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Get Facebook friends data and save them as json file - blazeeboy
https://twitter.com/blaz_boy/status/445954978063319040/photo/1
======
izietto
I wrote this script in order to create a friend list which excludes my
parents:
[https://gist.github.com/mdesantis/9638125](https://gist.github.com/mdesantis/9638125)
|
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|
Coroner Rules There Will Be Fresh Birmingham Pub Bombing Inquests
Inquests into the deaths of 21 people who were killed at the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 are to be reopened.
The families of those who died hope the new inquest into their deaths will give them answers.
It's been 41 years since the attacks on the Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush pubs in the city centre.
Coroner Louise Hunt in February ordered West Midlands Police to hand over any information they had in connection with a central claim by some of the victims' families that the British security services knew the attacks were going to happen.
At the hearing today, the Coroner said she believed there were two occasions where West Midlands Police missed opportunities to prevent the attacks. One of those was a witness overheard in a pub.
Coroner Hunt also added that although the events happened more than 40 years ago, that's no excuse to not try and find answers.
VICTIMS FAMILIES
Relatives want the fresh inquests to re-examine the events of the night of November 21 1974, when two bomb blasts destroyed the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town in the worst act of terrorism in mainland UK until the London 7/7 bombings.
The bombings remain Britain's biggest unsolved mass murder, and the victim's families have made repeated claims of a police cover up and, more recently, state conspiracy.
Julie Hambleton's 18 year old sister was handing out invitations to a party, when she was killed by the bomb at the Tavern in the Town. She was with her friend, 17 year old Jane Davis, who was the youngest victim of the attacks.
Julie has been campaigning for a fresh inquest for years, under the banner Justice 4 the 21 and spoke to Heart outside the coroner's court:
Paul Bodman's dad Stanley, was killed in the attack on the Mulberry Bush, where he was having a drink after work. He told Heart he wants the police to back the victims' families:
Lesley Robinson, his girlfriend and 7 friends survived the bomb blast at the Tavern in the Town. He was 22 at the time.
He'd just arrived and was playing at the bat and ball machine moments before the explosion:
BIRMINGHAM SIX
Members of the IRA are believed to have carried out the attacks but no one has ever been held accountable. The men wrongly convicted over the attacks, known as the Birmingham Six, were freed by the Court of Appeal in 1991 and later awarded damages.
Paddy Hill was acquitted back in 1991 and told Heart he doesn't expect justice for what happened but hopes the new inquest will finally get the truth about what happened that night:
POLICE STATEMENT:
Chief Constable Dave Thompson said: ''I support the Coroner’s decision and West Midlands Police will assist the process now underway.
''The Birmingham Pub Bombings of 1974 are one of the most serious terrorist attacks in the UK. West Midlands Police not only failed to catch those responsible but caused a miscarriage of justice. I have said and reiterate again, it is the most serious failing in this force's history.
''It is almost 42 years since these events. I understand families of those who lost their lives are frustrated, disappointed and angry.
''Since 2012 and directly as a result of the campaign by families of those who died we have carefully reassessed the opportunities to bring the people responsible to justice. Despite an intense scrutiny we have not been able to see, at this time, a prospect of doing this. That has been an authentic and painstaking search for the truth.
Mr Thompson added: ''We have not nor will not close this investigation.
''West Midlands Police will support this enquiry as we have done through the recent hearings by the Coroner which determined whether the inquest should re-open. I hope the new inquest provides answers to families."
PCC STATEMENT
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "I support the coroner's decision to reopen the inquests.
"I sincerely hope the inquests brings the answers the families of the victims have been seeking.
"The Chief Constable has assured me West Midlands Police will co-operate fully with the inquests and I will hold the Chief Constable to account to deliver on that assurance.
"West Midlands Police had no principled objection to the resumption of the inquests. That was a position I supported."
IRA Theory
At previous hearings held to consider the families' application, the senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, Louise Hunt, asked West Midlands Police to disclose their records.
The documents she has asked for relate to lost evidence, response times on the night, and falsified documents, which campaigners allege may have been forged to protect an IRA informant.
Ms Hunt said the sensitive information was 'significant' and raised concerns that the security services had advanced notice of the bombings.
Another request for information, which the coroner made to three government departments, regarding a potential IRA informant.
Kieran Conway was the chief of intelligence for the IRA at the time of the bombings. He says claims that the British Security Services knew about the attacks are credible: |
Forex news for fx trading newbies. Learn how to trade on forex market!
The dollar dropped to a new record low against the yen and hit its lowest in more than two months versus the sterling amid growing concerns that U.S. will suffer a double-dip recession.
Analysts and monetary policy makers have downwardly adjusted their U.S. growth forecasts, and with global stock reaching bear market territory, safe havens like the yen and gold have been bid up to record highs.
JPMorgan predicts that U.S. gross domestic product will grow 1 percent in the fourth quarter rather than the 2.5 percent previously forecast and 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2012 instead of 1.5 percent.
The dollar dropped to Y75.93 to its lowest ever versus the yen, and was stuck at Y76.40 at last check.
At the same time, the dollar slipped to $1.66 versus sterling for the first time since May 2. Early losses took the dollar to $1.44 versus the euro, with the pair unable to sustain any direction for the past few months.
On the other hand, the dollar briefly rose above parity versus its Canadian counterpart, helped by falling crude oil prices.
Canadian consumer prices rose 2.7 percent in the 12 months to July, amid higher prices for gasoline and food. Inflation slowed from the previous two months.
The dollar was stable near CHF 0.7870 versus the Swiss franc. The Federal Reserve provided $200 million of liquidity to the Swiss National Bank on Thursday, but UBS and Credit Suisse denied tapping the funds.
In economic news from the euro zone, German producer price inflation accelerated in July after easing to a six-month low in June, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed Friday. |
Hat on Top, Coat Below
Fun with Flickr
April 17, 2009
The magic donkey smiled upon me on Easter Sunday and put one of my pictures on Explore, this one here with the Peeps. Why the donkey gave the nod to this particular photo, I do not know. I do not question the donkey; I just enjoy those rare occasions when I get his or her attention. I’ve certainly had more visitors to my photostream than usual this week, and that’s been fun. For the past few days, the donkey’s choice has been vying with this pedicure picture for most views per day. I joked with Mr. Karen that I might have to try posting a picture of me crushing Peeps under my toes to see if the combination would draw even more traffic.
The uptick I’ve seen this week has meant I’ve spent more time on Flickr than usual (at the expense of proofreading and LOLCats and such), because my own rules for Flickr etiquette require me to try and respond to people who leave comments and mark my photos as favorites. If someone asks a question, I’ll comment on my own photo to answer, but other than that I head over to the other person’s photos to see what catches my eye. I figure since they took the time to do a bit more than just look at my stuff, it’s only polite that I take some time to check out theirs, and there’s usually something interesting to inspire a comment or a favorite from me. I’m not compulsive about it, because Flickr’s something I do for fun, but I feel good when I do follow my own rules. It’s the same principle that moves me to comment on another photo in the group when I drop one of mine into the pool. However, I don’t contribute to any groups where comments are required by rule, since then it feels forced, and forced isn’t fun for me. If I routinely got as many comments and favorites as I’ve gotten on the Peeps, I might have to make up some new rules, but I don’t see that happening, since I am mostly a taker of snapshots rather than a true photographer. |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pneumatic tire, and more particularly to a pneumatic tire in which an organic or inorganic fiber cord usable for reducing a tire weight (weight reduction) is used as a cord constituting a bead core instead of steel cord. Also a critical inner pressure for tire burst apt to be lacking in case of using such a fiber cord is increased to a satisfactory level by appropriating a twisting method of the fiber cord.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, it is increasingly demanded to attain low fuel consumption and the like in vehicles and hence it is strongly desired to reduce tire weight in accordance with the low fuel consumption of the vehicle.
In general, a bead portion of the tire is required to have a high rigidity because it plays a role of positioning and strongly holding the tire to a rim. For this end, a bead core used in the bead portion is usually made from a high-strength steel cord. From a viewpoint of the reduction of tire weight, there have recently developed so-called weight-reduced tires by using an organic or inorganic fiber cord, which is very light and relatively high in the tenacity, instead of the steel cord forming the bead core.
Up to the present, the tire provided with the bead core made from the above fiber cord cannot be put into practice unless a value of total bead tenacity represented by product of the cord winding number for the formation of the bead core and cord tenacity should be made large as compared with the tire provided with the bead core made from steel cord. This is done in order to render a critical inner pressure for burst as an indication for the judgment of safeness into the same level as the tire provided with the bead core made from steel cord.
It is considered that the difference of tensile properties between the steel cord and the fiber cord, particularly the difference of cord properties over a given period until the occurrence of cord breaking-up largely depends upon the critical inner pressure for burst.
In general, the bead core is formed by helically winding and spirally laminating the cord to form a cord arrangement of plural rows.times.columns. In order to simulate the critical inner pressure for burst in the bead core having such a cord arrangement, when stress distribution in a section of the bead core is investigated by raising an inner pressure of the tire, there is a tendency that stress usually concentrates in the cords located at an innermost row of the bead core in a radial direction of the tire. Hence, the stress distribution in the section of the bead core becomes ununiform.
In case of the bead core made from the steel cord, even if a large stress is applied to steel cords located at the innermost row of the bead core in the radial direction of the tire other than steel cords of the other rows as mentioned above, these steel cords of the innermost row plastically deform while creating a constriction or the like over a constant period until the occurrence of cord breaking-up and are further elongated while causing the plastic deformation without immediately causing the cord breaking-up even at the arrival to their cord tenacity. Thus it is possible to impose stress on steel cords located at the remaining rows of the bead core. As a result, the non-uniform distribution of stress in the section of the bead core is corrected to promote the uniformization of stress and hence stress tends to rise at the breakage of the bead core. Therefore, it is considered that when the bead core is made from the steel cord, the critical inner pressure for burst can be maintained at a high level even if the value of the total bead tenacity is decreased to a certain small level.
On the other hand, when the conventional organic fiber cords not attaining to the appropriation of the cord structure are applied to the bead core, such cords merely indicate even elongation against stress until the occurrence of the cord breaking-up but do not have tensile properties as in the aforementioned steel cord. Therefore, when a large stress is applied to the fiber cords located at the innermost row of the bead core in the radial direction of the tire other than fiber cords of the other rows, it is impossible to sufficiently impose stress to the fiber cords of the other remaining rows over a constant period until the occurrence of cord breaking-up as in the steel cord and hence the non-uniform distribution of stress in the section of the bead core is not corrected and there is not caused the same action of enhancing stress in the breakage of the bead core as in the steel cord. For this end, it is considered that the critical inner pressure for burst can not be maintained at a higher level unless the total bead tenacity in the bead core made from the fiber cords is increased to a certain high level.
In the conventional tire using the bead cord made from the fiber cord, the value of the total bead tenacity should be made large only by increasing the winding number of the fiber cord in order to render the critical inner pressure for burst into the same level as in the tire using the bead core made from the steel cord. However, the increase of the winding number of the fiber cord undesirably brings about the increase of tire weight and the rise of the production cost. |
From a sexy little mid-60s MG Midget to a rusted-out firewood holder to a smart new piece of art, this car has lived a very interesting life. Artists Ann Conte and Jeanne Wiley found the sad remnants of the once-awesome car and decided to weave new life into it. The project is a testament to the power of recycling and sustainability. It uses a blend of new, recycled, and repurposed materials to create something that reflects the original item but steps outside of the boundaries of both the material and the idea of mixed media art.
After obtaining the rusted and neglected chassis from a neighbor, Wiley called Conte and the two began collaborating on the ultimate art car. They ordered more than 500 yards of seatbelt fabric online, then wove a new body for the car and bolted it down with more than 500 bolts. The gear shift is made of hollow ceramic flowers, and the head lights and tail lights are printed ceramic.
The car attracted the attention of DuPont; the company donated seats and a window frame made of their environmentally-friendly Corian material. The stunning finished product doesn’t have an engine so it won’t be driving off into the sunset anytime soon, but it is on display at the South Short Art Center in Massachusetts. Later this year it will be displayed in DuPont’s booth at GreenBuild 2010. |
<?php
/*
* This file is part of the Aisel package.
*
* (c) Ivan Proskuryakov
*
* For the full copyright and license information, please view the LICENSE
* file that was distributed with this source code.
*/
namespace Aisel\ReviewBundle;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Bundle\Bundle;
/**
* Aisel review management bundle. Contains review entity and API controller which communicative by JSON
*
* @author Ivan Proskuryakov <[email protected]>
*/
class AiselReviewBundle extends Bundle
{
}
|
Q:
How do you effectively denote a non-"heading-ed" transition into a concluding section?
Consider a piece writing that makes three points, all prefaced by some type of heading:
Multiple paragraphs of introduction
Heading 1
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 1
Heading 2
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 2
Heading 3
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 3
Multiple paragraphs of conclusion
Note that there is no heading above the conclusion.
How do you manage that transition? How do you let the reader know that "we're not continuing to support Argument 3 anymore; this is actually wrapping up the entire work"?
The introduction has a clear transition, because the reader hits Heading 1. But the transition from Argument 3 to the conclusion is vague and ill-defined. By that time, the reader has gotten used to seeing the headings as a transition to a new thought. How do you bring this same clear cognitive break to the transition into the conclusion?
How do you avoid the reader getting halfway into the conclusion and thinking, "wait a minute, is the author still talking about Argument 3...I'm confused."
Do you set it off with some formatting?
Heading 3
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 3
Multiple paragraphs of conclusion
Or do you do some wording like:
"In conclusion..."
"To sum up..."
"At the end of the day..."
Or do you just bite the bullet and stick a heading in there:
Heading 3
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 3
Conclusion
Multiple paragraphs of conclusion
A:
If you are writing different subjects with headings, stay consequent and give the conclusion a heading, period.
If you are writing lengthy segments about different topics without headings, or if you absolutely must create your conclusion without a header while giving it to other subject (for some odd reason), you will need a 'glue paragraph':
After the end of the last subject, and if you used the headings, then preferably separated visually from it (horizontal line or such), write a paragraph that very briefly summarizes all prior "chapters". Preferably, less than a sentence per chapter - bundle two or three points per sentence. This is a clear signal to the reader you are no longer on the subject of the last chapter, but collecting them together for a "final touch". It helps them recall all the points (you just signal them; the reader can recall the finer details from memory and will do so) and shifts the focus from close-up on the last subject into a broad image of the whole.
Then, without further ado, you proceed to your conclusion. You don't really need any "concluding..." or "To sum up..." if you don't want it. You have shifted the focus back to the broad view, and you can just conclude the whole thing.
|
When the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize was announced at a press conference on Tuesday morning, even I was surprised by how happy it made me. The room was full of hardened news reporters. I stood at the back – which was just as well, because when all six names had been read out I felt an actual tear of joy in my eye.
I sent out a tweet: “Best Booker short list in living memory: NoViolet Bulawayo, Jim Crace, Eleanor Catton, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ruth Ozeki, Colm Toibin”. There was one almost instant reply: “Really? What about 2004: The Line of Beauty, Cloud Atlas, The Master?” Well, maybe my memory’s not what it might be, or my idea of living debatable, but I take none of it back. This is, to my mind and my memory, a truly great shortlist.
The tear, I suppose, was due to the fact that I know how difficult it is to get these things right. I was a member of a much-maligned Man Booker jury two years ago. When such lists are announced, many people voice an opinion, but few of those people have read the 140-plus novels that have threatened to blur the judges’ minds, nor have they been engaged in the discussions.
This year, I had guessed at the books I thought would make the shortlist. In retrospect my bet seems a little cynical – at least half of my suspects were books I thought were probable but not all that exciting (from, it should be said, an excellent long list). I made a separate mental list of books I’d like to see there but I was sure wouldn’t make it. A number of them, perhaps, had been included on the long list for variety but that was as far as they’d get: Eleanor Catton – too long? Colm Toibin – too short? NoViolet Bulawayo – too strange? Ozeki, Catton, Bulawayo, Lahiri – all, in some way, too “foreign”? But as the names were read out by Robert Macfarlane, chair of the judges, I realised the choices were both brave and solid – each one exceptional yet indisputably skilled; and as a collection, as a joint way of saying “this is what the novel can be”, it was incredibly exciting.
The list be broken down in various ways: the length of the books ranges from 101 pages to over 800; there are four women and two men; the geographical range of the subject matter is vast. In this latter respect, it resembles Granta’s recent list of Best Young British Novelists more than other Man Booker lists. For those who are surprised by this aspect, and prone to worry about whether that makes the prize “British”, think of it the other way around: we have embraced the world, not been conquered or usurped by it. It’s reminiscent of Gloria Steinem’s famous reply to the man who said she didn’t look forty: “This is what forty looks like”. The Man Booker Prize is open to novelists from Britain, the Commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe, and that’s exactly what this list looks like.
The gender issue seems relatively uninteresting to me, except to the extent that it allows one to hope it will no longer be an issue. Length: also quite a dull subject – anyone who is not making up at least some of the rules is surely not really writing a novel. But the question of language and form in these books is fascinating – the broken down, rhythmic sentences of Bulawayo’s slum-dwelling Zimbabwean child; the plainness of Lahiri’s prose against the colour of her setting and drama of her events; what you might call Toibin and Catton’s “translations”, in the literal sense – shifts that are a literary equivalent of time travel, so that you are viewing the life of Jesus’s mother, or the adventures of a 19th-century New Zealand golddigger, in some new way.
“We were drawn to novels that sought to extend the possibilities of the form,” Macfarlane said, “we wanted novel novels”. Both he and another jury member, the literary critic Stuart Kelly, spoke about the nature of experimentation. “What is this?” they asked themselves when confronted with Catton’s ingenious structure, “and we realised it was trying to be only itself”. “Experimentation can be calm,” Macfarlane continued, “Lahiri builds her effects through patience.” Kelly added that “we tend to think of experimentation as exuberant and ebullient. But it doesn’t have to be in the American Pynchon-esque tradition. You can approach the avant-garde from any direction”.
One thing struck me later: only one novelist on the list lives permanently in Britain (Jim Crace). It’s not that the others have fled – they live elsewhere because, well, they just do – but it occurred to me that we could ask ourselves whether Britain is particularly congenial to writers. These are our best authors, yet they have not made their homes here. If Britain were an American university, we would be begging them to come and live within these shores. Everyone knows that book advances are dwindling: are we replacing those with grants or scholarships? There are increasing numbers of creative writing courses here; we take people’s money and teach them how to write – so many want to learn – but do we support them later on? Can we help writers buy themselves time? Other countries, it seems, are better at this. |
U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,396 B2 discloses a continuous ink jet printer having an array of nozzles for simultaneously printing across the width of a substrate, such as a textile fabric. For each nozzle there is (i) a droplet formation section, such as a piezoelectric transducer, (ii) a droplet charging section, such as parallel metal plates, and (iii) a droplet deflection section, for directing the path of the droplet to the desired location on a substrate to be printed. The range of deflection of the droplets is such that adjacent nozzles can overlap, to print a seamless pattern on the substrate. The deflection plates are spaced apart and oppositely charged, for example at 1 to 5 kV, to produce an electrical field. The charge on the droplets and/or the strength of the electrical field created by the deflection plates can be varied, to create more or less deflection of the droplet. In one example, uncharged droplets are not deflected and collect in the gutter.
During operation of the printer, liquid can collect on the surface of the deflection plates, leading to arcing between the plates and a subsequent disruption of the electrical field and printer electronics. |
Job had his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, who for all their initial good intentions were heaping on the misery of Job through their insistence that he has sinned. Daniel had his three friends too, though cast in a very different light – they were righteous and godly men much like Daniel, who had a strong faith – the ‘but even if God does not’ faith. We all know the story, evil and jealous administrators complained to the King Nebuchadnezzar about the three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (or also known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego), that they neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up [Dan 3:12]. Was it a valid complaint? Was it true? Yes, and the three friends did not deny it. When the king threatened to throw them into a furnace if fail to fall to his image, they simply replied, we’ll go to the furnace, and surely our Lord will protect us. But even if our Lord doesn’t, and we will burn to death in the furnace, we will not worship your image. It’s kinda awe-inspiring how they said such things so confidently and easily, no? They made it very black-and-white to the king, they didn’t try to blur or soften their stand a little just to appease the king. They did not budge from their faith, they did not compromise at all. In their response to the king, they were basically saying, go ahead, please throw us into the furnace. And so the King did, ordering the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual [Dan 3:19]. We all know the story, the Lord protected them indeed, they were not harmed by the fire, and the king even saw a fourth person in the fire along with them – a servant of God. In this study, though, we will focus on the the faith that is ‘but even if God does not’ and examine how important it is that we nurture this faith in our lives.
Analysis
For what reason do you worship God? Because you get something out of it? Because God will bless you if you worship him? That’s basically what Satan accused mankind, or in particular, Job of back in the book of Job: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” [Job 19-11] When God asked Satan, have you not seen how righteous Job is, Satan was staunch in his belief that Job was only righteous because God has blessed him, and given him a lot.
Though being taken away from their homeland and forced to live and work in Babylon, it would be fair to say that the three friends were blessed. After all, it was really because of Daniel that they achieved their high positions. They could have just said, our Lord will protect us if you throw us into the furnace – that was enough, no? They were men of faith, and that was a statement of faith. To say just that confidently in the face of it truly happening was amazing and godly enough already, surely. And that is what so many of us do today. We declare healing, we declare success, we declare we are protected. What if God doesn’t heal, though? Not that he can’t or isn’t powerful enough, certainly, but what if it is not in his plans to heal? What if it is in his plans that you or your closed ones pass away? What if it is in his plans for you to taste failure?
Can you truly declare that you know God’s will 100%? I’m sure the three friends of Daniel must have have a very massive amount of confidence that they will not be harmed even if they were thrown into the furnace. I’m sure that had a massive amount of peace in their hearts even in such a horrible moment. But even for them, they had a ‘even if not’ statement. If they truly burnt and died, they wanted to assure the king in advance that they wouldn’t have regretted not worshiping his image.
Conclusion
But even if not. Remember Jesus and his last prayer? Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done [Luke 22:42]. Was God able to do it – yes, he certainly had the ability to take the cup away, but he wouldn’t have done it, for it was not in his will, and Jesus knew it. If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that [James 4:15|Article]. If it’s not the Lord’s will?
Doesn’t mean we can’t pray for healing, but let our faith on God not be based on the fact that God must heal us, or our faith will tumble. Doesn’t mean we can’t pray for success, but let our faith on God be based not on the outcome of our endeavours, or the extent of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Let us learn to nurture the faith of ‘but even if God does not’, and let our faith be based not on the things that God does for us, but on the person of God himself. |
Horus you're talking multiplayer, I'm talking single player. Different balances for each. In single player (I specifically said when I played campaign) the Lancer is a damned fine weapon, you never need to ditch it, ever. Multi though, like I said different balances.
Gorb wrote:
So basically you don't give two shits about gameplay, you just want the game to be as you, personally, interpret the lore?
Kinda hard to misinterpret the movie having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Fire Warrior having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, many of the books depicting low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Dawn of War 2 having a low rate of fire/reasonable damage bolters, and this game having a high rate of fire/unimpressive damage bullet hose.
Or was I just imagining that stuff?
Gorb wrote:
The hilarious thing is that this happens all the time in the fluff, and has done for years. A single battle-brother with a heavy bolter holding the line against Orks single-handedly (random quotation). A quartet of Space Wolves destroying pretty much everything in front of them (Space Wolf).
Space Wolves are and have been **** for quite a few years now. I've written them off as tainted mutants long ago so I care not for anything related to them. They used to be really awesome too. None of the books I've read has had situations quite like that, none that I can remember at least, sure Marines get outnumbered and they give their enemies ten kinds of hell, but they get hit hard and take losses.
Sicarius tried the one man army charge against the Necrons on Damnos and damn near died because of that reckless stunt, him and the Ultramarines 2nd Company got really bloodied on that planet. They even later had to retreat from the planet as more and more Necrons awakened. Bet you'd never see that with today's codex and the master rapist behind it.
Wait, I do remember a crappy lore book. The Blood Ravens Omnibus. UGH.
Gorb wrote:
Methinks you're predisposed to complaining just because the game isn't 100% the way you want it to be.
Is criticizing a game forbidden now? Must we all accept everything at face value just because? All I'm saying simply is that I feel that the representation of the bolter is lacking compared to some of it's other appearances and I think it could use some tweaking.
It's really nothing to get into fanboy raging defense mode over (not pointed at any one person)...I just disagree with the design.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
Kinda hard to misinterpret the movie having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Fire Warrior having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, many of the books depicting low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Dawn of War 2 having a low rate of fire/reasonable damage bolters, and this game having a high rate of fire/unimpressive damage bullet hose.
Or was I just imagining that stuff?
Nobody liked the movie, nobody liked Fire Warrior, DoW II bolters are relatively rapid firing (one of the fastest-firing ranged weapons, only being beaten by Heavy Bolters, I think). The Tabletop game states them as being Rapid Fire, which means they have a burst rate comparable to say, Shuriken Catapults, which are often described (all over the fluff) as a hail of razor-sharp shards. A veritable hail.
We could argue specifics all day long, the fluff is rather contradictory ya know.
None of the books I've read has had situations quite like that, none that I can remember at least, sure Marines get outnumbered and they give their enemies ten kinds of hell, but they get hit hard and take losses.
Thanks for ignoring yet another point because "lol I don't like Space Wolves".
See this is where we get lore versus effective gameplay. Either every single Ork is a bit of a challenge and you're fighting with twenty other Space Marines who help you with the Ork infestation . . . or they make Orks that bit easier to kill and cut down on the ally help.
You also have the problem of making NPC allies too effective; the two you have are already effective enough. Of course, you wouldn't know that, as you haven't played the full game.
Quote:
Is criticizing a game forbidden now? Must we all accept everything at face value just because? All I'm saying simply is that I feel that the representation of the bolter is lacking compared to some of it's other appearances and I think it could use some tweaking.
It's really nothing to get into fanboy raging defense mode over (not pointed at any one person)...I just disagree with the design.
Criticising a game ain't forbidden at all, I believe I've stated you're entitled to your opinion several times. But hey, you could've missed me saying that. Every time.
What is more critical is your attitude to basically everything you disagree with. Anything that goes against what you believe in (Space Wolves, to use a recent example) you discard as being "****" and not worth your time.
Yeah I kind doubt that. Sure it ain't the greatest, but it ain't the worst out there.
Gorb wrote:
DoW II bolters are relatively rapid firing (one of the fastest-firing ranged weapons, only being beaten by Heavy Bolters, I think). The Tabletop game states them as being Rapid Fire, which means they have a burst rate comparable to say, Shuriken Catapults, which are often described (all over the fluff) as a hail of razor-sharp shards. A veritable hail.
Are Shuriken Catapults not assault weapons?
The DoW2 bolters still fire semi-auto, never quite going into the full auto, closer to burst. In DoW2 though, they're nowhere near the shuriken fire rate...
See this is where we get lore versus effective gameplay. Either every single Ork is a bit of a challenge and you're fighting with twenty other Space Marines who help you with the Ork infestation . . . or they make Orks that bit easier to kill and cut down on the ally help.
I'd go with option A. Black Reach scenario easily.
Gorb wrote:
You also have the problem of making NPC allies too effective; the two you have are already effective enough. Of course, you wouldn't know that, as you haven't played the full game.
Go ahead and rub it in you ass. I'm still waiting for my copy from THQ.
Gorb wrote:
Criticising a game ain't forbidden at all, I believe I've stated you're entitled to your opinion several times. But hey, you could've missed me saying that. Every time.
Yet you still attack my opinion like I'm wrong for stating my dislike.
Gorb wrote:
What is more critical is your attitude to basically everything you disagree with. Anything that goes against what you believe in (Space Wolves, to use a recent example) you discard as being "****" and not worth your time.
Everything is a very broad generalization.
With the Space Wolves, I used to like them...you know, before they went into furry overdrive. As they made that transformation I cared less and less, now I couldn't give two shits over them.
Tau got the same treatment. Remember when they were the potential good guys in a galaxy of madness? Obviously that wasn't grimdark enough and now the Tau have sterilization camps for non-Tau and are almost as omnicidal as the other races. Great.I still like them, but I look at them like the Old Tau, the naive relatively good guys...sort of.
Almost the same deal with Ultramarines. I've always liked them, over a decade now at least...before the dark times...before him. I still like pre-Ward Ultras though.
In the past I've been very vocal of my hatred for Necrons. Even that passed once I read some lore about them, and the Fall of Damnos novel. That book got me to stop hating them, hell I even started to like them.
Don't even get me started on what they did to Ollanius Pius...
But I'll agree, my attitude can suck sometimes, I'm a miserable ****, especially after not being able to sleep for 30+ hours.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
1. I've never seen the Ultramarines movie, but everyone I know was too busy criticising it to get around to discussing the positives. I'm usually reserved on the subject (having not seen it), but when someone quotes it at me as "proof" then I get a bit itchy.
Same goes for Fire Warrior, even though I stalwartly love that game. Plasma Gun wheeeeee.
2. Shuriken Catapults are Assault weapons, however Rapid Fire weaponry has a similar rate of fire under certain circumstances, according to Tabletop rules (urgh) and also fluff. Bolters are burst weapons, that's for sure. They function like that in Space Marine as well.
3. Space Wolf is an incredibly popular series (at least the first four books are). When another pair of authors take over from William King, the quality diminishes somewhat. Again, this is your "I personally don't like it so therefore it's not worth anything in a debate". I don't like the look of the Ultramarines movie, does that mean I simply ignore your point? No, I had to address and counter.
4. You'd go with the first option that I proposed, sure. I'm sure there are more who share your viewpoint. Other people wouldn't. Game developers probably wouldn't, due to the amount of stress that would put on hardware (they'd have to sacrifice model quality, given that the game is developed for consoles), as well as the game design issues it would introduce (uber NPC allies of awesome merely being one such design flaw).
5. I attack your opinion because your examples are flawed and your reasoning is, in my honest opinion, terrible. You also seem to have some kind of a love of swearing at Games Workshop like it's the cool thing to do.
6. "everything" is the word I chose because I can't think of a time in this thread you respected the other person's opinion without swearing at something or saying "yeah but that sucks". If you could find an example, I'd be much obliged.
Space Wolves have always been lupine in their nature. Wulfen have existed for yonks. Leman Russ has been depicted as having two large wolves for a retinue since the 2nd edition of Tabletop 40k. Y'know, when Russ was a playable unit.
Tau were the good guys, then every race in the galaxy tried to shoot you. I can accept that as an excuse for fearing and hating alien races more
1. I've never seen the Ultramarines movie, but everyone I know was too busy criticising it to get around to discussing the positives. I'm usually reserved on the subject (having not seen it), but when someone quotes it at me as "proof" then I get a bit itchy.
Watch it, it's at the least a decent popcorn flick.
Gorb wrote:
Same goes for Fire Warrior, even though I stalwartly love that game. Plasma Gun wheeeeee.
And you said nobody liked it. I have to admit, as average as it was as a game, the guns were pretty well done. They all mostly felt as I'd expect them too...except for the Lasgun, that was pretty odd.
Gorb wrote:
2. Shuriken Catapults are Assault weapons, however Rapid Fire weaponry has a similar rate of fire under certain circumstances, according to Tabletop rules (urgh) and also fluff. Bolters are burst weapons, that's for sure. They function like that in Space Marine as well.
That can also do full auto in Space Marine. I didn't think bolters were able to do that.Though I find it hard to imaging a shuriken catapult and a bolter having a similar rate of fire. It's just a weird mental picture.
Gorb wrote:
3. Space Wolf is an incredibly popular series (at least the first four books are). When another pair of authors take over from William King, the quality diminishes somewhat. Again, this is your "I personally don't like it so therefore it's not worth anything in a debate". I don't like the look of the Ultramarines movie, does that mean I simply ignore your point? No, I had to address and counter.
This is a debate now? And what would you like me to say about the Space Wolf series? I don't care for them anymore, what should I say?
And your counter to the movie was, "nobody liked it"...
Gorb wrote:
5. I attack your opinion because your examples are flawed and your reasoning is, in my honest opinion, terrible. You also seem to have some kind of a love of swearing at Games Workshop like it's the cool thing to do.
Flawed you say? I cited officially licensed 40K media.
As for Games Workshop, I've little love left for them. Scratch that, it's more like I love them for some things, hate them for others.
Gorb wrote:
6. "everything" is the word I chose because I can't think of a time in this thread you respected the other person's opinion without swearing at something or saying "yeah but that sucks". If you could find an example, I'd be much obliged.
The only people I've been snippy with were you, to a lesser extent Horus, and Fuegan...well, unintentionally Fuegan.
Gorb wrote:
Space Wolves have always been lupine in their nature. Wulfen have existed for yonks. Leman Russ has been depicted as having two large wolves for a retinue since the 2nd edition of Tabletop 40k. Y'know, when Russ was a playable unit.
Sure they always were, but they weren't always so extreme in it. Years back it was a milder thing.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
I also cited media licensed by Games Workshop. You ignored it because you didn't like it.
tl;dr: you think that the bolter should be interpreted in a certain way. I have said that you're fine to believe that, but when you turn around and criticise the game because it dares interpret the bolter in another way - before starting to say stuff like "don't use TT as an example because Space Marine isn't fluff-accurate because ULTRAMARINES SUCK AND THREE-MAN SQUADS" - that isn't really on.
If I can't criticise you for your opinions, what gives you permission for you to criticise Relic for theirs?
Especially when both sides of the story have been backed up by media published and/or licensed by GW
Shuriken Catapults work closer to a shotgun rather than an assault rifle. They fire a spread of monomolecular discs rapidly, often expending hundreds of rounds in a matter of seconds. It is for this reason why they have poor range since all their accuracy is lost after a certain distance. Avenger catapults have a tighter spread due to the longer barrel, so can travel a lot further.
Bolters do have fully automatic fire but its cyclic rate doesn't change so it still fires rounds much more slowly than a traditional automatic weapon. Comparing the Bolter to the Catapult is like comparing the Heavy Bolter to the Assault Cannon, not a very good example since they are radically different weapons. Also, in DoW2, units only fire pot shots out of cover occasionally, so it's hard to tell any kind of RoF there.
About 80% through the game so far, still don't really agree with the design of the Bolter, or the Meltagun, or the Plasma gun. My opinion on that will most likely not change, though some of the mods I've heard about in progress for the PC version give me hope.
Titus is no Sicarius, he's the embodiment of the generic space marine. The man has no emotion, no bravado or anything.
The Thunder Hammer is godly with the jump pack. I love it.
Ehh, it's fun, but not as great as I was expecting. The collector's edition box and extras are awesome though. Hopefully the multiplayer will save it for me.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
Out of interest, Astartes Marine, what don't you like about the Meltagun?
If you say "because it's like a shotgun" I will strangle you (jokes)
I've always pictured it as a man portable lava cannon. I don't really mind the shotgun style of it, it fits as a close assault weapon.
The problem I think, it doesn't give off that feeling of being a man portable anti tank lava cannon. It's hard to describe what I really don't like about it, the visual effect maybe?
And I've tried multiplayer...and it is GLORIOUS! I've yet to find a weapon that doesn't do well, even the bolter, especially the bolter. Unlike the campaign, you don't have to unload magazine after magazine into a Chaos Marine to kill him (great success!), everything feels like the proper BFGs compared to the single player designs.But it is a lot of fun, and to emphasize how much I'm enjoying it I haven't been this excited about a multiplayer part of a game since Halo 3...back in 2007...
My only real gripes? Too few maps and only two game modes?
Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the Stalker being able to burst fire in multi...I've already seen quite a few people abusing the hell out of it.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
Hey guys. I've had a proper read of this topic and since Space Marine is out in the UK tomorrow I was wondering what the opinion is regarding whether this game is worth the price.I read the PC Gamer review earlier it gets in the 80's region, but apparently its only 8 hours long. A bit short for me. Then again I thought Crysis 2 was too short as well.Now I know there's a discussion going on as to how accurate/inaccurate it is to tabletop. But to be honest is it any good as a game. 8 hours doesn't bother me if its very replayable. I don't want to download the demo due it eating my mobile broadband allowance.Oh and I know its off topic but has anyone played Witcher 2 or Deus Ex Human Revolution since they seem to have got varied reviews as well.
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
It's very likely that if you enjoyed gears, you will likely enjoy this too..
Thanks Horus. Yeah I did really enjoy Gears so I'm pretty optimistic about Space Marine from that point of view. Only thing is Relic are no Epic Games so that's why I was kind of doubtful. Still all that visceral carnage looks very tempting!
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
Witcher 2 and Deus Ex 2 are both really great games. But if you're a fan of Gears, you might prefer Space Marine. There's not much replayability in Space Marine, but if you're going to play MP, then I guess that might be worth it. In MP, you often see imbalanced teams with lvl 10s vs lvl 1-3s. Sometimes you'll even see a lvl 25+ running around and owning everyone and if that appeals to you... then do it.
Witcher 2 is really immersive, but you'll need to put a lot of time and patience in it since you'll be running around the map a lot. The combat is a hell of a lot better than the first one and the interaction has improved too. I haven't played it much so I can't really say much about it.
Deus Ex has a ton of content, but the combat is pretty bland and a lot of the augmentations are worthless (like batteries). I'm also not a fan of how the game favors a certain playstyle. You get way more experience (like 4x more) when you go non-lethal and you get more items when you engage targets since you can loot them, so you find yourself uninterested in new weapons and go around sniping targets even though you could have simply avoided them altogether. There's also the huge annoyance of the inventory system where you can barely hold anything and you'll be using weapons simply because they take the least space.
Feugan: Cheers for the feedback mate. MP is not important to me anyway since it eats pay as you go mobile broadband in huge chunks. I guess Space Marine will be worth it from the sheer kill everything point of view. Witcher 2 sounds good, the reviews I read said the inventory was a bit of a pain apparently its getting cleaned up for the 1.3 patch, but every review said it was only a minor issue and didn't spoil the game. As far as time factor goes I'm happy putting time in. Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 2 are two of my favourite games and you can't finish them in a few hours. Regarding Deus Ex apparently combat and the irritating boss fights let it down so I think I'll wait for its inevitable budget release.
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
Deus Ex: HR is actually pretty good. The boss fights are a bitch if your character is set up as a hacker or ninja, but you'll be able to sneak around the environment and hack everything, so everything but the bosses will go smoothly. Plus sneaking and exploration can snag you cool weapons like rocket launchers for the boss fights. There's even an Achievement for not killing anyone but the bosses. I already went through as a stealthy semi-pacifist and beat it that way, so my current playthrough is as a cyborg murderer to shame Arnold Schwarzenegger.
_________________"...the trouble with everyone thinking you're a hero is that they tend to assume you like being in mortal danger and [they] go out of their way to provide some."
Thanks Sparda. Nice to have another opinion, sounds good. To be honest a really long RPG like Witcher 2 should keep me happy and Space Marine's mindless amount of slaughter should provide a nice counterbalance to quests and wandering around.
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
Oh yeah, with Deus Ex, as long as you aren't in a boss fight you'll have multiple ways to get through a situation, from sneaking to hacking to full badass gunbattle. The revolver with the explosive rounds mod is awesome.
_________________"...the trouble with everyone thinking you're a hero is that they tend to assume you like being in mortal danger and [they] go out of their way to provide some."
I beat Space Marine... and all I have to say is I haven never been so simultaneously bored and uninterested in all my life.
This IS the blandest thing I have ever had the misfortune of 'playing'. I've played MUDs that had better backgrounds. The is NOTHING redeemable in this god awful piece of CRAP.
