of the scheduled vote, a freshman congressman with tea party roots has emerged as a key player in rounding up fellow conservative Republicans to oppose House Speaker John Boehner’s bid for a third term in that top position. A Republican aide familiar with the efforts of those opposing Boehner told The Daily Signal today that Rep. David Brat, R-Va., has been meeting with fellow lawmakers in hopes of convincing them not to vote for Boehner, R-Ohio. Brat replaced the House’s former No. 2 Republican, Eric Cantor, after defeating him in an unexpected primary upset. Cantor had functioned as Boehner’s chief deputy in the House’s GOP leadership. >>> Congress Could Make History for First Time Since 1923 The 114th Congress is set to convene tomorrow afternoon with new Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. The election for House speaker — the first order of business in the lower chamber — is expected to be held around 12:40 p.m. Over the past few days, 10 conservative lawmakers have come out in opposition to Boehner. Two of these Republicans — Louie Gohmert of Texas and Ted Yoho of Florida — announced their candidacies to replace him. Newly elected @DaveBratVA7th has emerged as a key player among conservative lawmakers opposing @SpeakerBoehner. Besides Brat, the others include incumbents Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Walter Jones of North Carolina, Steve King of Iowa, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana. An incoming congressman, Gary Palmer of Alabama, today became the 10th. Offices who oppose Boehner have been in touch with one another, a staff member for a conservative lawmaker told The Daily Signal. However, the staff member said, talks are focused on the Republican voters who have demanded a change in Washington, D.C. >>> Speaker Rebellion About ‘Party Unity, Not Infighting,’ Lawmaker Says A communications staffer to a conservative Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Daily Signal that 20 GOP lawmakers have committed to voting for someone other than Boehner. In an interview today with The Daily Signal, however, Bridenstine said he was not certain of the total number so far. “There’s more out there than have already announced,” Bridenstine said. “I don’t know what the count is, but certainly it’s growing every couple of hours, it seems.” Brat announced his opposition to Boehner yesterday in an op-ed for Breitbart News. “In recent days and weeks, I have given careful consideration as to how I would cast my vote for speaker of the House,” Brat wrote, adding: I do not cast this vote as an individual, but on behalf of the citizens of Virginia’s Seventh District who sent me to Washington to act as their representative. While I like Speaker Boehner personally, he will not have my support for speaker. >>> The 9 Republicans Opposing House Speaker John Boehner To remain speaker, Boehner needs to win a majority of those voting for a specific candidate, or 218 if all House members vote. To stop Boehner from winning that majority on the first ballot, 29 Republicans must oppose him. Should the Ohio Republican fail to secure a majority, lawmakers would continue voting on a second ballot, and possibly more, until he or another candidate wins a majority. In June, Brat upset Cantor, then House majority leader, in the primary election. Cantor resigned from Congress on Aug. 18. Brat defeated Democrat Jack Trammell in both the November special election called by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to fill Cantor’s vacancy and the midterm election Nov. 4. An economics professor, Brat campaigned on conservative values that led him to oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, what he calls reckless government spending and the Affordable Care Act — popularly known as Obamacare. Pundits dubbed Brat a rising tea party star, an image that stands in sharp contrast to his “establishment” predecessor. >>> Texas, Florida Republicans Step Forward as Alternatives to Boehner for Speaker

The Ecuadorian embassy in London cut off Julian Assange’s internet access in October of 2016, but the WikiLeaks Twitter account kept posting about leak drops uninterrupted. The embassy’s action made headlines all across mainstream media. It is common knowledge for anyone who was paying attention to WikiLeaks during that time. The Intercept‘s editors are unquestionably aware of this. They are aware of this, and yet they allowed an article to be published about allegedly leaked Direct Messages on Twitter which continuously, pervasively and fundamentally assumes that the WikiLeaks account is controlled by Assange and Assange only. The account is referred to as “Assange” throughout the entire article. “Throughout this article,” the latest establishment effort at undermining public opinion of WikiLeaks states, “The Intercept assumes that the WikiLeaks account is controlled by Julian Assange himself, as is widely understood, and that he is the author of the messages, referring to himself in the third person majestic plural, as he often does.” There is no basis whatsoever for The Intercept to assume this. In addition to the obvious implications of the WikiLeaks account continuing to tweet despite Assange’s lack of internet, WikiLeaks has made repeated public statements that it is a shared staff Twitter account. There is absolutely no excuse for such a spectacular journalistic failure to be interwoven without apology throughout an entire article of a widely esteemed publication. Even if The Intercept does end up retracting this grotesque embarrassment and extensively editing the article to reflect fact instead of fiction, there will be no reason to believe that this was due to anything other than public outcry, and the damage is already irreparable. This matters because the article shows some DMs made by the WikiLeaks account which in the limited context provided are, quite frankly, kind of gross. There’s nothing damning in them about the way WikiLeaks operates, nor anything confirming Russia ties, nor indeed anything whatsoever that should give anyone pause when trusting in the nature of the documents that WikiLeaks publishes, but there are some remarks which, if you can attribute them to the head of the organization, necessarily make that organization look sleazy. There are joking remarks about women and trans people that are cringey, and there’s an antisemitic comment in there that in my opinion is particularly yuck. But The Intercept couldn’t allow its readership to view these remarks as potentially belonging to one of WikiLeaks’ staff members, the personal shortcomings of a talented and indispensable asset to the team whose bigotry can be made harmless to WikiLeaks’ greater mission by the guidance of its leadership. They knowingly and deliberately pinned attribution onto the face of the organization, knowing that Assange couldn’t directly deny it without giving away more information about the account, and they did that with the intention of harming WikiLeaks’ public reputation. WikiLeaks operates by bringing truth to the people. That is its entire mission. The unelected transnational Orwellian empire which stands the most to lose from their releases understands that the less people like and trust WikiLeaks, the less damage they can do to the ecocidal, omnicidal oligarchy that is driving our species toward extinction. By attempting to paint Assange as an evil Nazi, they are minimizing the impact the next leak drop will have on the public, thereby neutering WikiLeaks by that much. WikiLeaks poses no threat to the public. The only people who stand to suffer any harm from WikiLeaks are the powerful and corrupt, which The Intercept‘s Pierre Omidyar most certainly is. Omidyar voiced ridiculous criticisms of WikiLeaks after The Atlantic ran an article featuring deceitfully edited quotes from leaked DMs between Donald Trump Jr and the WikiLeaks account, including the claim that WikiLeaks could “lose” its First Amendment protection (not a thing). Never trust a billionaire. Beyond this deliberately misleading attribution, independent journalist Suzie Dawson has also documented how the article reversed timelines, downplayed and omitted conflicts of interest in its “disclosure”, including the extent of the author Micah Lee’s deeply personal beef with Assange, and other key distortions. Much like The Atlantic‘s November article, this was a blatant smear piece disguised as a promotion of transparency. As noted by Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald, people are already ripping the published DMs out of context and reporting on them falsely, which Greenwald seems to depict as an irresponsible and unfortunate response to the publication. But come on now. Anyone who knows anything about America’s current political climate, as Greenwald surely does, could have predicted that people would be doing this. It was not only known that partisan hacks and empire loyalists would be running around making ridiculous claims about Assange supporting the Republican party because of this publication, it was intended. The deliberate distortions and omissions in the article make this abundantly clear. Unlike others in my field I’m not willing at this point to say that Greenwald himself is actively complicit in this deliberate manipulation on the part of his employer, but at best he’s certainly turning a blind eye to it. Back in September The Intercept ran an article trying to conflate opposition to Syrian interventionism with white nationalism, and I said back then things were getting increasingly shady with this particularly outlet. The repeated WikiLeaks smears, which have no place outside mainstream media, mean that people like me are going to be distancing ourselves from that publication and ceasing to look at it as a reliable outlet. There is already a multibillion dollar mainstream media empire that is fully dedicated to slandering and disrupting government transparency activists, and if The Interceptchooses to stand with that lot, we should let them. Last year comedian Jimmy Dore called out Washington Post reporters for having ceased to function as guard dogs for the establishment, merely protecting and promoting the preferred narratives of the oligarchic empire, and having become instead attack dogs for the establishment, actively chasing down and smearing anyone who speaks out against that empire. We are seeing the mainstream media function in this way more and more, and let’s not kid ourselves: The Intercept has joined them. _________________ Note: a hyperlink to a Mint Press News article has been replaced here with links to Pierre Omidyar’s own Twitter statements for more direct sourcing. Thanks for reading! My work here is entirely reader-funded so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following me onTwitter, bookmarking my website, checking out my podcast, throwing some money into my hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying my new book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. 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New York (CNN Business) Income inequality in the United States worsened in 2019. Earners at the top of the income ladder received the largest increase in their paychecks, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute. Wages at the 95th percentile grew by 4.5% last year, while the median increase was just 1%. That's nothing new : The median hourly wage climbed about 15% between 1979 and 2019, but pay for workers in the 95th percentile grew more than 63% over the past 40 years. "Wage growth for low- and middle-wage workers continues to be slower than would be expected in an economy with relatively low unemployment," said EPI Senior Economist Elise Gould. Economists have struggled to explain the sluggish wage growth for average and low earners. America's labor market is healthy and the unemployment rate sits near a 50-year low. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest jobs report showed the American labor force participation ticked up in January to its highest level since 2013 Read More

3.9k SHARES 171 VIEWS Share Tweet Google Whatsapp Pinterest Digg Linkedin Reddit Stumbleupon Buffer Pocket Philippines’ air traffic radars are now up at 13 from 3, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. With 13 radars the Philippines can now monitor 85% of its entire airspace to provide safer and more efficient flights. “Definite air travel, established aircraft identification, and guaranteed air passenger safety and security are now within reach through the new Communications Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM),” DOTr said. “On September 2017, an additional satellite-based CNS/ATM will be turned over to DOTr-CAAP to enable 100% coverage of the PH airspace,” DOTr added. CNS/ATM system is a state-of-the-art computer and satellite based air traffic management technology is the same technology that is being used by Australia, Taiwan, and other European states. “The CNS/ATM project was started in 2009, but due to delay in construction and other challenges, it did not hit its target completion in 2016. Upon Secretary Art Tugade’s assumption into office, he ordered the CAAP to fast-track the project,” DOTr said. “The CNS/ATM system is now in parallel operations with the existing technology and will be fully operational by December 2017,” it added.