I found myself running from mobs because the combat was so bland and uninteresting that it was more thrilling to run past all the enemies and go straight to the objective than actually fighting. When you make an action third person shooter and the player doesn't even want to fight, you have FAILED as game developers. There is nothing I can put into words that can adequately portray my utter hate of this game. There have been youtube poops with more substance than this abomination that blights the world.
I would play Fire Warrior three times before I would consider touching this game again. Please, for the love of all things good in the world, do not buy this game. There are SO many other games that have come out or are coming out to spend your money on that WELL deserve your money. If you just want this game as an army painter (which IS the best part of the game), then wait until it is worth pennies. This is among the top 5 worst games I have ever seen in the last 8 years, it is THAT bad.
Playing this game, it's like every second you're completely aware of what you are doing with your life. "I'm sitting here at 23 years old with no job and no money, I haven't had a girlfriend in 5 years, and I live with my parents. WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!" Space Marine. That commercial was not false advertisement. That fry cook, 'I am master of the chainsword.' That's how you picture yourself while playing this game.
So you bought the game after bitching about it continuously and saying how you had no enthusiasm for the game . . . only to bitch and hate about it further?
Dumb purchase, imo. Haters gonna hate.
For me it's one of the best shooting games I've played in a few years, with addictive multiplayer. Opinions and all that. Your opinion is just as valid as mine, and my taste in games is not somehow inferior to yours just because I like a game you don't.
for just a few hours hacky slashy shooty bangy it enjoyed online play, but there's no real tactical cohesion, skill and strategy are replaced by run bang run slash run jump die! A lot to be desired really
Blood, in effect you have just described all the Halo games and a ton of others as well.People have no need for tactics when they can run up to someone and spray them with fire with the storm bolter.
True yet in you think they would add a rp campaign, like 5 tacticals 3 assault and 2 devestators fight side by side against ai enemy to achieve gols and targets, not just chose anything and go smash into em
Oh, I know, especially on console games. I just found it interesting that after three or more pages of hating on the demo and predicting the game would be terrible . . . he then forced himself to sit through an entire Campaign playthrough on a game copy that isn't even his
he then forced himself to sit through an entire Campaign playthrough on a game copy that isn't even his
Sometimes it's nice to be pleasantly surprised.
But for me this reason alone is why I don't make judgements or speculate on games/films etc until I actually play. That way I don't go feeling bullshited and can take things on a more fairer face value for what it is rather than Just hate the thing and give a "Biased" oppinion.
A rather enjoyed the simplistic but still somewhat fun single player mode, even if it is the most 40k cliche storyline ever. I used all the weapons equally, which is very rare... each has its own situation.. baring the melee weapons.
It tends to favour the power axe, but then i considered it an upgrade tbh. Hammer is godly powerful but you lack the use of other weapons to compensate baring pistols and bolter.
I found all the weapons pretty well balanced. My only gripes was that the melta while being short ranged was a shotgun... though i can see why they did that. All though not exactly lacking for ammo in the game, The ten clip is a bit meh. 15 would have been just fine. I really didn't use this much though since the powerful enemies you usually take the lascannon/plasma gun, or run around like crazy and not get hit approach till they are weak enough to melee and get a finisher kill.
In fact the only time i properly used the melta in a level was when i faced nemeroth rather than a curiosity try out when i first saw it. Just for firewarrior nostalgias. And it saved me dying when i got massively over run by bloodletters and i had to roll back (into a wall as it was i could only go >_>) and switched just in time to vaporise them all with one blast.
Another thing:
The stormbolter. It is so anti horde and only effective at short ranged that you should really get it when you first see the plasma gun. The plasma gun would been better of at the time when you get the stormbolter. Against power armour it's not worth using, plasma gun is far better and most of the horde stuff is gone (orks) by then.
warmasterhorusheretic is my steam id so add me if you wanna game up on ****, I find this game just as enjoyable as gears one mp, so it's likely i'll be playing it often. Just don't bother me with mod **** haha. |
350 F.2d 236
Vincent MARMO, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY, a corporation, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 14799.
United States Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit.
July 12, 1965.
Donald J. O'Brien, Jr., Chicago, Ill., for appellant.
Joseph Barbera, Chicago, Ill., Dom J. Rizzi, Chicago, Ill., of counsel, for appellee.
Before CASTLE, KILEY and SWYGERT, Circuit Judges.
KILEY, Circuit Judge.
1
This is a Federal Employers Liability Act case with a $160,000 jury verdict and judgment. Defendant has appealed. We affirm.
2
Plaintiff, Marmo, was a machinist helper on the night shift in defendant's Chicago diesel engine repair shop when he was injured on January 8, 1962. He had worked for defendant since 1955, at various times as carman, carman's helper, oiler and car cleaner. In September 1960 he was made machinist helper and worked in that capacity until his injury.
3
On the night of the injury for which Marmo sued, he was helping machinist Johnson attach a truck — a complete unit of wheels, springs, brakes, and other parts — to the underside of a diesel engine. In performance of this operation a truck is placed on a movable table beneath a truckless diesel engine which stands on a north-south repair track. The table is raised and lowered by electrically controlled buttons located about twenty-five feet away on the west side of the repair track. The aim of the machinist is to raise the table and attach the truck to the engine by fitting a recessed casting on the top surface of the truck to a protruding casting on the underside of the engine.
4
When the fitting is properly made, the top casting is four inches inside the bottom casting. The truck is then locked in place by heavy, blunt hooks, one on each side, suspended on swivels from the engine's underside. These hooks are so constructed and placed that, when free, they are swung back by the rising truck and then swing forward into slots under the flat bearings located on each side of the truck outside the castings. The freedom of movement of the locks is controlled by levers or handles at the top of the hooks. Sometimes it is necessary, in order to hold the locks open and prevent interference with the rising truck, to attach wires or weights to the levers.
5
If there is a misalignment of the castings when the truck is raised into contact with the engine, it is often necessary to move the truck slightly north or south by use of a hand jack. Because the castings are bevelled, however, a slight misalignment of a small fraction of an inch can be tolerated because the upward movement of the truck will force the fitting of the castings. If the misalignment is too great, the castings will not coincide and the upward movement of the table can compress the powerful springs in the truck. When this condition exists, a slight amount of vibration can cause the castings to spring into alignment with great force.
6
Marmo's right hand was crushed when it was caught between the west side bearing of the truck and the corresponding bearing on the underside of the engine as the castings, which had not been in alignment, suddenly slipped into place. The hand was later amputated above the wrist.
7
Defendant contends that there was no issue of liability and that the court erred in denying its motion for a directed verdict. On this contention we consider only the evidence favorable to Marmo and draw all reasonable inferences most strongly in his favor, and the contention must be rejected if on the evidence so considered a reasonable conclusion may be drawn that defendant's negligence played "any part at all" in Marmo's injury. Rogers v. Missouri Pac. R. Co., 352 U.S. 500, 506-507, 77 S.Ct. 443, 1 L.Ed.2d 493 (1957). If there were inconsistencies the jury was to resolve them.
8
We think the jury could with reason have concluded, in finding in favor of Marmo, that defendant, through its servants Bagnell and Johnson, was negligent as alleged in assigning Marmo to, and using him in, work of a dangerous type, knowing that he had no knowledge, training or experience in that work, and in not warning him of the dangers involved.
9
Foreman Bagnell testified that he was short three machinists on the night Marmo was injured and that he assigned him to help Johnson because of this shortage. This was Marmo's first experience with this operation, but Bagnell gave him no instructions, though he testified that a misalignment of the castings would create a danger to anyone working in the immediate vicinity. Johnson, after the truck had been moved under the engine, merely showed Marmo how to operate the buttons to raise and lower the table and then had him raise the truck to within a few inches of the engine's underside. What occurred after that is in some conflict. We must take Marmo's version.
10
Johnson was on the east side of the engine, Marmo on the west side near the buttons. Johnson called to Marmo that something was wrong or stuck on the west side and to "take a look." Marmo then went to the west side of the table and stood on a small raised platform attached to the side of the table. Standing on the platform, his chin was about level with the truck top. He had a flashlight in his left hand and he put his right hand on the lower bearing for support. Looking into the three or four inch space between the upper and lower bearings he saw a piece of liner1 sticking up in the lower casting and that the castings were not aligned properly, "a bit up from the North, about a half an inch." Then "everything came up like bullets" and his hand was crushed when the castings slipped together and the bearings met.
11
On these facts the jury could "with reason" infer that defendant owed Marmo the duty of not placing him in a hazardous position without warning him that what did happen might happen; and of instructing him about the care that had to be taken when looking to see what was preventing the truck from fitting into its position under the engine; and that failing in its duty, defendant's negligence played a part in causing Marmo's injury. Anderson v. Pittsburgh & Lake Erie R. Co., 217 F.Supp. 956, 957 (W.D. Pa.1962), aff'd per curiam 318 F.2d 727 (3rd Cir. 1963).
12
This is not a case comparable to Foreman v. Texas & New Orleans R. Co., 205 F.2d 79 (5th Cir. 1953), where a verdict in favor of a flagman who exposed himself to obvious danger was set aside. Nor does this court's affirmance of a directed verdict in Jackson v. Illinois N. Ry. Co., 224 F.2d 76 (7th Cir. 1955), where the plaintiff performed a job in an obviously dangerous manner, present a comparable case. The danger to Marmo was not obvious, as the danger in Cheffey v. Pennsylvania R. Co., 79 F.Supp. 252 (E.D.Pa.1948), was to Cheffey. And Marmo left his place of safety near the buttons when ordered to do so by Johnson, unlike the decedent in Atlantic Coast Line R. Co. v. Davis, 279 U.S. 34, 49 S.Ct. 210, 73 L.Ed 601 (1928), who without any order left his place of safety on the running board of a steam shovel and moved to a place of obvious danger.
13
We see no merit in the claim that the district court erred in refusing to grant judgment n. o. v., Gallick v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co., 372 U.S. 108, 83 S.Ct. 659, 9 L.Ed.2d 618 (1963), or that the court abused its discretion in denying a new trial on the question of negligence.
14
There is no merit either in defendant's argument that Marmo presented two inconsistent versions of the occurrence and thus was not entitled to have the case submitted to the jury. The alleged inconsistencies with Marmo's version on direct examination were in (1) a statement taken from Marmo, in the hospital, by defendant's investigator (which was introduced by defendant for impeachment purposes, and thus was not affirmative evidence, Jones v. City of Columbus, 134 F.2d 464, 465 (5th Cir. 1943)), (2) the unobjected-to closing argument of Marmo's counsel (which was not affirmative evidence, and the jury was so instructed), and (3) testimony elicited from defendant's witness Johnson on cross-examination (which also was not part of Marmo's affirmative case).
15
Defendant contends also that there is not substantial support in the evidence for the damages awarded. It argues that the "enormous sum" awarded shows that the jury gave damages for injuries to Marmo's arm in addition to the loss of the hand and that there is no "reasonable medical certainty" to warrant the addition, and that the verdict is excessive, so that the trial judge abused his discretion by refusing to grant a new trial.
16
There is evidence that Marmo's arm was greatly swollen after the accident; that numerous incisions had to be made in the arm to decompress the nerves and blood vessels; that portions of muscles also oozed out of the incisions and had to be cut away, resulting in a permanent loss of musculature; that he has difficulty moving his elbow and shoulder joints; that there was a marked muscular atrophy of scapular muscles; that an extra-articular calcium deposit on the head of the humerous, which could have resulted from the accident, limits motion of the shoulder joint; and Marmo testified that he has a lot of pain "from the stump to the shoulder."
17
Marmo was thirty-eight years old when injured, with a life expectancy at the trial of thirty-one years. In 1961 he earned $5,056.75. He has not worked since. His only prior employment experience was operating a hand-fed punch press, driving a truck, and working on a farm in Italy. The amputation was two inches above the wrist and Marmo's medical expert testified that he could not make use of a prosthesis because of the painful and unsatisfactory condition of the stump. An operation to remove another one-and-a-half inches of bone and improve the condition of the stump will be necessary, but even then Marmo will not be able to use a prosthesis effectively because of the loss of musculature.
18
The evidence was heard by the trial judge, and the jury, which was properly instructed. We cannot say that the award was excessive as a matter of law or that the trial judge abused his discretion in denying the motion for a new trial on that ground.
19
We also see no abuse of the trial judge's discretion in admitting into evidence several X-rays taken prior to trial and not included in the pre-trial stipulation. They were admitted on the basis of the representation of Marmo's counsel that the X-rays were taken after the stipulation was entered into in the course of normal treatment and not for the purpose of surprise.
20
Affirmed.
Notes:
1
A two-piece band within the lower casting, designed to keep out dirt
|
Squirrel Girl has an uncanny ability to face down and defeat the most powerful villains with her limitless squirrel army. Among others, she has beaten Doctor Doom, MODOK, the Mandarin, Thanos, and even heroes including Deadpool and Wolverine. |
[Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the stomach with BRAF-V600E-mutation: case report and review of the literature].
Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a disease with different clinical presentations and a wide spectrum of organ involvements. Rarely Langerhans cell histiocytosis can involve the gastrointestinal tract of adult patients. A case of infiltration of gastric mucosa by Langerhans cell histiocytosis is presented. The neoplastic nature of this infiltrate is underlined by the detection of a BRAF-V600E-mutation. Additionally, an overview of the so far 5 cases published in the English literature is provided. The published clinical experience indicates a benign curse of the disease. |
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eighth Circuit
___________________________
No. 15-1095
___________________________
Remberto Aguinada-Lopez
lllllllllllllllllllllPetitioner
v.
Loretta E. Lynch, Attorney General of the United States
lllllllllllllllllllllRespondent
____________
Petition for Review of an Order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
____________
Submitted: December 17, 2015
Filed: June 7, 2016
____________
Before MURPHY, BENTON, and KELLY, Circuit Judges.
____________
BENTON, Circuit Judge.
Remberto Aguinada-Lopez, a citizen of El Salvador, entered the United States
illegally. He sought relief from removal by asserting claims for asylum, withholding
of removal, and withholding under the Convention Against Torture. The Immigration
Judge and Board of Immigration Appeals denied each claim. Having jurisdiction
under 8 U.S.C. § 1252, this court denies the petition for review.1
Aguinada-Lopez is not a gang-member, but his cousin Oscar Gil belonged to
the MS-13 gang (rival to the Dieciocho gang). Aguinada-Lopez alleges four
incidents of violence in El Salvador. First, two men approached, asked if he were in
a gang, and knocked him unconscious with a pistol. The second incident occurred
when three men intercepted him, in his school uniform, leaving school (the National
Industrial Technical Institute). The men beat him, threw rocks at him, bludgeoned
him with sticks, and told him if he returned to the Institute, they would kill him. The
third incident occurred when a man in black knocked him off his bicycle, pulled a
gun, and said “You’re that rat Oscar’s cousin.” When a car approached, the assailant
fired three or four shots in the air and ran away. In the last incident, two men dressed
in black shot at him. Aguinada-Lopez then went to stay at a friend’s home, but
members of the Dieciocho gang threatened his mother to “look for him anywhere,
everywhere.” Shortly after leaving El Salvador, members of the Dieciocho gang
killed Oscar in front of Aguinada-Lopez’s house as a “threat for [him] not to
return. . . .”
The Immigration Judge found Aguinada-Lopez credible but denied all claims
for relief. The Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed. When the BIA adopts the
decision of an IJ but adds additional reasoning, this court reviews both decisions.
Setiadi v. Gonzales, 437 F.3d 710, 713 (8th Cir. 2006). Factual findings are reviewed
for substantial evidence and not reversed unless “any reasonable adjudicator would
be compelled to conclude to the contrary.” 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B). Questions of
law are reviewed de novo. Setiadi, 437 F.3d at 713.
1
This court’s prior opinion of February 23, 2016 is hereby vacated and this
opinion substituted for it. The pending Petition for Panel Rehearing is denied as
moot.
-2-
I.
The Attorney General may not remove an alien to a country if it is determined
“that the alien’s life or freedom would be threatened in that country because of the
alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political
opinion.” 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3). An applicant for withholding based on membership
in a particular social group must establish both a cognizable social group and a nexus
between the persecution and membership in that social group. Gonzalez Cano v.
Lynch, 809 F.3d 1056, 1058 (8th Cir. 2016).
Aguinada-Lopez claims persecution on account of his membership in two
family-based social groups: (1) male, gang-aged family members of murdered gang
members, and (2) male, gang-aged family members of his cousin Oscar. The
Immigration Judge found the second “does constitute a particular social group under
the Act.” The BIA disagreed, finding that Aguinada-Lopez’s “circumstances in this
case are not meaningfully distinguishable from those in. . . . the Eighth Circuit’s
precedent decisions,” and concluding that both proposed family-based social groups
are not viable. See Antonio-Fuentes v. Holder, 764 F.3d 902, 905 (8th Cir. 2014)
(rejecting a family-based social group–“member of a household” including cousin
“killed by a gang”–because petitioner did not establish gangs specifically targeted his
family as a group, thus no “different than any other Salvadoran family that has
experienced gang violence”); Constanza v. Holder, 647 F.3d 749, 754 (8th Cir. 2011)
(per curiam) (agreeing with BIA that “a family that experienced gang violence”
(including harm to nephew and cousin) lacked visibility and particularity, thus “too
broad to be perceived as social group[] by society.”). The BIA also affirmed the IJ’s
finding that Aguinada-Lopez “did not establish a sufficient nexus . . . based on his
fear of gangs in El Salvador.”
Assuming Aguinada-Lopez’s proposed family-based groups are cognizable,
this court affirms for failure to establish nexus. See Bernal-Rendon v. Gonzales, 419
-3-
F.3d 877, 881 (8th Cir. 2005) (recognizing that “a nuclear family can constitute a
social group” and that the “prototype” and plainest example of a social group is “the
immediate members of a certain family,” but agreeing with the BIA that petitioners
failed to prove a clear probability of a specific threat to their family as a social group
(noting “extended family” still living without incident in Colombian cities)). Only
the third incident is directly tied to his relationship to Oscar Gil. This single fact does
not compel the conclusion that Aguinada-Lopez established nexus. See
§ 1252(b)(4)(B). The BIA did not err in denying withholding on the basis of the
family-based particular social groups.
Aguinada-Lopez also claims persecution because of his membership in a third
social group “male, gang-aged members of the Institute.” He cites extensive evidence
suggesting that students at the Institute are victimized by gangs. Although this may
be sufficient to establish a cognizable social group, Aguinada-Lopez lacks evidence
to prove nexus. The IJ found that the first, third, and fourth violent incidents were
motivated by gang-recruitment, gang-membership, or his relationship to Oscar Gil.
Attendance at the Institute may have motivated the second attack (when he was
wearing his school uniform), but this single encounter does not, by itself, rise to the
level of past persecution. See Eusebio v. Ashcroft, 361 F.3d 1088, 1091 (8th Cir.
2004).
The BIA did not err in denying Aguinada-Lopez’s claim for withholding of
removal.
II.
To qualify for relief under the Convention Against Torture, an alien must show
“it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured if removed to the proposed
country of removal.” 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(c)(2). The torture must be inflicted “by or
at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other
-4-
person acting in an official capacity.” § 1208.18(a). “Acquiescence” requires that
the public official be aware of the activity and “thereafter breach his or her legal
responsibility to intervene to prevent such activity.” Id.
To show acquiescence, Aguinada-Lopez relies on country-conditions evidence
identifying instances of police-corruption. However, these same documents also
identify government efforts to end gang violence, including a stimulus program to
rehabilitate gang members, a U.S.-funded wiretap center, and an elite anti-gang police
unit. Certainly, El Salvador has struggled to protect against gang violence, but it has
not acquiesced to gang violence. See Solis v. Mukasey, 515 F.3d 832, 836 (8th Cir.
2008) (“Although the government of El Salvador may struggle to control violence,
there is no evidence in the record that government agents participate or acquiesce in
possible torture perpetrated by others.”); Mouawad v. Gonzales, 485 F.3d 405, 413
(8th Cir. 2007) (“A government does not acquiesce in the torture of its citizens merely
because it is aware of torture but powerless to stop it. . . .” (internal quotations and
citation omitted)).
The BIA did not err in rejecting the CAT claim.2
*******
The petition for review is denied.
______________________________
2
Aguinada-Lopez also sought asylum. The IJ and BIA found the claim to be
time-barred, and he does not appeal that decision.
-5-
|
Summer Safety Tips
Summer Safety Tips
Summer has come again; it is a time to be excited about enjoying the beautiful weather and also a time that is characterized for all accident types to occur. Therefore, you need to start thinking about ways to keep yourself and your family save all through the season.
Dangers appear to exist everywhere; in the sun, in the water and even on the road. Everywhere you turn has something to be prepared for, and it can be very tricky to keep track of how to be saved from the many of these hazards. Of course you desire is to enjoy your summer to the fullest, but that should definitely not be at the expense of your safety. Below are just a few summer safety tips to keep in mind while enjoying those beautiful summer days.
Drink plenty of water
Although it may sounds logical, a number of individuals find themselves dehydrated at some point while the summer is on. Should you become dehydrated, your ability to actually handle a few outdoor tasks will become degraded and injuries are likely.
Protect yourself and your family from sun
A number of people think that if the outside is not as hot as the sun, then the hotness cannot cause any damage, but this is rarely the case. The rays of the sun can still cause skin damage even if the air appears to cool or chilly. Any time you have the reason to be outside for a longer period, ensure you protect yourself and your family by putting on a proper sunscreen
Sunscreens are not created equally
A good number of parents purchase a sunscreen that can both be used by them and their children. This is pretty good provided it is a stronger sunscreen designed for children that the parents are also using. A child must not use a low strength sunscreen meant for an adult. Therefore, ensure you purchase the correct sunscreen for your children to truly keep them save from the sun damage.
Never swim where you ought not to
Signs are generally put up for a reason; if there is a no swimming sign, it is advisable not to swim. There could be several reasons for not allowing swimming in a particular area like an obstruction in the water or a bad undertow. It is in to your best interest to follow the signs and find somewhere else to swim.
Overall, make sure you are careful on the road as several individuals drink and drive during the summer months. Make sure you are 100% alert to try to avoid any accidents. Although summer can be a lot of fun, it is even more fun if you play it safe.
Thanks for checking out our summer safety tips and be sure to leave your own tips in the comments below! |
This application is submitted in response to PAS-08-061 Long-acting, sustainable therapies for opiate addiction. A heroin/morphine addiction treatment vaccine candidate has been developed which appears in preliminary studies to be highly effective in rats. The purpose of this proposal is to further characterize the immunogenicity, mechanism of action and efficacy of this vaccine in rats and mice and assess its readiness for clinical trials. Despite the availability of effective pharmacotherapies for treating heroin addiction, fewer than 1 in 5 opiate addicts in the U.S. choose to use these. Among the limitations of currently available medications are their relatively short duration of action, the need for tight regulation of dispensing, side effects or interference with the therapeutic use of other opiates, and the perception of trading one addiction for another. New medications with mechanisms of action distinct from those already available could provide additional treatment options, and a long duration of action could increase their appeal and ease of use. Vaccines for nicotine and cocaine addictions are in clinical trials and preliminary data suggest efficacy. These vaccines reduce or slow the distribution of the target drug to brain, attenuating their effects. We (Anton lab) recently developed a highly immunogenic second-generation vaccine (morphine conjugated to tetanus toxoid; M-TT) directed against heroin and each of its active metabolites (6-MAM, morphine, morphine-6- gluc). Vaccination with M-TT elicits high concentrations of high affinity antibodies, and robustly blocks heroin or morphine self- administration in rats. We propose an integrated series of (Aim 1) immunologic, (Aim 2) pharmacokinetic, (Aim 3) behavioral and (Aim 4) safety studies to evaluate the clinical potential of this vaccine in rats and mice. Because heroin pharmacokinetics is complex, particular attention will be paid to characterizing and quantitating M-TT effects on heroin and each of its active metabolites. These data will allow us to understand how the binding of each of these moieties by antibody relates to vaccine efficacy, and will provide biomarkers that can be used to asses the adequacy of immunization in future clinical trials. The general hypotheses to be tested are that 1) M-TT immunogenicity can be further enhanced, and that M-TT remains immunogenic even in the presence of heroin, 2) M-TT acts through multiple complementary pharmacokinetic mechanisms involving heroin and each of its active metabolites, 3) M-TT attenuates heroin and morphine self-administration, and opiate-induced changes in brain reward thresholds over a range of clinically relevant opiate doses, and 4) M- TT is safe and does not itself precipitate opiate withdrawal. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: There are an estimated 15 million opiate addicts worldwide and 1.2 million heroin addicts in the U.S. Heroin addiction is associated with disruption of crime, social disruption, and severe health consequences including the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. There are several medications already available or the treatment of heroin addiction, including methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. Although these have all been shown to be effective, fewer than 1 in 5 addicts in the U.S. choose to use them because of real or perceived drawbacks that result in low acceptability. The vast majority of heroin addicts are therefore not receiving treatment. Alternative medications, which could provide a greater choice of therapeutic options, might increase the number of addicts electing and staying in treatment. A non-addictive and long-acting medication which obviates the need for daily clinic visits would be of particular interest. Vaccines have been developed for the treatment of nicotine and cocaine addiction, and are in early clinical trials. These vaccines stimulate the production of antibodies that bind the drug and reduce the amount of drug reaching the brain, thereby reducing its addictive effects. Advantages of vaccines for addiction treatment are that they are safe, non-addictive, and have a very long duration of action (months) which can be extended as needed with additional booster doses. We have developed a heroin vaccine that stimulates production of high levels of antibodies and that can block some of the key addictive effects of heroin or morphine in rats. The proposed study will further characterize this vaccine, over a wide range of clinically relevant heroin doses, to assess whether it is suitable for advancement to clinical trials. The importance of this work is in providing an additional type of medication for those opiate addicts or abusers who find the currently available options unacceptable, or possibly for use in addition to existing medications to enhance their efficacy. |
---
abstract: 'We construct expanding endomorphisms on smooth manifolds that are homeomorphic to tori yet have exotic underlying PL-structures.'
author:
- 'F. Thomas Farrell and Andrey Gogolev$^\ast$'
title: Examples of expanding endomorphisms on fake tori
---
[^1]
Introduction
============
Let $M$ be a closed smooth manifold. Recall that a smooth map $f\colon M\to M$ is called an [*expanding endomorphism*]{} if $M$ admits a Riemannian metric $\|\cdot\|$ such that $\|D_f(v)\| >\|v\|$ for all non-zero tangent vectors $v$.
Shub [@Sh] proved that an expanding endomorphism of a closed manifold $M$ is topologically conjugate to an affine expanding endomorphism of an infranilmanifold if and only if the fundamental group $\pi_1(M)$ contains a nilpotent subgroup of finite index. Franks [@Fr] showed that if $M$ admits an expanding endomorphism then $\pi_1(M)$ has polynomial growth. Finally, in 1981, Gromov [@Gr] completed classification by showing that any finitely generated group of polynomial growth contains a nilpotent subgroup of finite index. Hence any expanding endomorphism is topologically conjugate to an affine expanding endomorphism of an infranilmanifold. In particular, any manifold that supports an expanding endomorphism is homeomorphic to an infranilmanifold.
Farrell and Jones [@FJ] showed that any connected sum $\T^d\#\Sigma^d$ of the standard $d$-dimensional torus $\T^d=\R^d/\Z^d$ and a homotopy sphere $\Sigma^d$ admits an expanding endomorphism. When $\Sigma^d$ $(d\geq7)$ is not diffeomorphic to the standard sphere $\mathbb S^d$, this constraction provides an example of a manifold that admits an expanding endomorphism and is not diffeomorphic to any infranilmanifold. However, $\T^d\#\Sigma^d$ is always PL homeomorphic to the standard torus $\T^d$ via the Alexander trick.
A $d$-dimensional smooth manifold $M$ is called a [*fake torus*]{} if $M$ is homeomorphic to $\T^d$ but not PL homeomorphic to $\T^d$. In this paper we obtain the first examples of fake tori that admit expanding endomorphisms.
For any $d\geq 7$ there exists a $d$-dimensional fake torus $M$ that admits an expanding endomorphism.
Lee and Raymond [@LR] showed that any isomorphism between the fundamental groups of a pair of infranilmanifolds is induced by a diffeomorphism. It follows that a fake torus is not PL homeomorphic to any infranilmanifold.
Fake tori
=========
Let $n\geq6$ and let $\T^n=\R^n/\Z^n$ be the $n$-torus. Consider the standard $3^n$-sheeted self-covering map $\pi\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ given by $$\pi(x)=3x\;\;mod\;\;\Z^n.$$
If $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$ is a diffeomorphism which induces the identity homomorphism on $\pi_1(\T^n)$ then $h$ lifts through $\pi$; there exists a diffeomorphism $\tilde{h} \colon\T^n\to\T^n$ that makes the following diagram commute $$\begin{CD}
\T^n @>\tilde{h}>> \T^n \\
@V{\pi}VV @V{\pi}VV \\
\T^n @>{h}>> \T^n
\end{CD}$$ Note that there are exactly $3^n$ such liftings and they are all diffeotopic. We say that two diffeomorphisms are [*diffeotopic*]{} if they are isotopic through a smooth path of diffeomorphisms.
\[prop21\] For any $n\geq 6$ there exists a diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$ such that
1. $h$ is topologically pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$;
2. $h$ is not PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$;
3. $\tilde{h}$ is diffeotopic to $h$;
4. $h^2=h\circ h$ is diffeotopic to $id_{\T^n}$.
Recall that given a diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$ the [*mapping torus*]{} of $h$ is defined as $$M_h =[0, 1] \times \T^n/(1,x)\sim(0, h(x)).$$
\[prop22\] A diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$, $n\geq 5$, is PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$ if and only if the mapping torus $M_h$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}$.
We immediately obtain the following result.
\[cor23\] If $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$, $n\geq 6$, is a diffeomorphism given by Proposition \[prop21\] then the mapping torus $M_h$ is a fake torus.
In fact, the assignment $
h\mapsto M_h
$ gives a bijection between the smooth pseudo-isotopy classes of diffeomorphisms $h$ of $\T^n$ such that $h_\#=id_{\pi_1(\T^n)}$ and the smooth structures $\theta$ on $\T^{n+1}$ such that the inclusion map $\sigma\colon \T^n\times \{0\}\to(\T^n\times S^1, \theta)$ is a smooth embedding.
\[rem24\] By smoothing theory [@KS page 194] (also see [@Ru]) these structures naturally correspond to the subgroup of those elements $\varphi\in[\T^{n+1}, Top/O]$ for which $\varphi \circ\sigma\in[\T^n, Top/O]$ is the zero element, $\varphi\circ\sigma$ null-homotopic.
It is straightforward to see that if $h$ is PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$ then $M_h$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}$.
To see the other implication, let $F\colon\T^{n+1}\to M_h$ be a PL homeomorphism. Since $M_h$ is homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}$, the induced map $h_\#$ on $\pi_1(\T^n)$ must be identity. Hence the fundamental groups of $\T^{n+1}=\T^n\times S^1$ (we view $\T^{n+1}$ as a mapping torus of $id_{\T^n}$) and $M_h$ are “canonically” identified (up to specifying a cross section to the bundle projection $M_h\to S^1$). By precomposing $F$ with a diffeomorphism of $\T^{n+1}$ we can assume that $F_\#\colon \pi_1(\T^{n+1})\to \pi_1(M_h)$ is the canonical identification.
Recall that $M_h$ can be viewed as the total space of a $\T^n$-bundle over $S^1$. Denote by $N\subset M_h$ a distinguished fiber of this bundle. Then, since $F_\#$ is the canonical identification, we have $$\label{eq21}
i_\#(\pi_1(\T^n\times\{0\}))=F_\#^{-1}(\pi_1(N)),$$ where $i\colon \T^n\times\{0\}\to \T^n\times S^1$ is an inclusion of a fiber.
Now consider the trivial cobordism $\T^{n+1}\times[0,1]$. View the top boundary $\T^{n+1}\times\{1\}$ as the trivial bundle $\T^n\times S^1$. Using $F$ we pull back the fibration of $M_h$ to obtain a PL $\T^n$-bundle over $S^1$ on the bottom boundary $\T^{n+1}\times \{0\}$. Then $F^{-1}(N)$ is a distinguished fiber on the bottom. Because of the equation (\[eq21\]) and the fact that the Whitehead group $Wh(\pi_n(\T^{n+1}))$ vanishes we can apply the fibering theorem of [@F] (which requires $n\geq 4$) to $\T^{n+1}\times [0, 1]$. This way we obtain a PL fibering of $\T^{n+1}\times [0,1]$ over $S^1$ that extends the fiberings of the top and the bottom boundaries. In particular, we obtain a PL submanifold $W^{n+1}\subset \T^{n+1}\times [0,1]$ such that $\partial^-W^{n+1}=F^{-1}(N)$ and $\partial^+W^{n+1}=(\T^n\times\{0\})\times\{1\}$, where $\T^n\times\{0\}\subset \T^{n+1}$ is a fiber of the trivial fibering of $\T^{n+1}\times\{1\}$ (see Figure \[fig1\]).
![[]{data-label="fig1"}](fig1.eps)
It is easy to check that $W^{n+1}$ is an $h$-cobordism. Since $Wh(\pi_1(\T^n))$ vanishes the $s$-cobordism theorem (which requires $n\geq 5$) applies and we conclude that $W^{n+1}$ is PL homeomorphic to the product $\T^n\times [0,1]$. Cutting $\T^{n+1}\times[0,1]$ open along $W^{n+1}$ yields a new relative $h$-cobordism $\mathcal W^{n+2}$ between $\T^{n+1}$ cut along $F^{-1}(N)$ and $\T^{n+1}$ cut along $\T^n\times\{0\}$. Again, since $Wh(\pi_n(\T^n))=0$, this $h$-cobordism is a PL product extending the product structure on $W^{n+1}$. Therefore we obtain a homeomorphism $G\colon \T^{n+1}\times[0,1]\to \T^{n+1}\times[0,1]$ such that $$G|_{\T^{n+1}\times\{1\}}=id_{\T^n} \;\;\mbox{and} \;\;G((\T^n\times\{0\})\times\{0\})=F^{-1}(N).$$ Let $F_1=F\circ G|_{\T^{n+1}\times\{0\}}$. Then we have $F_1(\T^n\times\{0\})=N\subseteq M_h$. Cutting $\T^{n+1}$ and $M_h$ open along $\T^n\times\{0\}$ and $N$ respectively yields a PL pseudo-isotopy between $h\circ \psi$ and $\psi$, where $\psi=F_1|_{\T^n\times\{0\}}$. Precomposing this pseudo-isotopy with $$\psi^{-1}\times id\colon \T^n\times[0,1]\to\T^n\times[0,1]$$ yields the desired PL pseudo-isotopy between $h$ and $id_{\T^n}$.
Let $m=n-1$. Consider the following diagram $$\T^{m+1}=\T^{m-2}\times\T^3\xrightarrow{pr}\T^3\xrightarrow{\rho}\mathbb S^3\xrightarrow{\alpha}Top/O,$$ where $pr$ is the projection to the $\T^3$ factor, $\rho$ is a degree one map and $\alpha\in \pi_3(Top/O)\simeq\Z_2$ is the generator. Let $\varphi$ be the composite map $$\varphi=\alpha\circ\rho\circ pr.$$ Also let $\sigma\colon \T^m\times\{0\}\to\T^{m+1}=\T^m\times S^1$ be the inclusion map. Clearly $\varphi\circ \sigma$ is null-homotopic. Hence, by Remark \[rem24\] (in which $m$ replaces $n$) the smoothing $\theta$ of $\T^{m+1}$ corresponding to $\varphi$ determines a diffeomorphism $g\colon\T^m\to\T^m$ such that the mapping torus of $g$ is $(\T^{m+1}, \theta)$. Now we define $$h=g\times id\colon \T^{n-1}\times S^1\to\T^{n-1}\times S^1,$$ and proceed to verify properties 1-4 of the proposition.
[*Verification of property 1.*]{} By the definition of $h$ the induced map $h_\#$ on the fundamental group is identity. Hence, by the work of Hsiang and Wall [@HW], $h$ is topologically pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$.
[*Verification of property 2.*]{} Assume to the contrary that $h$ is PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$. Then, by Proposition \[prop22\], the mapping torus $M_h=M_g\times S^1$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}=\T^n\times S^1$. As before, we can arrange that the PL homeomorphism between $M_g\times S^1$ and $\T^n\times S^1$ induces the canonical identification of the fundamental groups. We pass to the infinite cyclic covering to obtain a PL homeomorphism $F\colon M_g\times \R\to\T^n\times \R$. By cutting $\T^n\times \R$ along $F(M_g\times\{0\})$ and $\T^n\times\{t\}$ for a sufficiently large $t$ we obtain a PL $h$-cobordism between $M_g$ and $\T^n$. Since $Wh(\pi_1(\T^n))$ vanishes, we conclude that $M_g$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^n$.
Recall that by the work of Hsiang and Wall [@HW] homotopic homeomorphisms of $\T^n$ are topologically pseudo-isotopic. Using this fact together with PL “smoothing" theory of Kirby and Siebenmann [@KS], we conclude that $$\gamma \circ\varphi\colon\T^n\to Top/PL=K(\Z_2, 3)$$ is null-homotopic. Here $\gamma$ is the canonical map $Top/O\to Top/PL$.
Now let $a$ be the generator of $H^3(Top/PL, \Z_2)$. Then the cohomology class $(\gamma \circ \varphi)^*(a)\in H^3(\T^n,\Z_2)$ vanishes. Since $(\rho\circ pr)^*\colon H^3(\mathbb S^3, \Z_2)\to H^3(\T^n,\Z_2)$ is clearly monic, we obtain that $$\label{eq_vanish}
(\gamma\circ \alpha)^*(a)=0$$ But $\gamma_\#\colon \pi_3(Top/O)\to\pi_3(Top/PL)$ is an isomorphism. Hence $\gamma\circ\alpha$ is the generator of $\pi_3(Top/PL)=\pi_3(K(\Z_2,3))$ because of our choice of $\alpha$. Therefore $(\gamma\circ\alpha)^*\colon H^3(Top/PL, \Z_2)$ $\to H^3(\mathbb S^3, \Z_2)$ is also monic. Thus (\[eq\_vanish\]) implies that $a=0$ yielding a contradiction.
[*Verification of property 3.*]{} Recall that $\theta$ is the smooth structure on $\T^n$ which corresponds to homotopy class of $\varphi$. The $3^n$-sheeted covering map $\pi\colon\T^n\to\T^n$ induces a smooth structure $\omega$ on $\T^n$; namely, the smooth structure such that $\pi\colon (\T^n, \omega)\to (\T^n,\theta)$ is a smooth codimension zero immersion. This smooth structure corresponds to the homotopy class of the continuous map $\varphi\circ \pi\colon \T^n\to Top/O$. This map is clearly the same map as the composite map $$\T^{n-3}\times\T^3\xrightarrow{pr}\T^3\xrightarrow{\pi'}\T^3\xrightarrow{\rho}\mathbb S^3\xrightarrow{\alpha}Top/O,$$ where $\pi'\colon \T^3\to\T^3$ is given by $x\mapsto(3x \;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z^3)$. Since $\rho\circ\pi' \colon \T^3\to\mathbb S^3$ has odd degree (namely 27), the map $\alpha\circ \rho\circ\pi'$ is homotopic to $\alpha\circ\rho$. This is because the canonical map $\gamma\colon Top/O\to Top/PL=K(\Z_2, 3)$ is $7$-connected and $\T^3$ is $3$-dimensional. Therefore $\varphi\circ\pi$ is homotopic to $\varphi$ and $(\T^n, \omega)$ is smoothly concordant to $(\T^n, \theta)$.
Now let $\tilde{g}\colon\T^{n-1}\to\T^{n-1}$ be a lifting of $g$ through the covering map $x\mapsto(3x\;\; \mbox{mod}\;\; \Z^{n-1})$. Then, by the Addendum to Proposition \[prop22\], $\tilde{g}$ is smoothly pseudo-isotopic to $g$. Let $F\colon \T^{n-1}\times [0,1]\to\T^{n-1}\times[0,1]$ be such a pseudo-isotopy; let $F$ be a diffeomorphism such that $$F|_{\T^{n-1}\times\{0\}}=g \;\; \mbox{and}\;\; F|_{\T^{n-1}\times\{1\}}=\tilde{g}.$$ Since $S^1$ has zero Euler characteristic, the product formula for concordances [@H Proposition on p. 18] applied to $F$, yields a diffeotopy between $h=g\times id_{S^1}$ and $\tilde{h}=\tilde{g}\times id_{S^1}$.
[*Verification of property 4.*]{} Let $\tau\colon S^1\to S^1$ be the double covering map given by $x\mapsto (2x \;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z)$ and let $\Omega$ be the lifting of $\theta$, the smooth structure on $\T^n$ such that $id\times\tau\colon(\T^{n-1}\times S^1, \Omega)\to(\T^{n-1}\times S^1, \theta)$ is a smooth codimension zero immersion. This smooth structure corresponds to the homotopy class of the continuous map $\varphi\circ (id\times\tau)\colon\T^n\to Top/O$. This map is clearly the same as the composite map $$\T^{n-3}\times\T^3\xrightarrow{pr}\T^3=\T^2\times S^1\xrightarrow{id\times\tau}\T^2\times S^1\xrightarrow{\rho}\mathbb S^3\xrightarrow{\alpha}Top/O.$$ Since $\rho\circ(id\times\tau)\colon\T^3\to\mathbb S^3$ has even degree (namely 2), the map $\alpha\circ\rho\circ(id\times\tau)$ is null-homotopic. Hence $\varphi\circ(id\times\tau)$ is also null-homotopic, and $(\T^n, \Omega)$ is smoothly concordant to $\T^n$ equipped with its natural smooth structure.
A standard argument shows that the mapping torus of $g^2$ is smoothly concordant to $(\T^n, \Omega)$. We conclude, by the Addendum to Proposition \[prop22\], that $g^2$ is smoothly pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^{n-1}}$. Therefore, by arguing as we did in verifying property 3, we see that $h^2=(g\times id_{S^1})^2= g^2\times id_{S^1}$ is diffeotopic to $id_{\T^{n-1}} \times id_{S^1} = id_{\T^n}$.
Construction of the expanding endomorphism
==========================================
Consider the diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ given by Proposition \[prop21\]. Let $M_h$ be the mapping torus of $h$. Manifold $M_h$ is a fake torus by Proposition \[prop22\]. For each $k\geq 1$ and $m\geq 1$, we will define self-covering maps $p_k, q_m\colon M_h\to M_h$. Our strategy is to obtain an expanding endomorphism of $M_h$ by composing $p_k$ and $q_m$ for sufficiently large $k$. Roughly speaking, $p_k$ will be expanding with respect to $x\in \T^n$, that is, along the fibers and $q_m$ will be expanding with respect to $t$, that is, transversely to the fibers.
[Construction of covering map $p_k$.]{} Recall that $\pi\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ is given by $x\mapsto (3x \;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z^n)$. Let $h_0=h$ and let $h_1\colon\T^n\to\T^n$ be some lift of $h_0$ through $\pi$. By property $3$ of Proposition \[prop21\], $h_0$ is diffeotopic to $h_1$. Hence there exists a diffeotopy $\varphi_1\colon [0,1]\times\T^n\to\T^n$ such that $\varphi_1(0, \cdot)=id_{\T^n}$ and $\varphi_1(1, \cdot)=h_1^{-1}\circ h_0$.
Next we define a sequence of liftings $\{h_i; i\geq 0\}$ inductively. Assume that for some $i\geq 1$ we have defined a diffeomorphism $h_{i-1}\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ and its lifting $h_i$. Also assume that we have a diffeotopy $\varphi_i\colon[0,1]\times\T^n\to\T^n$ that connects $id_{\T^n}$ to $h_i^{-1}\circ h_{i-1}$. Then, by the Lifting Lemma, there exists a unique diffeotopy $\varphi_{i+1}$ such that $\varphi_{i+1}(0, \cdot)=id_{\T^n}$ and the diagram $$\begin{CD}
\T^n @>{\varphi_{i+1}(t,\cdot)}>> \T^n \\
@V{\pi}VV @V{\pi}VV \\
\T^n @>{\varphi_i(t,\cdot)}>> \T^n
\end{CD}$$ commutes for every $t\in[0,1]$. Define $$h_{i+1}=h_i\circ\varphi_{i+1}(1,\cdot)^{-1}.$$ It is easy to see that $h_{i+1}$ is a lifting of $h_i$. Also note that each $h_i$ is a (particular) lifting of $h$ through the covering map $\pi^i$.
Next we describe two auxiliary manifolds $N_k$ and $M_{h_k}$. Manifold $M_{h_k}$ is simply the mapping torus of $h_k$, $$M_{h_k} =[0, 1] \times \T^n/(1,x)\sim(0, h_k(x)).$$ Manifold $N_k$ is a [*multiple mapping torus*]{} of the sequence of diffeomorphisms $h=h_0$, $h^{-1}_{k-1}\circ h_k$, $h^{-1}_{k-2}\circ h_{k-1}, \ldots$ $h_0^{-1}h_1$ defined in the following way $$N_k=\bigsqcup^{k}_{i=1}\left[\frac{i}{k+1},\frac{i+1}{k+1}\right]\times\T^n\left/
\begin{array}{ll}
(1, x)\sim(0,h(x)),& \\[6pt]
\left(r\left[\frac{i}{k+1},\frac{i+1}{k+1}\right], x\right)\sim\left(l\left[\frac{i+1}{k+1},\frac{i+2}{k+1}\right],h^{-1}_{k-i-1}(h_{k-i}(x))\right), \\[6pt]
1\leq i\leq k-1
\end{array}\right.$$ Here if $[a,b]$ is an interval then $l[a,b]=a$ and $r[a,b]=b$.
Now we will construct three auxiliary maps $H_k$, $F_k$ and $P_k$ whose domains and ranges are indicated in the diagram below $$\xymatrix{
N_k \ar[r]^{F_k} & M_{h_k} \ar[ld]^{P_k}\\
M_h\ar[u]^{H_k} &}$$ We define these maps by the following formulae
$$\begin{gathered}
H_k(t,x)=
\begin{cases}
(t, \varphi_{k-i}\left((k+1)(t-\frac{i}{k+1}),x)\right), &\mbox{if} \;\;\frac{i}{k+1}\leq t\leq\frac{i+1}{k+1}, i=0, \ldots k-1
\\
(t, x), &\mbox{if} \;\;\frac{k}{k+1}\leq t\leq 1
\end{cases}\\[6pt]
\shoveleft{F_k(t, x)=
\begin{cases}
(t,x), &\mbox{if} \;\;0\leq t\leq\frac{1}{k+1}
\\
(t, h_k^{-1}(h_{k-i}(x))), &\mbox{if} \;\;\frac{i}{k+1}\leq t\leq\frac{i+1}{k+1}, i=1,\ldots k
\end{cases}
}
\\[6pt]
\shoveleft{P_k(t,x)=(t, 3^kx\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\;\Z^n).\hfill}\end{gathered}$$
Since $h_k$ is a lifting of $h$ with respect to $\pi^k\colon\T^n\to\T^n$, the last formula indeed gives a well defined $3^{kn}$-sheeted covering map $P_k\colon M_{h_k}\to M_h$. The fact that the first two formulae give well defined diffeomorphisms can be checked directly using Figures \[fig2\] and \[fig3\].
![[]{data-label="fig2"}](fig2.eps)
![[]{data-label="fig3"}](fig3.eps)
Finally define $$p_k=P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k.$$ It is clear from our definitions that $p_k$ has the form $p_k(t, x)=(t, \rho_{k, t}(x))$, where each $\rho_{k, t}$ is a $3^{kn}$-sheeted self-covering map.
[The expanding property of $p_k$.]{} We equip $M_h$ with a Riemannian metric in the following way. Let $g_0$ be the standard flat metric on $\T^n$ and let $g_1=h^*g_0$. For every $t\in[0,1]$ we let $g_t=(1-t)g_0+tg_1$. For each point $(t,x)\in M_h$ we equip the tangent space $T_{t, x}M_h$ with the scalar product $g_t(x)+dt^2$. Clearly this defines a Riemannian metric on $M_h$ which we denote by $G$. We write $\|v\|_G$ for the norm of a vector $v\in TM_h$. If a vector $v\in TM_h$ is tangent to a torus fiber of $M_h$ then we say that $v$ is a [*vertical vector*]{} and we write $v\in T^{\|}M_h$.
\[lemma4\] For any $\lambda>1$ there exists $k\geq1$ such that $$\|D{p_k}(v)\|_G\geq \lambda\|v\|_G, \;\;\mbox{for any}\quad v\in T^{\|}M_h.$$
For each $k\geq1$ define the Riemannian metric on the fibers of $M_{h_k}$ by letting $$g_{k,t}=(F_k\circ H_k|_{\{t\}\times \T^n})_* g_t.$$ Then $G_k(t,x)=g_{k,t}(x)+dt^2$ is a Riemannian metric on $M_{h_k}$. We will write $\|v\|_{G_k}$ for the $G_k$-norm of a vector $v\in TM_{h_k}$. We can also equip each fiber of $M_h$ and $M_{h_k}$ with a flat metric $g_0$. Indeed, recall that both mapping tori $M_h$ and $M_{h_k}$ can be identified with $[0,1)\times \T^n$. Hence each fiber is identified with the flat torus $(\T^n, g_0)$. We will write $\|v\|_0$ for the $g_0$-norm of a vertical vector $v\in T^\|M_h$. Same notation $\|v\|_0$ will be used for $v\in T^\|M_{h_k}$.
The proof of the lemma is based on the following facts.
1. There exists a constant $c>0$ such that $c\leq \frac{\|v\|_G}{\|v\|_0}\leq\frac{1}{c}$ for all $v\in T^\|M_{h}$;
2. $\|DP_k(v)\|_0=3^k\|v\|_0$ for all $v\in T^\|M_{h_k}$;
3. There exists a constant $C>0$ such that $\|D(F_k\circ H_k|_{\{t\}\times\T^n})(v)\|_0\geq C\|v\|_0$ for all $k\geq 1$, $t\in[0,1)$ and $v\in T^\|M_h$.
The first fact is due to compactness of $M_h$. The second one follows from the definition of $P_k$. To see the third fact recall that the diffeomorphisms $F_k\circ H_k|_{\{t\}\times \T^n}$ are the compositions of at most three diffeomorphisms of $\T^n$ of the form $h_i$, $h_i^{-1}$ and $\varphi_j(t,\cdot)$, where $i,j\in\{1,2,\ldots k\}$ and $t\in [0,1]$. The latter diffeomorphisms are liftings of $h$, $h^{-1}$ and $\varphi_1(t,0)$, $t\in[0,1]$, respectively, through the various homothetic self-covering maps $\pi^s$, $s\ge 1$. Hence the conorms of differentials of these diffeomorphisms are bounded uniformly in $i, j$ and $t$ from below.
For a non-zero $v\in T^\|M_h$, we have $$\begin{gathered}
\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_G}{\|v\|_G}=
\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_G}{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}\cdot
\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}{\|v\|_0}\cdot
\displaystyle\frac{\|v\|_0}{\|v\|_G}\\[10pt]
\geq c^2\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}{\|v\|_0}=c^23^k\displaystyle\frac{\|D(F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}{\|v\|_0}\geq c^23^kC.\end{gathered}$$ Recall that $c$ and $C$ do not depend on $k$. Choose $k$ so that $c^23^kC>\lambda$. The lemma follows.
[Construction of covering map $q_m$]{} Pick an integer $m\geq 1$. We will define auxiliary manifolds $\bar{M}_{h, m}$, ${M}'_{h, m}$ and $\widetilde{M}_{h,m}$ together with maps between them as indicated on the diagram below $$\xymatrix{
\bar{M}_{h, m} \ar[r]^{S_m} & M'_{h, m} \ar[r]^{T_m} & \widetilde{M}_{h, m}\ar[ld]^{Q_m}\\
& M_h\ar[lu]^{R_m} }$$ Manifold $\bar{M}_{h,m}$ is a “long mapping torus" $$\bar{M}_{h,m}=[0, 2m+1]\times\T^n/(2m+1,x)\sim(0,h(x)).$$ Manifolds $M'_{h,m}$ and $\widetilde{M}_{h,m}$ are multiple mapping tori defined as follows $$M'_{h,m}=\bigsqcup^{2m+1}_{i=1}[i-1,i]\times\T^n\left/
\begin{array}{ll}
(2m+1, x)\sim(0,h(x)),& \\[6pt]
(r[i-1, i], x)\sim(l[i,i+1],x), & \hbox{if $i$ is odd}, 1\leq i\leq 2m-1,\\[6pt]
(r[i-1, i], x)\sim(l[i,i+1],h^2(x)), & \hbox{if $i$ is even}, 2\leq i\leq 2m
\end{array}\right.$$ $$\widetilde{M}_{h,m}=\bigsqcup^{2m+1}_{i=1}[i-1,i]\times\T^n\left/
\begin{array}{ll}
(2m+1, x)\sim(0,h(x)), & \\[6pt]
(r[i-1, i], x)\sim(l[i,i+1],h(x)), & 1\leq i\leq 2m
\end{array}
\right.$$
Now we define the maps. We set $$R_m(t,x)=((2m+1)t, x).$$ By property $4$ in Proposition \[prop21\] there exists a diffeotopy $\psi\colon[0,1]\times\T^n\to\T^n$ such that $\psi(0, \cdot)=id_{\T^n}$ and $\psi(1, \cdot)=h^{-2}$. Define $$S_m(t,x)=
\begin{cases}
(t,x) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=0, 2, \ldots 2m
\\
(t, \psi(t-i, x)) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=1,3, \ldots 2m-1
\end{cases}$$ and $$T_m(t, x)=
\begin{cases}
(t,x) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=0, 2, 4, \ldots 2m
\\
(t, h(x)) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=1,3, \ldots 2m-1
\end{cases}$$
![[]{data-label="fig4"}](fig4.eps)
With the help of Figure \[fig4\] one can check that $S_m$ and $T_m$ are well-defined diffeomorphisms.
Finally define $$Q_m(t,x)=(t\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z, x)$$ and $$q_m=Q_m\circ T_m\circ S_m\circ R_m.$$
It is clear that $q_m$ is $(2m+1)$-sheeted self-covering map of the form $$q_m(t,m)=((2m+1)t\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z, \xi_{m,t}(x)).$$
[The expanding map $f$.]{} Fix any $m\geq 1$ and consider the $q_m\colon M_h\to M_h$ constructed above. Let $$c=\inf_{\substack{v\in T^\|M_h\\ v\neq 0}}\displaystyle\frac{\|D{q_m}(v)\|_G}{\|v\|_G}$$ Clearly $c>0$.
Now apply Lemma \[lemma4\] with $\lambda=\frac{2}{c}$ to obtain an integer $k\geq 1$. Define $$f=q_m\circ p_k.$$ Then $f\colon M_h\to M_h$ is a self-covering map of the form $$f(t, x)=((2m+1)t\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z, \alpha_t(x)).$$ Note that the subbundle $T^\|M_h$ is $Df$-invariant.
\[lemma5\] For any $v\in T^\|M_h$ $$\|Df(v)\|_G\geq 2\|v\|_G.$$
$$\|Df(v)\|_G=\|D{q_m}(D{p_k}(v))\|_G\geq c\|D{p_k}(v)\|_G\geq c\lambda\|v\|_G=2\|v\|_G,$$ where the last inequality is provided by Lemma \[lemma4\].
Let $T^\perp M_h$ be the $1$-dimensional orthogonal complement of $T^\|M_h$. Then for any vector $v\in TM_h$ there is a unique decomposition $$v=v^\|+v^\perp,$$ where $v^\|\in T^\|M_h$ and $v^\perp \in T^\perp M_h$. For a vector $v^\perp\in T^\perp M_h$ we have $$Df(v^\perp)^\perp=(2m+1)v^\perp$$ Also, since $M_h$ is compact, there exists a constant $K>0$ such that $$\label{eq_estimate}
\|(Dfv^\perp)^\|\|_G\leq K\|v^\perp\|_G.$$
Now we are ready to prove that $f$ is expanding via a standard cone argument. We equip $TM_h$ with a Finsler metric $|||\cdot |||$ defined in the following way $$|||v|||=\max\left(\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G, \|v^\perp\|_G\right).$$ We now show that $f$ is expanding with respect to $|||\cdot |||$.
[*Case 1:*]{} $\|v^\perp\|_G\geq\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G$. In this case we have $$|||Df(v)|||\geq\|Df(v)^\perp\|_G=(2m+1)\|v^\perp\|_G=(2m+1)|||v |||.$$
[*Case 2:*]{} $\|v^\perp\|_G<\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G$. We use (\[eq\_estimate\]) and Lemma \[lemma5\] for the estimate below $$\begin{gathered}
|||Df(v)|||\geq\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v)^\|\|_G=\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v^\|)^\|+Df(v^\perp)^\|\|_G\\
\geq
\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v^\|)^\|\|_G-\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v^\perp)^\|\|_G\geq \frac{2}{K}\|v^\|\|_G-\frac{1}{K}\cdot K\|v^\perp\|_G\\
>
\frac{2}{K}\|v^\|\|_G-\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G=\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G=|||v|||.\end{gathered}$$
Because $M_h$ is compact we actually have $$|||Df(v)|||>\mu|||v|||$$ for some $\mu>1$ and all non-zero $v\in TM_h$. Now let $\|\cdot\|$ be a Riemannian metric on $M_h$. Then, because $\|\cdot\|$ and $|||\cdot|||$ are equivalent ($c|||\cdot|||\le\|\cdot\|\le C|||\cdot|||$), the last inequality implies that for a sufficiently large $N$ $$\|Df^N(v)\|>\|v\|$$ for all non-zero $v\in TM_h$. Then, using the standard adapted metric construction [@Math], we can find a Riemannian metric $\|\cdot\|_{ad}$ such that $$\|Df(v)\|_{ad}>\|v\|_{ad}$$ for all non-zero $v$. Hence $f$ is expanding. $\hfill\Box$
[texttLL]{}
F.T. Farrell, [*The obstruction to fibering a manifold over a circle.* ]{} Indiana Univ. Math. J. 21 (1971), 315–346.
F.T. Farrell, L.E. Jones, [*Examples of expanding endomorphisms on exotic tori.* ]{} Invent. Math. 45 (1978), no. 2, 175–179.
J. Franks, [*Anosov diffeomorphisms.*]{} 1970 Global Analysis (Proc. Sympos. Pure Math., Vol. XIV, Berkeley, Calif., 1968) pp. 61–93 Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, R.I.
A.E. Hatcher, [*Concordance spaces, higher simple-homotopy theory, and applications.*]{} Algebraic and geometric topology (Proc. Sympos. Pure Math., Stanford Univ., Stanford, Calif., 1976), Part 1, pp. 3–21, vol. 32, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, R.I., 1978.
W.-C. Hsiang, C.T.C. Wall, [*On homotopy tori II.*]{} Bull. London Math. Soc. 1 (1969) 341–342.
M. Gromov, [*Groups of polynomial growth and expanding maps.*]{} Inst. Hautes Études Sci. Publ. Math. No. 53 (1981), 53–73.
R. Kirby, L. C. Siebenmann, [*Foundational essays on topological manifolds, smoothings, and triangulations.*]{} Annals of Mathematics Studies, No. 88. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.; University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, 1977. vii+355 pp.
K. B. Lee, F. Raymond, [*Rigidity of almost crystallographic groups.*]{} Combinatorial methods in topology and algebraic geometry (Rochester, N.Y., 1982), 73–78, Contemp. Math., 44, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1985.
J. Mather. [*Characterization of Anosov diffeomorphisms.*]{} Nederl. Akad. Wetensch. Proc. Ser. A 71 = Indag. Math. 30 (1968) 479–483.
Yu. Rudyak, [*Piecewise linear structures on topological manifolds.*]{} arXiv:math/0105047.
M. Shub, [*Endomorphisms of compact differentiable manifolds.* ]{} Amer. J. Math. 91 (1969) 175–199.
$~$\
$~$\
F.T. Farrell, A. Gogolev
SUNY Binghamton, N.Y., 13902, U.S.A.\
[^1]: $^\ast$Both authors were partially supported by NSF grants. The second named author also would like to acknowledge the support provided by Dean’s Research Semester Award.
|
INTRODUCTION
============
Studies have shown that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be preferred over intravenous thrombolytics in achieving reperfusion and reducing mortality for those presenting to an emergency department (ED) with acute myocardial infarction and associated electrocardiographic ST segment elevation (STEMI).[@b1-wjem-10-208]--[@b4-wjem-10-208] It has also been shown that myocardial reperfusion after onset of a STEMI has greater effectiveness the sooner it is achieved.[@b5-wjem-10-208] A time period of less than 90 minutes from the time a STEMI victim enters an ED to having PCI with balloon inflation and reperfusion of a blocked coronary artery has become a standard goal in many developed countries.[@b4-wjem-10-208]
In the U.S. it has been found that a majority of adults (75%) live closest to a hospital that does not provide PCI.[@b6-wjem-10-208] While patients with STEMI can initially be stabilized at a non-PCI provider hospital and transferred by critical care ambulance to a PCI capable facility, studies show that the time for initiation of PCI can be significantly reduced when emergency medical services (EMS) personnel identify STEMI victims in the field and transport them directly to a PCI capable hospital.[@b7-wjem-10-208]--[@b10-wjem-10-208] To facilitate field triage of potential STEMI patients to PCI centers, many EMS systems have developed prehospital 12-lead electrocardiography (12-lead) protocols that allow EMS personnel at the scene to obtain data and triage a potential STEMI patient directly to a PCI capable facility.[@b11-wjem-10-208]--[@b14-wjem-10-208] Reducing time in the field before arrival to a PCI center further decreases overall time for reperfusion of occluded coronary arteries.[@b9-wjem-10-208],[@b10-wjem-10-208]
Three common models are used for EMS field 12-lead identification of potential STEMI. [@b14-wjem-10-208] The least expensive model is use of an algorithm interpretation preprogrammed within the cardiac monitor that rapidly generates the field 12-lead. This method for field interpretation requires no wireless or electrical transmission system and allows for 12-lead acquisition and STEMI determination without intensive education of EMS field providers. A second method, using paramedic interpretation, requires training of EMS personnel in the interpretation of the various 12-lead signs of STEMI. While training and maintaining the skill of EMS personnel interpretation may be costly, it has been shown to be effective with paramedic-identified STEMI sensitivity ranging from 71% to 97% and specificity ranging from 91% to 100%.[@b14-wjem-10-208] A final method is wireless and electronically transmits a field-acquired 12-lead to a physician for interpretation. This method is costly and may add to time a STEMI patient is in the field while 12-lead transmission is accomplished. In addition, some systems may require significant effort or cost to have a physician or other personnel trained in ECG interpretation available at all times to read the transmitted ECG.
While the monitor algorithm STEMI determination method described above is rapid and inexpensive, false-positive field triage to a PCI center is a concern.[@b14-wjem-10-208] One result of false-positive triage is the unnecessary rapid transport of assumed critical patients beyond a nearby hospital to a more distant PCI facility, placing emergency response crews and the community at increased risk for motor vehicle accidents.[@b15-wjem-10-208] It can also result in unnecessary redirection of personnel and equipment at the receiving hospital. In addition, when emergency response personnel are assigned to a false-positive incident, fewer available units remain in the area. A decrease in false-positive field STEMI triages could result in better utilization of resources and allow for safer EMS operations. Another adverse effect of excessive false-positive triages could be the decreased willingness of the emergency physician to allow direct transportation to a PCI center without having first personally interpreted the ECG.
Considering the above discussion, minimization of EMS false-positive STEMI transports when using a monitor algorithm exclusive triage system would benefit a healthcare system. To address the issue, this study was designed to identify the rate and variables associated with false-positive triage within an EMS monitor algorithm interpretation triage system.
METHODS
=======
This was a retrospective, sequential, case-control outcome study of EMS responses triaged in the field to designated PCI-capable hospitals. Study variables of interest were those that may have been associated with false-positive field triage for PCI. Potential variables to test for a potential false-positive association were identified in a pre-study ([Table 1](#t1-wjem-10-208){ref-type="table"}). Cases considered for the study included all those triaged from the field to a PCI center by exclusive use of a 12-lead monitor algorithm that included the terms "Acute MI Suspected" or "Acute MI." Indications for obtaining a 12-lead ECG reading were chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or syncope. Excluded from the study were cases appropriate for triage to a PCI but for whom cardiac arrest and death prior to PCI occurred or who had co-morbid conditions that precluded PCI. These co-morbid conditions included sepsis, decreased mental capacity that did not allow for PCI consent, diabetic ketoacidosis, acute cerebral vascular accident, concurrent trauma with hemorrhage, and refusal of a competent person to consent for PCI.
A code book defining study variables was developed before conducting the study. We validated the code book by first collecting data for 20 patients who met criteria for inclusion. We clarified inconsistent terms and variables to ensure that study definitions were standardized. Data was collected on a collection form that used field and receiving hospital records with a copy of the original field 12-lead attached. We developed a database using Microsoft Excel 2003 (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA, USA), and used a double data entry method to enter data. We corrected errors when conflicting data were entered. If a conflict in interpretation still existed, the senior investigator's entry took precedence for consistency. Prior to the study we determined that for interpretation of odds ratios (OR), a confidence interval precision of 10% or less was necessary for the findings to be clinically significant. Using this assumption, the number of cases needed for adequate sample size was determined to be at least 500, based on a desired power of 80%. We conducted this power calculation using Statistics with Confidence v2.0 software (CIA Software, Bristol, UK).
For this study, false-positive triage was the outcome of interest. Because there is potential for variability in the definition for false-positive, we used a conservative definition indicating no acute coronary artery occlusion (disease). False-positive was defined as a patient who had no significant coronary artery occlusion by PCI or was determined after evaluation by receiving PCI-center physicians to lack need for PCI ([Figure 1](#f1-wjem-10-208){ref-type="fig"}). We used SPSS v13.0 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Il, USA) to calculate OR for association of each study variable and positive PCI outcome. Therefore, a reported OR of less than 1.0 was associated with false-positive triage. Confidence intervals (95%) were calculated for each OR to determine precision of the statistical estimate. For age as a variable, we used ordinal regression for statistical analysis, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered significant.
The study setting was Orange County, California with a population of 3.02 million persons living in an urban-suburban environment. EMS units were 911 computer-aided-dispatched with a two-tiered basic life support (BLS)-advanced life support (ALS) response. Thirteen fire departments with 880 paramedics provided ALS resources and transported to 25 receiving hospitals of which 12 were designated PCI centers. Field medical control was provided by blended off-line protocols and on-line base hospital radio contact.
This study received Institutional Review Board approval by a committee recognized by Federal-wide Assurance submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
RESULTS
=======
Paramedics triaged 548 sequential patients from the field for PCI during the study period. Nineteen cases were excluded because of cardiac arrest prior to PCI or co-morbid conditions that precluded PCI. During the study, three types of field 12-lead cardiac monitors were used: the Zoll M Series (Zoll Medical Corp., Chelmsford, MA, USA); LifePAK 12 (Physio-Control, Inc., Redmond, WA, USA); and the Philips HeartStart Rx (Philips Electronics, Amsterdam, Netherlands). The average age for those entered into the study was 64.7 years with 60.0% male. Of the 529 cases included, 393 (74.3%) patients had PCI with coronary lesions treated by balloon angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft. The remaining 136 (25.7%) were considered false-positives, defined as a patient who was determined after evaluation by receiving PCI-center physicians to lack need for PCI (121; 22.9%) or had no coronary artery occlusion by PCI (15; 2.8%) ([Figure 1](#f1-wjem-10-208){ref-type="fig"}). False-positive cases were associated with the following variables: a specific brand of one of three monitors used in the system (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.59); sinus tachycardia (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.62); missing lead recording on 12-lead printout (0.39, 95% CI = 0.20, 0.76); atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.20, 0.94); female gender (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.34, 0.75); and poor ECG baseline (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.25, 1.37) ([Table 2](#t2-wjem-10-208){ref-type="table"}). Age was not associated with false-positive triage for PCI as determined by Ordinal Regression (p = 1.00).
DISCUSSION
==========
This study showed a substantial number (25.7%) of false-positive triages to specialty centers for PCI based on field 12-lead monitor algorithms. We found multiple variables associated with false-positive triage within the EMS system studied.
Poor ECG baseline and failure to record all 12 leads for machine algorithm interpretation are false-positive associated variables that can be addressed by improved quality in field acquisition of 12-leads. Variables more difficult to address are sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation, which had a tendency to be wrongly interpreted by machine algorithm as acute MI. EMS system adjustments to disregard readings of acute MI in the setting of sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation could result in missing true MI patients and would require further study to insure the rate of missed true positives is not unacceptable. An unexpected finding was the association of one type of 12-lead machine with false-positive triage. Once this was re-validated by repeat data analysis, we advised the device manufacturer of the findings. Adjustments and changes to the algorithm for the device have been made and follow-up study is in progress. The type of monitor associated with false-positive 12-leads is not identified in this paper because the oversight Institutional Review Committee for the study requires that a written release from the manufacturer be obtained and such a release was declined.
Another interesting finding was an association of false-positive triage with female gender. We collected demographic data with the intent to show that the study population was homogenous with no difference in gender outcomes. The association of female gender with false-positive triage was unexpected and deserves further study for confirmation and explanation.
Field EMS determination of STEMI has been shown to be beneficial in rapid identification, transport, treatment, and decreased mortality.[@b7-wjem-10-208],[@b11-wjem-10-208],[@b16-wjem-10-208] To maximize this benefit and decrease the problems earlier described for false-positive triage, this study suggests that in addition to the mechanics of attaining a field ECG, additional paramedic education may be required to help recognize ST elevation MI in field ECG recordings.
In a 2008 article Ting et al.[@b14-wjem-10-208] noted that current knowledge of false-positive and false-negative rates for EMS triage of STEMI patients to PCI centers is poorly characterized, supporting the findings of this paper. Their study describes poor field ECG acquisition as a factor associated with false-positive triage, and finds that movement artifact, lead misplacement, and poor skin contact can cause the poor-quality tracings that can be misinterpreted by ECG monitor software or EMS personnel.
Decreasing false-positive system activation could inadvertently increase false-negatives. To mitigate this adverse effect, it has been suggested that electronic transmission of 12-lead ECG to a receiving hospital for over-read may be effective.[@b17-wjem-10-208]
LIMITATIONS
===========
One limitation of this study is the retrospective method used for data acquisition. The retrospective method increases risk for loss of original data, erroneous recording of data elements on original records, selection bias, and confounding due to lack of control of study variables. A more subtle limitation is that our definition of false-positive triage does not take into account patients who were determined by the receiving physicians to lack evidence for an acute STEMI MI, when in fact such an MI was present and PCI could have been a benefit. Studies show there is a background risk that approximately 3% of MI patients requiring PCI will be misdiagnosed and discharged by cardiologists without appropriate coronary intervention, and approximately 6--10% by emergency physicians.[@b18-wjem-10-208],[@b19-wjem-10-208]
While left bundle branch block was analyzed within the study population 12-leads, there was not an association of this finding with false-positive triage; on the other hand the study was limited in that we did not test for false-positive association with left ventricular hypertrophy, pericarditis, left ventricular aneurysm, and early repolarization.
Another limitation is the focus on false-positive triage and lack of data for false-negative cases. This study does not consider patients who were false-negatives. Knowing the false-negatives would have allowed for better system description and calculation of field 12-lead sensitivity and specificity.
And because we conducted this study in an urban-suburban setting with multiple hospital options within a few minutes transport time, the findings may lack external validity. Additionally, selection bias by paramedics could have occurred in that some cases eligible for 12-lead application may not have had an ECG. Finally, outcomes were obtained from hospital billing and discharge databases and not independently confirmed.
CONCLUSION
==========
For the EMS field 12-lead program studied, there was a false-positive triage rate of 25.7%. False-positive field triage was associated with one brand of 12-lead ECG monitor, poor ECG acquisition, and underlying rhythms of sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. Unexpectedly, female gender was also associated with false-positive triage. Age was not associated with false-positive field triage for PCI.
This paper is dedicated to Beverly Nighswonger, RN, who passed away October 29, 2008. She was a dedicated professional of highest ethics. In her shortened lifetime, she accomplished more than most and was generous to all.
*Conflicts of Interest:* By the *West*JEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources, and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.
*Supervising Section Editor*: Christopher Kahn, MD, MPH
Reprints available through open access at <http://escholarship.org/uc/uciem_westjem>
{#f1-wjem-10-208}
######
Variables tested for association with false-positive field triage to a facility providing percutaneous coronary intervention.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AgeGenderResponding EMS ProviderBase hospitalReceiving hospitalIndication signs for initiation of 12-lead ECG readingECG rhythmECG rateECG baselineQRS morphologyLead placement ○ Which, if any, leads missing60-cycle interference presenceECG monitor brand
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*EMS*, emergency medical services; *ECG*, electrocardiogram.
######
Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% Confidence Interval for association with false-positive triage to a facility providing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Note that an OR of less than 1.0 is associated with false-positive triage and OR of greater than 1.0 is associated with triage and positive PCI.
**Odds Ratio** **95% Confidence Interval**
--------------------- ---------------- -----------------------------
Monitor Type 0.35 0.21, 0.59
Sinus tachycardia 0.38 0.23, 0.62
Missing lead 0.39 0.20, 0.76
Atrial fibrillation 0.43 0.20, 0.94
Female gender 0.50 0.34, 0.75
Poor baseline 0.59 0.25, 1.37
|
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Q:
Django: templatetags pass variable value
I want to pass value of a variable from template to a templatetag but in the token list I get picture.uri as a string [u'thumbnail', u'picture.uri']
{% thumbnail picture.uri %}
Templatetag code:
from django.template import Library
register = Library()
@register.tag()
def thumbnail(parser, token):
...
...
How to pass variable value to a templatetag?
Sultan
A:
It is very well-documented
But I recommend to use some framework for creating tags, I use this.
|
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Good day! I'm Agapito (kadz) a Husband and a father of 2 Children named Sean Alvin and Zane.last Sept.of 2016 my wife was Diagnose of Breast cancer stage 3b with ulceration.we was devastated.but my wife willing to fight for our children and to her late mother(ovarian cancer).the doctor told us that the cancer cells are not metastasized.so we are enlightened we have time for fight back.the doctor told us."you should act now" she undergo chemotherapy of 4 cycle of dose dens ac she finished last dec.20,2016 and the result was very good.the tumor was shrink.dec.29,2016 on her check up the doctor told us that she will undergo another 12 cycles of chemotherapy before the surgery herceptin+paclitaxel because she are (her 2 positive).and she need to chemo weekly.cost 105,000pesos($2,100) i know its hard financially but we want fight to this battle.I'm here knocking to your heart for your kindness.
Thank you for your time. every cents counts and it will be a big help for us!we will treasure your help and prayers.
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The 2016 elections were good for Republicans, with one notable exception: Democrat Roy Cooper beat out Republican incumbent Pat McCrory in the governor’s race in North Carolina – but the central issue in that election was HB2, the state’s bathroom bill which allowed men into women’s restrooms. The Human Rights Campaign spent tens of thousands of dollars on Cooper and ran ads like this:
“More than 200 businesses have come out in opposition to HB2. The NBA is moving next year’s All-Star game. And some film producers have said they’ll stop shooting here.”
Maggie Gallagher, a senior fellow with American Principles Project, says all it would have taken for McCrory to be re-elected was one or two pro-family groups giving similar amounts of money.
“There was no organization that values life, marriage, or religious liberty that went in there to defend him,” she explains – adding that that’s the result of conservatives not using the political tools at hand.
“The left is politically organized and social conservatives are not really …,” she continues. “So we should stop talking like we’re in politics if we’re not going to actually build political institutions.”
In a very real sense, says Gallagher, culture follows politics. “Politics is how we decide what’s important, it’s how we decide what’s in or outside the mainstream, and it’s how a lot of people in the middle hear messages other than those crafted by the mainstream media and Hollywood,” she says.
She’s calling on conservatives to step up their game – and the sooner the better.
“It’s really urgent – and yes, it might be too late. The Republican Party shut down [and] the left is mopping up on the idea that they can shut down the Republican Party on any issue they choose,” Gallagher tells OneNewsNow. “And once they’re convinced of that, you’re going to see things that make your head spin.”
America, she adds, is well on its way to being a country where it’s unacceptable to be a traditional Christian. |
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Crowdfunding Kota
Crowdfunding Kota
While doing our background research, we have come across many exciting, creative, and inspiring crowdfunding projects that address women’s and girls’ rights and work towards gender equality.
For example, the Kickstarter project Faces of Courage: Intimate Portraits of Women on the Edge, by the artist-photographer Mark Tuschman is a powerful example of art working for human rights. His goal is to publish a book of photographs that showcase the challenges, even pain and powerlessness, of women around the world. At the same time, the artist’s aim is to document the many advances being made in educating and empowering women and girls. Doctors, nurses, teachers, aid workers, and NGO staff – these are the silent heroes who are working tirelessly to improve the lives of millions of women around the world. Mark writes:
Through my photography, I bring these women and their stories to the forefront of global consciousness.
Another timely project is the #OperationGirl Charity Challenge. In response of the kidnapping of hundreds of girls in Nigeria. After the girls were kidnapped in Nigeria, the CrowdRise crowdfunding community wanted to do something. The pop-soul star John Legend,RYOT and the Burkle Global Impact Initiative teamed up to launch the Challenge to allow different projects to empower girls and women around the world with a total of $100,000 in donations.
The model is clever: the organization that raises the most during the Challenge wins a $50,000 donation, the Second place gets $20,000, the Third gets $10,000 and, there will be weekly Bonus Challenges for charities to win up to another $20,000. Even if you don’t win any of the grand prize money, you get to keep the money you raise during the campaign.
The Challenge runs from early July to late August — and already tens of teams have begun crowdfunding for projects related to girls’ empowerment. The projects range from storytelling initiatives to building dorms for a girls’ school in India
While we love these initiatives, we have realized that our mission is, after all, quite special. As our Mission Statement reads, we want to equalize the social, political and economic standing of women and men globally by providing the physical and virtual spaces, tools, and services required by non profits working on women’s empowerment.
In today’s world, virtual communication and networking is a part of our everyday lives. Yet, we firmly believe that organizations working for women’s and girls’ rights still need a ‘space of their own’ to network, learn, create new alliances — in other words, to embrace new discoveries and challenges, with the support of other organizations and the Kota Team.
One of the main reasons for the need of the space is that gender equality is intertwined in so many facets of rights, development, and social justice. It follows that often activists and advocates tend to work with those they know, in their specific field. But precisely because of the complexities of women’s empowerment, new links and connections need to be built. A Kota World Center for Women will allow organized and spontaneous encounters.
Our campaign is special in that it will help create a permanent PHYSICAL platform for all these organizations and smaller campaigns to grow and will therefore have longer lasting impact! Moreover, with New York being a mecca for people from all over the world, we aim for the Kota Center to have a public and educational aspect to better influence public opinion. The space will also be used for fundraising for the organizations by using music, art, and food, which enable us to experience the importance of women’s empowerment not only with our minds, but with our hearts and guts.