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Leaders of the Catholic church in Australia have quickly dismissed calls from a landmark inquiry into child sexual abuse that the Vatican should make celibacy for priests voluntary and end the secrecy of confession. After five years of work, Australia’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse delivered its 21-volume report to government containing 400 recommendations – 189 of them new – to governments and organisations about how to prevent children being harmed on such a scale again. The child abuse royal commission didn't flinch. Can Australia show the same courage | David Marr Read more It found the inadequacy of canon law contributed to the failure of the Catholic church to protect children and report or punish perpetrators within church institutions. The commission urged the Australian Catholic bishops conference to ask the Vatican to reform canon law by removing provisions that “prevent, hinder or discourage compliance with mandatory reporting laws by bishops or religious superiors”. “We recommend that canon law be amended so that the ‘pontifical secret’ does not apply to any aspect of allegations or canonical disciplinary processes relating to child sexual abuse,” the report said. It also said the conference should urge the Vatican to rethink its celibacy rules. The commission found that while celibacy for clergy was not a direct cause of abuse, it elevated the risk when compulsorily celibate male clergy or religious figures had privileged access to children. But the archbishop of the archdiocese of Melbourne, Denis Hart, responded by saying the seal of the confessional was “inviolable” and “can’t be broken”. He said if someone confessed to abusing children, he would encourage them to admit to their crimes outside the confessional so that it could be reported to police. “I would feel terribly conflicted, and I would try even harder to get that person outside confessional, but I cannot break the seal,” he said. “The penalty for any priest breaking the seal is excommunication.” Hart said the commission “hasn’t damaged the credibility of the church”. Survivors' stories from the child abuse royal commission – interactive Read more In August, Hart upset many abuse survivors and advocates when he said he would risk going to jail rather than report allegations of child sexual abuse raised during confession. He was responding to a recommendation the commission published earlier this year that called for failure to report child sex abuse in institutions to be made a criminal offence. Hart reiterated those views on Friday and said that he did not expect canon law to change. He said there was “real value” in celibacy, and did not want laws to be changed. “I think it’s taken time for bishops to realise the seriousness of the matter” of child sexual abuse, he said. The Catholic archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, said the report would take him time to digest. “It will not sit on any shelf,” he said. “I will study the findings and recommendations carefully, and then provide a detailed response as we discern, with the rest of the community, the best way forward. However, like Hart, he dismissed calls to change confession. Changing mandatory reporting of abuse that comes to light through confession was “a distraction,” he said. “While we are yet to study what the commission has had to say about that, I think everyone understands that this Catholic and orthodox practice of confession is always confidential,” he said. “Any proposal to stop the practice of confession in Australia would be a real hurt to all Catholics and Orthodox Christians.” On celibacy rules, he said: “We know very well that institutions who have celibate clergy and institutions that don’t have celibate clergy both face these problems. We know very well that this happens in families that are certainly not observing celibacy.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Denis Hart, archbishop of Melbourne, speaking to the media after the publication of the royal commission report. Photograph: David Crosling/AAP The commission is the largest inquiry of its kind conducted since the first reports of what became a global child abuse scandal emerged in the US. The report found an overwhelming amount of the abuse reported to the commission occurred in faith-based institutions. Almost 2,500 survivors told the commission about sexual abuse in an institution managed by the Catholic church, representing 61.8% of all survivors who reported sexual abuse in a religious institution. “In many religious institutions, the power afforded to people in religious ministry and the misplaced trust of parents combined with aspects of the institutional culture, practices and attitudes to create risks for children,” the report said. “Alleged perpetrators often continued to have access to children even when religious leaders knew they posed a danger. “We heard that alleged perpetrators were often transferred to other locations but they were rarely reported to police. The failure to understand that the sexual abuse of a child was a crime with profound impacts for the victim, and not a mere moral failure capable of correction by contrition and penance (a view expressed in the past by a number of religious leaders) is almost incomprehensible.” The report said the Australian Catholic bishops conference should conduct a national review of the governance and management structures of dioceses and parishes, including in relation to issues of transparency, accountability, consultation and the participation of lay men and women. Why Australia's royal commission on child sexual abuse had to happen – explainer Read more The commission also called for the selection criteria for employing bishops to be published, including their credentials relating to the promotion of child safety. The commission called on churches to “establish a transparent process for appointing bishops which includes the direct participation of lay people”. It found that Catholic schools in the archdiocese of Melbourne had a “dysfunctional” employment structure, where the parish priest is the employer of the school principal and school staff for parish schools. “There is a risk that having the priest as employer could act as a barrier to people reporting concerns about child sexual abuse,” the report found. “We recommend that parish priests should not be the employers of principals and teachers in Catholic schools.” The commissioners found numerous cases where alleged perpetrators were priests associated with Catholic schools. “We concluded that the relevant bishop or archbishop knew about allegations of child sexual abuse but failed to take appropriate action to protect children from the risk of abuse, sometimes for years. Their inaction left these priests in positions where they had ongoing access to children in Catholic schools. It was left to principals and teachers to attempt to manage the risk these individuals posed to children.” Among the other recommendations were that federal, state and territory governments should fund dedicated community support services for victims and survivors in each jurisdiction; that the federal government should conduct and publish a national study to establish the extent of child maltreatment in institutional and non-institutional settings; that each state and territory make the failure to report suspicions of abuse a crime, and also remove any remaining limitation periods, or any remaining immunities, that apply to child sexual abuse offences, including historical child sexual abuse offences. The commission, led by Justice Peter McClellan, heard stories of abuse that occurred in more than 4,000 institutions ranging from religious organisations and sporting clubs to schools and orphanages. More than 15,000 people contacted the commission with evidence. Never again: can the royal commission help make our children safe? Read more More than 8,000 people spoke to a commissioner during a private sessions, while hundreds more told their stories through public hearings that lasted 444 days. The commission referred many allegations of abuse to police, which to date has resulted in 230 prosecutions. Two versions of the report were delivered to the government on Friday, one of which has been redacted for publication until a number of criminal proceedings have been completed. Inquiries into the sexual abuse of children have been conducted worldwide, with Ireland’s Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse finding abuse in church-run institutions including schools was endemic. But that commission has been criticised for its limited scope, and did not examine the external impact of the abuse or name perpetrators to the extent that Australia’s royal commission already has. A British inquiry into child sexual abuse, still under way, has been marred by controversy. Its head, Dame Lowell Goddard, was forced to step down in 2016 after it was revealed she had spent extensive time on holiday. Play Video 1:43 Catholics must take responsibility for the past, says Francis Sullivan – video Australia’s commission has been consistently praised by survivors, their advocates and experts for its uncompromising investigation of institutional abuse. It conducted 57 case studies, resulting in 45 reports to government, culminating in Friday’s final report. It has employed almost 700 staff since its inception in 2013, who examined more than 1.2m documents. McClellan chaired the commission throughout. The royal commission reviewed more than 300 reports published in the past 28 years, using many of these to inform its work. The royal commission was first announced on 12 November 2012 by the then prime minister, Julia Gillard, who said allegations that had come to light about child sexual abuse were heartbreaking. “These are insidious, evil acts to which no child should be subject,” she said at the time. “The individuals concerned deserve the most thorough of investigations into the wrongs that have been committed against them. They deserve to have their voices heard and their claims investigated.” On Friday she thanked the six commissioners for their work. “Our nation is indebted to you and to the survivors who fought so hard for justice and a safer future for our children,” she said. The current prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, told reporters the commission’s work had uncovered a “national tragedy”. Grappling with Rome: David Marr's lessons from the royal commission Read more “Above all, I want to thank and honour the courage of the survivors and their families who’ve told, often for the first time, the dreadful stories of abuse that they received from people who actually owed them love and protection,” he said. Turnbull has come under pressure for already ignoring recommendations made by the royal commission around a national redress scheme for survivors. The federal government’s redress legislation has attracted criticism for excluding abuse survivors who have been convicted of serious crimes, and for capping redress at $150,000. The royal commission recommended a cap of $200,000. The legislation has been referred to a Senate inquiry by the shadow social services minister, Jenny Macklin. State and territory governments have also been slow to commit to the legislation. The commission found: “We heard from some survivors about their negative experiences with diocese-based redress schemes, including delays, inconvenient processes, and perceptions that the maximum payments available through these schemes were inadequate.” Experts have already expressed concerns that the commission’s recommendations will only be as effective as the state, territory and federal governments and institutions tasked with implementing them. The commissioners’ report found 64.3% of survivors were men. More than half were aged between 10 and 14 years when they were first sexually abused, though female survivors generally reported being younger. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprised 14.3% of survivors, and 93.8% of survivors told the commission they were abused by a male. The commission found 83.8% of survivors were abused by an adult, and the average duration of child sexual abuse experienced in institutions was 2.2 years. Of survivors, 36.3% said they were abused by multiple perpetrators. “A national memorial should be commissioned by the Australian government for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in institutional contexts,” the report recommended. “Victims and survivors should be consulted on the memorial design and it should be located in Canberra.”