We will kick off our campaign on the 23rd of October — but you will hear a lot about it even before, in the coming months. Join us in building the Kota Center. |
I'm in the market for a new screen to hook up to my cute little sub-notebook laptop.
While browsing, I noticed that all the flat panel monitors for sale at komplett.co.uk are labelled
All LCD displays adhere to the ISO 13406-2 standard with regard to pixel faults.
This, of course, tickled my attention, as my assumption was that by default, if I buy a flat screen monitor, it's without pixel faults ('dead pixels' are dots of the screen that don't display correctly, e.g. a black/mis-coloured dot in a space that's supposed to be white. Very annoying if you end up with a screen that has one).
Pixel faults are a weakness typical of LCDs and are subdivided into four classes, 3 types of pixel fault and 2 concentration criteria within the framework of the ISO 13406-2 test. For the different types of pixel fault, a distinction is made between illuminated pixels, dark pixels and sub-pixel failures (or flashing pixels). The concentration criteria distinguish between firstly the number of white or black pixels occurring in a particular area (cluster) and secondly the sub-pixel failures or flashing pixels occurring within a cluster. The four classes of ISO-13406-2 define the maximum number of failures allowed for each type of pixel fault and each of the concentration criteria. Class 2 is typical. Class 1 is intended only for demanding special applications and Class 3 is for inexpensive models. Class 4 represents the reject criteria in manufacture.
The really interesting answer, however, is provided by new-monitors.co.uk: exactly how many pixels must be bad in a new monitor before the manufacturer is likely to give you a new one on the guarantee?
To regulate the acceptability of defects and to protect the end user, ISO have created a standard for manufacturers to follow. ISO 13406-2 recommends how many defaults are acceptable in a display before it should be replaced, within the terms & conditions of warranty.
All reputable manufacturers conform to and support the ISO 13406-2 standard.
The table below shows the allowable number of malfunctioning pixels that are acceptable, depending on the native resolution of the LCD and allowing for 2 malfunctioning pixels per million pixels.
Native resolution
No. of pixels
No. of million pixels
Acceptable defects
1024 x 768
786,432
0.8
2
1280 x 1024
1,310,720
1.3
3
1600 x 1200
1,920,200
1.9
4
2048 x 1536
3,145,728
3.1
6
The table below shows the allowable number of malfunctioning sub-pixels that are acceptable, depending on the native resolution of the LCD and allowing for 5 malfunctioning sub-pixels per million pixels.
Native resolution
No. of pixels
No. of million pixels
Acceptable defects
1024 x768
786,432
0.8
4
1280 x 1024
1,310,720
1.3
7
1600 x 1200
1,920,200
1.9
10
2048 x 1536
3,145,728
3.1
16
The table below shows the allowable number of malfunctioning sub-pixels that are acceptable within a 5 x 5 block of pixels, depending on the native resolution and allowing for 2 malfunctioning sub-pixels within a 5 x 5 block, per million pixels.
ya boy! I bought an iMac G5 with insight, and it had a dead pixel. So I went back to the retailer and insist they replace... -_-" In the end, they did replace and handed me a stack of papers on dead pixel and that less than 4 is acceptable...
Posted by: shing on January 5, 2006 03:22 AM
hello, I came across your blog by searching on norway... which i may be visiting... saw this entry, can't help but give my 2 cents worths' comments. |
MobileDemand xTablet Flex 8 Rugged Tablet Computer
MobileDemand xTablet Flex 8 Rugged Tablet
When you purchase an xTablet Flex 8 from MobileDemand, not only are you going to get the powerful tablet itself, but it’s going to come standard with many of the accessories you’d typically have to research and pay extra for. Our rugged case has two layers for great drop protection. The first layer is rubber with large bumpers that you see on other fully rugged MobileDemand tablets. The second layer is a high impact polycarbonate that holds the rubber layer in place, but also provides mounting details for critical business accessories including a back hand strap, a briefcase handle, a stylus holder and I/O door cover. We also apply an innovated glass screen protector that is almost scratch proof and has an oleophobic coating to reduce finger prints and makes water bead up then run off of the touch panel. MobileDemand is now your one-stop shop for a loaded business tablet under a kilogram.
Greater Versatility with Windows ProfessionalOne common complaint you’ll hear among users of tablets running non-full versions of Microsoft Windows, is that they wish the device had greater functionality and would integrate easily within their corporate IT architecture and security. The xTablet Flex 8 runs either Windows 10 Professional or Windows 8.1 Professional with an option of Windows 10 Home.
Rugged Right Out of the BoxWhen you unbox your new xTablet Flex 8, you’re not going to have to spend extra time installing the rugged case or screen protector. It’s going to be ready to go. The factory-installed case is going to give you MIL-STD-810G for shock and drop from 4 feet while the screen protector can withstand a 225g steel ball drop from 100cm. Equip your workforce with a rugged tablet that can withstand accidents on the job.
Unique Features Set the xTablet Flex 8 ApartThe xTablet Flex 8 has several business features which set it apart from consumer-grade tablets as well as the competition. It has a Z3775 processor, 1280x800 display, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage to provide business level performance to get the job done. It has one full size USB 2.0 and one full size USB 3.0 connectors for direct connection to USB peripherals without requiring adapters. And finally, the xTablet Flex 8 is equipped with WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 for all of your wireless needs. |
The New Al Qaeda: More Dangerous than the Old VersionBy Ivan Eland | Posted: Mon. November 14, 2005
Say good-bye to the old al Qaeda and hello to a new, more dangerous version created by President George W. Bush. The recent suicide bombings by Iraqis in Amman, Jordan are ominous because they provide hard evidence (confirmed by U.S. intelligence analysis) that the war in Iraqfar from pinning terrorists down within that countrys borders, as the president allegesis incubating combat-hardened jihadists for export to other countries. As many opponents of the Iraq war predicted beforehand, a non-Islamic nations invasion of another Muslim country has spawned the same radical Islamic terrorism that occurred after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s and Russia invaded Chechnya in the 1990s.
The former invasion ultimately led to the rise of Osama bin Laden, al Qaedas leader and once dominant force. After 9/11, the United States made considerable progress in eliminating al Qaedas safe haven and training infrastructure in Afghanistan and isolating bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, his deputy, from their forces in the field. Yet the U.S. invasion of Iraq allowed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a previously independent actor who didnt care that much about the United States, to grab the spotlight by joining al Qaeda and becoming the face of the Iraqi insurgency against the U.S. occupation. Zarqawi and his al Qaeda in Iraq organization make the treacherous bin Laden and Zawahiri look like choirboys. Zarqawis trademarks are the brutal videotaped beheadings and the wanton slaughter of Muslim innocents, as well as the foreign occupiers and their Iraqi allies.
Zarqawi is so ruthless that Zawahiri sent him a letter asking him nicely to tone it down a bit. We know things are bad when the al Qaeda leadership seems temperate in comparison. Yet, Zarqawi has ignored pleas from al Qaedas leadership for moderation, and the bombings by his Iraqi minions in Jordan seem to indicate that he is now expanding his attacks outside Iraq. With bin Laden and Zawahiri in hiding, Zarqawi is emerging as al Qaedas most effective and prominent force. With the Iraq war providing a new training ground for waves of new Islamist terrorists and Zarqawis apparent willingness to begin striking American targets outside Iraq, it is time to worry about a resurgence of a more potent al Qaeda worldwide. This development could nullify many of the gains that were made against the organization in the aftermath of 9/11.
President Bush and his administration clearly used the publics post-September 11 fear and manipulated intelligence to sell an unrelated vendetta against Saddam Hussein at the expense of delivering a knockout punch to al Qaeda while it was on the ropes. Even worse, that sideshow has allowed al Qaeda to rise againthis time with an even more ruthless protagonist in the vanguard.
The president, in a partisan Veterans Day speech, however, lashed out at Democratic congressional critics of the war, alleging that they had seen the same intelligence as his administration and that they also had believed prior to the invasion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Although the Democrats do have partisan motives for criticizing the administrations manipulation of intelligence, the administrations claim is preposterous. The executive branch intelligence agencies dwarf the congressional staff and are responsible for collecting, analyzing, debating and disseminating the intelligence. Members of Congress and their staff do not see all of the intelligence, especially the raw inputs into the process. In addition, the imperial presidency has a much grander bully pulpit from which to twist and embellish facts about a war than do members of Congress.
Yet even some hawkish Democrats, such as Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), dismiss other Democrats concerns about being sold a bill of goods before the war by the massaging of intelligence. Lieberman asserted, Those arent irrelevant questions. But the more they dominate the public debate, the harder it is to sustain public support for the war. Perhaps public support for a dishonest war that has cost many lives (both U.S. and Iraqi) and hundreds of billions of dollars (and still counting), and has made the terrorism threat worse should not be sustained. To Lieberman and his ilk, both Democratic and Republican, sustaining a small counterinsurgency on the other side of the world is more important than answering a question that goes to the core of our constitutional system of checks and balances: Did the president deceive the Congress and the country into the most solemn decision a republic can make? It seems that he did, and in doing so, revived a terrorist monster to boot.
Ivan Eland is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at the Independent Institute. Dr. Eland is a graduate of Iowa State University and received an M.B.A. in applied economics and Ph.D. in national security policy from George Washington University. He spent 15 years working for Congress on national security issues, including stints as an investigator for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Principal Defense Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. |
Built Review
History
KAMAZ opened its doors in 1976. Today, heavy duty models are exported to many areas of the world including the CIS, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa. The trucks have won the Dakar Rally a record fourteen times. KAMAZ is the largest truck producer in Russia and the CIS. The factory produces 43,000 trucks a year (2014). Reinforced KAMAZ trucks are used by the Russian army.
Review
This is another one of the open the box and just the amount of plastic in the box, 'your eyes widen' then you see the detail in the plastic. ICM have taken the rule book on how to manufacture plastic model kits ripped it up and thrown it away and written a new one. First impressions are amazing, let's see if I am still saying this after I have tried building it!
So the start of the build had me a little confused, and it was minor, it was part of the chassis that looked like it needed to go into a frame the wrong way around, but two steps further on you could see the way it needed to be fitted. The detail on these parts was good though not likely to be seen again. Next stage has you building the winch which had such detail as a chain driven motor with its own chain and two sprockets. All of these parts are for the main chassis with some steel supports that will connect to the other side of the chassis.
As the build of the chassis continues so far with the main part of the chassis done, I am very impressed with the detail, the steel plate that secures the rear of the chassis is exactly what you would expect shape and detail. Being a more modern truck and having driven articulated lorries and fire engines, I have been underneath enough trucks to know that this one is pretty much all together. There is a stage at the beginning where you have an angle bar that goes across the rear drive part of the chassis please beware that this part has to be put in correctly? The diagram does not show it that well.
With the main part of the chassis done it is now time to start on the build of the engine this is a full engine and again I am so impressed by the level of detail of this kit. Starting off with the head both sides separate the detail and design are very good to add to this the manifold for each side, the next part is the engine block which once glued together various other engine components are placed to it. ICM have left nothing out on this engine so far with parts for an alternator and oil filter being just some of the parts included in this kit. When assembling the air filter and then placing it on the top of the head I found that the instructions were not as clear as they could be reference page 9 instruction 26 part number 25 which did not fit on the back part like it said.
Once complete the engine is full of detail and is one of the best that I have seen in plastic model form. Fixing the engine to the chassis was easier than it looked and is quite stable considering there is only one brace that runs underneath the sump of the engine. The last part of the engine was the exhaust pipe which I did drill out the end of the pipe for added realism; I applied several washes to the exhaust and then applied some pigment to show the rust build up.
The sides of the chassis adding such things as fuel tanks and battery boxes come next, the fuel tanks are moulded in two halves and two ends the detail is very good on these parts. Once all the parts are on the chassis it is the turn of the wheels, I made the wheels but did not put them on as it said to do, as I wanted to weather the chassis and around the drives before putting them on.
The interior of the cab is the next build section starting with the floor and adding the foot pedals and gear stick. The seats were well detailed and quite easy to put together, once done you then place them into the cab followed by the sides of the truck. The detail was very good and I very much enjoyed the overall look and looked forward to the build, however as more of the cab was built I started to have some issues.
The side of the cab that I had already placed into position had two thin seals that ran out to the front of the cab for the roof to sit. These were fragile and I lost how many times I had to repair them as they would break at what I will describe as a weak point in the mould. Just where the seals join the back of the top of the side of the cab was the spot for them to break frequently. Once the back of the cab is completed you had a bit more of a sturdy cab, the interior of the cab that sits on the front of the cab included the dashboard and instrument panels and two glove boxes. Detail wise it is ok and I am sure some aftermarket or a bit of scratch building will make it better. The final parts of the build for the cab are the glazing for the front screen. The last part is the roof now this really can be an issue as I found out myself, in the end, the roof fits over the top of the cab and needs just a little pressure to push it into place now this is where my issues started! I used Tamiya extra thin cement after pushing the roof down this made the glue run down the inside of the front screen and also onto the back of the cab window. Making it that I had to change the way I was going to present the truck.
The two doors came next, you have the option for the doors to be open or closed I chose the closed door option the interior of the door fits very well just in the wrong place now when you go to fit them they basically donít fit under the seal of the top of the cab. This took me some time to get it sorted and when I did there is still some issues with the door, it does not sit flush.
The back of the truck is not only very nicely detailed it was a pleasure to build and went together just like most of the kit and really does finish it off as a great truck from ICM. Once the back is assembled and mounted into place the next option is for the cab to be tilted displaying the engine now this is one that I would recommend as the detail on the engine is very high considering it comes without any photo etch.
Conclusion
Despite the issues that I had experienced, this is such a great kit detail wise and is a good build apart from the three issues that I experienced. The quality of work to get such great detail from the moulds is amazing; the engine is one of the best I have seen from ICM.
I might be slightly biased here as the subjects from ICM are some of my favourite Russian soft skins and planes, especially cold war offerings. I have been watching the steady rise of ICM and the way they are tackling the market, I believe that straight out of a box builds of most of their kits are right up there with some of the bigger manufacturers offerings and I believe there is still much more to come from the ICM label, watch this space.
SUMMARY
Highs: The detail on the engine is quite amazing as is the detail throughout the kit it is a great model.Lows: The three issues mentioned are all I can come up with here, the doors and not having a flush fit, the fragile seals on the cab sides and the roof with glue though I have to take some responsibility for that.Verdict: An all round great looking kit with plenty to build and a stunning engine make this a great buy. |
#pragma once
#include "Common.h"
namespace bff {
class SparseMatrix;
class DenseMatrix {
public:
// constructor
DenseMatrix(size_t m = 1, size_t n = 1);
// constructor
DenseMatrix(cholmod_dense *data);
// copy constructor
DenseMatrix(const DenseMatrix& B);
// assignment operators
DenseMatrix& operator=(cholmod_dense *data);
DenseMatrix& operator=(const DenseMatrix& B);
// destructor
~DenseMatrix();
// returns identity
static DenseMatrix identity(size_t m, size_t n = 1);
// returns ones
static DenseMatrix ones(size_t m, size_t n = 1);
// returns transpose
DenseMatrix transpose() const;
// returns number of rows
size_t nRows() const;
// returns number of columns
size_t nCols() const;
// returns norm. 0: Infinity, 1: 1-norm, 2: 2-norm. Note: 2-norm is only valid for row vectors
double norm(int norm) const;
// returns sum
double sum() const;
// returns mean
double mean() const;
// extracts submatrix in range [r0, r1) x [c0, c1)
DenseMatrix submatrix(size_t r0, size_t r1, size_t c0 = 0, size_t c1 = 1) const;
// extracts submatrix with specified row and column indices
DenseMatrix submatrix(const std::vector<int>& r, const std::vector<int>& c = {0}) const;
// returns a copy of the cholmod representation
cholmod_dense* copy() const;
// returns cholmod representation
cholmod_dense* toCholmod();
// math
friend DenseMatrix operator*(const DenseMatrix& A, double s);
friend DenseMatrix operator+(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix operator-(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix operator*(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix operator*(const SparseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& X);
friend DenseMatrix operator-(const DenseMatrix& A);
friend DenseMatrix& operator*=(DenseMatrix& A, double s);
friend DenseMatrix& operator+=(DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix& operator-=(DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
// access
double& operator()(size_t r, size_t c = 0);
double operator()(size_t r, size_t c = 0) const;
protected:
// clear
void clear();
// member
cholmod_dense *data;
};
// horizontal concat
DenseMatrix hcat(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
// vertical concat
DenseMatrix vcat(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
} // namespace bff
#include "DenseMatrix.inl"
|
Here are our must-see regular-season matchups for 2018-19, complete with plenty of rivalries, reunions, rookie showdowns and, of course, the biggest Los Angeles Lakers games of the season.
The 10 can't-miss games
76ers at Celtics | Oct. 16 | TNT
These Eastern Conference foes have revived a fantastic rivalry that dates back to the days of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. And they did so with a ton of talent on both sides, promising youth all around and enough bad blood to make their predecessors proud.
Over the course of the season, they'll be fighting each other -- and perhaps the Toronto Raptors -- for the East's No. 1 seed, and here's hoping that they meet deep in the playoffs with a shot at the Finals on the line.
Lakers at Trail Blazers | Oct. 18 | TNT
For years, the Lakers and their fans have dreamed of LeBron James donning purple and gold, and now they'll finally see that dream realized.
Forget that his Lakers debut comes on the road; simply the sight of him suiting up for Hollywood's team will make this game a must-see event, especially since it'll mark his first regular-season game alongside a, shall we say, "interesting" collection of new teammates. And Portland's Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will probably want to give James a warm welcome to the Western Conference, too.
Warriors at Rockets | Nov. 15 | TNT
"If only Chris Paul stayed healthy," Rockets fans will say. "If only Andre Iguodala had done the same," Warriors fans reply. Each of these West powers will bicker about last year's thrilling seven-game conference finals and how things might have been different had injuries not played such a key role. Maybe the Rockets could've closed it out? Or maybe the Warriors would've done so in only five games?
No matter, but the rematch will be even more interesting. Will Melo help the Rockets get over the Warriors hump? Or could he bury them along the way? Either way, one of these teams will likely make the Finals -- and have to somehow get through the other on their way there.
Lakers at Warriors | Christmas Day | ABC/ESPN
LeBron vs. the Warriors -- it never gets old. Three times in the past four years, James has found himself on the wrong side of the Warriors' rising dynasty. By moving to the West, James now has to face the Dubs twice as often in the regular season.
It might not be the same rivalry that it was when James was back in Cleveland and these teams met in four straight summers, but the history between James and the Warriors makes any matchup must-see TV.
Thunder at Rockets | Christmas Day | ABC
After an embarrassing first-round exit, the Thunder are looking to rebound and believe they will behind a Russell Westbrook-Paul George tandem that now has a full season under its belt. But the Rockets are still, despite a somewhat lackluster offseason, far ahead.
Regular-season matchups between these two foes could give us insight into whether the Thunder have closed the gap, or whether they are still stuck toward the middle (or bottom) of a sure-to-be-jumbled West playoff race.
76ers at Jazz | Dec. 27 | TNT
The hoodie statements should be fun before this showdown between Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, an honor Mitchell (and others) thinks should have an asterisk.
The game itself should be feisty between two rising contenders filled with top-tier young talent, but the Mitchell-Simmons feud will spice this one up even more.
Raptors at Spurs | Jan. 3 | TNT
After a nasty divorce, Kawhi Leonard makes his first return trip to San Antonio, where Spurs fans will be caught in a brutal dilemma. Do they honor their former star who helped deliver a title? Or do they remember the sour split?
Leonard was tabbed to be the bridge from the Big Three era to the next generation of Spurs greatness ... until it all went wrong and he was shipped to The North for DeMar DeRozan, who will have his own awkward reunion when the Spurs visit Toronto onFeb. 22. Wounds are still fresh on both sides. Can each side make amends?
Warriors at Celtics | Jan. 26 | ABC
An NBA Finals preview? With LeBron finally relinquishing his stranglehold on the East, the rising Celtics should emerge and have enough talent to topple Golden State.
All their matchups in recent years have been appointment television, with the Celtics emerging victorious several times. Now throw in a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and the Warriors have reason to sweat.
Lakers at Celtics | Feb. 7 | TNT
LeBron vs. Kyrie. Lakers vs. Celtics. What more do you need? These old rivals haven't had this much star power since they were duking it out in the 2008 and 2010 Finals. But the history between James and Irving will make this showdown even more lively
And if the Lakers add another star at the deadline, perhaps these longtime Finals foes might somehow meet again in June with a title on the line.
Warriors at Thunder | March 16 | ABC
The Warriors typically sleepwalk through the regular season, but few teams get their blood boiling before June like Russell Westbrook & Co. Ever since their epic 2016 Western Conference finals, this has been one of the league's top rivalries, and it won't lose any steam now that Paul George re-signed in OKC.
Will Thunder fans continue to boo their former NBA MVP, Kevin Durant? It doesn't seem the hatred has cooled off, even though this will mark the third season since KD walked away from the franchise that drafted him.
-- Baxter Holmes
LeBron James returns to Cleveland to visit the Cavaliers on Nov. 21. Michael F. McElroy for ESPN
More must-see Lakers games
Let's face it: All 82 games on the Lakers' schedule could be appointment viewing, but here is a quartet of the hardest-to-get tickets for LeBron's new squad.
Rockets at Lakers | Oct. 20 | ESPN
After watching its team debut in Portland, the city of Los Angeles gets its first up-close look at LeBron in Lakers gold. And Game No. 2 of the King James era is no cake walk.
After what should be a thrilling pregame show, the Lakers will find out whether they can hang with Houston in the West. Will Lance Stephenson be able to defend and agitate the likes of James Harden the way the Lakers' management envisioned earlier this summer? James gets his first crack at good friend Chris Paul in what will be one of many measuring-stick-type games for the revamped Lakers.
Lakers at Cavaliers | Nov. 21 | ESPN
LeBron returns home for the first time as a Laker, but he should be welcomed with applause and open arms after carrying the Cavs to the past four Finals.
James will be greeted by former coach Ty Lue and his old supporting cast -- one that was constantly maligned for not being good enough to help James win another ring and includes former Lakers Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, who surely will be looking to prove themselves in increased minutes.
Thunder at Lakers | Jan. 2 | ESPN
Paul George, who made it clear he wanted to be a Laker prior to last season, ended up not even giving Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka a meeting at the start of free agency. James still chose the Lakers without George and now will see whether his supporting cast is good enough to beat PG-13, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.
These two teams could be jockeying in the West standings all season long.
76ers at Lakers | Jan. 29 | TNT
Two of the most exciting teams square off, but this time with James as a Laker. James met with but spurned the Sixers for L.A., and Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will be motivated to show James what he turned down this summer.
Embiid destroyed the Lakers for 46 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 blocks in their first meeting at Staples Center last season, and Simmons nearly had a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds in the same game. Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart will certainly be eager to face the young Sixers.
-- Ohm Youngmisuk
Three teams later, Isaiah Thomas will finally get his reunion game in Boston against the Celtics. David Liam Kyle/Getty Images
Under-the-radar reunions
Sure, there are some obvious reunion games to circle on this year's NBA calendar, but here are a few more that deserve some love on the calendar:
Celtics at Jazz | Nov. 9 | ESPN
When the Celtics made their lone visit to Utah last season -- without an injured Gordon Hayward -- the Salt Lake Tribune ran a column with the headline, "Gordon who?" that anointed Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert the new kings of Utah.
A lot of Jazz fans remain bitter about Hayward's decision to sign in Boston, but will time heal old wounds? It will be fascinating to see what sort of reaction Hayward receives in his first game back in Utah.
Pistons at Clippers | Jan. 12
Blake Griffin will visit his former team for the first time since being shipped to Detroit in January. The Clippers will be practically unrecognizable to Griffin, but he'll still have plenty of motivation.
In the aftermath of the trade, he told The Undefeated that, "Coming [to Detroit] made me realize what a franchise looks like."
Hornets at Spurs | Jan. 14
After 17 seasons with the Spurs, Tony Parker makes his first trip to the AT&T Center as a visitor after signing with the Hornets this summer. It'll be an opportunity for Spurs fans to toast what Parker gave the team, including six All-Star appearances and four NBA titles.
While Kawhi's visit could get a little hostile, this one will be a pure celebration.
Nuggets at Celtics | March 18
More than a year after his jaw-dropping departure from Boston, Isaiah Thomas will finally get his Celtics video tribute.
You remember the kerfuffle earlier this year when the Celtics said that they would honor IT the same night as Paul Pierce's jersey retirement? Pierce balked, Thomas eventually ceded the floor to Pierce, and then the Cavaliers traded Thomas three days before Cleveland's final regular-season visit to Boston, rendering it all a moot point. Thomas, who signed with the Denver Nuggets this offseason, will finally get toasted for his 2½ thrilling years in green; expect a thunderous ovation for someone who played a major role in getting Boston where it is now.
Rockets at Hawks | March 19
There will be few dry eyes inside sparsely filled Philips Arena when the Hawks welcome back Carmelo Anthony, who spent five unforgettable days with the organization in July.
Anthony is collecting $25.5 million from the Hawks, or roughly the same amount that Trae Young will make over the first four years of his rookie deal.
Best rookie showdowns
Mavericks at Suns | Oct. 17 | ESPN
Some draft observers believe Luka Doncic will become the best player from the 2018 NBA draft. This early-season, national TV matchup against Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick, will be his first opportunity to prove that theory correct.
Mavericks at Hawks | Oct. 24 | ESPN
Trae Young and Doncic will be linked to one another for a long time thanks to the Mavs-Hawks draft-night trade in which Dallas gave up a protected pick to moving up two spots for the Slovenian guard. They have vastly different frames, but both rookies boast elite court vision and can shoot from distance. Let the debate begin.
Suns at Kings | Feb. 10
It's always entertaining when the top two picks in a draft face-off for the first time. This game should be no different. Marvin Bagley III made it clear prior to the draft that he felt disrespected by those who thought Ayton should be taken No. 1 over him. |
#include "EXTERN.h"
#include "perl.h"
#include "XSUB.h"
#include "ppport.h"
extern int (*p5embed_create_LoS)(int,SV**);
MODULE = Niecza PACKAGE = Niecza
SV*
create_LoS(SV* arg)
CODE:
AV* array = SvRV(arg);
int len = av_len(array)+1;
int i = 0;
SV** svs = malloc(sizeof(SV*) * len);
for (i=0;i<len;i++) {
SV** ptr = av_fetch(array,i,0);
svs[i] = *ptr;
}
int LoS = p5embed_create_LoS(len,svs);
SV* pointer = newSViv(PTR2IV(LoS));
SV* object = newRV_noinc(pointer);
HV* class = gv_stashpv("Niecza::Object", 0);
sv_bless(object, class);
RETVAL = object;
OUTPUT:
RETVAL
|
Accuracy of manual QRS duration assessment: its importance in patient selection for cardiac resynchronization and implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy.
Patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and electrocardiographic QRS duration (QRSd) >or=120 ms may obtain symptomatic and prognostic benefits from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, clinical trials do not describe the methods used to measure QRSd. We investigated the effect of electrocardiogram (ECG) display format and paper speed on the accuracy of manual QRSd assessment and concordance of manual QRSd with computer-calculated mean and maximal QRSd. Six cardiologists undertook QRSd measurements on ECGs, with computer-calculated mean QRSd close to 120 ms. Display formats were 12-lead, 6-limb, and 6-precordial leads, each at 25 and 50 mm/s. When the computer-calculated mean was used to define QRSd, manual assessment demonstrated 97 and 83% concordance at categorizing QRSd as < and >or=120 ms, respectively. Using the computer-calculated maximal QRSd, manual assessment demonstrated 83% concordance when QRSd was <120 ms and 19% concordance when QRSd was >or=120 ms. The six-precordial lead format demonstrated significantly less intra and inter-observer variabilities than the 12-lead, but this did not improve concordance rates. Manual QRSd assessments demonstrate significant variability, and concordance with computer-calculated measurement depends on whether QRSd is defined as the mean or maximal value. Consensus is required both on the most appropriate definition of QRSd and its measurement. |
NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION.
UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL
AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE.
IN THE
ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS
DIVISION ONE
STATE OF ARIZONA, Appellee,
v.
FREDDIE GENE CRUZ, Appellant.
No. 1 CA-CR 14-0272
FILED 6-4-2015
Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County
No. CR 2013-426904-001
The Honorable Carolyn K. Passamonte, Judge Pro Tem
AFFIRMED
COUNSEL
Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Phoenix
By Eliza Ybarra
Counsel for Appellee
The Hopkins Law Office, P.C., Tucson
By Cedric Martin Hopkins
Counsel for Appellant
STATE v. CRUZ
Decision of the Court
MEMORANDUM DECISION
Presiding Judge Margaret H. Downie delivered the decision of the Court,
in which Judge Kenton D. Jones and Judge Jon W. Thompson joined.
D O W N I E, Judge:
¶1 Freddie Gene Cruz appeals his convictions and sentences for
possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He
contends the superior court erred by denying his suppression motion.
Finding no error, we affirm.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY1
¶2 Officer Baynes stopped Cruz for riding his bicycle through
an alley, using it as a thoroughfare in violation of the Phoenix City Code.
Officer Baynes requested identification, which Cruz provided. The officer
asked whether Cruz was on probation or parole. Cruz responded he was
not, but stated he “had court the next day for a possession charge.”
Officer Baynes inquired whether Cruz had drugs in his possession, which
Cruz denied. The officer then asked whether Cruz “had any pipes,
needles, or weapons,” which Cruz also denied. Officer Baynes asked Cruz
for permission to search him, and Cruz consented.
¶3 The officer found a small piece of plastic in Cruz’s pocket
that “appeared to be used as a makeshift baggie.” Officer Baynes asked
what was inside the baggie, and Cruz replied it was “cocaine or meth
dust.” At that point, Cruz was arrested and read his Miranda rights. After
the arrest, Cruz told Officer Baynes that there was a syringe in a black bag
1 Our factual recitation is based on Cruz’s motion to suppress
because there was no evidentiary hearing, and the appellate record
includes no written response. Although the parties discuss testimony that
was presented at trial, we do not consider that evidence because it was not
before the superior court when it ruled on the suppression motion. Cf.
State v. Spears, 184 Ariz. 277, 284, 908 P.2d 1062, 1069 (1996) (“In reviewing
the denial of a motion to suppress, this court looks only at the evidence
presented to the trial court during the suppression hearing.”).
2
STATE v. CRUZ
Decision of the Court
on his bicycle’s handlebars. The officer searched the bag and found “loose
methamphetamine” and a used syringe.
¶4 Cruz was charged with one count of possession or use of
dangerous drugs and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Prior to trial, he moved to suppress all statements made to Officer Baynes
before receiving Miranda warnings, as well as all evidence seized as a
result of those statements. The superior court denied the motion without
conducting an evidentiary hearing. Cf. State v. Peterson, 228 Ariz. 405, 408,
¶ 9, 267 P.3d 1197, 1200 (App. 2011) (defendant must state prima facie case
for suppression to be entitled to a hearing).2
¶5 At trial, Cruz was convicted on both counts and was
sentenced to concurrent terms of 10 and 5 years in prison. He timely
appealed. We have jurisdiction pursuant to Article 6, Section 9, of the
Arizona Constitution, and Arizona Revised Statutes (“A.R.S.”) sections
12-120.21(A)(1), 13-4031, and -4033(A)(1).
DICUSSION
¶6 Cruz’s sole contention on appeal is that he “was in custody
and asked incriminating questions without being read his Miranda rights.”
We review the trial court’s denial of a motion to suppress for an abuse of
discretion. State v. Jacot, 235 Ariz. 224, 227, ¶ 9, 330 P.3d 981, 984 (App.
2014). We defer to any factual determinations by the trial court but review
its legal conclusions de novo. State v. Olm, 223 Ariz. 429, 432, ¶ 7, 224 P.3d
245, 248 (App. 2010).
¶7 In his suppression motion, Cruz acknowledged that Officer
Baynes stopped him “for improper use of an alley as a thoroughfare,” in
violation of the Phoenix City Code. And Cruz concedes on appeal that
“interrogation relating to one’s identify or a request for identification by
the police does not, by itself, constitute a Fourth Amendment seizure.” He
argues, though, that the permissible encounter with Officer Baynes
“morphed into a seizure” when the officer sought consent to search him
and, “[i]f not at that moment, then, without question . . . when Baynes
actually searched” Cruz. We disagree.
2 Cruz has not challenged the superior court’s decision not to hold an
evidentiary hearing.
3
STATE v. CRUZ
Decision of the Court
¶8 “Miranda’s procedural safeguards apply only to custodial
interrogation.” State v. Smith, 193 Ariz. 452, 457, ¶ 18, 974 P.2d 431, 436
(1999). Police officers may generally ask questions of an individual,
including requesting consent to search, without implicating Fourth
Amendment seizure concerns. See Florida v. Rodriguez, 469 U.S. 1, 5-6
(1984); I.N.S. v. Delgado, 466 U.S. 210, 216 (1984) (“[P]olice questioning, by
itself, is unlikely to result in a Fourth Amendment violation.”); Ohio v.
Robinette, 519 U.S. 33, 35-36 (1996) (officer conducting traffic stop may ask
driver questions and seek permission to search); State v. Teagle, 217 Ariz.
17, 23, ¶ 23, 170 P.3d 266, 272 (App. 2007) (officer may ask questions
unrelated to traffic stop); cf. State v. Acinelli, 191 Ariz. 66, 70, 952 P.2d 304,
308 (App. 1997) (search is not inherently non-consensual simply because
officer asks permission to conduct it). Miranda warnings become
necessary “when police have both reasonable grounds to believe that a
crime has been committed and reasonable grounds to believe that the
person they are questioning is the one who committed it.” State v. Pettit,
194 Ariz. 192, 195, ¶ 15, 979 P.2d 5, 8 (App. 1998). Before that point,
“[n]eutral, nonaccusatory questioning in furtherance of a proper
preliminary investigation is permissible under Miranda.” Id. at ¶ 16.
¶9 These legal tenets make clear that Officer Baynes did not
take Cruz into custody simply by seeking permission to search him or by
conducting a consensual search. It was not until Cruz advised that the
makeshift baggie found on his person contained “cocaine or meth dust”
that Officer Baynes had reasonable grounds to believe Cruz had
committed a crime. It was at that point that the officer placed Cruz under
arrest and read him Miranda warnings. Cruz’s suppression motion did
not allege force by the officer, an overt show of authority, a statement that
he was not free to leave, or an edict that Cruz must submit to a search.
See, e.g., United States v. Drayton, 536 U.S. 194, 206-07 (2002) (“The Court
has rejected in specific terms the suggestion that police officers must
always inform citizens of their right to refuse when seeking permission to
conduct a warrantless consent search.”); State v. Carter, 145 Ariz. 101, 105-
06, 700 P.2d 488, 492-93 (1985) (absence of handcuffs or demonstration of
force supports determination defendant was not in custody). Under these
circumstances, the court did not err by denying the suppression motion.
4
STATE v. CRUZ
Decision of the Court
CONCLUSION
¶10 We affirm Cruz’s convictions and sentences.
:ama
5
|
Awesome Vid... I haven't been down to the 360 in a couple of years... Are they still clampin down on wake size on LA?
petrie141
06-22-2013 8:42 PM
Nice riding! Hope to see you out there, we ride lake austin just about every weekend. We're in the 99 vlx it's off white with blue stripe and back tower.
kevinbreweratx
06-22-2013 10:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by petrie141
(Post 1829460)
Nice riding! Hope to see you out there, we ride lake austin just about every weekend. We're in the 99 vlx it's off white with blue stripe and back tower.
For sure, I'm usually on a blue supra or a white tigé, hope I see y'all out there
kevinbreweratx
06-22-2013 10:53 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pad1Tai
(Post 1829457)
Awesome Vid... I haven't been down to the 360 in a couple of years... Are they still clampin down on wake size on LA?
Not that I've seen, wakes have been bigger then ever
petrie141
06-23-2013 5:59 AM
I didn't know it was national surf day, but we were out on Lake Austin as well. Not the same skill level as the person above, but fun non the less. We were riding a behemoth soft top in these videos, but I've got an inland surfer on the way!
I didn't know it was national surf day, but we were out on Lake Austin as well. Not the same skill level as the person above, but fun non the less. We were riding a behemoth soft top in these videos, but I've got an inland surfer on the way! |
Learning The “Secrets” of Removals
For those who are looking forward to finding the best biohazard cleanup company, you need to know you are on the right track. This is why it is best for you to consider and read the following items. Make sure you read along as we discussed and talk about the various specifics that matter when choosing a credible biohazard cleanup company.
Right off the bat, there are so many things you may stumble of fun and all of these are likely to make you confused. With that in mind, it clearly is important that you know the things that really count. The first thing that you need to consider is to make sure that the biohazard cleanup company is certified by the state.
For you to choose the right biohazard cleanup company, they should have a number of certifications. The most important certificate that the biohazard cleanup company should have is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA. This is a great way to confirm and ensure that the biohazard cleanup company your choosing is capable of delivering quality standard services. This should also confirm that the place you want to have restores will be handled in a very specific and safe manner. It should also confirm that the employees will be handled safely throughout the duration.
The biohazard cleanup company should also be State Environmental Agency Compliant and has EPA. Being able to have these things confirmed ensure that you will be provided with quality service that also confirms and ensures they are certified to handle asbestos, bloodborne pathogens, personal protective equipment, and the related.
As much as possible, you want to make sure that you will choose a biohazard cleanup company that has credible years of experience. It is very important that you need to have this confirmed as a means to secure that they are able to provide a quality detailed job.
One thing do you need to specifically check and confirm is to make sure that they handle the type of cleaning professionally. Don’t choose just about any biohazard cleanup company can find since there are so many options for you to choose from.
It is also very important that the biohazard cleanup company is able to show professionalism. This can be checked and confirmed if you are to check and visit their reviews and feedback. It will definitely be in your best interest if you check their website and their social media accounts for feedback.
Follow the guides we have included in this article and check the contents will find on their website. It should give you the assurance that your selection is according to your needs. |
Paleovalley Articles: category
Do you ever suffer from cravings that make it seem IMPOSSIBLE to make healthful decisions?
If so, I've got some timely tricks up my sleeve that may be exactly what you need to get back in the swing of things post Halloween-candy-craziness. They're also for those of you who are just making the (often craving-ridden) transition to a paleo way of life.
But before we get into how to beat cravings, I think it's important to remember that NOT all cravings are created equal. In fact some cravings are actually a GOOD thing.
Do you believe that all stress is bad? Do you make extreme efforts to eliminate stressful situations, jobs, and people from your life? If you answered yes, then you might be doing yourself more harm than good.
This ONE high quality food has many benefits. Studies have shown it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension, metabolic indicators of stress, and waist circumference, among other benefits.
Is drinking a glass of wine before bed actually helpful in weight loss? A 13-year Harvard University study of 20,000 women found that those who drank half a bottle of wine a day had a 70 percent reduced risk of obesity compared to non-drinkers. |
It's OK
The air came out of this filter does not have a freshy feel like those I seen at local store. It has smell of new plastic, i dont like that smeel from the air. If you have test these at local store you know what I mean by feel the fresh air. |
Pricing and capacity are only better in the US and Western Europe, because more users can afford PCs and internet. More customers means more people to spread the costs that the ISP makes. The "price per unit" drops significantly if the userbase gets bigger.
Click to expand...
How do you explain the speeds and prices in nordic countries then? I'm sure the internet userbase of Mexico alone surpasses the entire population of Sweden and Finland combined, so I don't agree with what you say. Supossedly by the end of this year we'll have optic fiber and our speeds will double for free. I hope it's true. Anyway, thanks for anwering.
The download speed is trivial for home users once you hit 100Mbps or so for now, but the egress speeds are what is important to most "power users". The ingress traffic is extremely cheap to your ISP. That's why you might get 50Mbps ingress and only 5Mbps egress. Nothing beats having a pure 1Gbps uplink that comes from over 100Gbps of bgp'd fiber. If only I could have Cogent install a loop back to my home from a gig port at the DC...... |
AFD Coming Soon: Is TV Ready?
WASHINGTONOne of the the most talked about issues at this year’s NAB Show was AFD, or Active Format Description. AFD is a means by which any TV program is “flagged” with information instructing an encoder or TV set on how to frame the image. It is, many say, a vital ingredient as the digital transition approaches, for AFD will allow producers, networks and local stations to frame a given program (or even a segment of a program or commercial) as a letterboxed or center-cut image on a standard definition set. It also has implications for HD screens in how they will present 4:3 images.
(For a more detailed explanation of AFD, how it works and what it accomplishes, see Jerry Whitaker’s ATSC Update: “Using AFD to Resolve Aspect Ratio Discrepancy,” in the July 12, 2006, issue of TV Technology.)
STANDARD SUPPORT
Today, all the standards and recommendations are in place. SMPTE 2016-1 outlines AFD for production. ATSC A/53, Part 4 covers transmission. And the CEA’s CEB16 makes recommendations for consumer products.
More and more products are appearing in the marketplace to support AFD. and the FCC issued what is being called its 2007 “New Year’s Eve Report and Order,” which strongly suggests voluntary compliance with the standard among broadcasters.
“The food chain is complete, end-to-end,” said Patrick Waddell manager of standards and regulatory issues for Harmonic, who chairs ATSC TSG/S6 on video/audio encoding. “The infamous ‘postage stamp’ [the TV image shown with black bars on both top and bottom] will increasingly become something of the past.”
AFD allows the aspect ratio of a TV image to be changed from 16:9 to 4:3—and even to 14:9 at the receiver. Data can be added to the signal as early as at the camera, or as late as at the point of encoding for broadcast. Cable and satellite services can “read” the signal and pass the appropriate framing to both HD and SD customers. And consumer receivers and converter boxes can use the data to provide the optimal aspect ratio for the home TV set.
While AFD allows for changing aspect ratio on nearly a frame-by-frame basis (it actually works with GOP), most see it being used for individual programs. For example, a show produced and broadcast in 16:9 would be seen in widescreen on HD receivers and could automatically be cropped to 4:3 for standard definition receivers, or the AFD could tell the receiver to show it in letterbox on those SD sets.
(click thumbnail)As NAB’s Graham Jones who chairs the ATSC Planning Committee explains, “if a format converter changes 4:3 to 16:9 and adds bars on each side, the format converter will automatically insert the AFD.” This tells SD receivers to drop the “pillar bars” and fill the screen.
“A broadcaster can signal that this is 4:3 protected, so the 4:3 set takes a center cut,” Allison said. “It can signal, ‘no, this has stuff in the edges, so I want you to letterbox it on a 4:3.’”
NOT UNIVERSAL JUST YET
While AFD exists in more and more equipment, it is still far from being broadly implemented and, at this point, is not being delivered to MSOs, satellite providers, or consumer TV sets. AFD was not required to be included in the first generation of the government-sponsored digital converter boxes.
At this point many believe AFD is vital; others disagree.
NBC Universal has been at the forefront of demonstrating, explaining and implementing AFD internally.
“As it stands right now, we [NBC] are originating and using AFD in all our HD-originated content,” said Ian Trombley, executive vice president for Media Distribution Services. “We’ve been doing this since 2005.”
NBC Universal teamed with Miranda for a highly visible demonstration at the 2008 NAB Show, and an “AFD Ready Initiative” has been launched by NBC Universal, Hearst-Argyle Television and Tribune Broadcasting Co. To date, more than 20 manufacturers have announced support for the initiative.
“The digital transition exposes a whole lot of interesting dilemmas,” Trombley said. “This is about showing the industry more solidarity around the concept of the adoption of AFD.”
Brian Markwalter, vice president of technology and standards for the Consumer Electronics Association agrees. “Broadcasters have figured out there is an obvious benefit to them,” he said. “CEA has released a bulletin of recommended practices and at this point, it’s up to the broadcasters to start sending [AFD] and receiver manufacturers to start putting it in.”
THERE ARE SKEPTICS
But not everyone believes that AFD is the answer to SD/HD, 4:3/16:9 framing issues. Bob Seidel, vice president of engineering and advanced television for CBS Corp., said there are no plans to implement AFD in CBS or CW programming. In fact, if a program is provided to the networks with AFD flags, “We’ll probably strip it out, just because we can’t predict what will happen,” he said.
Instead, CBS is telling its advertisers and program suppliers that all of the HD content they deliver must be protected for a 4:3 centercut.
NBC Universal is making the same request. “We’ve made the decision that to protect our consumers, to protect our advertisers, to protect the program content, we’re going to adopt a near-term strategy of going center cut,” Trombley said. “We want to make sure that everyone is protected going through this.”
“If we don’t start adopting AFD now, then we’ll never be able to make a good conversion to this process in a year or two,” he said.
Bruce Jacobs, chief technologist for Twin Cities Public Television, also agrees that there’s “a lot of benefit” with AFD. However, PBS is looking at letterboxing for short-term conversion.
“Most of our HD content was presumed letterbox,” Jacobs said. “Even Newshour is produced assuming letterbox downconversion with graphics all the way out to the edges.”
Jacobs said the industry can benefit greatly by using it internally. “And there is a lot of benefit for distribution from networks to stations when a show needs to be downconverted,” he said.
At this juncture, it appears that education is as much a goal of AFD proponents as is implementation.
“Last year, when you talked about AFD, they never heard of it,” Jacobs said.
However awareness of AFD has grown dramatically, especially as a result of this year’s NAB Show. But that awareness is far from universal.
“It’s a learning process,” Jones said. “We’re at the beginning of the learning curve.”
According to FCC regulations, all 25-to-35-inch TV sets sold to hotels and other lodging establishments in the United States must include digital tuners by March 1, 2006. In accordance, LG Electronics introduced three DTV products this week at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York City. The
Europe has set its sights on bringing HD to TV viewers with Euro1080, a new satellite TV channel that will start broadcasting only in HD throughout the continent on Jan. 1, 2004. Supporting the start-up of the channel is Alfacam, which manufactures HD production trucks in Europe. Euro1080 officials said the channel wi
Multimedia retailer QVC said it will ramp up an HD simulcast of its SD broadcast feed by early 2008, calling it “the next logical step” as a means to enhance the attraction of its various products offered to viewers. |
UpStart Review
UpStart is a form of peer to peer lending that allows clients to borrow money from others. P2P lending is gaining in popularity as traditional financial institutions are making it increasingly difficult to get approved for funding. However, their loan agreement terms remain rather challenging for applicants with poor credit as a minimum credit score of 620 is required. Loans range from $1,000 to $50,000 making them highly versatile and the loan duration varies from 3 to 5 years. No prepayment penalties occur in case you wish to pay off the loan at a sooner time. |
/*
* Copyright 2015 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
*
* Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
* copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
* to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
* the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
* and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
* Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
*
* The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
* all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
*
* THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
* IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
* FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
* THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER(S) OR AUTHOR(S) BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR
* OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE,
* ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR
* OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
*
*/
#include <linux/types.h>
#include <linux/kernel.h>
#include <linux/slab.h>
#include <linux/gfp.h>
#include "linux/delay.h"
#include "cgs_common.h"
#include "smu/smu_8_0_d.h"
#include "smu/smu_8_0_sh_mask.h"
#include "smu8.h"
#include "smu8_fusion.h"
#include "cz_smumgr.h"
#include "cz_ppsmc.h"
#include "smu_ucode_xfer_cz.h"
#include "gca/gfx_8_0_d.h"
#include "gca/gfx_8_0_sh_mask.h"
#include "smumgr.h"
#define SIZE_ALIGN_32(x) (((x) + 31) / 32 * 32)
static enum cz_scratch_entry firmware_list[] = {
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_SDMA0,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_SDMA1,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_CE,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_PFP,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_ME,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_G,
};
static int cz_smum_get_argument(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
return cgs_read_register(smumgr->device,
mmSMU_MP1_SRBM2P_ARG_0);
}
static int cz_send_msg_to_smc_async(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
uint16_t msg)
{
int result = 0;
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
result = SMUM_WAIT_FIELD_UNEQUAL(smumgr,
SMU_MP1_SRBM2P_RESP_0, CONTENT, 0);
if (result != 0) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] cz_send_msg_to_smc_async failed\n");
return result;
}
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmSMU_MP1_SRBM2P_RESP_0, 0);
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmSMU_MP1_SRBM2P_MSG_0, msg);
return 0;
}
/* Send a message to the SMC, and wait for its response.*/
static int cz_send_msg_to_smc(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr, uint16_t msg)
{
int result = 0;
result = cz_send_msg_to_smc_async(smumgr, msg);
if (result != 0)
return result;
result = SMUM_WAIT_FIELD_UNEQUAL(smumgr,
SMU_MP1_SRBM2P_RESP_0, CONTENT, 0);
if (result != 0)
return result;
return 0;
}
static int cz_set_smc_sram_address(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
uint32_t smc_address, uint32_t limit)
{
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
if (0 != (3 & smc_address)) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] SMC address must be 4 byte aligned\n");
return -1;
}
if (limit <= (smc_address + 3)) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] SMC address beyond the SMC RAM area\n");
return -1;
}
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmMP0PUB_IND_INDEX_0,
SMN_MP1_SRAM_START_ADDR + smc_address);
return 0;
}
static int cz_write_smc_sram_dword(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
uint32_t smc_address, uint32_t value, uint32_t limit)
{
int result;
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
result = cz_set_smc_sram_address(smumgr, smc_address, limit);
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmMP0PUB_IND_DATA_0, value);
return 0;
}
static int cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
uint16_t msg, uint32_t parameter)
{
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmSMU_MP1_SRBM2P_ARG_0, parameter);
return cz_send_msg_to_smc(smumgr, msg);
}
static int cz_request_smu_load_fw(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)(smumgr->backend);
int result = 0;
uint32_t smc_address;
if (!smumgr->reload_fw) {
printk(KERN_INFO "[ powerplay ] skip reloading...\n");
return 0;
}
smc_address = SMU8_FIRMWARE_HEADER_LOCATION +
offsetof(struct SMU8_Firmware_Header, UcodeLoadStatus);
cz_write_smc_sram_dword(smumgr, smc_address, 0, smc_address+4);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_DriverDramAddrHi,
cz_smu->toc_buffer.mc_addr_high);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_DriverDramAddrLo,
cz_smu->toc_buffer.mc_addr_low);
cz_send_msg_to_smc(smumgr, PPSMC_MSG_InitJobs);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_ExecuteJob,
cz_smu->toc_entry_aram);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr, PPSMC_MSG_ExecuteJob,
cz_smu->toc_entry_power_profiling_index);
result = cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_ExecuteJob,
cz_smu->toc_entry_initialize_index);
return result;
}
static int cz_check_fw_load_finish(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
uint32_t firmware)
{
int i;
uint32_t index = SMN_MP1_SRAM_START_ADDR +
SMU8_FIRMWARE_HEADER_LOCATION +
offsetof(struct SMU8_Firmware_Header, UcodeLoadStatus);
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
return cgs_read_register(smumgr->device,
mmSMU_MP1_SRBM2P_ARG_0);
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmMP0PUB_IND_INDEX, index);
for (i = 0; i < smumgr->usec_timeout; i++) {
if (firmware ==
(cgs_read_register(smumgr->device, mmMP0PUB_IND_DATA) & firmware))
break;
udelay(1);
}
if (i >= smumgr->usec_timeout) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] SMU check loaded firmware failed.\n");
return -EINVAL;
}
return 0;
}
static int cz_load_mec_firmware(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
uint32_t reg_data;
uint32_t tmp;
int ret = 0;
struct cgs_firmware_info info = {0};
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu;
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
ret = cgs_get_firmware_info(smumgr->device,
CGS_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC, &info);
if (ret)
return -EINVAL;
/* Disable MEC parsing/prefetching */
tmp = cgs_read_register(smumgr->device,
mmCP_MEC_CNTL);
tmp = SMUM_SET_FIELD(tmp, CP_MEC_CNTL, MEC_ME1_HALT, 1);
tmp = SMUM_SET_FIELD(tmp, CP_MEC_CNTL, MEC_ME2_HALT, 1);
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmCP_MEC_CNTL, tmp);
tmp = cgs_read_register(smumgr->device,
mmCP_CPC_IC_BASE_CNTL);
tmp = SMUM_SET_FIELD(tmp, CP_CPC_IC_BASE_CNTL, VMID, 0);
tmp = SMUM_SET_FIELD(tmp, CP_CPC_IC_BASE_CNTL, ATC, 0);
tmp = SMUM_SET_FIELD(tmp, CP_CPC_IC_BASE_CNTL, CACHE_POLICY, 0);
tmp = SMUM_SET_FIELD(tmp, CP_CPC_IC_BASE_CNTL, MTYPE, 1);
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmCP_CPC_IC_BASE_CNTL, tmp);
reg_data = smu_lower_32_bits(info.mc_addr) &
SMUM_FIELD_MASK(CP_CPC_IC_BASE_LO, IC_BASE_LO);
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmCP_CPC_IC_BASE_LO, reg_data);
reg_data = smu_upper_32_bits(info.mc_addr) &
SMUM_FIELD_MASK(CP_CPC_IC_BASE_HI, IC_BASE_HI);
cgs_write_register(smumgr->device, mmCP_CPC_IC_BASE_HI, reg_data);
return 0;
}
static int cz_start_smu(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
int ret = 0;
uint32_t fw_to_check = UCODE_ID_RLC_G_MASK |
UCODE_ID_SDMA0_MASK |
UCODE_ID_SDMA1_MASK |
UCODE_ID_CP_CE_MASK |
UCODE_ID_CP_ME_MASK |
UCODE_ID_CP_PFP_MASK |
UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1_MASK |
UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2_MASK;
cz_request_smu_load_fw(smumgr);
cz_check_fw_load_finish(smumgr, fw_to_check);
ret = cz_load_mec_firmware(smumgr);
if (ret)
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Mec Firmware load failed\n");
return ret;
}
static uint8_t cz_translate_firmware_enum_to_arg(
enum cz_scratch_entry firmware_enum)
{
uint8_t ret = 0;
switch (firmware_enum) {
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_SDMA0:
ret = UCODE_ID_SDMA0;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_SDMA1:
ret = UCODE_ID_SDMA1;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_CE:
ret = UCODE_ID_CP_CE;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_PFP:
ret = UCODE_ID_CP_PFP;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_ME:
ret = UCODE_ID_CP_ME;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1:
ret = UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2:
ret = UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_GMCON_RENG:
ret = UCODE_ID_GMCON_RENG;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_G:
ret = UCODE_ID_RLC_G;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SCRATCH:
ret = UCODE_ID_RLC_SCRATCH;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_ARAM:
ret = UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_ARAM;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_DRAM:
ret = UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_DRAM;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_DMCU_ERAM:
ret = UCODE_ID_DMCU_ERAM;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_DMCU_IRAM:
ret = UCODE_ID_DMCU_IRAM;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_POWER_PROFILING:
ret = TASK_ARG_INIT_MM_PWR_LOG;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_DATA_ID_SDMA_HALT:
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_DATA_ID_SYS_CLOCKGATING:
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_DATA_ID_SDMA_RING_REGS:
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_DATA_ID_NONGFX_REINIT:
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_DATA_ID_SDMA_START:
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_DATA_ID_IH_REGISTERS:
ret = TASK_ARG_REG_MMIO;
break;
case CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_SMU8_FUSION_CLKTABLE:
ret = TASK_ARG_INIT_CLK_TABLE;
break;
}
return ret;
}
static enum cgs_ucode_id cz_convert_fw_type_to_cgs(uint32_t fw_type)
{
enum cgs_ucode_id result = CGS_UCODE_ID_MAXIMUM;
switch (fw_type) {
case UCODE_ID_SDMA0:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_SDMA0;
break;
case UCODE_ID_SDMA1:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_SDMA1;
break;
case UCODE_ID_CP_CE:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_CP_CE;
break;
case UCODE_ID_CP_PFP:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_CP_PFP;
break;
case UCODE_ID_CP_ME:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_CP_ME;
break;
case UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1;
break;
case UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2;
break;
case UCODE_ID_RLC_G:
result = CGS_UCODE_ID_RLC_G;
break;
default:
break;
}
return result;
}
static int cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(
struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
enum cz_scratch_entry fw_enum,
uint8_t type, bool is_last)
{
uint8_t i;
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
struct TOC *toc = (struct TOC *)cz_smu->toc_buffer.kaddr;
struct SMU_Task *task = &toc->tasks[cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count++];
task->type = type;
task->arg = cz_translate_firmware_enum_to_arg(fw_enum);
task->next = is_last ? END_OF_TASK_LIST : cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
for (i = 0; i < cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length; i++)
if (cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].firmware_ID == fw_enum)
break;
if (i >= cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Invalid Firmware Type\n");
return -EINVAL;
}
task->addr.low = cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].mc_addr_low;
task->addr.high = cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].mc_addr_high;
task->size_bytes = cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].data_size;
if (CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_DATA_ID_IH_REGISTERS == fw_enum) {
struct cz_ih_meta_data *pIHReg_restore =
(struct cz_ih_meta_data *)cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].kaddr;
pIHReg_restore->command =
METADATA_CMD_MODE0 | METADATA_PERFORM_ON_LOAD;
}
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(
struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
enum cz_scratch_entry fw_enum,
bool is_last)
{
uint8_t i;
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
struct TOC *toc = (struct TOC *)cz_smu->toc_buffer.kaddr;
struct SMU_Task *task = &toc->tasks[cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count++];
task->type = TASK_TYPE_UCODE_LOAD;
task->arg = cz_translate_firmware_enum_to_arg(fw_enum);
task->next = is_last ? END_OF_TASK_LIST : cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
for (i = 0; i < cz_smu->driver_buffer_length; i++)
if (cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].firmware_ID == fw_enum)
break;
if (i >= cz_smu->driver_buffer_length) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Invalid Firmware Type\n");
return -EINVAL;
}
task->addr.low = cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].mc_addr_low;
task->addr.high = cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].mc_addr_high;
task->size_bytes = cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].data_size;
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_construct_toc_for_rlc_aram_save(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
cz_smu->toc_entry_aram = cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_ARAM,
TASK_TYPE_UCODE_SAVE, true);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_initialize_toc_empty_job_list(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
int i;
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
struct TOC *toc = (struct TOC *)cz_smu->toc_buffer.kaddr;
for (i = 0; i < NUM_JOBLIST_ENTRIES; i++)
toc->JobList[i] = (uint8_t)IGNORE_JOB;
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_construct_toc_for_vddgfx_enter(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
struct TOC *toc = (struct TOC *)cz_smu->toc_buffer.kaddr;
toc->JobList[JOB_GFX_SAVE] = (uint8_t)cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SCRATCH,
TASK_TYPE_UCODE_SAVE, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_DRAM,
TASK_TYPE_UCODE_SAVE, true);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_construct_toc_for_vddgfx_exit(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
struct TOC *toc = (struct TOC *)cz_smu->toc_buffer.kaddr;
toc->JobList[JOB_GFX_RESTORE] = (uint8_t)cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_CE, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_PFP, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_ME, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_G, false);
/* populate scratch */
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SCRATCH,
TASK_TYPE_UCODE_LOAD, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_ARAM,
TASK_TYPE_UCODE_LOAD, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_DRAM,
TASK_TYPE_UCODE_LOAD, true);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_construct_toc_for_power_profiling(
struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
cz_smu->toc_entry_power_profiling_index = cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_POWER_PROFILING,
TASK_TYPE_INITIALIZE, true);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_construct_toc_for_bootup(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
cz_smu->toc_entry_initialize_index = cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_SDMA0, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_SDMA1, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_CE, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_PFP, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_ME, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT1, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_CP_MEC_JT2, false);
cz_smu_populate_single_ucode_load_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_G, true);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_construct_toc_for_clock_table(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
cz_smu->toc_entry_clock_table = cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count;
cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_task(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_SMU8_FUSION_CLKTABLE,
TASK_TYPE_INITIALIZE, true);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_construct_toc(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
cz_smu->toc_entry_used_count = 0;
cz_smu_initialize_toc_empty_job_list(smumgr);
cz_smu_construct_toc_for_rlc_aram_save(smumgr);
cz_smu_construct_toc_for_vddgfx_enter(smumgr);
cz_smu_construct_toc_for_vddgfx_exit(smumgr);
cz_smu_construct_toc_for_power_profiling(smumgr);
cz_smu_construct_toc_for_bootup(smumgr);
cz_smu_construct_toc_for_clock_table(smumgr);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_populate_firmware_entries(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
uint32_t firmware_type;
uint32_t i;
int ret;
enum cgs_ucode_id ucode_id;
struct cgs_firmware_info info = {0};
cz_smu->driver_buffer_length = 0;
for (i = 0; i < sizeof(firmware_list)/sizeof(*firmware_list); i++) {
firmware_type = cz_translate_firmware_enum_to_arg(
firmware_list[i]);
ucode_id = cz_convert_fw_type_to_cgs(firmware_type);
ret = cgs_get_firmware_info(smumgr->device,
ucode_id, &info);
if (ret == 0) {
cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].mc_addr_high =
smu_upper_32_bits(info.mc_addr);
cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].mc_addr_low =
smu_lower_32_bits(info.mc_addr);
cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].data_size = info.image_size;
cz_smu->driver_buffer[i].firmware_ID = firmware_list[i];
cz_smu->driver_buffer_length++;
}
}
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_entry(
struct pp_smumgr *smumgr,
enum cz_scratch_entry scratch_type,
uint32_t ulsize_byte,
struct cz_buffer_entry *entry)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
long long mc_addr =
((long long)(cz_smu->smu_buffer.mc_addr_high) << 32)
| cz_smu->smu_buffer.mc_addr_low;
uint32_t ulsize_aligned = SIZE_ALIGN_32(ulsize_byte);
mc_addr += cz_smu->smu_buffer_used_bytes;
entry->data_size = ulsize_byte;
entry->kaddr = (char *) cz_smu->smu_buffer.kaddr +
cz_smu->smu_buffer_used_bytes;
entry->mc_addr_low = smu_lower_32_bits(mc_addr);
entry->mc_addr_high = smu_upper_32_bits(mc_addr);
entry->firmware_ID = scratch_type;
cz_smu->smu_buffer_used_bytes += ulsize_aligned;
return 0;
}
static int cz_download_pptable_settings(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr, void **table)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
unsigned long i;
for (i = 0; i < cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length; i++) {
if (cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].firmware_ID
== CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_SMU8_FUSION_CLKTABLE)
break;
}
*table = (struct SMU8_Fusion_ClkTable *)cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].kaddr;
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_SetClkTableAddrHi,
cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].mc_addr_high);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_SetClkTableAddrLo,
cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].mc_addr_low);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr, PPSMC_MSG_ExecuteJob,
cz_smu->toc_entry_clock_table);
cz_send_msg_to_smc(smumgr, PPSMC_MSG_ClkTableXferToDram);
return 0;
}
static int cz_upload_pptable_settings(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
unsigned long i;
for (i = 0; i < cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length; i++) {
if (cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].firmware_ID
== CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_SMU8_FUSION_CLKTABLE)
break;
}
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_SetClkTableAddrHi,
cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].mc_addr_high);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr,
PPSMC_MSG_SetClkTableAddrLo,
cz_smu->scratch_buffer[i].mc_addr_low);
cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter(smumgr, PPSMC_MSG_ExecuteJob,
cz_smu->toc_entry_clock_table);
cz_send_msg_to_smc(smumgr, PPSMC_MSG_ClkTableXferToSmu);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_init(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
uint64_t mc_addr = 0;
int ret = 0;
cz_smu->toc_buffer.data_size = 4096;
cz_smu->smu_buffer.data_size =
ALIGN(UCODE_ID_RLC_SCRATCH_SIZE_BYTE, 32) +
ALIGN(UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_ARAM_SIZE_BYTE, 32) +
ALIGN(UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_DRAM_SIZE_BYTE, 32) +
ALIGN(sizeof(struct SMU8_MultimediaPowerLogData), 32) +
ALIGN(sizeof(struct SMU8_Fusion_ClkTable), 32);
ret = smu_allocate_memory(smumgr->device,
cz_smu->toc_buffer.data_size,
CGS_GPU_MEM_TYPE__GART_CACHEABLE,
PAGE_SIZE,
&mc_addr,
&cz_smu->toc_buffer.kaddr,
&cz_smu->toc_buffer.handle);
if (ret != 0)
return -1;
cz_smu->toc_buffer.mc_addr_high = smu_upper_32_bits(mc_addr);
cz_smu->toc_buffer.mc_addr_low = smu_lower_32_bits(mc_addr);
ret = smu_allocate_memory(smumgr->device,
cz_smu->smu_buffer.data_size,
CGS_GPU_MEM_TYPE__GART_CACHEABLE,
PAGE_SIZE,
&mc_addr,
&cz_smu->smu_buffer.kaddr,
&cz_smu->smu_buffer.handle);
if (ret != 0)
return -1;
cz_smu->smu_buffer.mc_addr_high = smu_upper_32_bits(mc_addr);
cz_smu->smu_buffer.mc_addr_low = smu_lower_32_bits(mc_addr);
cz_smu_populate_firmware_entries(smumgr);
if (0 != cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_entry(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SCRATCH,
UCODE_ID_RLC_SCRATCH_SIZE_BYTE,
&cz_smu->scratch_buffer[cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length++])) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Error when Populate Firmware Entry.\n");
return -1;
}
if (0 != cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_entry(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_ARAM,
UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_ARAM_SIZE_BYTE,
&cz_smu->scratch_buffer[cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length++])) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Error when Populate Firmware Entry.\n");
return -1;
}
if (0 != cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_entry(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_DRAM,
UCODE_ID_RLC_SRM_DRAM_SIZE_BYTE,
&cz_smu->scratch_buffer[cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length++])) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Error when Populate Firmware Entry.\n");
return -1;
}
if (0 != cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_entry(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_UCODE_ID_POWER_PROFILING,
sizeof(struct SMU8_MultimediaPowerLogData),
&cz_smu->scratch_buffer[cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length++])) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Error when Populate Firmware Entry.\n");
return -1;
}
if (0 != cz_smu_populate_single_scratch_entry(smumgr,
CZ_SCRATCH_ENTRY_SMU8_FUSION_CLKTABLE,
sizeof(struct SMU8_Fusion_ClkTable),
&cz_smu->scratch_buffer[cz_smu->scratch_buffer_length++])) {
printk(KERN_ERR "[ powerplay ] Error when Populate Firmware Entry.\n");
return -1;
}
cz_smu_construct_toc(smumgr);
return 0;
}
static int cz_smu_fini(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu;
if (smumgr == NULL || smumgr->device == NULL)
return -EINVAL;
cz_smu = (struct cz_smumgr *)smumgr->backend;
if (cz_smu) {
cgs_free_gpu_mem(smumgr->device,
cz_smu->toc_buffer.handle);
cgs_free_gpu_mem(smumgr->device,
cz_smu->smu_buffer.handle);
kfree(cz_smu);
kfree(smumgr);
}
return 0;
}
static const struct pp_smumgr_func cz_smu_funcs = {
.smu_init = cz_smu_init,
.smu_fini = cz_smu_fini,
.start_smu = cz_start_smu,
.check_fw_load_finish = cz_check_fw_load_finish,
.request_smu_load_fw = NULL,
.request_smu_load_specific_fw = NULL,
.get_argument = cz_smum_get_argument,
.send_msg_to_smc = cz_send_msg_to_smc,
.send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter = cz_send_msg_to_smc_with_parameter,
.download_pptable_settings = cz_download_pptable_settings,
.upload_pptable_settings = cz_upload_pptable_settings,
};
int cz_smum_init(struct pp_smumgr *smumgr)
{
struct cz_smumgr *cz_smu;
cz_smu = kzalloc(sizeof(struct cz_smumgr), GFP_KERNEL);
if (cz_smu == NULL)
return -ENOMEM;
smumgr->backend = cz_smu;
smumgr->smumgr_funcs = &cz_smu_funcs;
return 0;
}
|
This is being portrayed in some circles as the electorate simply being in an anti-incumbent mood, but only three municipalities moved from having a rightist (UMP) mayor to having a Socialist mayor, while at least 155 moved the other way, with some parts of the French press calling this a droitisation (rightward movement). This is the first time since the Socialists won power in 2012 that the people of France have had the chance to weigh in on the Socialist's policies.
The big surprise, of course, was the showing of the National Front, labeled a 'far right' party that has taken a firm stand against unlimited Muslim immigration. They won something like 15 mayoral elections with respectable majorities, and as Marine Le Pen said on election night, they have now come of age as France's third party. In the next national election in 2017,the FN could well end up being the kingmakers in France's coalition government. The test now will be to see whether the new FN mayors govern effectively and whether the party can build on this showing in the Senatorial elections scheduled for this September.
France's Socialist President François Hollande has already forced Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault to 'resign', one of many ministers in Hollande's cabinet who look to be getting the axe. Significantly, Ayrault's replacement is none other than former Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who is considered to be on the right wing of the Socialist Party and is personally popular with the electorate in general. Among other things, Valls, Spanish-born but a naturalized French citizen has come in favir of curbing immigration and repealing France's 35 hour work week, a Socialist policy.
Hollande, in a pre-recorded televised speech also said it was time for a "new phase". He made reference to unspecified tax cuts and an equally unspecified cut of 50-billion euros in government spending. These measures are not going to resonate well with Hollande's Socialist base.
Government spokespeople announced that other changes in ministers won't be announced until tomorrow at the earlist and that Hollande and Valls will collaborate on the new appointments.
Here's a uniquely French touch. One name being considered or a major ministry is none other than Segolene Royal, the former French Socialist presidential candidate. She is also Hollande's former 'partner' (they never married) whom Hollande first began living with in 1978 and had 4 children with before he dumped her in 2007 after she lost the presidential race to begin living with his next 'partner', French journalist Valérie Trierweiler -= whom he dumped this year in favor of an actress 20 years his junior, Julie Gayet!
If Royal gets into the government, il y aura une réunion d'intéressant,n'est pa?
According to according to a new review of internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement data, the Obama Administration is deliberately violating immigration laws on a large scale and refusing to deport illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes.
A new report compiled by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS)that reviewed this data revealed that the Obama administration released 35 percent (over 68,000) of all illegal aliens convicted of serious crimes back into the U.S. general population when according to our laws they should have been deported. In fact, there are almost a million illegal aliens (872,504, according to ICE's own data) who actually have deportation orders filed but who are still here, because ICE is not making it a priority to apprehend them.
'Criminal aliens', according to ICE's definition are those who have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony that is not a traffic violation. So Driving Under the Influence or even vehicular manslaughter aren't being counted in this calculation of 'criminal aliens'.
The CIS revue shows that in 2013, ICE targeted only 195,000, or 25 percent, out of 722,000 potentially aliens, And most of these aliens were only 'targeted' after incarceration for a local arrest.
In other words, they're deliberately not looking for them.One can only imagine what this does to the morale of those ICE agents actually committed to trying to enforce our laws.
“According to ICE personnel, the vast gap between the number of encounters reported and the number of aliens put on the path to removal exists because officers are not permitted to file charges against aliens who do not fall into the administration’s narrowly defined criteria for enforcement, regardless of the criminal charges or the circumstances in which the alien was identified,” the report says.
Since June 2011, when the Obama administration first decided to not enforce our laws with “prosecutorial discretion” policies ICE arrests of illegal aliens have declined by 40 percent.
“The Obama administration and anti-enforcement activist groups have tried to portray the number of departures as ‘record-breaking’ and indicative of robust immigration enforcement. They have tried to support this claim by showing that the number of departures credited to ICE is higher than ever before,” the report reads. “However, an independent analysis of ICE records obtained in a lawsuit showed that ICE was able to achieve these ‘record’ departures only because the agency was taking credit for removing a large number of individuals who were apprehended by the Border Patrol. Such cases made up the majority of ICE’s reported deportations in 2013, but they had never been counted that way in previous administrations.”
That also applies to illegal aliens who've been apprehended and are a slam dunk for deportation. For years now, ICE has simply been deliberately failing to prosecute most of them by presidential diktat, supposedly to 'concentrate on criminal aliens'. Of course, this new report shows they're not even doing that much - and public safety be damned.
“The preponderance of the evidence demonstrates that immigration enforcement in America has collapsed,” Sessions said. “Even those with criminal convictions are being released. DHS is a department in crisis. Secretary [Jeh] Johnson must reject the President’s demands to weaken enforcement further and tell him that his duty, and his officers’ duty, is to enforce the law – not break it. As Homeland Secretary, Mr. Johnson is tasked with ensuring the public safety and the rule of law. But Secretary Johnson is not meeting these duties.”
“American citizens have a legal and moral right to the protections our immigration laws afford — at the border, the interior and the workplace. The administration has stripped these protections and adopted a government policy that encourages new arrivals to enter illegally or overstay visas by advertising immunity from future enforcement.”
“Comments from top Administration officials, such as Attorney General Holder’s claim that amnesty is a civil right, or Vice President Biden’s claim that those here illegally are all U.S. citizens (apparently including someone whose visa expired yesterday), demonstrate the administration’s increasing belief in an open borders policy the American public has always rejected.”
“The Administration’s lawless policies have not only impaired public safety but increased economic suffering for millions of vulnerable Americans by depriving them of their jobs and wages,” he said. “Unfortunately, Congressional Democrats continue to empower this lawlessness. Republicans must work to end it.”
That on its own is an astounding statement. Did you ever imagine our Republic as a place where simple public safety and enforcing our existing laws could be characterized with a large degree of accuracy as a partisan issue?
Every week on Monday morning , the Council and our invited guests weigh in at the Watcher's Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This week's question: If You Were President Obama, How Would You Handle The Situation In Ukraine?
Liberty's Spirit: Keeping Russia out of the G-8 was a good move. Also finding a way to limit Russia's ability to sell their oil and natural gas on the open market would also hit Russia in the pocketbook. Of course a wounded bear is not so easily contained and it is a fine line between showing international condemnation and making that bear even more hostile. Remember a wounded Germany after WW1, instead of being cowed by sanctions and world derision turned to the Nazis and hence we ended up with the horror that was WW2. A wounded and angry Russian bear could turn us back into the bad-old-days of the Cold War.
Russia is in a highly vulnerable state, economically and internationally. We do not want to make the same mistake with Russia that we made with post WW1 Germany. However, unless you are willing to go to war over Crimea (you need to ask yourself, and answer honestly, is this incident worth the lives of YOUR children before you decided military action is tenable) then the only alternative is economic sanctions and keeping Russia out of organizations like the G-8. Of course the reality is that the entire first world has to be in line in order for there to be any real effect upon Russia. However, Europe as usual does not have the stomach for anything but specious pronouncements as they are beholden to Russia for their energy needs, especially Germany. Also there are too many financial and economic ties to Russia for any one nation to truly do anything about Russia's aggression. Businesses worldwide would have to be willing to take a huge financial hit if they boycotted Russia and that is not something that anyone is going to make happen anytime soon. You can ask what is the tipping point? Honestly considering that the world's red line (not just Obama's) has continued to be crossed when dealing with the Iranian nuclear bomb, nor stopped the slaughter in Syria, it is highly doubtful that anyone has the desire to really do anything about Putin.
However, it would be good to have those in the White House who understand that rhetoric really gets you nowhere with someone like Putin. That a "Smartpower" policy would have to have a policy of decisive containment (sadly we are dependent on Russia for our space program now), energy independence (no Keystone pipeline and a refusal to open up areas to drill leaves us energy vulnerable to the likes of Putin) and allies that believe you are on their side (canceling the missile shield in Poland leaves vulnerable all those east European allies who are now once again in fear of Russian hegemony). Obama's foreign policy has completely ignored these three major policy areas in dealing with Russia. In fact, in the case of the missile shield and nuclear downgrade of our military, Obama completely capitulated to Russian demands from the outset.
Now would Putin be so aggressive if he thought that the US had descent leadership? He did invade Georgia while Bush was in office and compared to Obama, Bush was highly aggressive and continually attacked for his "cowboy diplomacy, aka military actions." So the truth of the matter is that it doesn't necessarily matter who is in the White House when you are dealing with an oligarch like Putin. However, containment of Putin's aggression is possible if you practice "Smartpower." Something the Obama national security team never has done and is totally incapable of producing.
GrEaT sAtAn"S gIrLfRiEnD: Commonwealth Russia's annexation of Crimea is gon be like a short-term political high at home that will eventually fizzle out. Long term though, Russia gains nothing from the annexation but a bleak peninsula of no economic or military importance, and the distrust and/or hatred of her neighbors.
A campaign of insurgency - funded by interested nation states with all the faux cover that terms like non state actors can provide would be interesting to say the least.
Nasty things like IEDs or better - EFPs (explosive formed penetrators) detonating amidst periodic sniper attacks would certainly queer the mix of Commonwealth's adventures in her Near Abroad if hooked up with a myriad of 'Rebel' groups in Crimea and their Public Relations wave. Rebel Radio and TV could play on underground chic - particularly in old Ost Europa
Spectacular attacks will keep the spotlight on the area, granting internat'l interest and attention.
Commando style attacks on communications centers - storming, seizing and holding TV and radio stations would have a short life span as Russia would most likely play back with a heavy hand - thus sparking the insurgency to actually launch attacks outside of Crimea - even in Mommie Russia herself.
The last thing we want,in my opinion, is any kind of military action. Ever since Barack Hussein Obama was a Senator, he's demonstrated a disdain and a profound disrespect for our military, so the idea of any kind of action while he's C-in-C is out of the question if we can possibly avoid it.
What would I do about the Ukraine? Assuming that Obama was out of the picture, John Kerry was out closing in on another rich widow and I had total control over things, I would schedule a sitdown with President Putin for some serious horsetrading and a discussion of our future relationship.
I would happily offer to swap the entire Ukraine if necessary in a covert agreement in exchange for Russia looking the other way and keeping stuhm while we dealt with Iran's nukes. We have no interests there. Especially if I offered this carrot with a regretful mention of my being forced to resort to the ultimate stick if we couldn't agree - barring Russia and anyone trading with them from doing transactions via the US banking system. Since oil trades are delineated in dollars and the world banking system flows through New York, this would be the ultimate sanction on Russia, one they couldn't get around. Plus the Europeans and the Chinese would be forced to go along because of their exports and financial dealings here in America. What we're doing now is mere pinpricks.
I think there's a very good chance Putin would go for it, especially since dealing with me, he'd be pretty certain I planned to solve that particular problem with Iran anyway, agreement of no agreement.
You see, I look at it from the standpoint of what benefits us and gives Putin a little something to save face with. That's exactly the opposite of what you're seeing with Obama and Kerry.
I'm not particularly worried about Putin expanding to any of the other countries near his border aside from Moldava,perhaps. With the exception of Finland, they're all NATO allies who could call on Article Five of the treaty, and Putin knows it. He's a rational actor. Russia is not in a position to fight that kind of war right now, and going after the Finns would be a serious mistake. The Russians tried that before and it was not pleasant for them in the least.