ARTICLES PRESS Browser-based sandbox MMO ARPG Blossom & Decay is a full loot, sandbox MMO ARPG for web browsers and mobile platforms. Instead of scripted quest-lines in the game, players fashion their own narratives through a wide set of social mechanics and external PvE pressure. The world’s story is constantly molded by its citizens. Shops and quest billboards are provided by fellow players, not NPCs, and the game's offline AI task system enables players to craft, trade, and defend when AFK. Everything is created and arranged by the players wherever they choose, from buildings and roads to respawn-points, quests, goods, trade and the laws of the land. Players will toil to imprint their history in this virgin world. “In a few decades, the great kingdoms of Claris will be history. Monsters appear in every nation in that old continent. No ruler reacts, absorbed in their own power lust. Now a small group led by influential clerics sets out to the edge, where new lands await. Many soldiers of fortune follow, but uncertainty rises as the old kingdoms stand idle. Will a future blossom as the past decays?” The world starts as a vast wilderness where players will immediately need to make choices about where to find shelter and how to gather food. Individual storylines will advance based on players’ needs and how they meet them, all the while confronting an aggressive PvE that increases in difficulty as they advance in the world. There are myriad roles players can follow, from being a hermit farmer to running with a mercenary gang, or leading a large trader clan. The world is so large there will even be stories of discovery and cultural exchange. All will die on the vine or flourish dependent on grit, knowledge of nature, and awareness during social interactions. Blossom & Decay's story is envisioned via emergent narrative like a mix that brings together the best of EVE and Ultima, but accessible and playable for a larger user base-- because we are hungry for this kind of game story. We came from playing pen & paper games and wondered why digital games struggle with that same level of “making your own story”? Between full-loot gankboxes and the classic film-like, cutscene-narrative of theme park MMOs, our goal is an in-between tale that players can enjoy and engage at their own choosing and pacing. In the beginning, players arrive item-less near the southern coast of the map. They need to figure out how to identify and scavenge plant and animal resources, how to use them and how to compound them for higher values. Enemies are weak and resources scarce near the southern coast, but players must move further inland to find better resources and build improved shelters, workshops and items. As they advance in the map, the constant stream of enemies becomes more difficult and high-quality resources are more abundant. Additionally, monster spawn points aren’t set, so they wander from fringe and northern regions to swarm the valleys, drifting in higher amounts toward settlements. These drifting monster groups can also be intercepted, diverged and lured. Players must fight as allies to figure out ways to protect their treasures and lands. Pacing is enhanced by an AI that takes over when players go offline, allowing configuration of their avatar’s tasks and behavior. So one can go from highly involved action combat on PC to asynchronous management of crafting and trade processes on a mobile device. Instead of grinding and time-invest, progress in Blossom & Decay is based on training and practice of skills and items, understanding the environment's mechanics, and social interaction. Players can venture into the wild, run a profitable trade, develop settlements, rise to the leadership of a large clan, or become a feared warrior. They can also choose the renegade lives of bandits or just settle down and work on their beloved slice of land. Their own motivations will be the fuel to experiment, create, compete and explore. Offline play Players won't fall behind those able to make huge time investments because game mechanics benefit different play styles, balance factions, and transform “required playtime,” into, "I play how and when I choose." When offline, players don't de-spawn. Instead, the offline AI scheduling executes whatever the player decides. Say they want to tend their crops, craft items or sell goods at their shop. Say they want to guard a buddy's house. All this can be done offline. The players’ AI also defends when attacked, but the player won’t be invincible. Collaboration and communication for things like perimeter watch and assigning shifts will be additional layers that affect gameplay. Combat is skill-based as in classic action RPGs. The character can be controlled with a gamepad, touchscreen or keyboard and mouse. Timing and adapting to opponents’ behavior is key to succeeding in combat, especially in PvP situations. The power-curve between items is flat, so combinations of skilled players can always defeat even the best equipped solo player. Strength in numbers and handling of skill combinations with precision replaces traditional mechanics, like finding rare equipment and XP progression. The game emphasizes and rewards group-building and social interaction. Adventurers will need wit, training, and --often-- friends to win the battles of Blossom & Decay. The game is centered around social interaction. Cooperation is rewarded and often necessary. The world’s territories and cities will be dominated by clans. Any clan will be able to create its own laws and hierarchies, defining different roles along with member rights and duties. Anything from democracy to dictatorship can be established. Even “Duel-ocracies,” are possible, where disputes get resolved by the sword. Clans likewise depend on their members and subjects. If they grow too big, they become vulnerable to poverty, spies and power struggles. If they are too repressive, their subjects might revolt or abandon them. Players must figure out how their clans benefit citizens. Be it protection, wealth of available resources, or equal rights. The sandbox economy is fully player-driven, so there are no NPC merchants in the game. All production and trade comes from players, even when they are offline, since the offline AI mode kicks into action with player-defined tasks. Many resources are unique to specific regions, and certain plants or animals won't thrive in certain places. Goods have to be transported over vast distances and there is no easy fast-travel, like teleportation between cities. Transport routes will take days and lots of resources, so risk and other factors are important when players consider how to work together to move goods, as well as how they price them or where they engage in trade. Players advance from sticks and stones to mithril crafting through five tiers that involve resources and skill acquirement. Often trading with people above or below one’s tier can increase progress (to build better tools earlier or easily get resources). All this opens the economy for crafty players to speculate and manipulate prices. Having information and connections at hand will be key to become a successful merchant. Blossom & Decay also has a relaxed crafting side where one can build structures, grow crops and breed animals. This let’s players have a central role even if they choose not to invest as much time as a fighter, leader or trader. By advancing and combining their discoveries, crafters link together the backbone of Blossom & Decay’s economy and social system, filling it’s town’s and roads with life along with the traders and warriors who return from the unknown. We are currently developing the game to run in web browsers. Next step will be to build the mobile client (iOS & Android) and then to evaluate porting to consoles (Switch, PSP). We are Konspiracy Games, our team consists of 2 Developers, 2 Designers, 1 Writer and 1 Musician. We are spread around the world, in Hong Kong, Frankfurt, New York and Boston. Many of us are childhood friends, others we met along the way. We gathered over the years and talked a lot about the game idea of Blossom & Decay. Finally we decided to stop talking and start working on the game. We’re children of the first gaming and digital generation and love to explore frontiers while honoring past legends, and we pursue new possibilities in gaming as we remember the joys of our favorite classics. As Self-exiled professionals from the tech industry, we joined our talents to give unconventional concepts and mechanics a real chance. EMERGENT NARRATIVE No NPC quests, the games stories and events are all driven by players No NPC quests, the games stories and events are all driven by players ASYNCHRONOUS PLAY Your character can build, defend and craft while you are offline Your character can build, defend and craft while you are offline SANDBOX ECONOMY Supply created by artisans; Demand by things like hunger, or entropy and decay Supply created by artisans; Demand by things like hunger, or entropy and decay INFINITE OPEN WORLD Procedurally generated world to explore and settle Procedurally generated world to explore and settle ACTION COMBAT SYSTEM Hand-eye coordination and good reflexes make you a skilled fighter, rather than grinding levels & loot. Hand-eye coordination and good reflexes make you a skilled fighter, rather than grinding levels & loot. MASSIVELY-MULTIPLAYER Battles with hundreds of other players, no instances, no loading between maps Battles with hundreds of other players, no instances, no loading between maps CLAN SYSTEM Contracts and player-justice regulate social life Contracts and player-justice regulate social life PLAY IN BROWSER Gamepad, mouse, touch-screen on phones, tablets and all computers Apply as a tester Join the next phase of the sandbox demo, currently working on it (not open yet). Currently you can play on your PC Vote for Blossom & Decay xx is featuring the game Vote to support us! Initially, we published a rudimentary, combat demo to get a taste of fighting in the game, and we are currently testing a closed sandbox demo that introduces more complex mechanics like crafting, offline AI, procedural map generation, and others. We aim for a Kickstarter campaign before release, so we would be thankful if you share this project. If you are interested in trying the closed sandbox demo go to Blossom & Decay to apply. All feedback is welcome and your commentaries are appreciated If you have questions and want infos about the world, items, or game mechanics, go to Blossom & Decay's Wiki or look for our Discord channel. We are currently developing the game to run in web browsers. Next step will be to build the mobile client (iOS & Android) and then evaluating porting to consoles (Switch, PSP). Check out our hypothetical player stories in our sandbox world, Part 1 - A new home. Thanks for joining us in this idea, one we hope will add a bit to the full potential of these beautiful interactive environments. Here you can download Blossom & Decay's press-kit.

It’s official: pooping the bed is not the worst thing you can do. Letting bedbugs do it is worse. As the creepy critters bite you while you slumber, they also squeeze out poops loaded with histamine, a chemical that our own bodies push out during an inflammatory response to allergens. Histamine can trigger itchiness, watery eyes, sneezing, trouble breathing, headaches, and asthma attacks, among other problems. Homes with bedbug infestations can become histamine Dutch ovens, according to a new study led by entomologists and health experts at North Carolina State University. The researchers found that histamine levels in infested homes were at least 20-times higher than levels in bed-bug free homes. And that’s not all. Researchers writing in PLOS ONE also found that those histamine levels linger. In infested homes that were heat treated—which involves circulating hot air (~50 ̊C) into a home to wipe out the bugs—histamine levels remained high for months afterward. In fact, the effective treatment may make the butt blasts worse. The researchers speculate that the rush of hot air could stir up poop storms that spread histamine from infested mattresses and sofas to the rest of the house—a "poop hitting the fan" scenario, if you will. The authors, led by entomologist Zachary DeVries, conclude that the study’s findings are “substantial, because exogenous histamine can provoke allergic responses and asthma.” They call for more research on the bugs’ butt-asplosions and the fallout. “The intimate association of bed bugs with humans and the spatial distribution and persistence of histamine in homes suggest that histamine may represent an emergent indoor environmental contaminant whose impact on human health should be investigated,” they write. Since the early 2000s, bedbugs have reemerged and become a global scourge. The tiny critters aggregate in the creases of mattresses and seams of couches (or any other good hiding spot) and come out to feast on your blood while you snooze. Their size, hiding skills, and high level of resistance to some insecticides make them incredibly difficult to eradicate. That said, while infestations are irritating, the bugs are not generally thought to pose a significant health risk. Unlike other blood suckers, such as ticks and mosquitoes, they’re not known to spread infectious diseases. Their bites simply cause skin irritation and may haunt your dreams forever—not cause severe illnesses or injuries. But the new study from DeVries and colleagues may challenge that notion. A few years ago, Canadian researchers noted that bedbugs excrete histamine among a potpourri of pheromones that attract their kind to coveted crevices for lurking. DeVries and colleagues wondered if that could cause health problems. To begin to answer the question, they set out to see if histamine levels are even a measurable problem in infested houses. They analyzed poopy dust samples from 14 bedbug-infested apartments and 10 un-infested apartments in the same building. Because of the risk that the un-infested apartments might be peripherally affected or previously infested, they also looked at dust samples from five apartments in a bedbug-free building eight kilometers away. They took dust samples repeatedly for weeks. The researchers sampled heat-treated apartments for 12 weeks after the treatment. In the end, they found that infested apartments averaged 54 micrograms of histamine per 100 milligrams of dust. Un-infested apartments in the same building averaged 2.5μg per 100mg of dust, and the distant, bedbug-free apartments averaged 0.3μg per 100mg of dust. The researchers noted that the apartment categories didn’t have significantly different amounts of dust. They also noted that heat treatments did not significantly flush histamine levels in the subsequent 12 weeks. The health effects of the 54μg of histamine per 100mg of dust are so far unclear. Earlier experiments in which people breathed in histamine found that just 24.5μg could affect breathing. And the level in the bedbug infested house dust is roughly 10-fold higher than what the Food and Drug Administration allows in fish. (When fish spoil at high temperatures, bacteria can form histamine, causing the potential for poisoning.) But that limit is based on ingesting histamine, not breathing it. The researchers say far more work needs to be done to confirm their findings and to determine if there are other, confounding sources of histamine. They also want to understand the health effects of those histamine levels and figure out effective ways to lower them. PLOS ONE, 2018. DOI: 10.1371/pone.0192462 (About DOIs).

Special thank to Wizards of the Coast for the #FreePreview cards discussed on this weeks podcast! This week on Constructed Criticism the guys talk about the first Preview Cards EVER on Constructed Criticism and some additional cards suggested from their patrons. Check out Spencer’s stream at https://www.twitch.tv/ccmtg Watch Seth stream for the MPL at https://www.twitch.tv/sethmanfieldmtg Twitter: https://twitter.com/CCMTG Spencer: https://twitter.com/Spencer13H Seth: https://twitter.com/SethManfield Jon: https://twitter.com/JonSternMTL Subscribe to the podcast on ITunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/c… Join the Discord at: https://discord.gg/TdjN4fy And finally don’t forget that you can help us create more and great content by going to https://www.patreon.com/ccmtg #FreePreview Cards from WOTC Comments comments

Final Polishing Complete on Remaining Twelve Webb Mirrors Mirrors are a critical part of a telescope. The quality is crucial, so completion of mirror polishing represents a major milestone. All of the mirrors that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have been polished so the observatory can see objects as far away as the first galaxies in the universe.The Webb telescope is comprised of four types of mirrors. The primary one has an area of approximately 25 square meters (29.9 square yards), which will enable scientists to capture light from faint, distant objects in the universe faster than any previous space observatory. The mirrors are made of Beryllium and will work together to relay images of the sky to the telescope's science cameras."Webb's mirror polishing always was considered the most challenging and important technological milestone in the manufacture of the telescope, so this is a hugely significant accomplishment," said Lee Feinberg, Webb Optical Telescope manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.The mirrors were polished at the L3 Integrated Optical Systems - Tinsley in Richmond, Calif. to accuracies of less than one millionth of an inch. That accuracy is important for forming the sharpest images when the mirrors cool to -400°F (-240°C) in the cold of space."The completion of the mirror polishing shows that the strategy of doing the hardest things first has really paid off," said Nobel Prize Winner John C. Mather, Webb’s senior project scientist at Goddard. "Some astronomers doubted we could make these mirrors."After polishing, the mirrors are being coated with a microscopically thin layer of gold to enable them to efficiently reflect infrared light. NASA has completed coating 13 of 18 primary mirror segments and will complete the rest by early next year. The 18 segments fit together to make one large mirror 21.3 feet (6.5 meters) across."This milestone is the culmination of a decade-long process," said Scott Willoughby, vice president and Webb Telescope Program manager for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "We had to invent an entire new mirror technology to give Webb the ability to see back in time."Northrop Grumman Corp. in Redondo Beach, Calif. is the telescope's prime contractor.As the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, the Webb telescope is the world's next-generation space observatory. It is the most powerful space telescope ever built. More than 75 percent of its hardware is either in production or undergoing testing. The telescope will observe the most distant objects in the universe, provide images of the first galaxies ever formed and study planets around distant stars. NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency are collaborating on this project.

OUR Columnist Rigoberto Tiglao asked a most pointed and relevant question in his column of April 25: “How could a Christian nation even make Duterte the leading presidential contender?” Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte boasts of having killed thousands of “bad” people. He proudly displays the morals of a monster, making a sick and cruel, disrespectful joke about the Australian lady Christian missionary who had been slain by rapists. And he makes stupid and unattainable claims of achieving great things within six months of assuming the presidency that he could not achieve in Davao City after running it for decades. He has cursed – with a “putangina” – the Holy Father Pope Francis for causing him to suffer heavy traffic inconvenience last January. And he loves to use foul language, not only in his campaign sortie speeches but even on the air on radio and TV, claiming untruthfully that the use of dirty Tagalog and Cebuano words that mothers and teachers labor to keep their children from uttering is how men normally talk. He has also paraded at least two of his mistresses before his audiences. And he proudly taunts other men for not being like him in managing to copulate with many women in addition to his wife. Some fools have been taken in by his propaganda that with him as its mayor Davao City has been the cleanest, most orderly, crime-free and best-governed. The most superficial look at Davao will yield the truth, which gives the lie to his propaganda. And he proudly says that he has killed, executed criminals, numbering more than 1,500, without bothering with the proper and legal processes. He has by admission and behavior proved to be the worst kind of man who should become a public official. By his own admission of misdeeds and the inability to control his impulses, he should be the last man to be considered for any government office. Because of his lack of virtues (although he claims to be clean and uncorrupt), he should not even be considered for the position of office janitor (many of whom are among the most moral and virtuous Filipinos). So what kind of people have we, Filipinos, become that a person like Rodrigo Duterte looks like he would be elected President of our Republic if the election were held today? Mr. Tiglao has expounded on the paradox of how a Christian nation could have Duterte as the leading candidate for president. We think he made a mistake in accepting the premise that the Philippines is a “Christian nation.” Alas we Filipinos are not generally a Christian people. It is true that possibly 80 percent of all Filipinos are born in a Christian (mainly Catholic) family and get baptized into mainly the Catholic Faith, with the rest being baptized and enrolled in the various non-Catholic Christian denominations. But how many of us really take the fundamental articles of the Christian Faith seriously? Roman Catholic attendance at ordinary Sunday Mass does not even quite reach 25 percent of total membership. Maybe members of the different Protestant sects are more faithful and diligent. That should explain why the Philippine government is one of the most corrupt in the world. It should therefore not surprise anyone to see that Rodrigo Duterte and his monstrous ways attract a great number of Filipinos.

Assailant arrived in France at end of January Louvre evacuated after soldier 'fires at attacker' Man 'armed with machete shouted Allahu Akbar' Attacker was carrying two bags, two machetes Solider 'slightly wounded' in attack PM says attack was clearly 'terrorist in nature' Timeline: Terror attacks in France French soldiers shot and critically wounded a man who shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he attacked them with a machete on Friday at the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum. Police sources said the attacker was a 29-year-old with Egyptian identity papers who arrived in France last month. He was reportedly identified on Friday night as Abdullah Reda Refaei al-Hamamy. A group of British students were among the hundreds of panicked visitors at the Louvre who were rushed to secure rooms inside the sprawling museum after the assault. The attack, which President François Hollande said was clearly an act of terrorism, was the latest in a series of deadly assaults in France over the last two years, most of them claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). The man was carrying two backpacks when at around 10am local time he approached four soldiers patrolling at the entrance to the underground Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall, which lies beneath the museum. They told him he could not bring his bags into the mall. "That's when he got the knife out and that's when he tried to stab the soldier," said Yves Lefebvre, a police union official.

A free shuttle bus service in Richmond between SkyTrain’s Lansdowne Station and Steveston Village will launch just in time for the official start of summer. See also On Wednesday, TransLink’s board of directors is expected to provide final approval for Tourism Richmond’s application to immediately begin a free shuttle bus service between the SkyTrain station’s parking lot and the historical Steveston area. The service already has the stamp of approval of TransLink’s management team as it is not expected to compete with, and negatively impact, the public transit system. Instead, it will complement existing services, providing new routing that is not served by TransLink. The Discovery Shuttle will operate during all summer weekends and statutory holidays through September 2, 2019. Its stops include Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Richmond Olympic Oval, Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, and Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site. Return trips from Britannia Shipyards travel directly to Lansdowne Station, without any stops. The service will make several trips per operating day. The City of Richmond, Tourism Richmond, and the Richmond Hotel Association are funding the seasonal service, operated by Landsea Tours & Adventures. TransLink has jurisdiction with approving and regulating independent transit services in the region. In recent years, this has included the approval of municipal government-funded and operated free seasonal shuttles in Port Moody and White Rock. For more information on the free shuttle service, visit Tourism Richmond’s website. See also

In honor of Mashable's five-year anniversary, this series is supported by IDG. Customers are talking about your brand and products — find out what they are saying with IDG Social Scout. Five years ago, YouTube was just getting started, MySpace was the most popular website in the U.S., and Facebook was still limited to college and high school students. Mobile was mostly an after-thought, as we were still more than a year away from the introduction of the iPhone and the idea of an app store. And “widgets” were just starting to emerge as a way to integrate third-party apps on a website (Newsweek would declare 2007 to be “year of the widget” in a late 2006 article). Fast forward to today and the sites we use and the way we use them have shifted dramatically. Facebook is closing in on Google as the Web’s most trafficked site. There are hundreds of thousands of mobile applications that users access across a variety of smartphones, and social media is increasingly being consumed and produced on the go. And “Like” buttons have become the new form of social currency for publishers around the world. How did we get to this point? Here’s a quick look back at the last five years in social media. The News Feed Brings It All Together In late 2006, Facebook introduced the news feed – a controversial concept at the time (incidentally, there are many parallels between it and Facebook’s most recent privacy issues) that has since become perhaps the most important and oft-imitated feature in social networking. It’s hard to remember life before the news feed, but it consisted mostly of visiting your friend’s profiles, making wall comments and perhaps maintaining a photo gallery. For Facebook, this innovation (and a lack of innovation by then leading social network MySpace) is the one that established the service’s utility and has been at the heart of its expansion since — showing you at a glance what your friends are up to on Facebook and around the Web. Nowadays, whether it’s Twitter, Foursquare, Flickr or yes, MySpace, the experience very much centers around seeing the most recent updates from your friends, in reverse-chronological order. Video Emerges as Social Media’s Perfect Compliment A few months before the birth of Mashable, YouTube made its debut on the Web in February 2005, making an unprecedented ascent into the mainstream consciousness. By December of that year, it had already become the most popular video site, and by July of 2006, it was serving 100 million video views per day (today, it serves more than 2 billion views daily). Then, in October, Google bought YouTube for a whopping $1.6 billion, just 18 months after the site launched. At the end of last year, I declared YouTube the top social media innovation of the decade, as it has come to embody so much of what we now know as social media, from highly shareable content to citizen journalism to the ability of anyone with a camera to claim their 15 minutes of fame. Social Networks Spread Their Wings In early 2008, a new battle in the social media space emerged – the battle over portable identity. While OpenID had long promised a single sign-on for third-party websites, Facebook, MySpace and Google started to realize that your social networking profile had potential to be used as your identity across the Web, while at the same time enabling publishers to make their sites more social. Facebook Connect emerged, as did Google Friend Connect and MySpaceID. Eventually, as Twitter’s popularity grew, they also got in the game. Today, Facebook Connect – which has evolved into the Facebook Open Graph – is used by hundreds of thousands of websites that can add simple copy and paste code to let their visitors “Like” stuff; “Likes” that are then pushed back into the Facebook News Feed. MySpace and Twitter ultimately hooked up with Google Friend Connect, which is now in use on some 9 million sites. Mobile Makes Social Indispensible While there’s been a running joke that it was going to be “the year of mobile” for about a decade, it’s only within the last few years that smartphone use has exploded, and along with it, use of social media while not in front of a computer. According to data published earlier this year, 30% of smartphone users now access social networking sites from their phone’s web browser – and that doesn’t even take into account people who download apps on their iPhone, Android, BlackBerry or other devices. Thanks to increasing mobile broadband speeds, video is also going mobile. YouTube now serves up 100 million videos to mobile devices each day, and with more and more new phones offering video capture capabilities, we’re also seeing smartphones become an important part of content production. What’s Next? Now that we’ve established where we are – a social ecosystem that’s moving beyond the walls of individual sites to mobile devices and third-party applications – the question is: what’s next? Over the next month, we’ll be exploring some of the past five years more in-depth, and concluding with a look at what the next five years hold. Stay tuned to Mashable as we celebrate our five year anniversary! Series supported by IDG In honor of Mashable's five-year anniversary, this series is supported by IDG. Customers are talking about your brand and products — find out what they are saying with IDG's brand listening services. With IDG Social Scout you can listen to your prospects’ real-time conversations and understand the nature and sentiment of the dialogue. This information is key to help develop marketing messages and content that resonate with your audience. Learn more about how IDG Social Scout can help you by clicking here. More Social Media Resources From Mashable: Image courtesy of iStockphoto, AndrewLilley

Although Tina Majorino was not present for Veronica Mars‘ just-released fourth season on Hulu, her super-hacker alter ego, Mac, was at least accounted for. Early into the eight-episode revival, Kristen Bell’s titular sleuth remarks somewhat off-handedly that her bestie had gone AWOL in Istanbul. It’s never explained why she’s there, so we’re putting the question to series creator Rob Thomas. “It was really just to let the audience know that she was off the grid,” the EP explains of the relatively arbitrary location, which was partly chosen because he recently “had a pleasant vacation” there. “I didn’t want the audience to think Mac was just four blocks away and we’re just not seeing her.” For the record, Thomas maintains that he wanted Majorino to be a part of Season 4. And the two actually discussed the possibility. “When we spoke, she asked me what her storyline would be, and I bluntly said, ‘Well, you won’t have your own storyline,'” Thomas recalls. “I told her that the series-regular characters are taking a backseat to the [over-arching] mystery. I don’t know if that’s why she opted out or if she had other obligations.” It was the former. In an exclusive statement to TVLine, Majorino confirms that she bowed out of Season 4 when it became clear that Mac was not going to be “an integral part” of the episodes. Veronica Mars: Hulu Revival Photos “I have a very deep love for the character of Mac and my goal from the beginning has always been to give her and her trajectory the respect she deserves,” Majorino explains. “Mr. Thomas told me up front that his vision for Veronica Mars was going in a different direction and that Mac was not an integral part of this new path. I respect that greatly. When Mr. Thomas first wrote this part for me, I was an 18-year-old young lady who got to grow up playing a character I adored. She got to grow with me as did those who were watching. When he came to me with the offer for this new revival, I was excited at the prospect, just as excited as I was when the film was given the go-ahead by our wonderful fans. But the schedule reflected to me the diminished value of Mac in this new world of Veronica Mars. “There was no room for my beloved hacker queen and, as conversations continued, that only became more clear,” the actress adds. “So, I made the decision not to participate. I was so pleased with where we saw her end up in the movie that I didn’t want to demean that by making an appearance that would not satisfy me, Mac, or the viewers. I am so grateful to have been a part of this show and the subsequent film and I hope it will bring everyone involved as much success as the original. I hope that the fans understand my logic and I hope that they understand that there are worlds beyond Veronica Mars that we will all explore together in the future.” Thomas, meanwhile, is quick to note that there “are no hard feelings,” adding “If there is an opportunity to work with Tina again I would jump at that.”