The Glittering Eye: There isn't much that can be done at this point. The economic sanctions that are palatable to the Europeans aren't enough to discourage the Russians so we're limited to ineffectual gestures and condemnation. The president has already condemned Russia's annexation of Crimea and repeating it won't make it more effective. Less to, if anything.
Most of all we shouldn't get cozier with Ukraine's government. There's little reason to believe that they're freedom-loving liberal democrats. Indeed, in all likelihood they're the same corrupt kleptocrats that the Yanukovych and Tymoshenko governments were.
We might have been able to do something if we'd started twenty years ago. We could have tried to slow the transition from the Soviet system to the present one, allowing liberal institutions to gain strength. We could have given the fledgling Russia a little more support. We didn't need to treat them like vanquished foes. We could have discouraged the expansion of the EU and NATO into former Warsaw Pact and Soviet countries or, at least, slowed it. That expansion, coupled with the interventions in Serbia, Kosovo, and Libya, convinced the Russians that NATO wasn't a defensive alliance but an anti-Russian alliance.
We've also over-emphasized the importance of individuals, first Yeltsin, now Putin. But that's a somewhat different subject.
Every one penny drop in the price of oil takes money out of the Putin's pockets. We can influence the price of oil by a) producing more and b) consuming less. Lowering the price of oil is a two-edged sword. It will hurt Russia and it will help China.
The Razor: This is an easy question: I’d handle it exactly as Obama has.
It’s impossible to learn something new when one knows everything. Obama believes he knows the situation better than anyone on his staff, which is why he pursues this policy. Since he knows everything and implemented this policy, he cannot change it.
From his narcissistic perspective, he has done nothing wrong. It’s Putin who refuses to see reality, which from an outside perspective is Obama’s reality, not the reality that exists outside his own mind. From Obama’s perspective Putin is acting irrationally and almost insanely because Putin refuses to acknowledge the post-Cold War/Transnational reality where Russia is no longer a powerful nationalistic state. Because Obama is completely unable to perceive the world in any other way, let alone from another person’s perspective in an objective, unbiased way, he cannot understand Putin’s actions. They seem random and disconnected; it must puzzle him – and I wonder if he believes Putin is being poisoned or becoming mentally disturbed.
But from a perspective other than Obama’s we can see Putin’s action as quite rational when viewed in nationalistic terms. While I personally have wished Russia and China would see the world in a broader perspective, one that recognizes that international relations in the 21st century is not a zero-sum game, I understand that if a person sees you as an opponent you must treat him as an opponent. No amount of wishing is going to stop him from trying to hurt you. Therefore we have to react to Putin (and China, which is on deck to create the same mayhem in South Asia that Putin is making in Eastern Europe) in a way that he understands; by undermining his actions through diplomatic and military means when necessary. This would mean supporting rebel elements throughout the fringes of the Russian Empire, arming the Ukrainians, and generally attacking Russia through all means necessary short of a hot-war.
Luckily for Putin he has plenty of time before Obama leaves office, and that time may grow even longer if America elects an Obama-like Hillary Clinton or an isolationist-leaning Rand Paul. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to expand the Russian Empire, and from Putin’s perspective he’d be crazy not to take it.
Simply Jews : Thankfully I am not in the POTUS shoes at the moment, because in my opinion the man is in a bind in the current situation.
Obama and USA don't really have a military option, aside of a doomsday scenario, which will be sheer madness, taking into account the questionable qualities of both sides of the conflict. To support the (ostensibly) pro-Western side in the Ukraine means extending the patronage to a big group of raving ultra-nationalist with roots in the Ukraine stained past. So I would exclude the military option anyway.
On the political front the POTUS has a totally immovable adversary in Vladimir Putin. Not only Putin has demonstrated several times during the recent years that he is a better poker player than Obama, he is also immune to political pressure, having unprecedentedly strong support at home. And not caring much for the world's opinion, it has to be added.
Economically POTUS' hands are bound, at least in the short term. Trying to apply economic pressure at the moment, with Europe being held hostage by Putin's hand on the gas and oil taps, will almost certainly leave US alone in the battlefield.
The only remaining way is to establish the infrastructure for replacement of Russian source of gas and oil by US and others, which will take time. This, however, should be done anyway, since Russian expansion is by no means limited to the Crimea adventure. Having the Europe fueling solution in place, Obama then can seriously move to the economic blockade of Russia - which in the long run is the only measure that could endanger Putin and his KGB cronies at the helm.
Ask Marion: If I were President Obama, I would never have found myself in his position with Putin and the Ukraine to start with. Weakness and/or dysfunction begets weakness and dysfunction!
I am a Sarah Palin kind of gal… so would be a Ronald Reagan kind of president in a skirt! However, that being said:
If I were President Obama I would start by keeping my mouth shut unless I was ready to act:
First: I will reverse my decision to halt the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. America will go ahead as originally planned and build the missile shield, but an accelerated basis. That means U.S. military personal will be working alongside Polish and Czech military to construct and operate the systems. The missile shield is designed to protect Europe from Iranian missiles, but you get the point. Uniformed U.S. military will soon be stationed near the Russian border.
Second: I will reverse course on the defense budget. Your defense minister just announced Russia is negotiating basing rights in seven nations around the world. He also said you were rebuilding old Soviet era military bases in central Asia. Your parliament has just voted unanimously to invade Ukraine. In light of that, this is no time for my Secretary of Defense to announce we’re gutting our military.
Third: I will allow the Keystone Pipeline to go ahead, again on an accelerated basis. That will not only give a boost to the American and Canadian economies, it will start driving down the price of oil.
Fourth: I will give my wholehearted support for fracking and horizontal drilling. American energy companies will now develop the vast oil and gas resources that lie, literally, under our feet. We’ve seen the U.S. go from natural gas importers to exporters in less than five years and the price of gas fall accordingly. We will now do the same with oil. Analysts expect the price of oil could decline by 20%.
I don’t have to tell you what that means for the Russian economy. Your economy and government are solely dependent on energy revenues. You need oil above $90 to meet payroll. It should settle well below that within a few years time. And free markets are a great thing – they anticipate change and will start short selling you now. That will make it difficult for you to pay for food imports, subsidies, your military buildup, and of course the extremely expensive the Sochi Olympics.
Fifth: I will send a trade delegation to Poland and other countries in Central Europe to explore ways of helping them use fracking technologies to develop their own gas reserves. Chevron and Shell have already signed a $13 billion deal with Ukraine. I expect others to follow.
At the same time I will throw roadblocks in front of any American energy company that seeks to develop your eastern Siberian fields. Your existing oil fields in western Siberia have, maybe, a decade left. You need our technology to develop new ones. You’re not getting it.
Sixth: It’s time we refocus on Western Europe’s over-dependence on Russian natural gas. We will explore ways to export our new found natural gas surpluses to Europe by underwriting building of LNG terminals to accept imports from America. And while we’re at it, we will reassure our NATO allies, especially those that used to be under Soviet control, that Article Five of the NATO charter is still valid. If you are setting your sights on them next, think again. It’s all for one and one for all.
Seventh: It’s high time we expand our relations with the oil and gas rich nations of central Asia. We will extend invitations to each of them to visit Washington, to see how America and American energy companies might work with them to build pipelines to get their energy exports to Europe and beyond bypassing Russia.
Time for some real leadership… of course that would mean that this administration wanted the U.S. to succeed!?!
The Independent Sentinel: If I were in Mr. Obama's place, I would put the missile defense shield in Poland and send arms to Ukraine. After all, we sent arms to the Syrians and we apparently give Russia tactical weaponry for free.
If Putin thinks he can just walk into Ukraine and not pay much of a price, he will do it. The reverse is true.
If I had the same mindset as Mr. Obama, however, I would challenge Putin to a golf match.
Well, there you have it.
Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum. And remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council, and the results are posted on Friday morning.It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere, and you won’t want to miss it.
And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that, y'know?
Friday, March 28, 2014
You might recall that a month ago, I wrote a piece about the outrageuos behavior of California Democrats in the State Senate who refused to suspend two members. One, Ron Calderon,had been indicted for 24 counts of corruption, which included accepting thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as a film studio owner and a Southern California hospital executive as well as wire fraud, money laundering and falsification of tax returns. Another Rod Wright had actually been convicted of 8 counts of voter fraud and perjury.
Instead of suspending them, the Democrats simply had them take a 'leave of absence' in order to preserve their supermajority while the two continue to receive their full salary of $ $95,291 per year courtesy of California's taxpayers.
Recently a third California Democrat state senator, Leland Yee, was charged in a federal criminal complaint this week with accepting bribes and coordinating an international gun-running operation. Oh yes, he's also an outspoken voice in favor of gun confiscation. There was also an attempt to put Yee on a 'leave of absence'.
Instead, the stench got so bad and the public reaction was so negative that finally, even Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg had to take action. In a vote of 28-1 in the 40 member senate, all three senators were formally suspended, which means that while they still collect their salaries, the trio are prohibited from exercising any power of their office until the pending criminal cases against them have been resolved.And California's Democrat supermajority in the state senate is history.
The lone senator to vote against the resolution, SR38, was Republican Sen. Joel Anderson of Alpine, because he argued that all three should be expelled outright and that it was wrong for the three disgraced senators to continue receiving their salaries.
It remains to see how things ends up. Certainly I would expect Governor Jerry Brown to spend state money on special elections or apoint temporary Democrats to these seats. But with elections due to be held anyway this year, it might be that they simply let things ride until November.
In any event, for now the Senate Democrats are going to have to work with Senate Republicans and take their considerations into account. And that's a good thing.
According to what Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub told the AFP after a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US envoy Martin Indyk, the Israelis have refused to release the last batch of 28 terrorist killers convicted in Israeli civil courts:
“The Israeli government has informed us through the American mediator that it will not abide by its commitment to release the fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 29," Rajoub said.
Rajoub, by the way is another one of those moderate Palestinians President Obama says is ready for peace. Only a short time ago on Lebanese TV, (in Arabic,of course) Rajoub said, "I swear,if we had a nuclear weapon we'd have used it on Israel this morning."
The reason the Israelis didn't follow through is simple. There was absolutely no sign from the Palestinian Authority's unelected dictator Mahmoud Abbas being willing to make any concessions whatsoever in his demands in order to craft a peace agreement, no progress on the talks and no commitment from Abbas to extend the talks past the April 29th deadline unless he was rewarded with even more goodies, just for the dubious pleasure of the Israelis hearing him continue to say no repeatedly.
Freeing these murderers is a very divisive issue in Israel as you can imagine, especially since Abbas and the PA insist on making heroes out of them and rewarding them with money, celebrations and fanfare.So the Israelis have apparently decided that Abbas' days of take, take, take in exchange for absolutely nothing are over, and understandably so.
Even the normally craven Tzipi Livni came out in favor of this, saying said last week that there was never an “automatic commitment to release prisoners unrelated to making progress in negotiations.”
Abbas and the PA will undoubtedly go to the UN and attempt to get the UN to agree to their demands unilaterally. As Rajoub said, “Not releasing the prisoners will mark the beginning of the efforts in the international community to challenge the legality of the occupation.”
Of course, the PA was always planning on going to the UN from day one. Even the PA chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat admitted earlier this month that Abbas was staying in talks just to get the terrorist releases.They never had any intention of crafting an actual peace agreement with Israel, but merely wanted to get whatever they could get for free for as long as it worked. They will of course, use this as an excuse to justify breaking the treaties they signed on the Oslo Accords and the Road Map, but again, they were always going to do that anyway.
And here is where it's going to get interesting. Now that the Israelis are unwilling to be pushed any further, what happens next? The U.S. is also a signatory to the Oslo Accords, and America, the EU and the UN are signatories to the Road Map,both of which insist that the move the PA is making to resolve this without an agreement between themselves and the Israelis is against international law and will not be tolerated.
Most of the EU and of course the 57 nation Muslim bloc in the UN will undoubtedly go along with this. So will a number of smaller third world countries that depend on Muslim good will and/or Arab oil.
So it comes down to what the United States decides to do.President Obama, John Kerry and anyone else connected with this knows that it was Abbas and the PA who rejected Kerry's framework and precipitated this, and anyone looking at this intelligently knew it was coming, even if our president and our secretary of state didn't.
It's a given that Abbas and the PA aren't going to suffer any consequences from Barack Obama for their rejectionism and intransigence in blowing up what was supposed to be a signature achievement for the Obama/Kerry team. But will the Obama team actually allow the UN to pull this off, especially as the Israelis won't comply and no one's going to make them or really has any real interest in making them? Will they allow the UN to make a mockery of what remains of its influence? Was President Obama lying when he said this just a couple of weeks ago? :
"The U.S. commitment to Israel’s security is not subject to periodic policy differences. That’s a rock-solid commitment, and it’s one that I’ve upheld proudly throughout my tenure. I think the affection that Americans feel for Israel, the bond that our people feel and the bipartisan support that people have for Israel is not going to be affected.
So it is not realistic nor is it my desire or expectation that the core commitments we have with Israel change during the remainder of my administration or the next administration."
Of, course, he said a lot of things that day, and many of them contradict each other as usual. I have my own expectations, but stay tuned....
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been in the news a lot recently. He 's been accusing Republicans of being unpatriotic and 'disrespectful to our commander-in chief' for opposing a Ukraine sanctions bill loaded with corrupt earmarks that have nothing to do with the legislation, in contrast to the clean bill passed bu the House. And his latest mantra has been the Koch Brothers, whose he's accused of everything from bribery and corruption to poisoning your children's puppies.
Senator Reid is the same man who called President Bush 'a loser' during wartime, who opposed the surge which enabled us to exit Iraq and along with his fellow Democrats, Senators Clinton, Obama and Biden did everything they could to sabotage our military efforts and play games with funding while our troops were under fire in in AfPak and Iraq, something they later admitted to Obama Secretary of Defense Robert Gate's anger and astonishment was 'just about politics and 2008'.
Matthew Continetti at the Washington Free Beacon has a must read column on this corrupt, obscene tumor on the body politic that simply must be read. Here's a healthy slice:
Another man might have assumed, correctly, that launching a campaign of insult and insinuation against two billionaires would result in renewed attention to his own finances. Not Harry Reid. The Senate Democratic leader since 2005, and the Senate majority leader since 2007, is not one to reflect before speaking. His mouth runs far ahead of his brain.
The fact that Harry Reid’s political and influence operation includes his five children has been established for some time. A few weeks ago, when I first heard Reid accuse private citizens of being un-American, I dredged up a Los Angeles Times article from 2003 with the headline, “In Nevada, the Name to Know Is Reid.” Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper’s meticulously researched and reported article begins with the story of the “Clark County Conservation of Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002,” a land bill of the sort that puts people to sleep. “What Reid did not explain” when he introduced the bill in the Senate, Neubauer and Cooper wrote, “was that the bill promised a cavalcade of benefits to real estate developers, corporations, and local institutions that were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbying fees to his sons’ and son-in-law’s firms.” I wonder why he left that part out.
Firms tied to the Reid family, the Los Angeles Times reported, earned more than $2 million from 1998 to 2002 “from special interests that were represented by the kids and helped by the senator in Washington.” How much more have they earned in the 11 years since this article was published? Land, energy, water, gaming, and mining—the Reids manage a diversified portfolio. They are not financial investors but political ones.
There's much more at the link about how this lying, corrupt tool has disgraced his office to enrich himself, while hiding behind his congressional immunity to slander far more honest men from the floor of the senate.
"I have to commend President Abbas," Obama said alongside the Palestinian leader. "He has been somebody who has consistently renounced violence, has consistently sought a diplomatic and peaceful solution that allows for two states, side by side, in peace and security; a state that allows for the dignity and sovereignty of the Palestinian people and a state that allows for Israelis to feel secure and at peace with their neighbors."
Abbas and the Palestinian Authority under his control have always glorified the murderers of Israeli civilians. Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah, after all, are the same folks who made child murderer Sami Kuntar an honorary 'Palestinian' citizen and gave him a hero's welcome after he was released in a prisoner swap. Abbas and his Fatah faction have made a point of naming public buildings and streets after murderers and teach their children about the virtues of killing Jews in their mosques, media and schools.
The Fogel family who lived in the Jewish community of Itamar were at home relaxing after the Sabbath on March 11, 2011 when two Palestinians affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Hakim Awad and Amjad Muhammad Fawzi Awad carried out an 'operation' they had planned in advance. After cutting through a security fence, they broke into the Fogel's home and murdered five members of the family pictured above, including a 3-month-old baby. They butchered them without even the regard a slaughterer usually gives to an animal. They are on the PA's salary list, receiving top dollar because of the five life sentences they received.These are your tax dollars at work, courtesy of President Obama, the UN and the EU.
In our non-Council category, the winner was a simply masterful piece by John Hindraker over at Powerline, Washington Post Falls For Left-Wing Fraud, Embarrasses Itself [Updated With Post's Response] submitted by The Glittering Eye. John caught the WAPO red handed publishing a completely false story designed to libel the Koch Brothers for partisan political purposes. And to add to the mix, written by a reporter who is married to a democrat operative who works for the Obama Front group the Center For American Progress.
As Rush Limbaugh famously said, these people aren't journalists, but Democrat activists with a byline.
See you next week! Don't forget to tune in on Monday AM for this week's Watcher's Forum, as the Council and their invited special guests take apart one of the provocative issues of the day with short takes and weigh in...don't you dare miss it. And don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.....'cause we're cool like that!
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Some heartwarming coverage of our First Lady during her multimillion dollar taxpayer funded China vacay. Really, we're not worthy....
Speaking to a group of awestruck Chinese citizens, Michelle Obama recounted her years of oppression as a victim of racism and how she survived the American extermination camps. "There were laws in America that discriminated against people like me because of the color of our skin," said Michelle. A sharp inward gasp was heard as the interpreter finished her comment in Mandarin.Still haunted by laws that were no longer in effect when she was born, Michelle outlined her plight as she endured racism in Princeton University, and narrowly escaped death at Harvard Law School. Tears were seen streaming down the cheeks of some of the visibly moved Chinese citizens. Women in her audience especially were deeply touched as the First Lady revealed how she had to live paycheck to paycheck as a hospital administrator with a meager six digit income. "Sometimes we had to say no to caviar, or no to a really expensive Italian sports car because we just couldn't afford it," Michelle Obama recalled, her voice breaking, as one Chinese woman fainted and another one began sobbing uncontrollably.However, when Michelle recalled the glorious day when her husband was chosen as the Democrat Party candidate for president - the day when she was proud of her country for the first time in her adult life - triumphant cheers broke out and she received a standing ovation.
In 2013, MSNBC lost 24 percent of its prime-time audience and 15 percent of its daytime viewers, and that trend has continued. While CNN and FOX also lost viewers, mainly because the market has expanded, MSNBC's is double the losses of CNN and four times those of Fox. And where it counts, on the money side, Fox and CNN are both growing while MSNBC is actually losing income.And in broadcasting, that's the wound that keeps on bleeding because it perpetuates a death spiral - your ads are harder to sell because your audience share is smaller so you end up continually lowering your prices, kind of like a rapidly aging hooker trying to compete with the younger, more in demand ones.
Like Air America, MSNBC was the result of a conscious, corporate decision to chase the far Left demographic. It was always a place to find the most outre' Bush bashing and worship at the shrine of Obama and other far Left icons.
Well, Dubbyah has ridden off into the sunset and Barack Obama...well, let's be kind and just say that a lot of people have come to a new realization about what that hopey-changey crap really meant. And therein lies a problem.
Like Air America, MSNBC is a one trick pony and that is deadly boring to anyone but True Believers in search of an echo chamber. In the end, even many of them eventually zone out. And as the political climate is changing, MSNBC can't move with it without losing the core audience it has built up.
FOX doesn't have that problem. While the network definitely carries conservative commentary, they also use Lefties like Juan Williams or Susan Estrich as a counterbalance,so the spark is there. And FOX also carries a fair amount of straight news, regardless of how President Obama and his fellow Leftists demonize FOX as 'biased'. Most people who watch FOX for any length of time realize that FOX makes a real attempt to live up to the network's motto, 'Fair And Balanced', which is why FOX has maintained its position as the number one cable news network.
On MSNBC, most of the programming won't even interview conservatives let alone have them on the air
even as occasional panel members. The only real host who can even come close to being conservative is Joe Scarborough on 'Morning Joe', and even he pretty much toes the Leftist line of things like gun control, the Tea Party and amnesty for illegal aliens. Also, he and Mika, a major Lefty, have their own back and forth, which provides a bit of the spark needed to keep a show like that entertaining. Aside from 'Morning Joe', it's pretty much the George Soros network, all far Left talking points all the time.
Ironically, the best scenario for this changing would be for the GOP to retain the House, take the Senate and actually elect a conservative in 2016. If that happens, we might once again see MSNBC's audience increase as die hard Lefties look for a place on the dial that reflects their own worldview and prejudices.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hurriedly bailed from his trip to Rome to fly to Amman and do what he could to salvage the Arab/Israeli peace talks.
After meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II, Kerry met with Mahmoud Abbas, the PA's unelected dictator, in an effort to get some kind of commitment from him he could take to the Israelis to show that Abbas was actually serious about continuing the negotiations. They reportedly met for four hours, and in the end Mahmoud Abbas basically told Kerry to go pound sand.
In fact, as he told Kerry, Abbas won't even discuss Kerry's over-hyped framework for a peace agreement further until the Israelis release the last batch of the 100 convicted terrorist killers they were arm twisted into agreeing to just to get Abbas to the table.Just to show you how cynical this was, the United States specifically asked that Israel not release any terrorists who have the blood of American citizens on their hands...but those who only murdered Israelis, of course, or even their fellow Arabs are just fine with President Obama and his team.
The Israelis are concerned that Abbas will simply accept the last shipment of terrorist killers free of charge and then simply bow out of the talks entirely, and with good reason.
The Israelis see that Abbas is rejecting every point Kerry included in the framework, including not committing to an end to the conflict, refusing to give up the idea of flooding Israel with genocidal refugees and refusing to recognize Israel as a Jewish State. So the Israelis are quite rightly saying, 'why bother to release more of these murderers? What's the point?' Especially since Abbas won't commit to extending the talks as Kerry wants anyway.
For that, Abbas wants more, you see. He wants a commitment to kick loose even more imprisoned terrorists and a building freeze in Jerusalem and all of Judea and Samaria, even in the places like Ariel and the Gush Etzion bloc that everyone agrees are going to remain part of Israel no matter what.
Kerry asked Abbas to send PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, formerly the right fork of Yasser Arafat's tongue to Rome to try and work something out, but as Yediot reported, Abbas turned him down flat.
The punchline, of course is that Mahmoud Abbas never had any intention of seriously pursuing peace talks with Israel anyway on any realistic basis. The intention was always to get as much as they could out of the Israelis, and then go to the UN.
Judge Joseph Johnston has ruled that The Massachusetts Department of Families And Children (DFC) will have 'permanent custody' of 15-year-old Justina Pelletier, taking her away from her parents in spite of her own wishes and her rapidly declining health in state custody.
This case is a textbook example of child abuse promulgated by the legal system and an embedded bureaucracy, and it is worth looking at to see how far out of hand our ruling class has gotten.
Fourteen months ago, Justina, a Connecticut teen was being treated for mitochondrial disease, a group of rare genetic disorders affecting cellular energy production.Her physician who had been treating her, Dr. Mark Korson at Tufts, wanted the girl to visit gastroenterologist Dr. Alejandro Flores at Boston Children's Hospital, who had treated Justina at Tufts in the past. Being loving and concerned parents, the Pelletiers made the appointment with Dr. Flores and duly went to Boston Children's Hospital to have Justina seen.
When they got there, instead of seeing Dr. Flores, Justina was essentially kidnapped. She was taken to emergency where a resident refused to let her see Dr. Flores. Instead, he decided that this was a psychiatric case and sent Justina to a psychologist who diagnosed her with somatoform disorder -- a mental condition in which a patient experiences symptoms that are real but are psychosomatic.
When the Pelletiers rejected the new psychiatric diagnosis and wanted to bring Justina back to Tufts, the hospital first tried to force the girl's parents to sign papers admitting her as a psychiatric patient and when they refused and understandably became insistent at taking their daughter out of Boston Children's, the hospital got the state Department of Family and Children involved and accused the parents of medical child abuse.
They were not permitted to bring Justina home or to another facility. Instead, the teen was kept at Boston Children’s psychiatric ward for nearly a year where her physical condition deteriorated while the parents unsuccessfully fought the system to get Justina released.The DCF has allowed the parents only one hour per week to visit their daughter, but always with DCF personnel present. DCF would not allow the parents to photograph their daughter, and even filed a motion to hold Lou Pelletier in contempt of court for speaking to national media.
"Tufts was working fine with her, diagnosed medically, going to school, ice skating and doing all those things," Lou Pelletier said. "Look at her then and look at her now."
The DCF also has refused to provide the medical care Justina's condition requires, will not allow her access to a priest or to communion (she's Catholic) has refused to make any accommodations for her education, with the result that she is now almost two years behind her classmates in school.
Three weeks ago, Judge Johnston approved a written agreement transferring care back to Tufts Medical Center from Boston Children’s Hospital. That still hasn't been done, as Boston Children's has refused to make any appointments with the doctors there in spite of Justina's condition.
This decision by Judge Johnston was in response to a motion presented by the 15-year-old’s court-appointed lawyer and the lawyers for her parents, Linda and Lou Pelletier. It called for the girl's parents to be awarded “conditional custody” of their daughter.
Instead, the judge has granted permanent custody of Justina Pellatier to the DFC...who have done absolutely nothing to help her.
In his order, Johnston noted that the court considered granting conditional custody to the Pelletiers but “very concerning conduct … does not give this court any confidence they will comply with the conditions of custody.” The evidence? That Lou Pelletier once threatened a DFC social worker, who was afterward removed from the case, and oh yes..the media presence.
“Instead of engaging in quality visits with Justina, the parents use profanity directed at MA DCF personnel in Justina’s presence,” Johnston’s ruling said.
Johnston also included that he thinks Lou and Linda Pelletier should be “psychologically and clinically evaluated,” but refused to have the state of Massachusetts do it, insisiting that it must be coordinated through the State of Connecticut’s own DCF.
You bring your daughter in for medical treatment, she gets kidnapped, you see her dying in front of your eyes and you lose it with some heartless bureaucrat drone who's keeping her prisoner? And when you finally get fed up with doing the dance for months and go to the media to try to shed some sunlight on what's happening to your child, you need to be “psychologically and clinically evaluated?”
To tell you the truth, if the Pellatiers hadn't done that, I'd think they needed to be psychologically evaluated.
This is one of those canary in the coalmine moments. It is the State shoving our noses in the fact that they own our children and they know what's best, and we're just the sperm and egg donors.
What's next? On May 25th, Judge Johnston is expected revisit the decision to award permanent custody in a follow-up court hearing on May 25. His ruling leaves it up to the state DCF to decide whether or when Justina should be returned to her family, which means she could end up in state care until she turns 18. If she survives.
Meanwhile, the Pelltiers haven't given up. They're appealing the decision and have filed a writ of habeus corpus against Massachusetts for wrongful imprisonment. Hopefully this will get Justina freed by order of the Appellate courts, although it might just be that the attention this is generating could get Justina Pellatier freed sooner..perhaps at the review hearing in May.
The sort of leadership that would rewrite the Freedom of Information Act secretly without consulting congress. The sort of leadership that would gut an existing law to shield himself and any 'White House equities' - which are anything this president says they are - from being lawfully released under the FOIA Act for as long as he chooses to stonewall them. The kind of honest, transparent leadership that would commit an illegal and unconstitutional act three months after he was sworn in and violate his oath of office with impunity.
The fault isn't in Caesar, but in ourselves in that we choose to be underlings. Yes, the shame is ours, in that we choose to put up with this without screaming bloody murder and insisting justice be done.
Sheer madness.
Welcome to the Watcher's Council, a blogging group consisting of some of the most incisive blogs in the 'sphere, and the longest running group of its kind in existence. Every week, the members nominate two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council.Then we vote on the best two posts, with the results appearing on Friday morning.
You can, too! Want to see your work appear on the Watcher’s Council homepage in our weekly contest listing? Didn’t get nominated by a Council member? No worries.
To bring something to my attention simply head over to Joshuapundit and post the title a link to the piece you want considered along with an e-mail address ( which won't be published) in the comments section no later than Monday 6PM PST in order to be considered for our honorable mention category. Then return the favor by creating a post on your site linking to the Watcher’s Council contest for the week when it comes out Wednesday morning
Simple, no?
It's a great way of exposing your best work to Watcher’s Council readers and Council members. while grabbing the increased traffic and notoriety. And how good is that, eh?
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Caroline Glick has a new book out entitled 'The Israeli Solution: A One State Plan For Peace In The Middle East.'
As someone who has enjoyed her writing and clear thinking on this subject for some time, I regret to say that while she gets most of her facts right, I think she makes some unfortunate if well meaning miscalculations as far as her idea for solving the situation goes.
Ms. Glick's solution is simple; forget about the Two State solution. Israel should annex all of Judea and Samaria, put it under Israeli law, depose the Palestinian Authority and offer the inhabitants Israeli citizenship and, as she puts it, a better life for themselves and their children in "a pluralistic, liberal democracy with a first-world economy."
Here's why her solution is impractical at this point. First off, let's not forget that Israel tried this between the '67 was and the First Intifada, thinking they could live with these people in peace. Israel built schools and universities, hospitals, created jobs and a decent economy for the locals. And in the end, it was a horrific failure. It will even be worse now, with two decades of indoctrination by Arafat and Abbas, and Hamas (whom these people voted for to rule them in a free election) to stir the pot.If most of them weren't willing to buy into what she's offering then, why would they now? Even in Israel itself, there are almost 300,000 Arabs whom identify themselves as Palestinians and refuse to take Israeli citizenship. How successful to you think Israel is going to be with 1.5 million or so Palestinian Muslims who have been radicalized to hate Jews like poison for twenty plus years?
In fact, my lil' Birdie within the Palestinian Authority e-mailed me laughing about this just the other day. He's said for a long time that Abbas should disband the PA and just drop the whole mess in Israel's lap. Abbas and the Old Guard with their Jordanian passports and the money they've stolen would mostly depart, but the Hamas and Fatah commanders who would be left would embark on another massive war against Israel's civilians. The massive terrorism and the inevitable Israeli crackdown, complete with the biased press coverage and a plentiful supply of Pallywood 'bleeders' would make things infinitely worse while solving NOTHING. Remember, the Palestinians now have two fully equipped and trained combat infantry brigades courtesy of Gen.Keith Dayton and the American Taxpayer. The IDF could certainly defeat them, but the cost in PR and bloodshed would be horrendous.
Also, she assumes that the UN, President Obama and the EU would accept an Israeli annexation of this kind. All of them are totally invested in the idea of a second Arab Palestinian state, and in the case of the EU there are Muslim voters to consider.And as dysfunctional as 'Palestine' is and as much money as it costs them, it's what they want whether it makes sense or not. The Israelis unfortunately started this when they bought into Oslo, and the international backlash would be intense.You would see real claims of 'occupation' at that point and a spur for Obama, the EU and the UN to actually do something about it.
Annex Judea and Samaria and put it under Israeli law? Sure. Make the Pals Israeli citizens? The majority would never accept it. And those whom did would be subject to bloody retaliation by Palestinian terrorists as 'collaborators' .
There's a far better solution,and one I've been repeating for what, fifteen years now? As desirable as Israel having all of Judea and Samaria might be, Oslo pretty much ended that, and swallowing the poison pill of 1.5 million mostly hostile Arab Muslims is no road to peace, no matter what the demographics favoring a Jew9ish majority.
This is about a divorce.
Israel should forget about the mythical two state solution, and simply delineate the borders it needs unilaterally. That would probably entail leaving Area A and perhaps a little more territory to the Palestinians to make whatever they wanted out of it, while annexing Area C, the Jordan Valley and any parts of Area B Israel deemed necessary. At that point, Israel could simply remove any Jews on the Arab side of the line to Israeli territory and any Arabs whom are not Israeli citizens to the Arab territory (perhaps with compensation for property), and then defend those borders appropriately, warning Abbas or whomever takes over that any attacks on Israeli territory or Israeli citizens will be dealt with appropriately.
The international feedback would certainly occur (after all, in much of the EU and UN anything short of a successful jihad against Israel is going to provoke that) but Abbas is already on record as having a totally rejectionist stance anyway, and that and having a 'Palestine' to point to point to would eventually make a lot of the international reaction fade away. As that old Middle East saying goes, the dogs bark and the caravan moves on.
Aside from cutting our Navy to pre WWII levels, President Obama's new military budget targets what weapons we have left.
The new Obama defense budget will abolish two of our most successful missile programs.Raytheorn's Tomahawk, probably the world's best and most effective cruise missile will be cut by $128 million under Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal and completely eliminated by fiscal year 2016, according to budget documents released by the Navy. Given the present average usage, there will be no Tomahawks left by 2018 at the latest.
Aside from the severe financial cuts, the Navy will be limited in the amount of actual Tomahawk missiles they are allowed to acquire, from 196 last year to just 100 in 2015, with no Tomahawks at all in 2016. This was probably included to make sure that no one tried to preserve the program by shifting funds from other areas.
According to Obama’s proposal, the Navy is also going to be forced to cancel any purchase of Hellfire missiles in 2015, one of our most effective tools of the trade.
The president and his team are mandating this change without a replacement missile currently ready to take the Tomahawk's place.There is a new missile currently in development, Lockheed Martin's Long Range Anti Ship Missile, but like Lockheed Martin's other dysfunctional product, the F-35, the Long Range Anti Ship Missile has been plagued with massive development costs and overruns, has vastly underperformed when tested and might not be fully ready to be deployed for as much as ten years.
Lockheed Martin, by the way, spent something like $14.5 million in lobbying, much of it aimed towards President Obama and Democrats. And the company has been credited in some corners as helping to deliver Virginia for Obama in 2012 by delaying planned layoff notices to workers, followed by a timely last minute Pentagon announcement just before the election that no Lockheed Martin contracts were going to be cut.Probably just one of those funny coincidences, I'm sure.
Considering how other countries like China, North Korea and Iran are actually working to improve their naval and anti-ship capabilities, killing off the Tomahawk and Hellfire along with the other severe cuts mandated for our Navy is the equivalent of running up the white flag when it comes to our global military dominance.
Well, imagine how you, personally, would inquire into the preferred course of action of Obamacare supporters. You might give them the options of "Work to improve it anyway," or "Stay out of the way of it/Let it collapse under its own weight," and so forth.
Here are the options -- two of them -- that Pew gave respondents to choose from:
What do you think elected officials who oppose the health care law should do now that the law has started to take effect? Should they [X] or should they [Y]?
Do what they can to make the law work as well as possibleDo what they can to make the law fail
Emphasis added.
In other words, people weren't given a 'repeal' option. Their choices were limited to tweaking this failed bit of socialist mayhem or sabotaging it.
Most people would still choose a less aggressive, underhanded-sounding response, like "Let it collapse under its own weight."
But Pew refuses respondents that choice, insisting that people either declare their desire to "make Obamacare work the best we can, by Golly!" or declare themselves hostage-taking terrorists of the sort often decried by one Harry Reid.
Why, you'd almost think that major institutions of the media are entirely captured by the political left or something.
It would be even more interesting to see whether Pew used another common tactic - vastly oversampling Democrats, or picking respondents from largely Democrat dominated urban areas.
Since Pew is self-funded, their polls normally are fairly legitimate,but obviously someone got to somebody here - almost certainly in response to a direct request from the White House. |
Jussie Smollett is reportedly experiencing night terrors over the alleged attack that occurred earlier this year.
The “Empire” actor’s brother wrote an op-ed for BET titled “What If Jussie Is Telling The Truth?” in which Jojo Smollett defends his brother’s story and claims that he is “violently awakening from night terrors, following the assault.”
Jussie alleged in January that two men sporting “Make America Great Again” hats attacked him and yelled racist and homophobic slurs at the actor, who is gay.
“Within less than three months, his life has been turned upside down as my family and I have witnessed him endure unrelenting attacks to his character and reputation,” Jojo wrote. “To define this experience as unjust would be an understatement.”
Weeks after the alleged incident occurred, Smollett was arrested for allegedly staging the crime, but Smollett has stood by his story and his family has his back, as Jojo made clear in this op-ed. (RELATED: Comedian Loni Love Tells What Jussie Smollett Confided In Her)
“We can’t ignore the desire among the far-right to criminalize whole sectors of the country, which they either refuse to accept or feel are natural political opponents,” Jojo wrote.
Jojo also thanked his brother’s fans, who have continued to stand by the embattled actor.
“Let me be clear, it is undeniable that many people on social media support my brother,” he wrote. “The love he receives from his village, fans and fellow activists is real. His gratitude is unwavering.”
Follow William Davis on Twitter |
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Technology Integration in Teaching and Learning
We are living in the 21st century where we face so many developments and revolutions taking place. One of the fields where we saw a drastic development in the technological field. When there was technological growth it was measurable and didn’t go too large but as time passed we came to know so many developments of technology and now we can see that technology is an integral part of our life. In every field whether it business commercial economical social or educational in every field we can see the influence of technology in a larger part.
So it is really said to be the technological era and we are living in a technological field where we can achieve our dreams somewhat easily and attain so many life opportunity to make our living easy going and successful one. When we take the commercial field we can say that without technology commercial will not able to exist in the marketing endorsing and in maintaining the relationship between the customers in these fields technology plays a key role.
When we take the educational field, at first educators hesitated to use technological devices in the classroom or in the learning or teaching process.
Because they hesitated that it creates discomfort for the teachers and it will distract the students from learning. But as time passed we came to know that technology can do some great work in the educational field and we can say that it has brought so many changes and developments in the educational field. Teachers as well as learners use technological devices to make learning easy and teachers use it to make their teaching more qualitative and validate one.
Now more than 80% of schools and colleges use technological devices in the classroom which gave them real-life experience and help the students to study their materials without much stress and strain. As we know an educational career is filled with stress because of expectations and the academicals works. So technologies really help and guide the students in academicals work and help them to score good marks in their examination.
Complex to simple teaching
Technology makes teaching easier and students get a clear idea about the particular topic. In the traditional method, the teacher has to explain a lot and gave certain notes related to it. Students will get confused and the doubt will remain in their mind itself. But when the teacher uses technological devices and present the topic through technological devices and the students will get real-life experience it will make their idea clear and they will get direct experience which will help them in their examination.
By presenting the information through audio-visual aids teacher will be able to give them practical experience and will be able to understand the application of knowledge in real life. By using technological devices in the classroom teachers can improve the comprehensive level of the learners.
Encourages distance learning
We know that learning is not only limited to colleges or in the classroom. Education can be acquired through other ways too. One of the other ways is technological or internet distance learning. As now more than 65% of students learn through distance education which really helped the students to learn and make their life successful one. I
f you are in a job and not able to go to college then you can continue your education through distance learning in which you will get choices for a number of different courses you can select and learn according to that. You will get all necessary materials and books online without paying money and you can read it when you are free. You will get online lecture class also through which you can make your learning perfect one. So technology has given opportunities for those who want to learn and follow their dreams.
Makes learner as well as teacher confident
Teaching as well as learning is a stressful process. In teaching the teacher must get all knowledge related to the subject its past present and future situation and the learner must be ready to do any kind of work and should present it before the deadline. So these two situations are different but the emotions are the same. So through technological devices teacher will acquire all knowledge related to the subject and she can apply new methods in teaching.
If one method fails she can easily jump to the second one in that sense teacher will feel free in teaching. And in the case of learners the academic life is a stressful one as we all know. By using technological devices they will get a helpline and they will get some sort of support to finish their work and submit it on time. So in both cases, technology increases the confidence level and helps them to give their best.
Develops good communication
Now technology has become the part of communication. A student can sit in his home and can communicate with the teacher through the internet. They can have a discussion about their studies or about their class work. Now, most of the colleges and school use the internet to communicate with the teacher this helps to improve the relationship between the teacher and students. When they get such opportunity to communicate it will positively affect their education and will help to decrease the stress level which is really important for a good academicals result. It is really important to have a good rapport with the students. If we follow the traditional method it will not work here. So as time passes we also have to adopt new methods and techniques to produce a good citizen to our country. So through technological devices there will be a good understanding between teacher and students.
Without any doubt, we can say that technology has brought good developments in the educational field and helps teachers as well as students to perform well in their field. Through technology, students are able to enjoy learning more and they get to know new things through it. So we must encourage the use of technology in the educational field. As we know in every field we can see the glimpse of technology and our young generation must be expert in technological skills to lead a successful life.
Author-bio:
My name is Cheryl Craft. I have been in this writing field for the past few years. Write my essay website really helped the new writer’s especially freelance writer to share their ideas and opinion related to particular content. Everyone is using this website to get article which are related to new concept and shows deep insight in to new thoughts.
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ETHICAL CODE
The Puig Ethical Code presents a mode of conduct embodied in a series of commitments embraced by every employee throughout the company. Those small acts make all the difference; taken together, they compose a much larger whole: a culture of excellence. |
Their welcome statement reads: “At Gloria Dei Lutheran Church we welcome all who are seeking God’s love and grace. We welcome all because God welcomes all, regardless of race or culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, or relationship status. We welcome all without regard to the social, cultural or economic circumstances that too often divide us. Our unity is in Christ in whom we are all made new.” |
Elite athletes' sensitivity to context: the case of a change in scoring system in table tennis.
3 elite table tennis players' streams of actions during international matches were compared under the old scoring system (3 winning sets of 21 points) and the new (4 winning sets of 11 points). The organization of actions changed under the new system, with the relative duration of exploration activity becoming shorter than that of execution activity. These results indicate that elite performance in table tennis is characterized by the athletes' close attunement to elements of context--in this case, the scoring system--for the organization of their actions. |
by Kit
Updated 23/6/18, to correct the air date of Saving Syria’s Children
Updated 2/10/18, to clarify the UK govt’s school meals policy.
The BBC flag-ship documentary series “Panorama” has long been a stalwart of state-funded television propaganda. They can always be relied upon to tell us what we’re supposed to think. In August 2013, on the very day of the Commons vote on military intervention in Syria, BBC News at 10 aired some dishonest footage from “Panorama: Saving Syria’s Children”. The full documentary, a shambolic piece fiction designed to outrage the public into supporting war, was aired just a month later.
Robert Stuart has done truly exceptional work in deconstructing the fakery and propaganda on which the BBC sees fit to spend taxpayer’s money.
In just the last year they’ve had two documentaries about North Korea being evil (“North Korea’s Secret Slave Camps” and “North Korea’s Nuclear Trump Card”).
And it’s not just foreign “enemies” that end up in Panorama’s crosshairs either – it’s also domestic ones.
In 2015, just a few days before Jeremy Corbyn’s first Labour leadership victory, the BBC aired “Panorama: Jeremy Corbyn – Labour’s Earthquake”, a documentary which prompted Corbyn’s team to file an official complaint, labelling it a “hatchet job”.
Then in 2016, on the eve of Corbyn’s second (larger) Labour leadership victory, the BBC aired “Panorama: Labour – Is the Party over?”, a documentary full of doom and gloom, featuring anecdotes about abuse, and various (predictable) Blairite MPs bemoaning the “unelectability” of their leader.
In the 2017 General Election, Jeremy Corbyn’s resurgent Labour defied the polls, the pundits and the BBC to knock-off the Tory majority and come within 2% of winning. Could the BBC’s, and Panorama’s, relentlessly negative slanted coverage be responsible for keeping Corbyn out of No.10? It would be foolish to deny the possibility.
And there, neatly demonstrated in those three paragraphs, you see the value and purpose of state-sponsored propaganda. Panorama is the spirit of the BBC, a pretense of faux objectivity, shrouded in cuddly familiarity, employed exclusively and decisively against anything the establishment sees as a threat.
Enter Vladimir Putin
The folks at Panorama LOVE Putin, or at least love to hate him. In the last two years there have been no less than five (five!) episodes devoted to the man, and indeed the myth.
January 2016 brought us “Putin’s Secret Riches”, January 2017 “Trump: The Kremlin Candidate”, March of this year brought us two inside a week, “Putin: The New Tsar” and “Taking On Putin!”. As the titles suggest, none of them were especially objective or open-minded. That’s not in the BBC’s remit.
The most recent Putin-hit piece aired just last week – in the run up to the World Cup – its rather more mundane title simply: “Putin’s Russia with David Dimbleby”. The documentary, for want of a better word, opens on David Dimbleby wandering through a Moscow market looking at sigh Russian nesting dolls, and it doesn’t get less predictable from there on in.
A long time ago, I was taught you construct an argument in three steps – “Statement, Evidence, Conclusion”. Instead Panorama opted to go for the unorthodox “Conclusion, Anecdote, Stock Footage of Nesting Dolls” approach.
The first problem, and perhaps the biggest, is David’s hat…but it never really goes up-hill from there.
The second problem, is the smugness. Forget the factual inaccuracies re: the Russian economy, forget the totally evidence-free assertions, and just focus on the smugness.
The smugness of an English man who went to Charterhouse School, and then on to Oxford, is possibly one of the most toxic things in the world. So much evil has been done by men who are taught their own effortless superiority. Blood has been spilled by such men, oceans of it, evils done beyond imagining, all with a soft chuckle and clear conscience, because they come from a system that tells them their very existence MAKES them RIGHT. They do the “right thing” as a matter of course because of who they are and what they think. They are right, and the vast swamps of Other are wrong, and that’s just the way it is.
These are the people who spread the British Empire over a quarter of the globe, all the time telling themselves that they were doing the savages a favour by giving them civilisation. The same men, the same minds, in suits that change with time and with methods that shift with the ages, have run the country for centuries…and run the BBC since its inception. Men who believe morality is a function of their very existence. A path that rises up to meet their feet.
This is the British version of what the Americans call “exceptionalism”. It’s less brash, and less obvious, but no less poisonous for that.
The worst actions of mankind flow from minds who never question their own moral position, and this documentary can be counted as small, septic, addition to that list.
And so we begin…
I’ve come to see how Putin has managed to hold on to power for so long, and what the Russians see in the Putin that We, in the West, don’t.”
Dimbleby’s introduction is immediately partisan and dishonest – referring to “we” in the West as if there is a consensus, when clearly that is not the case, is a variation on the argumentum ad populum, the argument to common knowledge. “Everybody knows that”, or “We all agree on this”. It is deceptive language, being used to paint a false picture.
Likewise, saying Putin “held on” to power for so long, makes it seem like his Presidency was an act of force, when all the evidence is to the contrary. Dimbleby says so himself just a few minutes later.
(SIDEBAR: When Dimbleby says “so long”, he means 18 years. The classic mainstream media trick of ignoring Medvedev’s term as president is employed here. As is every other, long discredited, anti-Putin rhetorical device.)
In a democracy if you failed to deliver on your economic promises, if you surrounded yourself with cronies, and if you used the law to oppress opposition, well you’d be thrown out on your ear…but this is Russia, and they do things differently here.”
Dimbleby lays out, in one broad stroke, that Russia is backwards, and silly, and he’s going to come along and point out to us sensible Westerners just how they went wrong.
Leaving aside the hypocrisy (this is, let’s be honest, a pretty accurate summary of what every single British government has done since Margaret Thatcher), it’s also simply insulting. I find it insulting, and I’m British. If I was Russian and heard that? I would vomit blood.
It’s sickening…and we’re only 2 minutes in.
David on…the Russian Birthrate
Our first port of call on David’s whistle-stop tour of everything that’s shit about Russia is the birth rate. He tells us that it fell sharply in the years following the collapse of the USSR, and this is true, he doesn’t say WHY this happened. As a matter of policy this programme avoids, at all costs, mentioning what Russia was like in the 1990s.
Anyway, when Putin came to power the birth rate was declining, and what did he do about this? Well, in a masterstroke, decided to encourage people to have babies.
How? Well by increasing state benefits to mothers with more than 2 children, and further increasing them for families with more than 3 children. Families with multiple children are also entitled to free school meals, tax breaks and get discounts on family holidays. Medvedev also introduced a medal in 2008 – “The Order of Glorious Motherhood” – for mothers with 7 or more children, based on the “Mother Heroine” medal from World War 2.
(SIDEBAR: It’s worth noting here that we, in lovely hugs-and-flowers Britain with our nice fluffy democracy, have a government that campaigned to ABOLISH free school meals for primary school children. Far from being “thrown out on their ear”, the government in-fact to spent 1.4 BILLION pounds bribing a minority party to support it coughCorruption?cough. Eventually the policy fell through.)
The measures worked, and under Putin/Medvedev the birthrate has increased almost every year since 2000. In 2011 the birthrate moved ahead of the death rate for the first time since 1992, and Russia’s population started growing.
Now, if this is all sounding very sensible and not at all bad to you, then well done for paying attention.
It’s here the film reaches its first hurdle…and goes into it face first. Russia is supposed to be backwards and Putin is supposed to be a brutal corrupt dictator with no concern for the country he runs…but the facts on the ground don’t jive with this at all, at least in the birthrate example. Not only did he try to improve his country, but he did via perfectly reasonable methods, and they worked.
The film makers decide to simply leave an ellipsis on this one, just a long pause that’s obviously designed to make us ruminate on how bad Russia is, but doesn’t really work. Partly because it doesn’t make any sense, but mostly because – for some reason – David thinks the best way to hammer this point home is show us the Cherenkovas. A very happy family with lots of healthy children. He refers to them as “Putin’s ideal family”, as if the term itself is insulting.
Mrs Cherenkova proudly displays her medals for motherhood in a leather case, explaining she wears them on public holidays. The family sing as they sit down for dinner, talk about the Church and how life has improved under Putin compared to the 1990s. (David, staying true to his brief, doesn’t ask how bad things were in the 1990s. In 58 minutes it’s not mentioned once.)
David on…the Russian Orthodox Church
The Cherenkovas praying as they sit down to dinner provides a neat segue for David to discuss something really terrible – the growing influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.
You see, the ROC was suppressed under Communism, which was bad, and now it’s not…which is apparently, also bad. I don’t fully understand the point David is trying to make, but that’s OK since I’m pretty sure he doesn’t either.
We are presented with a Bishop, who tells us that it’s now easier for the Church to interface with the state than it was during the 1990s. We don’t know what he means by that, because he’s cut off and David never asks.
The implication, backed by stock footage of Putin lighting candles in a church and David’s narration about “conservative values”, is that Russia is becoming a kind of quasi-theocracy. It’s never stated out-loud, because the position is so ridiculous as to be indefensible, but it is quite clearly the implication.
David on…Russian Opinion Polls
Curious to see “how widely [the Cherenkovas’] views are shared”, David goes in search of a broad opinion, but meets an apparent problem:
It’s all very well to say “I’ve come to Russia to find out what the Russians really think”, but it’s not actually that easy in a country where the press, radio and television are all strictly controlled by an authoritarian government.”
1) He hasn’t gone there to find out what Russians think. He knows what Russians “really think”. He’s there to tell US why THEY are wrong. He’s there, at our expense, to make sure we hate who we’re told to hate.
2) The press, radio and television are not all “strictly controlled”, that’s a lie, and he knows it’s a lie because he proves it himself less than 10 minutes later.
But that’s beside the point. How does David get around the problem of finding out what Russian’s “really think” under such an authoritarian regime? Well, he goes to the one of the biggest public opinion polling companies in Russia, the Levada Centre.
The irony of rambling on about Russia’s repressive controlling government as you take a gentle stroll down to the partly-American funded NGO, just minutes from Red Square, is apparently lost on David.
Imagine, if you can, a Russian-funded “polling centre” operating within walking distance of Westminster or Pennsylvania Avenue. That not only calls the government-run polls inaccurate, but claims that the CIA forces people to vote and that the President is corrupt.
It would never be allowed to happen, but in “authoritarian” Russia, with its “strictly controlled” media, this is the current reality.
In the Levada Centre (Russia’s only “independent” polling centre), David finds out that around 80% of Russian’s support Putin as President. Which everyone in the world already knew.
The fact the “independent” Levada’s centre polls almost perfectly align with the apparently unreliable government polls doesn’t cause anyone to question their assertions about corruption or dishonesty. It’s one of the many inconvenient truths the Panorama team feel the need to brush over as quickly as possible.
When the head of the Levada Centre claims a President with an 80% approval rating had to “force” people to vote, David doesn’t ask why, or state that it doesn’t make any sense. No, he just makes concerned faces at the camera.
They discuss the “annexation” of Crimea as Russia “taking back” what is theirs, with no reference to the polls that show huge Crimean support for the move, going all the way back to 1992, including those done both the American and German governments.
David on…Propaganda
From Crimea it’s a steady flow to “propaganda” – theirs, not ours – Dimbleby narrates in solemn tones:
For most Russians, state-run television remains the main source of television news.”
…blithely passing over that this statement is being made on a state-run television station, that is the main source of television news for most people in Britain.
He goes from Russian domestic television to RT, saying they are “accused of spreading conspiracy theories”, he doesn’t say who accuses them, or ask his audience to consider the possible reason behind such accusations. He doesn’t even throw the weight of conviction behind it enough to make declarative statement. No, just sends out the little accusation, evidence free and with no reply or counter, and hopes the implication does its job.
He interviews a British anchor for RT, who says that they aren’t told what to say, and he’s “answerable to no one but his own conscience”. To which David replies, “And that’s clear is it?” The anchor explains the structure of RT, but David isn’t listening. He’s too busy making a documentary demonising a designated “enemy” for a state-funded broadcaster.
He doesn’t pose the same questions about his own conscience.
It’s always worth remembering that the BBC, formerly the British Broadcasting Corporation, is not “independent”, even though they’ve spent decades pretending otherwise. We’re encouraged to think of the BBC as a friendly presence, our shared “Auntie Beeb”, cosy and reassuring and honest. It’s none of those things, it’s a state backed broadcaster with a history of launching pro-government, pro-war propaganda, for which it never faces censure or punishment. It’s a much a less “friendly auntie”, more a threatening “big brother”.
With truly Orwellian posters intimidating us into paying for it.
That Dimbleby can stand under the banner of one of the biggest state-funded media organizations in the world, and pontificate about “media control” from an “authoritarian government” demands levels of cognitive dissonance few would think possible. It’s marvelously without irony.
Next David seeks out a human rights lawyer to discuss Russia’s legal system. David tells us that Russian judges convict in 99% of cases. This is apparently shockingly high. It does sound high, but deliberately left without context to make it seem worse than it is.
Firstly, the 99% refers only to Judge cases. Jury trials are relatively new to Russian law – in fact Putin, in one of his desperate power grabs, introduced them nationwide in 2003 – and they have a conviction rate of roughly 80%, right in line with the UK’s own courts.
A high conviction rate is not unheard of, especially in systems that run “special procedure court hearings”, a slightly complex system of what amounts to plea bargaining.
Japan runs a similar system and has a conviction rate of nearly 100%, as does Israel. The US federal courts had a conviction rate of 93% in 2012. Will we be seeing documentaries about that? No.
I’m not a lawyer, I’m in no position to launch a full defense of the Russian legal system – for all I know it is corrupt and/or unfair. But there’s no evidence in this film that shows it to be the case, outside of some anecdotal evidence from one lawyer.
Then they move on to Putin’s “online crackdown”.
Apparently Russia is starting to try to censor the internet. How? We don’t know, they don’t tell us. They cite no laws and name no Acts. It is just anecdote after anecdote. There’s no body to any part of it. We’re told Putin wants more control of the internet, as if this is shockingly tyrannical and when Dimbleby says there is…
…a crackdown on what the security services call “online extremism”.”
He thinks his scare quotes show some desperately dystopian alternative universe, but doesn’t seem to know, or at least acknowledge, that WE call it that too, or that our very own dear Theresa May called for a “crackdown in online extremism” in a speech just last year.
Or that she put having an entirely government controlled internet in her manifesto last year.
Or that she passed an act in 2016 which Edward Snowden described as:
The most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy.”
Is Panorama asking questions about that? Of course not.
Does the BBC call our government authoritarian? Not once.
Instead they offer just a talking-head, making a scary statement that “thousands” of innocent Russians could be in prison, with again no evidence to back it up at all.
When you actually dig into the numbers they tell a completely different story.
The New York Post, not known for its pro-Russia bias, reported that 233 Russians were convicted of “hate speech” in 2015, “most of them for online activity.”
Meanwhile, in happy bunny funland Britain, 2015 saw 857 people arrested for “offensive” tweets or Facebook posts…in London alone.
It sounds like we’re more “authoritarian” than the Russians on the internet front at least. A fact which takes maybe 30 seconds of research to find.
David on…Russia’s Controlled Media
Next David goes to Echo of Moscow Radio to talk to one of the completely non-existent members of the independent media in Russia. She claims that the entire country is actually run by the KGB. As per usual, she produces no evidence for this statement, she just says it. But that’s good enough for David who asks her to “explain how the KGB dominates society”, underlining that the KGB and MI6 are not at all similar:
Explain to our UK viewers, who might think of the KGB as just like our MI5 or MI6…how the KGB dominates society?”
Got that everyone? There’s their spies, and our spies, and they are completely different. This attitude was ridiculous enough to be used as satire in Blackadder, but now is being seriously repeated by one the BBC’s most respected personalities.
Her “explanation” involves simply repeating the same sentiment she already expressed, only in slightly different words, and David is too polite to press for more, or too lazy to be bothered, or too smug to notice. It’s really getting hard to say at this point.
(SIDEBAR: Of course one of the most prominent ways that MI6 and the KGB differ is that the KGB doesn’t exist anymore, where as MI6 are very much still going.)
It’s at this point the documentary seems to realise the rather confusing contradiction of its own existence. They are there to talk about how autocratic and terrible Russia is, and yet they seems to talk to human rights lawyers, anti-government television hosts and the head of anti-Putin radio stations. If Putin has all dissidents and protestors locked up and/or murdered…how do these people exist?
They get around this in one, short sentence:
By allowing a few independent outlets, a few dissident voices, Putin can claim freedom of expression.”
Brilliant logic. Unfailing reason. Yes there’s SOME freedom of expression, but only so Putin can say there’s freedom of expression. It’s not REAL freedom of expression, you see. It just looks like it.
Much like that old saying: “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s not really a duck. Putin’s just letting that duck exist so he can pretend he’s got a duck.”
The Russian Orthodox Church seems to be a real bugbear of David’s, because fresh from announcing that “there IS free-speech in Russia, it just doesn’t count”, David goes back to talk to a member of the Church…and asks him if he approves of the lack of free speech in Russia. David narrates:
When it comes to political repression, the one place not to look for support is the Orthodox Church.”
This sentence implies we’re about to hear a Church spokesman defending political repression…which is not the case. Instead we see the same bemused Bishop as before, being asked:
You know there’s a lot of criticism of Putin’s encroachment on human rights: People in prison for speaking out against the state, internet communications closed down, the state spying on people’s communications, do you approve of all that?”
Note he’s asking “do you approve of…”, not “is this the case…”. Leading questions predicated upon unproven assumptions have no place in honest discourse…but if you took them out the documentary would only be 3 or 4 minutes of stock footage of nesting dolls and onion domes.
The bishop, who seems slightly perturbed by the rudeness of the question, evidently wasn’t provided with a script because he doesn’t launch into a fascistic diatribe about values, or verbal attacks on traitors and dissidents…he simply says:
This is your point of view, and we do not always agree. With all due respect.”
You can see his Russian politeness straining, but not breaking. And that’s it.
So much for Russia the conservative theocracy.
David on…Russians’ Right to Protest
The documentary just gets less coherent and more confusing from here on in. The facts they present never align with the way the spin they try to put on them. They point out eminently reasonable realities of Russian life, with a weight of sinister implication that defies all reason. (In the trade, we refer to this maneuver as “The Harding”).
The perfect example is the story of a women’s rights campaigner Alena Popova, protesting about the allegations of sexual harassment made against the Russian MP Leonid Slutsky.
We see her standing outside the State Duma with cardboard cut-out of Slutsky. I don’t read Russian, but I can’t imagine the slogans on the cut-out are especially complimentary. She is briefly detained by the police who ask her who she is and what she’s doing…she explains and is released. Then she returns to the Duma, and does her protest unmolested.
All this seems perfectly fine, despite David’s chuntering narration.
Alena is standing literally right outside the door of the parliament building, with a cut-out of Slutsky covered in protest slogans. She requires no permit to do this under Russian law, which states that solo protests are allowed anywhere at any time without a permit. You do need permission to hold group protests.
By way of comparison, let’s imagine Alena were British, not Russian: If she attempted the same exact protest in the UK…she would not be allowed to. At all. Ever.
Firstly, you would never get to stand within inches of the doors of Parliament without getting halted by armed police. Secondly, you’re not allowed to protest in Parliament Square – even alone – without getting prior permission. This law was passed by Blair’s government in 2006, in order to shift anti-war protester Brian Haw.
At one point a young man approaches David and Alena and asks what’s going on, David’s voice-over claims the young man works for state security, and intones the words with foreboding. We have no way of knowing if this is true, if it even matters. I’m fairly sure a Russian camera crew standing outside the Houses of Parliament would attract the attention of special branch. He asks them two questions and then leaves.
Later, there’s a counter-protest. Four people appear with signs in support of Slutsky. David claims they’re there to cause trouble for Alena, and even implies they are working for the state. A claim which is rather shot-down when the counter-protest group – who support the government – are escorted away by the police because they don’t have permission for their group protest.
The pro-government protesters are gone, the anti-government protester remains. David doesn’t see this as, in any way, challenging his position on government oppression of dissent. He asks Alena:
If they control protest, if they’re against protest, why do they let it happen at all?”
A fantastic question, the only really cogent thing he’s said for the last half an hour. She replies:
Because we have a constitution.”
(SIDEBAR: Britain, of course, has no written constitution at all.)
David on…Russian Paranoia
The next episode in this bizarre saga opens with the director of the Levada Centre claiming the Kremlin is “paranoid” about a revolution, referencing the 2012 protests (the aborted “Snow Revolution”). To which David adds some rather incongruous narration:
Putin prepares to go to almost any lengths to prevent a popular uprising against him.”
He never says what they these “lengths” are. In fact, we have no idea what the Russian government has done to prevent a Revolution. If anything. But breaking away from the specific facts, which the documentary forces us to do, maybe we should ask a simple question.
Why would the Russian government be paranoid about revolution?
Maybe we should look at other countries that have had “revolutions” recently for an answer to this question.
Ukraine is a disaster. Libya is possibly the only country in the world worse off than Ukraine and the only reason Syria isn’t just as bad those two is that Russia stepped in to help. David talks about revolutions as if they are organic, almost accidental, occurrences. But we all know that’s not true, we’ve all seen “Colour Revolutions” be fomented by the Western powers to overthrow governments that the USA has deemed to not have “American interests” at heart.
“Revolutions”, in recent years, are Imperial acts of aggression carried out by proxy armies with the aim of removing an “enemy” of the West. And they have left nothing in their wake but blood and destruction. The Kremlin has every right to be concerned about possible Western attempts at a coup against their government. Such a move could destroy everything they have built.
Do you think a Western-backed coup government will keep up free school meals and medals for motherhood? Do they have a constitutional right to protest in Libya right now? How about the birthrate vs death rate in Syria, is that going up?
Don’t all governments fear revolution and hope for stability?
How would David feel about a revolution in Britain? Would it be welcomed? Would Theresa May like seeing violent unrest in the streets of London? Or being replaced by a Russian-backed, unelected leader?
Despite the chaos that has been left in the wake of “revolutions” the world over in recent years, the documentary gives no credence to Russian fears. Russia is never “afraid”, and always “paranoid”.
David talks to an Sergei Markov, a “political consultant who has worked with Putin”. We have no way of knowing if this is true, and this being Panorama taking it in faith is an unearned act of trust, but let’s assume that they’re telling the truth.
Markov highlights that Russia has good reason to fear Western aggression. Pointing out, reasonably enough, that no Russian soldier has ever set foot on British soil in the name of conquest, whereas Britain has invaded Russia every several times since the 19th Century:
Now, you are preparing to invade Russian territory again, to establish your control of Russian political, social and economic constitution, for us it is absolutely clear.”
We are encouraged to see Markov was crazy-eyed lunatic, and David’s response is to laugh in his face:
You don’t seriously think an invasion of Russia is planned by the West? I mean, you’ll have me laughing in a moment.”
A rather patronising rebuttal, that would hold more water if Russia weren’t practically encircled by NATO airbases. Or if the US hadn’t unilaterally withdrawn from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002. Or if they hadn’t positioned their missile defense shield in Eastern Europe under clearly false pretences, granting them theoretical first-strike capability.
David doesn’t mention these facts.
Just as he doesn’t go into any recent history of Western military interventions. How America has, in the last 20 years alone, carried out coups in Venezuela, Ukraine and Honduras. Or how, when covert means did not work, they simply declared all out war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
Any impartial viewing of world history – especially recent history – would explain every country in the world having a fear of falling into NATO’s crosshairs.
Rather than acknowledging this, the documentary remains resolutely in its own little world. Insisting, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, that Russia has nothing to fear from the West.
David on…Russia’s “Orchestrated” Democracy
Fresh from telling us that Putin’s Russia is a “paranoid place”, where the leader with 80% approval is constantly worried about revolution and is prepared to go any lengths to stop it – even so far as having laws regulating protests that are almost identical to our own – David goes to talk to all the young people about their views on Putin.
They all like him, apparently:
One of the most fascinating aspects of today’s Russia, is that the under 25s, who might be expected to rebel, are Putin’s strongest supporters.”
He’s talking to a group called Set (Russian for Network), a collection of “young artists, writers and designers” who consider Putin a role-model. David asks them a series of questions.
What do you like about Putin?”
One of the young men says that before Putin is was “uncomfortable”, even “shameful”, to be associated with Russia. David doesn’t ask a follow-up question, putting paid to his earlier claims about wanting to know what Russians “really think” and staying true to the programmes aim of never, ever mentioning the 1990s. Instead he skips back to leading questions based on false assumptions:
You feel happy with one person controlling the whole country?”
We don’t know what they say to that, because it cuts off before anyone answers.
Do you agree that he’s quite ruthless when it comes to opposition?”
They say they don’t agree. In fact they say quite the opposite. Which cues in a snide narration:
This generation of Russians are internet savvy, globally connected, but they prefer Putin’s authoritarian rule to democracy.”
None of the people on camera ever express this opinion. Which makes this one of the most egregious lies in the whole 58 minutes. To appreciate what a statement that is, you really need to watch the film.
None of these young people “prefer authoritarianism to democracy”, they make it quite clear – in their opinion, they live in a democracy. Is there an effort to understand their position? None whatsoever. Instead we get treated to the head of the Levada Centre (again), this time dismissing all the young people who like Putin as being either stupid or brainwashed:
They are very different to Western youth, their minds were formed at the same time Putin’s regime was established, and for them the rhetoric of a great power is a very important part of their collective identity.”
This is, as far as we know, another unsupported statement. Not one of the half-dozen young people David talked to said anything about Russia being a great power. Not one thing. They talked about Putin personally being relatable and they talked about improving conditions from the Yeltsin era.
When confronted with Dimbleby asking yet another offensively phrased question…
People in Britain look at Russia and say “this is a powerful autocrat who stops opposition, prevents anyone, if necessary puts them in jail to stop them opposing him” is that not how you see it?”
…one young man, far from claiming to “prefer authoritarian rule” or praising the “rhetoric of a great power”, launches into a defense of Russian democracy. Pointing out the sheer number of different political parties (48), and that they had 8 different Presidential candidates running against Putin.
David isn’t listening. He’s nailed his colours to the mast on this one, Russia isn’t a democracy. It doesn’t matter how popular the leader is. It doesn’t matter how many elections they have, how many candidates are on the ballots, or how much public support they have. Russia is NOT a democracy, because David says so.
The film even references Navalny as “Putin’s biggest political opponent”, without mentioning that his party has ZERO seats in the Duma, and that he polls at less than 2% public support. Dimbleby doesn’t know these numbers, because his “researchers” either didn’t look them up, or pretended not to know them. Instead David solemnly declares:
Putin had him convicted of fraud.”
Not “he was found guilty”, no, “Putin HAD him convicted”. Is there evidence produced that shows Navalny was framed? Nope. Is there evidence produced that shows any corruption on behalf of the judiciary? None. Is there any mention of Navalny being a right-wing ultra-nationalist who referred to Caucasians as “cockroaches”? Not even a little.
“Russia isn’t a democracy”, and “Putin’s main political opponent” is an unpopular convicted criminal with a history of racism, who was forbidden by the constitution from running in a Presidential election in which he would have come ninth.
Cut to:- Skyline of Moscow. Night. Synthy music plays, and the David lets fly with this beauty:
As many autocrats have shown, just holding an election doesn’t make a democracy.”
Boom. Just as a free press doesn’t mean Russia has freedom of expression, elections don’t mean they are a democracy. The documentary is slowly becoming less an attack on Putin and Russia, than an attack on the English language, and indeed logic itself.
David doesn’t tell us what DOES make a democracy, but it certainly isn’t elections. Following this logic, of course, you could have a democracy without elections. And if that sounds absurd, then remember that Margaret Thatcher praised Pinochet for bringing “democratic order” to Chile.
Elections that return the “wrong” result? They aren’t democratic. Rounding up dissidents in soccer stadiums and gunning them down? That is democratic.
“Democracy” means whatever the establishment wants it to mean.
Putin uses carefully orchestrated elections to legitimise his rule.”
Who “orchestrates” the elections? How do they do it? How does David know this? We’re not told. We’re now 40 minutes in, and we’ve yet to have any single accusation or anecdote backed up with anything even approaching evidence. We’re not even provided basic logical reason.
Perhaps more pressing is: Why would a President with 80% popularity NEED to “orchestrate” elections?
They never explain.
David on…Russia’s “small” economy
David’s next port-of-call on his tour of Bizzarro World is the Russian economy. Having been told that the Russian economy is “struggling” we get some more stock footage – this time of factories and oil wells – with
David narrating:
Russia is one of the largest countries on Earth, with a population of 144 million, but its economy is much smaller – not even two-thirds the size of Britain, and even smaller than Italy.”
There’s a lot to unpack here.
First, it’s absolutely hilarious that dear little David can’t even bring himself to acknowledge the simple fact that Russia is not “one of the largest countries on Earth”, it is the largest. It’s nearly double the size of China. It’s European portion is the largest country in Europe, its Asian portion is the largest country in Asia and if you cut it evenly in half the two new countries would still be 4th and 5th largest countries in the world.
Russia is very big.
Nobody would ever dispute that, so why not just say it? It goes to show the pettiness of the mindset behind this programme. They simply cannot give Russia any credit, even so far as acknowledging its size.
Second, the language is again very deceptive. When he says “much smaller than Britain” and “EVEN smaller than Italy”, he’s painting a picture of small economy. He doesn’t mention that the UK has the 4th largest economy in the world, and Italy the 7th. Russia is 10th, just behind Canada. He also doesn’t mention that the those figures don’t include the economy of Crimea, which the World Bank refuses to count as Russian.
Nobody would seriously claim that the 10th biggest economy in the world is “small”.
David sits down with Russia’s former deputy-Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich who says, when asked about the size of Russia’s economy:
If you look at other European economies, they have a long tradition of private entrepreneurship, we started this tradition only in the 1990s and need to accumulate experience.”
It’s a fair point, considering they’ve only been capitalist for 28 years or so, the 10th biggest economy in the world isn’t bad at all. David is unmoved. We don’t see his answer to that point, I would suggest because he couldn’t make one.
Instead he changes the subject, in voice-over, to corruption. Calling it a “tradition” in Russia.
He talks to Vladimir Pozner, a member of the allegedly “strictly controlled” Russian media, who apparently feels free to say corruption is endemic, giving yet more anecdotal evidence. This time about entirely hypothetical traffic policeman being bribed. A (strictly controlled?) anti-corruption campaigner points at a flat and says a politician lives there and shouldn’t be able to afford it. And David mentions an (unnamed) survey which ranks Russia 135th in the world in terms of corruption.
Thus is it established that Russia has a terrible corruption problem.
At this point the documentary devolves into a series of complete lies. Not mistakes, not exaggerations, lies. Lies so simple and so easy to refute with only a few google searches, that we’ll just go ahead and work through them one at a time:
Corruption is widespread, according to one survey it’s one of the worst countries in the world – it ranks 135 out of 180.”
He’s almost certainly referring to the famous “corruption perception index”, which is NOT a measure of corruption, but a measure of how corrupt some (unnamed) people THINK something MIGHT BE. It is a nonsense stat, discussed in more detail here.
“Russia has one of the most unequal economies in the world….20 million people live in poverty.”
This is technically true, there are 20 million people living under the poverty line in Russia, or 13.8% of the population. Before the sanctions it was less than 12%.
In the US, there are 45 million people living under the poverty line, or 13.8% of the population.
In the UK, there are 14 million people living under the poverty line, or 20.6% of the population.
Of course, where these numbers differ is that Russia’s number is coming down from 35%, and ours is going up. The makers of this programme know this, because the numbers were published on the BBC’s own website.
Putin’s failure to diversify the economy means that half the Russian budget comes from oil and gas, so when the price of oil fell after the annexation of Crimea, Russia was plunged into crisis.”
The price of oil did not “fall”, it was deliberately sabotaged by the gulf monarchies flooding the market. This was done to try to hurt the Russian economy, we can tell David knows this because he references the “annexation of Crimea” as the cause, he just doesn’t explain the details.
Putin’s aggressive foreign policy, along with the West’s sanctions, made the situation worse.”
Putin’s foreign policy – “aggressive” or otherwise – has no bearing on the Russian economy. This is all about the sanctions. Sanctions imposed by the West are not any reflection on the economic competence of the Russian government, especially when they are put in place over entirely false accusations, such as the Skripal poisoning or “hacking” the US Presidential election.
It is one of the oldest tricks in the US Imperial playbook, create a pretext for action against a country which they see as an “enemy”. Use this pretext to sanction a country with the aim of crippling their economy, and then use the fact the economy is struggling to criticise the government of the target country. The US have been doing it to Cuba and North Korea for decades, to Venezuela for years and Russia since 2014.
The deliberate destruction of their economy by powers beyond their control has no bearing on the competence or corruption of the Russian government.
In fact, by any standards, the Russian government under both Putin and Medvedev has been exceptionally competent.
…this list could go on and on.
Russia’s economy – under both Putin and Medvedev – has gone largely in the right direction.
Of course, part of that is that there was only one direction to go.
All of this comes back to the 1990s. When Russia, as a country, was possibly within only months of ceasing to exist, collapsing into Balkanisation and chaos.
Putin’s government prevented that, and turned things around for ordinary Russians in a quasi-miraculous fashion. That is why 80% of Russians support the man.
It’s the most basic rule of governance, but its one we in the West are encouraged to ignore – the first priority of government is to make the country better. Do that, and the people will support you.
To discuss the Russian economy, or the living standards of Russian people, or popularity of Putin, without acknowledging these facts, is just incredibly dishonest. Sickeningly so.
Conclusion
This is a bad documentary. It’s not simply ethically bankrupt, it’s also badly made. It’s badly paced, badly edited and incoherent. It’s so dedicated to its agenda that it sacrifices all else to try to convince its audience that black is white and up is down.
There is a relentless war being waged here, not just at the BBC and not just against Russia, but throughout the Western world…and against reality itself.
Consider the implications of this situation: One of the largest media organizations in the world spent license fee-payers money to send a man half-way around the globe, to convince their captive audience of tax-payers that elections don’t equal democracy, that independent media doesn’t equal free speech and that a $15bn trade surplus means your economy is struggling.
It recycles lies that have become terribly dull to refute, so must be simply exhausting to repeat. It routinely accidentally steps on its own argument, realises it has done so, and then performs logical gymnastics to try to prove it knows what it’s talking about. It makes no sense, and you can tell that they know it.
The list of contradictions and unanswered questions goes on and on, creating a world that cannot exist under the laws of reason. We’re told that Putin is popular, but that people are forced to vote for him. We’re told by Russian independent media organizations, critical of the government, that Russia has no independent media organizations critical of the government, and we’re told by a protester standing right outside the Russian parliament, that protests are practically illegal.
All of this irrationality combines to put together a patchwork-Picasso portrait of “Vladimir Putin”, the corrupt communist idealist, KGB hardliner and devout christian ideologue, who forces all the devoted members of his cult of personality to vote for him in elections he rigs anyway. A man who stole all the money he also spent on rebuilding Russia’s military, schools and hospitals, is best-buddies with all the oligarchs he sent to jail for tax evasion, and who – despite the size of the country – has “only” got the 10th biggest economy in the world.
It’s a documentary made by people at war with themselves, unable to understand that their delusions are absurd and incomprehensible to those of us struggling to live a reality-based life.
There’s desperation in this film, a hysterical repetition of proven lies and shrill fake news, screamed out by people who feel they’re losing control of the narrative.
They don’t know what they think except that Russia is bad and Putin is worse, they don’t know why they think it except that they’ve got to because they were told to, and they’re aghast. Unable to understand why no ones listening when they’re making so much sense!
This documentary, like so much of the MSM’s recent output, is a wail of outrage at a world that refuses to listen to their nonsense. As well-reasoned as a toddler’s tantrum, as well sourced as “Trevor from the pub” and as well researched as toilet stall graffiti. A limping, heaving, slime-ridden pile of self-defeating, self-contradictory garbage that has no place in people’s hearts, minds or homes.
And I watched it five times to write this.
I need a shower. |
Look Out for Your Absentee Ballot Request Form in the Mail!
Monday, April 27, 2020
Secretary Pate is encouraging Iowans to vote by mail in the June 2 primary to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
If you are a registered voter, you will be receivingan absentee ballot request form in the mail. To avoid having to go to the polls in June for the primary election, you can fill out the absentee ballot request form and receive an absentee ballot in the mail.
You can send back your request for an absentee ballot nowthrough May 22. County auditorsbeginmailing ballots on April 23.
This is What You Will Receive:
Register to VOTE!
If you have not registered to vote or updatedtheirregistration, youshouldthatnow to ensure the absentee ballot request form goes to the correct address.
For the first time, Iowans who are 17 years old and will be 18 by November 3 can vote in the June primary. You can register to vote online or download a printable voter registration form atsos.iowa.gov/registertovote.
This project was supported, in part by grant number 1801ABSDD, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy. |
Spontaneous carotid dissection presenting lower cranial nerve palsies.