Confession Bear before i give a ticket i give the car a head start just so i can feel like i am in a chase and sing the cops theme song in my head

First lady Melania Trump is showing her class again. This time, it’s evident in who she invited to the funeral of one of her predecessors, former first lady Barbara Bush. According to The Hill, Melania took two White House staffers with close connections to the Bush family as her guests when she went to the funeral in Houston. White House usher Buddy Carter and former White House head maitre d’ George Hainey were guests of the first lady at the service on Saturday. “She knew they were very close to the Bush family and wanted them to be able to pay their respects,” a spokeswoman for Trump said. Bush passed away last week at the age of 92. TRENDING: Watch: GOP Candidate Klacik Gets Kicked Off of 'The View' for Calling Out Behar's Blackface Scandal According to the Washington Examiner, she died after an evening of talking to friends on the phone and sipping bourbon. Tributes poured in from around the world, including from Melania Trump, who said Bush was “a woman of indisputable character and grace.” “It was my honor to travel to Houston to give my respects to Barbara Bush and the remarkable life she led as a mother, wife, and fearless First Lady,” Melania said in a statement. President Donald Trump did not attend the service, although he did watch from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Do you think Melania Trump is a good first lady? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 100% (3056 Votes) 0% (8 Votes) Bush, who attended Smith College, was known as a very unassuming first lady. “All I ever did was marry and birth well,” she once quipped. Much like her daughter-in-law Laura Bush, she made literacy the keystone cause of her time as first lady. Melania, of course, also seems to have taken up this mantle, as the current first lady is frequently seen reading to youngsters. And just like Barbara Bush, Melania is also pretty classy. The fact that she would take two White House staffers who knew Bush along with her as official guests is definitely a telling thing when it comes to her character. Barbara Bush was mourned by millions of Americans, all because of her class, dignity and devotion to important causes. These are all attributes that Melania Trump possesses, too. RELATED: Establishment Media Fact-Checks Joe Biden Over Wildly False Supreme Court Claims Melania, of course, isn’t likely to pass away any time soon. However, her performance as first lady should make Americans proud in the same way they were proud of Bush. When her funeral comes — hopefully many, many years in the future — one hopes she’ll be remembered in the same way. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

That means individual Denverites have the power to reduce ozone pollution by driving less, the authors of the study said. There’s a lot of ozone floating over the Front Range. Denver, your love for automobiles is a major contributor. This month scientists at the Boulder-based National Center for Atmospheric Research published findings that they say “pinpoint” sources of the greenhouse gas across the region. Their report points to emissions from cars and oil and gas projects as the two biggest local sources of ozone. Experts say if we can tame our propensity to drive in cars by ourselves, we’ll deal with both sources by reducing the emissions we create and lowering demand for oil and gas production in the first place. Many, many of those polluting cars are anchored in the Denver metro area. Is it bad? Gabriele Pfister and Frank Flocke, principal investigators on the study, took some time to put this in context. Put simply, said Pfister: “We are not in clean healthy air. We do have a pollution problem.” While there’s always a fairly unhealthy base-level of ozone in the Northern Hemisphere — caused by the entire globe’s worth of polluters — Pfister and Flocke’s data shows that we are making the problem much worse for ourselves locally. The problem is bad enough that Denver, Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas, Jefferson and parts of Larimer and Weld counties are all in violation of national standards for ozone levels because levels peak too often. The worst peaks occur in the summer. Pfister and Flocke’s mapping shows that ozone pollution from oil and gas production near Fort Collins and industry in Commerce City is floating into Denver as well. Meanwhile, the metro area is producing roughly as much pollution from our cars. Why is this bad? Chronic exposure to high levels of ozone can result in respiratory and cardiovascular issues. It’s concerning enough that the EPA lowered the acceptable threshold in 2015. It’s even more of an issue when you look at ozone pollution in context with other environmental health conversations going on in Denver right now. This year, Globeville was listed as having some of the worst air quality in the country. Concerns about particulate matter pollution have persisted around the I-70 corridor for years and motivated activists fighting future projects. The whole region has an ozone problem, but Denverites have a lot of power to deal with it. For Flocke, the region’s issues could be managed if Denverites figured out how to be more efficient on the road. He said he’d like to see better public transportation and less single-occupancy cars on the roads. While he thinks America in general has sprawling urban layouts that make this even harder, he says he’s hopeful something could be done if we have the willpower to do so. “If everyone says, ‘The little bit that I make doesn’t make a difference,'” he said, “we’re not going anywhere.” But, if everyone could take the bus, carpool, ride a bike, that could add up to a lot. And then the other main source of ozone might become less of a problem too. This would be a good-neighbor-kind-of-thing to do. You can see from the team’s mapping that ozone created across the region often swirls together and blankets the region, what Flocke calls a “potent mix.” And it has a tendency to flow west into Golden and up into foothills communities that contribute less to ozone pollution in the first place. You can see extended animated mapping of Front Range Ozone on Youtube.

Председатель КНР Си Цзиньпин заявил о необходимости ускорить замену «небезопасной» интернет-технологии внутренними альтернативами. Как сообщает Reuters, на совещании по вопросам развития сетей лидер Китая отметил, что стране нужно интенсифицировать «продвижение отечественного производства», а также реализовать «основательные планы по управляемому замещению», ускорить «строительство безопасных и управляемых систем информационных технологий». «Несмотря на то, что китайские технологии в области сетевой безопасности делают большие успехи, все еще отмечается огромный разрыв по сравнению с уровнем мировых лидеров»,— объяснил Си Цзиньпин стремление ускорить развитие внутренних сетей. Как передает Reuters, мировое бизнес-сообщество негативно восприняло призыв китайского лидера, считая это стремлением усилить госрегулирование сетевого сектора. Подробнее о внутренней политике КНР читайте в материале «Ъ» «Китай закрутил иностранные НКО».

Charlotte, North Carolina (CNN) Relatives of Keith Lamont Scott, after watching two police videos, said they couldn't say what was in his hands when he was shot and killed by a Charlotte police officer. "It is impossible to discern from the videos what, if anything, Mr. Scott is holding in his hands," attorney Justin Bamberg said. The family wants police to immediately release the videos to the public, Bamberg said. But Charlotte-Mecklenberg police Chief Kerr Putney told reporters earlier Thursday that he's not going to do that because he doesn't want to jeopardize the investigation. Asked whether there was a time at which the public could expect to see it, Putney said there should be no such expectation. "Transparency's in the eye of the beholder," he said. "If you think we should display a victim's worst day for public consumption, that is not the transparency I'm speaking of." Putney later told CNN's Wolf Blitzer the decision wouldn't be his to make much longer anyway, as the investigation was being turned over to North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation. Putney said video does not provide "definitive visual evidence" that Scott pointed a gun at police officers, including Brentley Vinson, who shot Scott. But other evidence and witness accounts support the police narrative that officers opened fire only after Scott refused to drop his weapon, he said. The family says the video shows Scott acting calmly and non-aggressively on Tuesday. "When he was shot and killed, Mr. Scott's hands were by his side and he was slowly walking backwards," Bamberg said. Scott didn't own a gun or habitually carry a gun, the family has told their attorneys, Bamberg said. Scott's family has said he was reading a book in his vehicle when officers approached. Mayor Jennifer Roberts also watched the videos. "It is not a very clear picture, and the gun in question is a small gun and it was not easy to see with the way the motion was happening," she told "Anderson Cooper 360." The mayor said she is leaning toward releasing the footage to the public, but must remain mindful of the ongoing investigations into Scott's shooting. Shooting victim dies The man shot outside Charlotte's Omni Hotel during Wednesday night's violent protests over Scott's death has died, police public information officer Robert Tufano told CNN. The victim was identified as Justin Carr, 26, from Charlotte. Carr was discovered at the Omni Hotel uptown, and because the crowd was too thick for paramedics to access the scene, he had to be evacuated by a SWAT armored personnel carrier, the chief said. Authorities have said he was shot by another civilian. Small candle vigil for the man shot and killed during the protests last night @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/YtcswMwphU — Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) September 23, 2016 Fears of violent protests After violent protests raged for the second night in Charlotte, residents were uneasy Thursday as a state of emergency was in effect and National Guard troops arrived. On Wednesday, police arrested 44 people at the protests, one of which turned into a riot. People smashed windows, looted storefronts and threw objects at others and police. Roberts has signed an order enacting a curfew for the city, an aide told CNN. The curfew goes into effect at midnight and extends until 6 a.m. ET. "The curfew will be in effect each day until the end of the State of Emergency is declared or until the official proclamation is revoked," the city tweeted. Several hundred people gathered Thursday night on streets in uptown Charlotte; the demonstrations appeared largely peaceful. Putney used a news conference to send a message to those who would continue looting and destroying property in the city, which also resulted in injuries to nine civilians and five police officers. Two of the officers suffered minor eye injuries, while three others had heat-related ailments. JUST WATCHED CNN reporters tear gassed, knocked over Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH CNN reporters tear gassed, knocked over 01:13 Wednesday's protests began peacefully, the chief said, but about 8 p.m. demonstrators began jumping on cars and damaging property at EpiCentre, an entertainment hub uptown. Police were forced to deploy tear gas, he said, and as the night went on, protesters shut down Interstate 277 and the city's light rail was halted just before midnight, due to the demonstrations, Putney said. The violence and vandalism carried on until roughly 3 a.m., he said. The arrests ran the gamut from failing to disperse to assault to breaking and entering, and more arrests may come as authorities review video footage of the protests, he said. Those looking to repeat the tumult will do so under an increased police presence Thursday night. There will be officers on foot and bike patrol, as well as dirt bikes. Helicopters will patrol the streets from above, and police will have more than 1,000 cameras to help monitor the city, Putney said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Brentley Vinson The National Guard and state police will protect buildings and infrastructure so the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police can "focus on the people who are committing crimes, who are damaging property and assaulting our people," he said. Guard troops were seen arriving Thursday afternoon and the state was in the process of activating 316 troops for security and crowd control. What's on the video? Keith Lamont Scott, shown with his wife, Rakeyia Scott. While the public shouldn't expect to see the video, Todd Walther, spokesman for the Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police, told CNN that he viewed the footage, and it demonstrated Scott was "an obvious threat" to police officers. He said Scott can be seen with a gun and ankle holster in the video. Scott was in a vehicle when police arrived to serve a warrant on another man at an apartment complex, he said. Some of the officers were not in uniform, but they still had vests or jackets that said "police" on the front and back, Walther said. "He was seated in (the car) when he was approached, but when he exited that vehicle, he was given clear commands to drop the weapon -- and he did not do that," Walther said. "So he was armed when he came out of that vehicle and refused to listen to officers." In a photo obtained by an affiliate WSOC source, a photo shows the scene where Keith Scott was fatally shot by police. A photo obtained by CNN affiliate WSOC shows the immediate aftermath of the shooting of Scott, a source close to the investigation told CNN. A black object near the bottom of the photo is a gun found by police at the scene, the source said. Family disputes account JUST WATCHED Daughter learns of father's death while on Facebook Live Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Daughter learns of father's death while on Facebook Live 00:54 Scott's family has said he was reading a book when police officers approached his vehicle and shot him. But Putney said Scott was armed and no book was found at the scene. Moments after her father was shot, Lyric Scott started recording on Facebook Live, screaming at officers on the scene. "They shot my daddy 'cause he's black," she said. "He was sitting in his car reading a mother******* book. So they shot him. That's what happened." JUST WATCHED Video shows protesters attack police car Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Video shows protesters attack police car 01:10 North Carolina recently passed a law that blocks the release of police recordings from body or dashboard cameras with limited exceptions, but that law is not set to take effect until October. "Technology like dashboard cameras and body cameras can be very helpful, but when used by itself technology can also mislead and misinform, which causes other issues and problems within our community," Gov. Pat McCrory said after signing the bill into law in July. Victim in critical condition The perceived lack of transparency has fueled widespread anger in Charlotte, prompting McCrory to declare a state of emergency overnight. It's a little tense in downtown Charlotte Wednesday night. It's a mix of peaceful protesters and rioters. Some shop windows are broken, glass on he streets and a few stores were looted as soon as darkness fell over the city. But at the same time, people keep offering us water. #Charlotte #CNN A photo posted by Khushbu Shah (@khushbuoshea) on Sep 21, 2016 at 7:08pm PDT While there were instances of peaceful demonstration throughout the city, some rioters overturned trash cans and set the contents on fire Wednesday night. Onlookers cheered as a masked man shattered a hotel window while another one hurled rocks through it. Others spray-painted "Black Lives Matter" on business facades and smashed car windows. 'It was madness' Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters stand outside Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, September 25. Violent protests erupted on Tuesday after the death of Keith Lamont Scott, who was shot by a police officer in an apartment complex parking lot. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Scott exited his car with a gun and that he was shot after he wouldn't drop it. Scott's family said he was unarmed and sitting in his car reading a book. Hide Caption 1 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers arrive outside of Bank of America Stadium prior to the Panthers game on September 25. Hide Caption 2 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Demonstrators take a knee outside Bank of America Stadium as the national anthem is played on September 25. Hide Caption 3 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Members of the National Guard stand watch in front of a Charlotte hotel on Friday, September 23. Hide Caption 4 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters march in Charlotte on September 23. Hide Caption 5 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A protester, right, expresses his opinion to a police officer and another pedestrian near Trade and Tryon Streets in Charlotte on Thursday, September 22. Hide Caption 6 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Residents and activists march in the streets of Charlotte on September 22. There was a heavy police presence, and the National Guard was also on hand. Hide Caption 7 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters confront police officers near Trade and Tryon streets on September 22. Hide Caption 8 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting National Guardsmen stand at their post in downtown Charlotte on September 22. Hide Caption 9 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Members of the North Carolina National Guard speak with residents and visitors on September 22. Hide Caption 10 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Police officers and protesters carry a man who was shot during the second night of protests on Wednesday, September 21. The shooting victim, 26-year-old Justin Carr, later died. Police have charged another civilian in connection with Carr's death. Hide Caption 11 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A protester shouts to a crowd in downtown Charlotte on the evening of September 21. Hide Caption 12 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A police officer in riot gear stands near a damaged storefront on September 21. Hide Caption 13 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters throw chairs at a restaurant on September 21. Hide Caption 14 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A protester stares down law enforcement officers during protests on September 21. Hide Caption 15 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A police officer tries to grab a protester from the crowd. Hide Caption 16 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Charlotte public defender Toussaint Romain pushes a protester back from a line of police. "We can't lose any more lives, man. I'm a public defender. I can't represent any more people," he told CNN's Boris Sanchez. Hide Caption 17 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters march in the streets of Charlotte on September 21. Hide Caption 18 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters rushed police in riot gear at a downtown Charlotte hotel. Officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Hide Caption 19 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A protester stands on a car roof. Hide Caption 20 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Demonstrators hold Black Lives Matter signs. Hide Caption 21 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Demonstrators fill the streets in downtown Charlotte. Hide Caption 22 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting On the first night of demonstrations, police officers face off with protesters on Interstate 85. Hide Caption 23 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting After blocking traffic on I-85, some of the protesters took cargo from tractor-trailers and set it on fire. Hide Caption 24 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters react to a police helicopter. Hide Caption 25 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A police officer stands guard near a fire on I-85. Hide Caption 26 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters run from a gas canister after blocking traffic on I-85. Hide Caption 27 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Protesters march down W.T. Harris Boulevard. Hide Caption 28 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Police officers face off with protesters on the first night of demonstrations. Hide Caption 29 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A police officer faces protesters. Hide Caption 30 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts has called for a full investigation into the shooting. She said the officer who shot Scott, Brentley Vinson, has been placed on paid administrative leave. Vinson is also black. Hide Caption 31 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting Police stand guard on the first night of protests. Hide Caption 32 of 33 Photos: Protests over Charlotte police shooting A police officer attempts to extinguish a fire on I-85. Hide Caption 33 of 33 "I was right in the thick of it," witness Zach Locke said. "People found whatever objects they could to break glasses. It was madness." Stores were looted, and freelance photographer Marcus DiPaola told CNN he saw people knock over an ATM and grab money from it. The Hyatt House Hotel downtown went into lockdown as protesters tossed bricks through the window. Protesters punched a valet and front desk attendant in the face, hotel manager Matt Allen said. Not all the protests were violent. Kristine Slade, 19, a University of North Carolina at Charlotte student, joined the protests Tuesday night, kneeling in front of a police line with her hands up in the air. She said she felt like she had to protest, because "if nobody else is going to do it, then we're still going to be in the same position." But she became increasingly worried Wednesday night as she saw rocks being thrown, fires being set and acts of vandalism committed. She left early when police tried to disperse the crowd.

A leaf blower is an astonishing tool which can be used for multi-purposes. We know, the main purpose of a leaf blower is to blow the leaves from your gardens and lawns. Apart from the main duty of this amazing tool, you can perform the following works efficiently with cordless blower. Clean Carpenter’s Shop: It might be the best tool to clean the shop of a carpenter. This tool can blow the wood shavings efficiently. Vacuum Filters Clean Up: Just put the leaf blower in the vacuum filter and start it. All the dust, sucked by vacuum filter will be blown in no time. Blow the Snow: Although a leaf blower cannot this task effectively yet it is good to blow the light snow with it. Moreover, a powerful leaf blower is used to perform this task. Dry a Car: To get a spotless car after a car wash, a cordless tool can help you a lot. Yes, you can dry your car with a leaf blower in an easy way. Additionally, you can clean the car’s interior part (Carpet like) with it. Use it after a rain: Often it is asked if we can use a leaf blower in rain. The answer to this question can be quite comprehensive. It is recommended that don’t use electric (corded and cordless) blowers in rain. Nevertheless, you can use it after rain for blowing the water from your garden table and chairs. Blast the gutters: It could be a good idea to blast the gutter with this equipment.

Η εικόνα ήταν αποκρουστική. Τραμπούκοι χτυπούσαν βίαια σε όλο του το σώμα έναν άνθρωπο 75 ετών, απλά επειδή διαφωνούν με απόψεις που εκφράζει. Άλλοι τραβούσαν αυτάρεσκα βίντεο με τον ξυλοδαρμό, ακόμα πιο σοκαριστική η σκηνή με τον άνδρα που κρατούσε αγκαλιά ένα μικρό παιδάκι. Ο εκτσογλανισμός της κοινωνίας προχωρά γοργά και σταθερά. Κάποτε μας προβλημάτιζε η θλιβερή εικόνα ανηλίκων που μούτζωναν σε παρελάσεις επισήμους, τώρα παρακολουθούμε σε ζωντανή σύνδεση τη διαπαιδαγώγηση που τους οδηγεί μετέπειτα σε τέτοιες πράξεις. Όσο σοκαριστική κι αν ήταν όμως η σκηνή, λίγοι ήταν εκείνοι που εξεπλάγησαν. Ίσως διότι για χρόνια άκουγαν: «λιντσάρετε τον Πάχτα», «είναι προφανές ότι και ο Άδωνις έχει προκαλέσει εξαιρετικά τον ελληνικό λαό», «η κυβερνητική πολιτική έχει οδηγήσει τον κόσμο να συμπεριφέρεται έτσι», «η κυβέρνηση είναι Χούντα και ως τέτοια πρέπει να αντιμετωπίζεται». Η λίστα με τις φράσεις που επί χρόνια δικαιολογούσαν πράξεις βίας, επιθέσεις, τραμπουκισμούς και αντιδημοκρατικές, φασιστικές συμπεριφορές δεν έχει τέλος. Η εργαλειοποίηση της βίας έχει παρελθόν. 16 Μαρτίου 2011: Ο Θεόδωρος Πάγκαλος είχε καλέσει 11 βουλευτές του ΠΑΣΟΚ σε ταβέρνα στα Καλύβια. Απ΄ έξω για ώρες κάποιοι χυδαιολογούσαν, απειλούσαν και έκαναν αισχρές χειρονομίες προς τους βουλευτές του ΠΑΣΟΚ. Στην πορεία έστησαν καρτέρι και λιθοβόλησαν τα αυτοκίνητά τους. Ποια ήταν η ανακοίνωση της Νομαρχιακής Επιτροπής Ανατολικής Αττικής του ΣΥΝ; «Οι εκατοντάδες κάτοικοι της περιοχής είναι ελεύθεροι πολίτες και διαμαρτύρονται εναντίον του, γιατί τον ταυτίζουν με αυτή την κυβέρνηση του ΠΑΣΟΚ που προσπαθεί με τη βία των ΜΑΤ να περάσει τις απαράδεκτες πολιτικές της. Αυτοί οι πολίτες διαμαρτυρήθηκαν εναντίον του, γιατί παλεύουν για ένα καλύτερο μέλλον για τον τόπο τους». Σχετικα Πόσο Πόντιος πρέπει να είσαι για να χτυπήσεις τον Μπουτάρη; Πόσο Πόντιος πρέπει να είσαι για να χτυπήσεις τον Μπουτάρη; 5 Δεκεμβρίου 2010: Ένας από τους πιο σοβαρούς και μετριοπαθείς πολιτικούς, ο κ. Κωστής Χατζηδάκης δέχτηκε άγρια επίθεση, καθώς προσπαθούσε να βγει από τη βουλή και διακομίστηκε αιμόφυρτος στο νοσοκομείο. Όλοι επισήμως καταδίκασαν, όμως έχει ενδιαφέρον να ανακαλέσει κανείς το σχετικό δημοσίευμα της «Ελευθεροτυπίας» στις 17 Δεκεμβρίου 2010, όταν ο τότε Υπουργός Προστασίας του Πολίτη, Χρήστος Παπουτσής, αναρωτιόταν «γιατί συμβαίνει μονίμως σ' όλα τα επεισόδια να βρίσκεται κάποιος από το χώρο του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ και όχι από το ΚΚΕ ή το ΠΑΣΟΚ;». Τις αιτιάσεις απέρριψε η Ηρώ Διώτη του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ και μέμφθηκε την κυβέρνηση ότι διολισθαίνει στη λογική της περιστολής των συνταγματικών ελευθεριών. «Ποιον φοβάστε τόσο πολύ; Τη νεολαία, την κοινωνία, ή τον εαυτό σας; Σας παραξενεύει ο κοινωνικός αναβρασμός; Χρησιμοποιείτε την αστυνομία για καταστολή των αντιδράσεων απέναντι στην πολιτική σας». Παρόμοια περιστατικά, είχαν συμβεί στον τότε Υφυπουργό Τύπου Γιώργο Πεταλωτή, όταν πολιορκούσαν τον ίδιο και οπαδούς του ΠΑΣΟΚ στην Αργυρούπολη, απειλώντας «να τους κάψουν ζωντανούς», στον τότε υπουργό Εργασίας Ανδρέα Λοβέρδο, αλλά και σε άλλους βουλευτές στην Πάτρα, όταν τυπώθηκαν αφίσες με το πρόσωπο του καθενός στους δρόμους της πόλης, υπό τη λεζάντα «Καταζητείται». Πιο πρόσφατα, τον Ιανουάριο του 2015 όταν τοποθετήθηκαν γκαζάκια στο πολιτικό γραφείο του Άδωνι Γεωργιάδη, η κ. Θ. Φωτίου σχολίαζε από τηλεπαράθυρο: «Είναι προφανές ότι και ο Άδωνις έχει προκαλέσει εξαιρετικά τον ελληνικό λαό». Μόλις 1 χρόνο πριν, τον Μάιο 2017, μετά το τρομοκρατικό χτύπημα κατά του πρώην Πρωθυπουργού, Λουκά Παπαδήμου, η Ζ. Κωνσταντοπούλου, η γυναίκα που πριν 2 χρόνια είχε τοποθετηθεί στο τρίτο κατά σειρά πολιτειακό αξίωμα της χώρας έγραφε: «Εγώ δε θα καταδικάσω τη βία, θα καταδικάσω τα μνημόνια. Στον τραυματισθέντα δοτό μνημονιακό πρωθυπουργό, που κατέλαβε το αξίωμα με πραξικόπημα και υπηρέτησε πιστά την μνημονιακή τυραννία, εύχομαι ταχεία ανάρρωση. Όταν αποκατασταθεί η Δημοκρατία και λειτουργήσει η Δικαιοσύνη στη χώρα, θα κριθεί». Και την ίδια στιγμή, βέβαια, ακούμε από κυβερνητικά στελέχη να χαρακτηρίζουν ως «ακτιβισμούς» τους βανδαλισμούς, την τρομοκράτηση και τις επιθέσεις σε συμβολαιογραφικά γραφεία ή αλλού και φυσικά να μην τιμωρείται ποτέ και κανείς. Σχετικα Οι φασίστες δεν πιάνονται φίλοι, ας τους συντρίψουμε Οι φασίστες δεν πιάνονται φίλοι, ας τους συντρίψουμε Στα χρόνια του μνημονίου ήταν η πρώτη φορά μετά τη Μεταπολίτευση, που η βία έγινε αποδεκτή ως δικαιολογημένη αντίδραση και ως όπλο στην πολιτική αντιπαράθεση. Χρόνια γεμάτα τραμπουκισμούς και επιθέσεις. Ο φασισμός κόκκινος ή μαύρος ποτέ δεν απομονώθηκε πραγματικά. Ποτέ δεν ειπώθηκε ξεκάθαρα ότι οποιαδήποτε εκδήλωση φασισμού, υπό οποιαδήποτε ταμπέλα και για οποιονδήποτε λόγο (είτε εθνικό, είτε οικονομικό, είτε οποιονδήποτε άλλο) πρέπει να καταδικάζεται. Ποτέ δεν παραδεχτήκαμε πως η συνύπαρξη της άνω και της κάτω πλατείας οδήγησαν στην ώσμωση. Ποτέ δεν συμφωνήσαμε ότι η πολιτική βία υπό οποιονδήποτε μανδύα δεν έχει θέση στην κοινωνία. Ούτε όταν απευθύνεται στον Γιώργο Κουμουτσάκο από ακροδεξιούς πατριδοκάπηλους φασίστες, ούτε στον Ανδρέα Λοβέρδο από τάχα «Αγανακτισμένους». Διότι στα χρόνια των μνημονίων η ελληνική κοινωνία δεν διχάστηκε απλά. Τρελάθηκε. Αποσταθεροποιήθηκε. Η ρητορική του μίσους, οι κραυγές για προδότες, προσκυνημένους και δωσίλογους, η διάχυση της ανομίας και της ανοησίας, η προκλητική ανοχή και το χάιδεμα της τρομοκρατίας και των φασιστικών συμπεριφορών οδήγησαν να βγει στην επιφάνεια το περιθώριο. Το λούμπεν έγινε mainstream. Εν κατακλείδι, ατελείωτες κοινωνιολογικές αναλύσεις μπορούν να γίνουν για τα σοκαριστικά βίντεο που κάνουν από χθες τον γύρο του διαδικτύου με τον πεσμένο στο πεζοδρόμιο Γ. Μπουτάρη. Αλλά την ουσία της υπόθεσης την υπογράμμισε ο καθηγητής κ. Στάθης Καλύβας. Αν οι θύτες συλλαμβάνονταν και τιμωρούνταν το πρόβλημα θα λυνόταν. Όσο εξακολουθούμε να αποδεχόμαστε ως κοινωνία την απουσία κυρώσεων για τέτοιες πράξεις, τόσο θα επαναλαμβάνονται. Και μαζί θα συνεχίζονται οι ίδιες βαρετές κοινωνιολογικές αναλύσεις.

Vandana Shiva is a hero of mine. So i was doubly pleased to get an email from her today. It was not personal, we have never met and i have not even seen her speak live. [Tho here is her recent TED talk on the food crisis and solutions.], but i was happy none-the-less to know that some group which she works with has me on their mailing list and thus i am getting stuff from her. More important than my ego gratification was the content of her message, which said that her group has petitioned the Indian Supreme Court and they have ruled in her favor banning the release of GMOs. This is not forever and for always, but until at least long term studies can be done on rats and there is a regime in place for controlling the releases and selecting the sites which releases are made from by the government. This is a significant win. What is especially encouraging about this ruling is that it sites the precautionary principal as central to its decision making. The precautionary principal is: if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking the action. [from wikipedia on precautionary principal] This of course is not what Monsanto wants. What they prefer is the world continues to be their lab and that they can continue to release things they are convinced are safe (or at least are likely to be profitable) and “let’s not worry too much about the side effects, they will sort themselves out.” One of the most important conversations of my life was in Kiev at the Chernobyl 10th anniversary which i was helping to organize. American inventor and intellectual Amory Lovins was explaining to German Green Party leader Joschka Fischer the idea of “risk technologies” . That there were a certain class of technologies, including nuclear power, nanotechnology, genetic engineering – where the unknown possibilities of on going and catastrophic dangers were so great that the state had to strictly regulate them or prohibit them altogether. That perusing these new technologies often represents the wrong way of thinking about global problems altogether and instead we should be implementing known proven technologies with well understood impacts. Fischer was already both the leader of the German Green party and anti-nuclear , later he became the foreign minster and vice Chancellor. He found Lovins presentations on these other technologies compelling. But it is one thing to convince a popular and prominent green of these ideas and quite another to convince a national supreme court that they need to intercede and prevent businesses from doing business as unusual. Shiva and her group have attained this and should be applauded for it. This ruling is timely, because a recent French study has shown that Monsanto’s genetically modified Roundup Ready corn induces cancer in rats feed this corn. These were rats of the same type Monsanto used to get permission for the release of Roundup Ready corn, but Monsanto tested them for only 90 days. The French study tested them for 2 years. Significantly, the precautionary principal is part of the 1992 Earth Summit accords, which the US refused to sign, but nearly every other major industrial country agreed to this treaty. We can only hope these other countries will follow India’s lead.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama would build new prisons in an effort to relieve crowding and violence in the state’s correctional facilities, under a plan approved Thursday by the state Senate. Senators voted 23-11 for the bill after nearly three hours of debate. It now heads to the House of Representatives. The plan seeks to add about 2,000 beds to the state prison system. Sen. Cam Ward, the bill’s sponsor, said the new prisons would be better designed than the state’s current prisons which feature large dormitories. “You have facilities now that are not going to meet constitutional muster. …. You can’t have several hundred dangerous inmates in one place because the officers are just unable to monitor. That’s one reason you have the stabbings and the violence,” Ward said. The plan hinges on interest from local communities in having the prisons and the jobs that will come with them. The bill authorizes the state to lease up to three prisons built by local communities. The bill would also authorize a $350 million state bond issue to build one new prison and renovate others, but the state must have two lease agreements in place before borrowing money. Most existing prisons would close, under the proposal. Alabama prisons house 23,074 inmates in facilities built for 13,318, which puts the department at 173 percent capacity. Overcrowding and staffing shortages have contributed to outbreaks of violence. A corrections officer was fatally stabbed by an inmate last year, and three inmates have been killed this year in violence between prisoners. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which is representing inmates in a class-action lawsuit over mental health care, said the plan is costly and doesn’t address the system’s other problems such as staff shortages. “The new prison building bill that passed the Senate today is extremely problematic and too expensive. Building these mega-prisons will not solve the serious problems facing the prison system: the violence, the chronic understaffing, and the lack of adequate health care,” Ebony Howard, the group’s associate legal director, said in a statement. Senators who voted against the bill expressed a range of concerns, including cost and the loss of local jobs when existing prisons close. Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, pointed out that the plan would not replace the state’s only prison for women, a 75-year-old facility that was the subject of a Department of Justice investigation. The state in 2015 agreed to make numerous physical and policy changes at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women after the U.S. Justice Department said inmates were subjected to an unconstitutional environment of sexual abuse including that officers there coerced inmates into sex and watched them in showers. “We still have not done anything for the conditions that they live in,” Coleman-Madison said. Gov. Robert Bentley had made prison construction the centerpiece of his legislative agenda. However, the bill approved by senators differed dramatically from his proposal. Bentley had proposed an $800 million bond issue to build four prisons. However, some senators had expressed concern about adding $800 million to the state’s debt. The state will still be paying for the facilities by guaranteeing yearly leases up to $13.5 million per facility. The plan hinges on at least two local authorities agreeing to build two prisons. Ward said he believes there will be interest from Elmore County and one other area. Bentley praised the bill’s passage as a step in the right direction. “I understand this bill is a work in progress and my ultimate goal remains the same, and that is to have safe and modern facilities that solve the persistent overcrowding of our prisons that will protect our law enforcement officers and inmates, as well prepare the inmates to successfully transition back into our communities,” Bentley said. Ward cautioned that the prison system faces additional struggles. “We are going to have to at some point deal with staffing issues. We are going to have to deal with mental health,” Ward said. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the bond issue is $325 million. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC.

As I mentioned in the previous blog post, I spent last week out in San Francisco for GDC and therefore don’t have a development update this week, and I won’t have a new video on Wednesday. But I did want to write up some thoughts about this year’s event and post the development schedule for the next few days. This was my third visit to GDC, my second as both a full-time developer and an indie developer, and my first time speaking. So there’s a life goal Achievement Unlocked. I gave a talk first thing Monday morning as part of the Math for Game Programmers tutorial. It was called “Building a Better Jump,” and it was the final form of a blog post that I drafted years and years ago on my old personal blog. My slides should be up on essentialmath.com shortly, and I’ve already temporarily uploaded them (along with annotations of a rough transcript of my actual talk from memory) here: PowerPoint Slides PDF (no annotations) This was by far the largest and most visible talk I’ve ever given (and it will be even more so in another month or two when it hits the GDC Vault), and I feel like it went pretty well. I thought I’d be super nervous, hands shaking, voice cracking and all that, and I really wasn’t. Part of this might have been avoiding caffeine before I spoke, part of it might’ve been the Xanax I took when I woke up, but I also wonder if spending the last few months talking to a camera weekly has helped in that regard. It’s not the same thing as a real audience, but it’s definitely helped me improve the way I think as I speak in order to predict what I’m going to say next and account for any mistakes or omissions in real time. Also I rehearsed the heck out of this thing, so there’s that. For the last few years, GDC speakers have received a deck of playing cards featuring the top speakers from the previous year. So that’s my new life goal, I guess: make the GDC speaker deck. Send in those evals if you were there! This was the first year I had a GDC pass that wasn’t just an expo pass and would get me into talks, so naturally I spent most of the week doing just that. The highlights of my week were the Indie Soapbox, #1ReasonToBe, and the GDC Microtalks. Each of these consisted of a number of short talks from a diverse panel of speakers, and each was a great experience in its own right. I don’t know whether these will be released as free content when this year’s talks hit the GDC Vault, but when and if they do become available, I’d encourage everyone to check them out. I’ve seen a lot of game developers talking about impostor syndrome recently. But I don’t usually experience myself, at least not the way it’s described. Tommy Refenes gave a short talk about impostor syndrome during this year’s Indie Soapbox which opened with a similar sentiment. And by the end of the week, I could commiserate. I’m confident in my abilities as a moderately isolated indie developer. I can make cool things that I believe in. But selling them is another matter, one in which I’m actively growing but still far from proficient, and meeting people in person at an event like GDC, especially people I follow and have maybe spoken to on Twitter…well, that’s where I hit the wall that is impostor syndrome, I guess. I had an experience multiple times this week (and probably a few times last year as well, though I might’ve suppressed the memory), where I met someone, exchanged words briefly, and only much later realized that I had been talking to someone I knew through the internet and held in some esteem. That’s…pretty embarrassing. I’m becoming increasingly conscious of the fact that the roguelike Gunmetal Arcadia, historically the definitive eponymous Gunmetal Arcadia, the game I’ve been developing and trumpeting for a year and a half now, it might need a subtitle. That’s weird. My intent was that Gunmetal Arcadia Zero would be a prequel that would ship ahead of the flagship game and establish the game mechanics and world, and it’s still in a good place to do that. But I’m finding that it’s sounding more and more ambiguous to my own ears which game I’m referring to when I just say “Gunmetal Arcadia.” I can’t count how many times I’ve prefaced it with “the roguelike” as I just did in the preceding paragraph. And that represents a failure in branding. I don’t yet know what this subtitle would be. It would need to still communicate this aspect of being the definitive experience so as to not be perceived as a sequel to Zero specifically, which is a smaller game (and importantly, a cheaper game). I’ll sleep on that one for a while. It’s entirely possible by the time that game launches, it’ll be a non-issue, but it’s something that’s been on my mind recently, and I felt like it was worth talking about. Upcoming tasks for the week of March 21, 2016: Monday: Create “Tarragon” tileset Tuesday: Create “Fennel” tileset Wednesday: Create “Sage” tileset Thursday: Create primary weapons Friday: Record Ep. 31, write blog, addl. work as time allows Saturday: Create secondary weapons Sunday: Decorate “Basil” with environment art As I’ve said, there’s not going to be a new episode of Let’s Make Gunmetal Arcadia this week since the pre-recorded one went out while I was away at GDC, but I’ll be picking that up again next week. I have about six weeks left to finish this game. Let’s do this.

Real-life boss fights rarely resemble video game ones. At 10.30 on the morning of May 27, 1942, Reinhard Heydrich, one of Hitler’s most trusted and ardently anti-Semitic lieutenants, was being chauffeured to work through the streets of Prague when a man armed with a Sten submachine gun stepped out in front of his Mercedes convertible as it slowed to negotiate a sharp bend. The cheap SMG refused to fire but shrapnel from an anti-tank grenade thrown by the Sten wielder’s companion pierced the Acting Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia in several places causing wounds that led to his death a week later. Nazi reprisals were brutal. Hundreds were rounded up and executed in the Czech capital and its environs. Lidice and Ležáky, two villages erroneously linked with Heydrich’s killers, were wiped from the map along with most of their inhabitants. Was Operation Anthropoid wise given the predictable repercussions? Attentat 1942, a revealing docu-game about life in Czechoslovakia during WW2, sensibly declines to answer this question directly preferring instead to explore the tangled lives of a group of gently fictionalised Czechs caught up in the traumatic aftermath of the assassination. A naturalistic sleuth-em-up set in 2001, you play an individual keen to get to the bottom of a family mystery while the people at the centre of that mystery – your grandparents – are still around. By interviewing a growing cast of characters, by inspecting artefacts and playing mini-games, a web of dramatic stories emerges and a collection of lazy classifications (hero, collaborator, victim…) is challenged. Like Venti Mesi and 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, Attentat 1942 has no obvious agenda beyond ‘This stuff happened. We’re sure you’ll find it interesting’. It captivates from start to finish by humanising history brilliantly rather than by ludologising it exceptionally well. In fact the brief mini-games that dot proceedings are the weakest part of the package. Tasks like decoding Jindřich’s beautifully crafted journal by manipulating a series of letter substitution sliders and helping Egon, a Jewish friend of Jindřich’s, flee police by arranging picture cards in a sensible sequence, are so easily accomplished they end up trivialising the events that inspired them rather than enriching them. There is one genuinely tricky mini-game but as it owes much of its challenge to a lack of clues it ultimately disappoints too. Attentat 1942 justifies its format during the unusual ‘cinematic interview’ sections. If the team at Charles University had gone down the book or TV documentary route we’d have been denied the satisfaction that comes from personally winkling out truths with canny questioning. We’d doubtless have gone without the delightful distance-dissolving doorstep scenes too. Say the wrong thing on the threshold of a character’s apartment and understandably you may not be invited in for čaj and memories. I’d be interested to hear a Czech speaker’s thoughts on the acting in the video segments. While the odd cast member looked a little too youthful to have been a young adult during WW2, I quickly came to accept them in their roles. Although subtitling the interviews and translating the sizeable integrated encyclopedia in readiness for the English language release must have been a mammoth task there’s no sign of corner or cost-cutting in the texts. Production values throughout the game are high, the only slips I noticed being a single typo, a questionable translation of the word ‘marmeláda’, and some library footage of Soviet armour and aircraft carelessly used to illustrate a section about Operation Overlord. If you buy your PC playthings by the yard this £7-until-November-7 release may seem expensive (I uncovered Jindřich’s war story in around three hours). However, assay Attentat 1942 the way you’d assay a novella or movie, and the brevity shouldn’t rankle. Generations of weapon and combat-obsessed computer games have scoured the surface of WW2. Rare treats like Attentat 1942 go deeper and linger in the memory because of it. To experience this #content, you will need to enable targeting cookies. Yes, we know. Sorry. Manage cookie settings * * * I struggle both physically and ideologically with Heliborne’s helo-only dogfights. There’s something preposterous about swirling chopper skirmishes and I’m not sure I’ll ever acquire the necessary skills to accurately hose hurtling Hueys and helixing Helixes. At the moment what draws me to JetCat’s Early-Access-no-longer collective collective game is lummoxi like the Yak-24, the Sea Stallion, and the Flying Banana. Teams have no real hope of conquering the LZs that freckle maps unless someone decides to dawdle about in these unglamorous aerial ominibuses. When the Cobras, Hinds, and Apaches are busy tearing chunks out of each other over the frontline I’m usually to be found sneaking through valleys and gorges with a belly full of the soldiers necessary to seize victory nodes. As the larger aerodynes tend to fly like wild turkeys rather than arctic terns, vigilance and timing are everything when you’re operating them. Pick the wrong moment to quit your hiding place behind the ridge, descend, and deposit your vital cargo, and, chances are, you’ll be plucked from the sky or trashed on the ground before you can say “Frank Robinson”. The dedicated transport pilot tends to earn most of their points through base captures but they can supplement this income by carrying specialist weapon teams along with the infantry. MANPAD and RPG teams deposited in promising spots will bring down enemy choppers and ravage the automated AFV convoys that gradually expand a team’s tactical footprint. When I do fancy a spin in something nippy I tend to reach for a scout helo. The game’s spotting mechanic is a little clumsy (scout choppers don’t automatically relay intel to comrades. You must press a key and wait) but I adore the mortar spotters that most light helos carry. Those mortar teams deployed by transports like the Horse and hybrid gunships like the Hind won’t lift a finger unless a scout helo requests it. One of Heliborne’s most satisfying experience is loitering unobtrusively within sight of an enemy LZ, your ‘mortar this!’ targeting cursor poised. If you time it right you can pummel a village or outpost while a hostile helo is on the ground disgorging troops. While the game boasts a dizzying array of rotary-winged warbirds (most of which you’ll have to research with points earned in battles) it’s a little map-poor at present and currently doesn’t offer bots or a particularly interesting co-op experience. I think I’m right in saying players can pay to prettify their steeds but can’t purchase performance boosts or enhanced ammo. Although slightly harsher and less polished than the tanky, naval, and fixed wing titles which dominate its corner of the MMO market, Heliborne’s novelty, immediacy, level playing field and mouse-friendly flight model should ensure it prospers. The frenetic/frustrating air-to-air combat is definitely an acquired taste, but as there are numerous other ways to contribute and enjoy yourself (I’ll be talking about the pleasures of ground pounding in a future FP) that’s no reason to abstain. To experience this #content, you will need to enable targeting cookies. Yes, we know. Sorry. Manage cookie settings * * * Now I understand that ‘v’! Turnopia’s new galley wargame isn’t Mare Nostrvm just because their last game was Qvadriga not Quadriga, it’s Mare Nostrvm because Mare Nostrum was already taken. Released yesterday afternoon, I don’t know yet whether Mare Nostrvm is superior to Qvadriga – or Mare Nostrum for that matter. My two initial skirmishes suggest turnbased ancient fleet fights won’t be quite as compelling or colourful as turnbased chariot derbies, but it’s very early days yet so don’t take that to the bank. By next Friday my disappointment at the rather bland visuals and dismay at the somewhat intimidating fleet sizes may well have been replaced by admiration for strong AI and gripping campaigns. Tvne in next week to find out whether Mare Nostrvm is a Mvst Bvy or a Mediterranean mediocrity. To experience this #content, you will need to enable targeting cookies. Yes, we know. Sorry. Manage cookie settings To experience this #content, you will need to enable targeting cookies. Yes, we know. Sorry. Manage cookie settings * * *

Interior Minister Berbard Cazeneuve said authorities were doing their utmost to identify and arrest the attackers, and he cautioned against jumping to conclusions, a day after masked gunmen killed 12 people - including two police - in an assault on a satirical newspaper.

Helen Keller is arguably history’s most recognizable woman with a disability—a figure whose education allowed her to overcome being blind, deaf, and mute. But before Helen Keller, there was Laura Bridgman, the first blind and deaf woman who learned to communicate through language. Bridgman may be less known, but her life was just as compelling. And, as Ernest Freeberg writes, one of the most fascinating and frustrating aspects of that life was her unconventional education at the hands of a nineteenth-century reformer. Samuel Gridley Howe discovered Bridgman in a newspaper article when she was just seven years old. He managed to convince her parents that Laura, who had lost her sight and hearing as a two-year-old, should be given over to his care at the Perkins School for the Blind. As Freeberg notes, Howe undertook a course of “intellectual resurrection,” giving the child household objects with raised-letter labels, then having her arrange loose letters in an attempt to match them with the objects. How might she have fared in an era of special education? There’s no way to know. Having accomplished that seemingly impossible task of learning words before letters, Bridgman eventually became proficient in language. But her education was uneven—despite being able to, say, point out a distant country on a globe, she was kept from learning about much of the world around her. Howe focused on abstract knowledge more than real-world experiences and used the glittering success of Bridgman’s education as a kind of proof of the validity of his educational theories. Howe, who was against rote learning and espoused liberal religious views, seems to have thought that Bridgman was a kind of specimen of pure humanity, unsullied by the vagaries of the world. Indeed, writes Freeberg, Howe wrote of her as “perfectly holy” and “as pure as Eve.” “A review of the private journals kept by Laura’s teachers reveals, that Howe…had no such child under his care,” writes Freeberg. Bridgman the multi-dimensional human being—a girl who hate math and sometimes defied her teachers—was ignored by Howe in his attempts to turn her into an educational example. Freeberg does not discuss one of Howe’s biggest forms of educational malpractice—his intentional omission of religion from Bridgman’s curriculum in an attempt to see whether God was an innate concept. Bridgman eventually rebelled and espoused religion. Howe then turned against his pupil, eventually claiming that blind people were intellectually inferior. Once a Week Get your fix of JSTOR Daily’s best stories in your inbox each Thursday. Privacy Policy Contact Us You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the provided link on any marketing message. Bridgman’s education may have been patchy and misguided, but it also represented opportunity in a time that was cruel to disabled people. She returned to her family at age 20, but her health began to deteriorate. Perhaps tellingly, it was not her teacher but her friend, Dorothea Dix, who raised funds for her to return to Perkins, where she lived out the rest of her life. How might she have fared in an era of special education? There’s no way to know. But Bridgman’s education is a reminder that children of all abilities are neither hopeless nor holy—just themselves.