Cranial nerve palsy in internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection occurs in 3--12% of all patients, but in 3% of these a syndrome of hemicranias and ipsilateral cranial nerve palsy is the sole manifestation of ICA dissection, and in 0.5% of cases there is only cranial nerve palsy without headache. We present two cases of lower cranial nerve palsy. The first patient, a 49-year-old woman, developed left eleventh and twelfth cranial nerve palsies and ipsilateral neck pain. The angio-RM showed an ICA dissection with stenosis of 50%, beginning about 2 cm before the carotid channel. The patient was treated with oral anticoagulant therapy and gradually improved, until complete clinical recovery. The second patient, a 38-year-old woman, presented right hemiparesis and neck pain. The left ICA dissection, beginning 2 cm distal to the bulb, was shown by ultrasound scanning of the carotid and confirmed by MR angiogram and angiography with lumen stenosis of 90%. Following hospitalisation, 20 days from the onset of symptoms, paresis of the left trapezius and sternocleidomastoideus muscles became evident. The patient was treated with oral anticoagulant therapy and only a slight right arm paresis was present at 10 months follow-up. Cranial nerve palsy is not rare in ICA dissection, and the lower cranial nerve palsies in various combinations constitute the main syndrome, but in most cases these are present with the motor or sensory deficit due to cerebral ischemia, along with headache or Horner's syndrome. In the diagnosis of the first case, there was further difficulty because the cranial nerve palsy was isolated without hemiparesis, and the second case presented a rare association of hemiparesis and palsy of the eleventh cranial nerve alone. Compression or stretching of the nerve by the expanded artery may explain the palsies, but an alternative cause is also possible, namely the interruption of the nutrient vessels supplying the nerve, which in our patients is more likely. |
Comcast accuses Netflix of sabotaging some of its own video streaming customers
It’s pass the popcorn time in the war between Comcast and Netflix. If you recall, Netflix came out strongly against the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger in its earnings report. Now Comcast has responded and laid a pretty interesting accusation against Netflix: that is is the one responsible for the poor streaming quality some of its customers experience.
Netflix’s argument is a House of Cards. But there is no need for us to engage in a point-counterpoint with Netflix to demonstrate the continued distortions and inaccuracies on which it relies. As we and other industry observers have already noted, Netflix’s decision to reroute its Internet traffic was all about improving Netflix’s business model. While it’s understandable for Netflix to try to make all Internet users pay for its costs of doing business (as opposed to just their customers), the company should at least be honest about its cost-shifting strategy.
Comcast has a multiplicity of other agreements just like the one Netflix approached us to negotiate, and so has every other Internet service provider for the last two decades. And those agreements have not harmed consumers or increased costs for content providers – if anything, they have decreased the costs those providers would have paid to others. As at least one independent commentator has pointed out, it was not Comcast that was creating viewability issues for Netflix customers, it was Netflix’s commercial transit decisions that created these issues. No ISP in the country has been a stronger supporter of the Open Internet than Comcast – and we remain committed both to providing our customers with a free and open Internet and to supporting appropriate FCC rules to ensure that consumers’ access to the Internet is protected in a legally enforceable way. |
Iconic New Brunswick flowerpot rock collapses: park official
WATCH ABOVE: A large portion of the flowerpot rock known as ‘The Elephant’ at New Brunswick’s Hopewell Rocks crumbled away Monday morning. As Shelley Steeves reports, the loss may have actually brought new life to the park.
Steeves has been a tour guide at Hopewell Rocks for more than a decade. She said that of all the rocks that could fall victim to erosion, this is the last one she expected to see crumble.
The rock is one of 17 such formations on the Hopewell Rocks shoreline and is best known for its depiction on New Brunswick’s Medicare card.
Kevin Snair, the park’s supervisor of interpretive services, says recent temperature swings likely contributed to the collapse. More rocks fall in the spring than any time of the year.
Snair discovered the caved in rock on Monday morning while walking up the beach.
“I was thinking ‘oh please let him be okay,’ and sure enough when I came to the other side he was split in half,” Snair said Tuesday.
Snair says when the snow melts, water flows into cracks in the rocks, then freezes again when temperatures drop at night, which weakens the stone.
Because of the fall, he’s asking curious visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the fallen “Elephant” to keep their distance – more rocks could tumble down at any time.
Park to be inspected
The park will now be fully inspected by geologists to be sure it’s safe for the coming tourist season.
Tourism minister Bill Fraser says that while this is a sad day for Elephant Rock, it’s an exciting day for the park as a whole.
“It’s part of our story and I think there is going to be a tremendous amount of interest this season here at the park,” he said, adding that he hopes locals who haven’t visited in a while might come back to see the change. |
Play one QB, practice one QB, ex-Buckeye player Finkes says
At almost exactly the same time Urban Meyer stood in front of a press conference in Columbus and said Cardale Jones would remain Ohio State’s starting quarterback, former Buckeyes defensive lineman Matt Finkes was in Lima, saying his advice to Meyer would be to choose one quarterback.
“This is my opinion, and Urban can run the team however he wants, but I think it does both of them (J.T. Barrett and Jones) a disservice to not let them prepare as a starter, whoever the starter should be. When those guys are getting half the reps (repetitions) in practice it does them a disservice by not letting them prepare fully in practice,” Finkes said.
“I think that is kind of what needs to happen, whoever it is. They’re equally talented. They both have their plusses, they both have their minuses. But I think you have to let one guy prepare as the starter, as the guy, and get all the practice reps.”
Finkes was in Lima to speak to a group of local doctors about the undergraduate opportunities at Ohio State-Lima, such as a bachelor’s degree in biology, available to students who plan to pursue pre-professional degrees. He is a development officer for OSU’ s Wexner Medical Center.
Finkes was a first-team All-Big Ten, a third-team All-American and a three-year starter on the Buckeyes defensive line during the mid-1990s. He played in the NFL and NFL Europe after Ohio State.
He is impressed with this year’s Ohio State defense. And, like everyone else, he knows the Buckeyes’ offense has some work to do.
“They’re just trying to find themselves,” he said about the offense. “You’ve got a new coordinator, you’ve got a new philosophy. So you’ve got all those things coming into play. I’m sure Ed Warinner is trying to put his own stamp on what he wants this offense to be.”
Finkes said he thought before the season kicked off that Ohio State could get back to the College Football Playoff. He’s sticking with that prediction.
“I picked them to get back to the playoffs. The schedule sets up that way. Obviously, the Michigan State game is going to be the real test.,” he said. “The other side of the conference doesn’t look to be that strong again, with Wisconsin and Nebraska.
“So, I think it’s set up well for them again if they can beat Michigan State at home to get back into that final four. And then in the final four, it’s kind of a crap shoot. We were the No. 4 team last year and we just came in and were so incredibly hot no one could stay with us. Once you get into that playoff format, it’s just whoever has the momentum at that point.”
“The defense, obviously, is playing a lot better. The front seven has been playing really well and I think it is allowing those corners to kind of grow into their role. Gareon Conley has been playing fantastic these last couple games. They’re playing with confidence. When you play two passing teams in a row, Hawaii and Northern Illinois, and you hold them under 100 yards passing, that’s pretty impressive.”
Another thing he finds impressive about Ohio State football is the way Meyer leads the program.
“Urban has a lot of fire. What he brings to the table is a great combination of what John Cooper was as a recruiter — a guy who can go out and bring in the top talent — and Urban brings that fire and passion that Jim Tressel had and maybe Coop lacked a little bit. He’s a combination of those people. But on game day, he gets after it.
“I played with Korey Stringer, Orlando Pace, Eddie George, Mike Vrabel, Bob Hoying and a lot of guys who played in the NFL. I think you’re kind of getting back to that now,” Finkes said.
Ohio State
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2015/09/web1_ohiostate6.jpgOhio State |
’10ibs Lighter’ an “Independent Exhibition of Conceptual Urban Art” by TRUST.iCON in West London
The other week we were fortunate enough to attend the opening night of ’10ibs Lighter’ an “Independent Exhibition of Conceptual Urban Art” presented by stencil artist TRUST.iCON, which was certainly an interesting show taking you to another world defined by iCON’s witty take on his subjects. In his work Trust Icon set’s to capture a moment or a snapshot from his, and many peoples, childhood, taking subjects from popular culture and creating scenes and situations that combine his own style of poignant insight or humour with the subverted situation he places his subjects in, making his style his very own and his works what they are. The vast majority of works from iCON instantly bring a smile to the face upon viewing and force the viewer to reflect and this latest exhibition is no exception. Presenting an excellent array of works, including paintings, many of which we have seen on the streets at one time or another, and a series of immersive installations and even games for the viewer to lose themselves in, the show really does offer more than your average pictures hanging on a wall experience. A couple of recurring subjects in his works certainly have their place in this exhibition with a run of pieces based around Disney characters, Peanuts and the world of Super Mario all having their moment throughout. On a whole certainly a pleasure to see so many fantastic artworks and be presented with such a setting to view it all.
’10ibs Lighter’ runs until Thursday June 7th, so if you are London bound be sure to head along to the Crows Nest Gallery while you can to meet with a fantastic experience, you will not be disappointed. The Crow’s Nest gallery can be found at 3-5 Crowthorne Road – a short walk from Latimer Road Underground Station. Additionally there are a trio of Street Art pieces on the outside of the premises by iCON that are also well worth the visit for in their own right.
This work was not only brilliant as is, with this 8bit crime scene, but it was also the subject to a stunt that caught us so unaware we didn’t get the chance to get our camera out. Once the exhibition was nice and busy the seemingly dead victim stood up, stumbled around for a moment to gain his bearings and then somewhat dramatically exited out of the gallery. First rate!
Before.
After.
The audience was promised a “SURPRISE SPECIAL APPEARANCE OF TRUST.iCON” and they got it! Video kindly provided by TRUST.iCON. A must watch. Bravo iCON.
An installation of a “Thwomp” from Super Mario World, who are found in the Mushroom Kingdom and typically spend their time attempting to flatten any dare to pass below, but as can often be the case those things in life tinged with danger are the most thrilling.
’10ibs Lighter’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Real Artist’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Snoopy Brown’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Time For School’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Lady & the Tramp’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Last Trip to Wonderland’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Piracy is a Crime’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Snow White’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘I Don’t Believe in Fairy Tales’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘8bit Still Life’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘VR’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Stop & Search’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
‘Stop & Search’ – Spray Paint on Deep Edge Canvas.
A little glimpse as to what life is like on the other side of the fence, a place where things are not always nice, tidy or safe. |
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
From the 15th to the 18th of May, the full Doonchak Clan, along with Derlwyn (Kiel and Aimee), headed up to Tulameen, BC for what was being billed as the MUST ATTEND geocaching event of the year. The Tulameen Turtles had organized a large poker run type ralley event in the towns of Tulameen, Coalmont and Princeton, as well as in the remains of some ghost towns in the area. Not only was the event a blast, but it was a full and exhausting weekend of fun! What follows is a blow by blow account of the 27 caches and 3 events that Joel (Doon) completed over the course of the weekend. Chak (Tamara) and the Geo-Baby (Jacob) were not present at every cache, but they were there in spirit!
______________________________________________________
Home Base - GC18F6B
Well....here we go.The full Doonchak clan, along with a couple of Derlwyns, were here in Tullameen for a little something called The Great Coal Rush.Our first stop of the weekend, after a nice drive from Coquitlam, was at Home Base, where we meet up with the Turtles so we could gather the information needed for the weekend of fun.Maybe one day, this cache will be included in a history tour of the area as the place where some great Geocacher's lived!An easy find...though stealth may be required when people are camping 15 feet away from the cache
Weekend Cache #1
Rockin' Downtown Tulameen - GC1BMRRAfter getting all setup at our nearby cabin, we decided to head on down to the General Store to pick up some 'pops' for later that evening.We decided that it would be a good time to get the event started, as we grabbed our first event cache of the weekend.The find was made easier as we have seen this type of Turtle hide before.A quick grab and we were soon off back to the cabin with beverages and snacks in hand!
Weekend Cache #2
The Old Tulameen Graveyard - GCQ2HQAfter a stop back at our cabin, we decided that now would be a good time to see how well the all-terrain stroller, we had just received, handled while geocaching.We were actually staying just a few hundred meters away from the Graveyard, and it was a fairly quick walk after we figured out which road we needed to take.We took a walk through the Graveyard, taking note of the information in the book about how 'Green' burials were being used at this site.Once through the graveyard, Doon and Mr Derlwyn went up the last few meters to retrieve the cache....and what do you know...we gathered our first playing card of the weekend!An interesting spot, and I am sure there is alot of history buried in this place.
Weekend Cache #3
School Hill - GC1F1D4After our stop at the Graveyard, we headed towards this cache, wondering if it was going to be possible to push the stroller up the hill. Chak and Miss Derlwyn quickly decided that it was a no go, and so Doon and Mr Derlwyn took off up the hill while the Girls and Geo-baby Jacob headed back to the cabin.Perhaps this climb was foreshadowing another climb that would happen a few days later, but it was alarming how tired I was after that short haul up the hill.We meandered around for a while, a little unsure of which way were were going, but we soon had our bearings back and made our way to GZ.I must admit, finding caches is made much easier when each cache is marked by an ammo-can next to the hiding spot....maybe we can make that a requirement going forward?Another card pulled, another log signed and we were soon off, back towards the cabin and a rendezvous with some cachers at the Opening Night Meet and Greet.
Weekend Cache #4
Coal Rush - Friday Night Meet & Greet - GC1JHV4If was already getting dark as we made our way through Coalmont into what remains of Granite City for the Meet and Greet.We parked and made ourway to the fire that was being built....a hunger for hot dogs growing stronger as the minutes passed.We chatted with a few folks....most of which were more interested in the very cute Geo-Baby Jacob then in us boring adults....but who can blame themHad a nice chat with Malibooboo, very nice to meet you after seeing your name so many times...including on a Mailbox Geocoin I had in my possession.Soon though, Geo-Baby Jacob expressed his desire to return to our temporary home for the night. So we left, still with the hunger for hot dogs, as we had forgotten our roasting sticks back at the cabin.
Weekend Cache #5 / Event #1
Princeton Museum - Without Them All Would Be Lost - GC1J928Well, it was day #2 of The Coal Rush Weekend, and Doon and Mr Derlwyn's plans of getting up early to hit the caches was foiled by the warm beds at our cabin.Since we needed food, we decided to head into Princeton to start our caching day and grab the essentials.Our first stop of the day was at the Museum, and were were not alone. During our time searching here, at least 3 other groups of cachers came along. Derlwyn soon had the cache in hand, and off we went into the Museum to both gather our playing cards as well as take a walk through this interesting little place.The hosts inside were very welcoming and we soon had the card in hand. However, the lure of a working telephone soon had us calling each other from opposite sides of the room! We spent some time looking around...I especially liked the 3D map of Princeton and the mines underneath it.We soon realized that other caches were calling our name, so we said our Thank You's and Goodbyes and jumped back into the car...armed with maps and directions to a castle and our next stop....
Weekend Cache #6
i Clues to our Treasure - GC140YKOn our way to the castle, Derlwyn pointed out a cache he had gathered on a previous trip through Princeton. With the dual purpose of getting a cache, as well as hopefully getting some maps of the back-roads / FSRs in the region, we headed towards the Information center.So....I guess my next question would be....what sort of Information Center for tourists is closed on the weekend?!? lol.We still stopped to grab the cache, and in the process I may have grabbed Tetanus from the rusty nail that stabbed me during retrieval, but the cache was soon in hand and we were off again, chasing tales of a castle nearby.
Weekend Cache #7
Princeton Castle - GC15VTEWith the Tetanus possibly still pumping through my veins from our stop at I Clues, we made our way towards the castle.We stopped at the head of the TCT entrance so that Geo-Baby Jacob could get his 'feed' on. The rest of us merrily sat around (or in the case of Miss Derlwyn, practiced some dance moves...yes..we all saw you [;p] until Jacob decided we were allowed to continue.We trudged down to the cache location, with Geo-Baby being carried in various arms during the trip and search.Well...doesn't there always seem to be that one cache that everyone else finds in 2 minutes, but it takes you 45? This was our head-slapper of the weekend.After an exhaustive search spanning a considerably larger area then it ever needed too, the cache was found....of course Doon was back at the car trying to call the Turtles for some life support during this time...so I can't actually relay what happened when it was found...but I like to imagine much rejoicing and clapping of hands. Of course, it was in a spot that we had looked about 62 times before...maybe it teleports?After replacing the cache, we drove down to the castle and it was quite a site to see. Into the office we went where we were greeted by a comely wench (can we say wench on Geocaching.com...?) who proceeded to serve us with our cards and then ask a myriad of questions about the event. I think that perhaps someone paid her to delay all other cachers for as long as possible , but we were soon on our way again and off to more adventures!
Weekend Cache #8
Choo Choo - GC1M3MNAfter the almost debacle at the castle, we decided to Choo Choo Choose this cache as our next destination.We tried to drive as close to this cache as possible, and we managed to find an area that allowed us to park and scramble down a small hill close to the cache location. Chak, Miss Derlwyn and Geo-Baby Jacob stayed behind so Jacob could get his feed on again...he eats like Daddy!Little did we know that we would need to come down this way again later today....but hindsight is always 20/20.The tunnel was an impressive site, though a slightly somber one as well with the memorial very close by. It made me wonder if the child had an accident on this very tunnel I was about to climb up .A quick scramble up the side and we were soon up on top of the tunnel, and Derlwyn soon had the cache in hand.This was a very interesting spot, and seeing the remains of the wooden supports over the concrete tunnel made me wonder if there was more history to this spot then what meets the eye.We quick scramble down and we were off to another adventure, this one of the Subway variety as we were VERY hungry and needed some food.
Weekend Cache #9
Aug 13, 1930 - Victims of the Blakeburn Disaster - GC1C81DAfter a hearty lunch of the Subway variety, we took off in the direction of another Graveyard. A few bumpy kilometers later and we pulled into the drive. The spot that stood out for me was the pyramid marker near the entrance. I am pretty sure it was the sister to another such marker I saw in Princeton.As we neared GZ, we pulled up behind another car and recognized a couple of friendly faces accompanied by a couple of new ones. We said our 'wazzups' to Graf, Kowgirl Katie, Malibooboo and Gearhead and vowed to see each other again later that night at the poker event. They gave us some directions towards the cache and then they were soon off.Chak stayed in the car with Geo-Baby Jacob as it was getting quite hot and we didn't want to cook our child!Doon and Mr/Miss Derlwyn began our search for the micro and had no luck for the first 10 or so minutes. After awhile, Doon made the find in the spot he had already looked at multiple times. Such is cachingBack to the car we went, knowing that our next destination was going to be a multi-cache involving a long walk.
Weekend Cache #10
TCT Princeton - Silver will get you Red - GCD4E4Back towards downtown Princeton we went, having driving past our first destination for this Multi already a couple of times today.Armed with a hint from Malibooboo, we left Chak and Geo-Baby Jacob in the shade of the car and started working over the fountain in the hopes of finding our first clue.It took some time, but soon Miss Derlwyn found the container and the location of the final stage of the cache....and wouldn't you know it....we had to walk right under Choo Choo to get it. Efficiency was not our friend on this day!We loaded back up into the car, and headed towards the TCT, hoping to cut off as much of the walking time as possible in the mid-day heat. We found a suitable location, pulled down the stroller and we were soon off on our walk.Going through the tunnel was pretty neat. It was never dark enough to be really scary, but it was still eerie in places....mainly the places where we almost stepped in big piles of poo .Once through the tunnel, we made our way onto the bridge and saw some folks that sure did look an awful lot like geocachers coming towards us. Graf, Kowgirl Katie, Gearhead and Malibooboo....along with another group of 3 cachers that I don't think we got the name of, were making their way back from the cache. We shared a chat, and gawked at Gearhead's body art TB and then parted ways so we could continue on.Geo-Baby Jacob was sleeping through the walk, so the rest of the walk was fairly uneventful in a good way, and we were soon upon the impressive geological site near the cache. We left our names on the wall using the rocks and continued on towards the cache.As we neared, a group of quaders pulled up and proceeded to wait until we, who they assumed were muggles, passed on by. Once we both realized that we were cachers, we shared a brief talk over the cache location before parting ways and heading back towards the car.Geo-Baby Jacob woke up soon after departing the final location, and decided that he was not happy leaving nothing at this geocache. He proceeded to throw two pacifiers out of his stroller...only one of which we retrieved. Silly little man [;p].We returned to the car, hot and sweaty and in need of bathroom breaks, water and diaper changing. Our next stop was to be Overwaitea, which, in reading the newspapers that came with our package, has been around for MANY years...though I am guessing not all at the current location?
Weekend Cache #11
The Great Coal Rush - GC1HMDAAfter leaving Overwaitea with food and a changed Geo-Baby, we quickly stopped at the first location for Meet The Cacher, as we did not intend on returning to Princeton again this weekend. Derlwyn grabbed the tag after being directed by a local a few houses away. Back into the car, and we were off.After dinner, we packed up and headed to Home Base for the GeoCoin Poker game. Once we arrived, the girls enjoyed a beverage or two before heading back to the Cabin to enjoy a rented movie and leaving the men-folk to gamble away the coins they had imported from Germany specifically for the event.We were shocked to see the prize breakdown. I had expected everyone to leave with at least one coin, but this was going to be some HARDCORE geocoin poker tonight with only the top 4 players leaving with any coins.I was at a table with Best Red, Teskelly, Catapult Jeff (hereby referred to as 'The Ringer' or the 'Fake Newb'), Gearhedd and A Turbo Kid (didn't get the real name) and the game soon started.As luck would have it....I had none, and was dealt nothing to play with for probably the first 50 minutes. I was dealt A/K and went all in, hoping beyond hope that I would hit something that would make me a player again. Of coruse, when you hope beyond hope, you end up with no hope and lose all your chips. The Ringer had me beat. I don't remember with what exactly, but whatever it was I was out.Realizing that I needed another chance at victory, I bought back in using two loaner coins from Mrs Turtle...who must have done some good sales that night on rebuys .I was back in the game....only to be dealing with the same junk I was before. A/2 was the first highcard I had been dealt in many hands, so I pushed all in again when i paired my A on the flop. It was me against The Ringer...and of course, when you are against The Ringer...you lose. He pulled out his straight on the River and I was once again out of the game, this time 4 coins down and still no closer to that beautiful templar coin that I was now kicking myself for having entered.Derlwyn was fairing much better this time around, after his own re-buy, so I went inside and chatted with Kris and Jordy for awhile. Derlwyn managed to place in 5th place, which won him 2 coins, which he promptly gave back to Kris after borrowing them to re-buy back in, heh.We jumped into the car and headed back to the cabin, hoping to be able to make it back in time to have a fair. Alas, Geo-Baby Jacob was already asleep and it was time to hit the sack. However, this time Doon and Derlwyn vowed to wake up early and make it to some of those out of the way caches that are not Geo-Baby acceptable.Another great night and lots of fun was had.
Weekend Cache #12 / Event #2
Mullin Coal Mine - GC1J91WTrue to our words, Derlwyn and Doon were up at 7am and out the door, hoping to grab a few of the more 'rugged' caches up for grabs this weekend while the Girls and Geo-Baby slept.We had picked this cache, along with two others, since we figured we could wrap them up before the 10am deadline in place for our return. Given that we have only ever come back from caching once on time...I didn't like our chances.We drove down through Coalmont and up the first FSR that my little Sunfire has ever seen. It performed fairly well given the circumstances and we were truckin....well car'in, along fairly well. We reached the '6 board' and took the upper road, not being sure which way we needed to go. We soon had big trucks that looked unhappy to be behind a Sunfire on a mining road coming from behind. We motioned the trucks past, but stopped the first one to ask how to get to 'Blakeburn'. He told us to go back to the '6 board' (His term...not mine) and take the lower road. So down we went.After more then a few turnarounds and some confusion, we finally found the right road in....being guarded by a fairly large puddle. Derlwyn measured the depth of the puddle with a large stick, and given it's shallow nature, we were soon off down the road, avoiding rocks and logs left and right.The site we pulled up to was something to see! And we parked and started making our way up the side of the slope towards the cache. After a short search, we soon had the cache in hand and headed off to the lone puzzle cache of the weekend, Gotta Go #4.
Weekend Cache #13
Gotta Go #4 - Blakeburn Style - Behind Which Door? - GC1QKBGFrom the Mullin Coal Mine cache, we trekked uphill towards the starting point for Gotta Go #4. I was quite happy to see that, once we arrived, it looked to be all downhill....of course, that would mean an uphill climb would follow...but men are not great at long term thinking at times like this.We made our way down, following the welcoming green tape whenever we saw it. We soon found ourselves however on the wrong side of a large ditch, so back up a ways we went to get to the other side.Once on the other side, it was not too long before we spotted the first outhouse of the outhouses. Beyond that, the others were soon in site as well. You wont get any spoilers from me, but suffice to say that we found the cache fairly quickly once we were on the site.It's surprising how well some of these buildings have held up! We took some needed rest and used the outhouse for it's intended purpose (I kid....of course ) and after a few photos, we were once again on our way....knowing that time was our enemy if we didn't want the girls to be later this morning.
Weekend Cache #14
B09: Lover's Leap - GC1QKBAComing down the hill from Gotta Go #4, we continued along the beautiful trail that edged along the cliffs.We passed at least one trestle along the way to the cache, and it is amazing that these structures still stand today!Once we reached the location of the cache, we were greeted with quite the site! What a view! I scrambled down to look under the trestle, as my GPS was pointing in that direction, but Derlwyn had the right idea and soon had the cache in hand.We of course took the opportunity to snap some pictures of this great spot, before we had to head back up what was sure to be a grueling climb. At the time we didn't know that continuing on would take us to two other caches, but even armed with that knowledge, we had to head back for breakfast.The climb back to the Mullin site was as hard as we expected it to be, and I was in full on huffing mode when we reached the top. Nothing like a good hill climb before breakfast to wake you up!Back in the car, we headed back down the FSR wondering if we were going to make it back in time. We actually made really good time and we were pulling onto 2nd street in Tullameen about to be on time for only the 2nd time ever....when we spotted Curnews and pulled over to have a quick chat. It turned out that Mr Curnew (Jeff I believe) had beaten the 'Fake Newb' other Jeff and had taken home the grand prize coin haul. I longingly got to hold the Templar coin one last time, and took down the tracking number for future discovery when it is activated. Congratz on the win and the coin haul!Only being 5 minutes late, we did not receive any wrath from the girls, and I made a big meaty breakfast to boot. Fuel for the day of caching to come.
Weekend Cache #15
TCT Tulameen - Otter Lake Trestle - GCXM0NAfter our hearty breakfast, we packed up the car and headed out for some group caching.Our first stop was going to be, what we figured at least, an easy one. We made our way down the road to Otter Lake and hoped out figuring that we would find a TCT trailhead near the shore of the lake. As we have been many other times in the past, and probably will be in the future, we were wrong.We were standing on the shore, looking at what we knew was the cache location, but had no easy way of getting there. We tried to walk along the shore, but the path of least resistance would have been a very wet one, so we went back to the grass.Leaving the girls and Geo-Baby (who was....once again....getting his eat on), we jumped back into the car and looked for a trail entrance. We found one not to far away and we were soon making our way down the TCT towards the cache. Lots of quaders around, and when we reached the cache location we had some muggle company, but we managed to make the find in super stealth mode anyways, and soon had another card in hand.I stood on the bridge waving to the girls for probably 5 minutes before someone at the lake let them know that they 'men-folk' were waving like crazy people. We got a small wave back and then they went back to fawning over the Geo-Baby.I left a TB in the cache and took nothing and soon we were on our way back to the car. When we reached the car, we were surprised to see the girls walking down the street towards us. We loaded up the car and off we went, intending to finally grab a cache we had driven by at least 6 times in the past couple of days.
Weekend Cache #16
The Dead Shoe Tree - GCY05HWe had passed this cache many times over the past couple of days, and we were concerned that this was going to end up being that cache you keep saying you will grab next time...and then never end up grabbing before you leave. Determined that this would not be the case, we pulled over to the side of the road at the first shoe tree and began our search.We had seen a few other cachers at this area over the past few days, but that didn't help us any in finding the cache. The search took a few minutes, but Derlwyn soon had the cache in hand. Now to find the cards.As we walked towards the other shoe trees, a herd of other cachers showed up and we found the cards together...oddly enough...under another shoe tree.I think what made me laugh the most was not that people woudl throw their shoes up into the trees....but that they didn't keep it to only one tree .Having prevented disaster, we piled back into the car and headed off to Home Base to turn in our cards from the caching so far that day. A nice quick chat with the Turtles and we were off again, this time into Coalmont!
Hattie's Place - GC1FK0VWe pulled into Coalmont and parked in front of the Mozy-On-Inn to grab the 2nd step of Meet The Cacher before heading over the Hattie's Place for the next cache. We had a nice chat with Mr. Mozy while grabbing the tag information and then started the trek over to Hattie's Place with the whole crew in tow.In reading about the history of this cache, it's hard to beleive that in the history of a town, only one murder has taken place, but I guess that is big city thinking for you .As we neared the site, we wondered whether or not the properly that was for sale to the right of the cache location included the site where Hattie's house once stood.Once at GZ, we spent some time reading the plaque and taking a few pictures before we grabbed the cache container. I left a TB here and took nothing but a sense of history at an interesting location.It was getting hot out, but we figured we would do one more cache on foot before loading back into the car....or so we thought!
Weekend Cache # 18
Days Gone By - GC1GGM4After Hattie's Place, we walked down the road to where we thought we would easily grab Days Gone By. We crossed the bridge and started up the hill....but quickly realized that this was not going to be a nice leisurely walk with the stroller in this heat. There was a brief debate over whether or not Derlwyn was going to run to the car himself, but we ended up walking back as a group.The girls stopped to use the restroom at the Mosey Inn and Derlwyn and I, with Geo-Baby Jacob went over to the Coalmont Welcome sign to knock off another photo for the Photo Challenge cache.Soon we were all back in the car and heading up the bumpy road towards the cache. We made the right decision in not trying to walk, as it was actually quite a ways up the road. We found the correct turn-off and we soon were at GZ with the cache in hand. A neat hiding spot for sure and another great cache found up on this service roads. Doing these caches is making me want a jeep or something .
Weekend Cache #19
Wooden Monster - GC1GH7MAfter Days Gone By, we realized we were on the right road to make a go at this cache. I think we tested the limits of the Sunfire along this road, but it seemed to survive the trek. If the tires all fall off the car on the way to work on Tuesday however, I think this cache will be the one to blame .Once we found the right road in, we parked a few hundred meters out. Guess what...Geo-Baby Jacob needed to eat...he keeps doing that...go figure. So the girls stayed behind while the boys went to go find this Monster.After a short walk, we saw the remains in the distance. From far away they are quite a sight!We made our way to GZ and as we neared the cache I almost speared myself with some metal wire that lay on the ground....ouch.The cache was very quickly in hand, and we snapped a few photos before heading back to the car.Geo-Baby was still eating when we returned, so we chilled out for a few....well....more like heated out for a few minutes and then packed up again to head into the remains of Blakeburn!
Weekend Cache #20
Blakeburn - GC1ED5TAfter heading down one bumpy road, we were soon heading back up another. Before we could venture up the FSR however, we had to make a quick stop in the Granite Creek Cemetery to grab a picture of Hattie's grave for the Photo challenge.We found it interesting that parts of the Graveyard were fenced in. We assumed those were family plots, and the graves contained inside seemed to confirm this. These small town cemeteries are very interesting...so very different then what you are used to in the city.We were soon back in the car and heading along the FSR towards what remains of Blakeburn. We were somewhat familiar with where we were going from our expedition earlier in the morning. We were soon at a pulloff from which we could attack three caches. The first of these was Blakeburn.After a quick walk down the trail, we came upon quite the site. This was by far the most impressive remains we saw during the weekend. You can really imagine what it must have been like when it was operational.Mr/Miss Derlwyn went to fetch the cache, as Geo-Baby Jacob was being carried and the trail looked a little precarious. We snapped a couple of pictures while they grabbed the cache and we were soon on our way again, another lesson in the history of this area learned.
Weekend Cache #21
Downtown - GC1GGK8From the Blakeburn cache, we continued along the obvious trail....though we did pick the less desirable upper route versus the pristine looking lower trail....I blame Derlwyn...it's nothing new.As we neared GZ, it was almost impossible to believe that this was once the site of a town. Sure there are some remains, but looking at the pictures and trying to place all that here seems almost impossible. It really makes you wonder how long it would take nature and time to reclaim the cities of today....longer I am sure....but eventually I imagine the same thing could happen.The cache was quickly retreived, and I read through the history left in the cache to note that the hiding location used to be the Steam Plant for Blakeburn....amazing. So much history here that I bet 99% of the people in BC know nothing about. I am glad to now be a part of that 1%!
Weekend Cache #22
Meet Miss Mary McKay – of Shaughnessy Division - GC1J922After two relativly easy finds, we decided to go for the last cache within walking distance of the car, despite the warnings of a possible bushwack to the cache.We made our way along the trail, and soon realized that the only way to GZ was up the slope and into the bush.Chak and Geo-Baby Jacob would need to stay behind, so Miss Derlwyn remained behind as well, and Doon and Mr Der were soon bushwacking our way along.We each made our way towards separate buildings, getting cut up and whipped as we went. I had no problem with the bushwack...sometimes its nice to have to work like this for a cache...especially when the reward is such a interesting location.The building I checked was empty, and Derlwyn was having no luck on his end either.We also were starting to get the calls for a bathroom from the girls. We couldn't complain though, it had been a few hours since the last stop and that was probably a record for this motley crew!Derlwyn was getting frustrated, but I pushed him on towards the last building. Sure enough, the cache was located. Unfortunately I never got to see the final location as I was making my way towards the cache when the requests for a bathroom turned into demands.Needless to say we were soon back in the car and heading towards Coalmont. We stopped at the Saloon for a potty break before heading back into Tulameen. A quick stop at Meet The Cacher spot #3, along with a stop at the General Store for Ice Cream and a Web Cam shot for the Photo Challenge (Thank you Mosey-On-Inn for the help with that one) before we were back at the cabin making some food for the pot-luck. It would seem that our event caching was over...as it was only a short time until the Awards dinner...however, Derlwyn and Doon were hoping to sneak out to grab one last cache.
Weekend Cache #23B09: Meet the Cacher! - GC1J91XPoints 1 - 3 were gathered earlier in the weekend while doing other caches. We had just returned to town from some Blakeburn caching and we hoped to knock this one last cache off the list before the wrap up dinner.Back at the cabin, it looked like the Potluck food was under control, so Mr Derlwyn and I rushed out the door with the promise that we would be back in 10 minutes. We figured it we could grab spot #4 in those 10 minutes, we could find a way to grab #5 and the final in small increments before dinner.We rushed out of town towards spot #4 and had a nice drive around the lake, looking towards some of the other locations we were unable to hit during the weekend.As we reached #4 GZ, we were unsure if we should pull into the drive or not as there were folks outside one of the possible houses. We decided to park on the road, and started searching across the street for the tag. The folks outside turned out to not be the cachers, but they knew where the tag was and shouted out to us where to look. With spot #4 in hand, we headed back into town.Spot #5 turned out to be about 5 doors down from where we were staying, so we decided we would knock that off before we went back to the cabin. We ran into the Mario Bros at spot #5 and we quickly had those numbers as well.Back to the cabin we went....but the food was already made, and permission from the powers that be was granted for us to go and gather this final cache.Off we went, curious as to where this final location would be...since it seemed to be pointing us back to the Turtle's Home.As we neared the final GZ, it seemed like we were heading back to spot #3....which...once Derlwyn looked at his GPS...we were. A smack to the head later and we headed back towards downtown Tulameen and the proper location for the final cache.As we neared the final location, we saw that Mario Bros were already there and trying to find the cache. Derlwyn made up for his previous mistake and soon had the cache in hand. It was a bittersweet find as I knew that with this find, the event caching for us was over.I left a TB that I felt was appropriate, since it is covered in the names of fellow cachers, including some that were up at this event (Malibooboo and 911 Turbos to name a couple).We drove away and within a few minutes had the 4th or 5th Derlwyn "OMG Where is my GPS" scare of the weekend. Unlike the other scares, this one was actually real, so we turned around and went back to retrive it.Once back at the cabin we got ourselves ready for the walk down the street to the wrap-up party.
Weekend Cache #24
Coal Rush - Dinner & Awards - GC1JHV5We walked to the wrap up event from the cabin and it was already a semi-full house when we got there. Prizes were all lined up at the front, and food was being organized in the back. It had all the markings of a well organized wrap to a superbly organized weekend.We took seats near the front, being the keeners that we are, and soon things were underway. Kris took the stage to loud cheers from the crowd and then got cheered even more when she told everyone to go eat. Us cachers like our food.There was a big spread, though two main dishes, chili and pasta salad, dominated the menu. I filled up plates for myself and Chak while the Geo-Baby Jacob ate his dinner. The food was good and soon it was time for the main-event...awards and prizes.I was amazed at the number of people who managed to get royal flushes. I wonder how much behind the scenes trading went on to get those together . Prizes were handed out, with trophies and certificates for some of the more unique accomplishments of the weekend....such as almost hacking through a tree with a Swiss Army Knife. Much cheering occured and then the door prizes were handed out. Some people made out with a huge haul. We managed to win a Landsharkz Adventure Guide tag, which we plan on using to spread the news about Tulameen and whichever event will be the sequal to the Coal Rush Event. Thanks for the prize!We had one last Coin to pass along, so I passed off the Triple Dragon coin to Malibooboo to take back up to the Prince George area with him.After the awards went out, we stuck around for awhile to thank our hosts and say a few hello's and goodbyes, but I had promised Chak a fire this weekend (we had yet to have one) and I needed to make good on that promise, so we headed home to roast mallows and dogs. The event may be over, but we still had some caching plans for the next day.
Weekend Cache #25 / Event #3
Tulameen Photo Challenge - GC1J92AAfter a long sleep, the full crew woke up and proceeded to pack up our belongings to head on home. It had been a great weekend, and the cabin we had rented had served us well...almost too well on Saturday morning as it's comforts prevented us from getting the early start we had wanted.After we were packed and had eaten our breakfast, we agreed to go and grab the Tulameen Photo Challenge cache that we had been working on over the weekend.Our first stop however was once again at Home Base to meet up with the Turtles one last time. Mario Bros were just leaving when we got there, and a few tents were still up in the yard, but it looked like most of the cachers were already on their way home.We thanked the Turtles again and left our small (VERY small) bag of empties and headed off in the direction of the cache, armed now with the knowledge of the proper road to take.We had two cars for this cache, as after this Derlywn and Doonchak would be going their seperate ways and heading home.The FSR was bumpy, but again I was happy with how the Sunfire performed on these roads. I am not sure that Geo-Baby Jacob always agreed, but it tended to rock him to sleep after awhile .We soon came to the lookout where the cache was hidden. I passed the GPS off to Chak as she had yet to actually find one this weekend with all the Geo-Baby work she was doing. Such a good mommy she is!Turns out Miss Derlwyn beat her too it, as the cache was soon in hand. I never did see the final location, as I was snapping pics of the great view, but Chak signed us in.With that cache found, it was time to say our goodbyes. Mr/Miss Derlwyn needed to head back quickly to get some stuff done, while Chak and I were in no hurry, so parted ways at the bottom of the FSR and with that, Derlwyn was gone and the Doonchak's were on their own to find some adventure!
Weekend Cache #26
Someday of the Week - GC15G9WAfter filling up with gas in Princeton, we flew over to the Crow's Nest highway and headed towards home. I had PQ'd the route from Tulameen to 'da Wack' so we were armed with enough caches to keep us very busy.One thing I do find however, whenever we try to cache while driving, is we inevitably drive by so many caches while trying to decide whether or not we are going to stop. Turnaround Cache was the first victim of this on our drive home, but I soon queued up Someday of the Week and we vowed to make this stop.Luckily, the cache location was attached to a nice big pull-off area, so we easily pulled in and parked near GZ. I once again handed the GPS to chak, determined to get her a cache for the weekend. Sure enough, she had it in hand a few seconds later, and with a smile on her face, she had a find!We signed the log-book and after checking to make sure that Geo-Baby Jacob was still asleep, we were back in the car and heading towards Manning Park, sure that we would be able to make some easy stops along the way!
Weekend Cache #27
Hope Slide Earthcache - GC1626FAfter the successful stop at the previous cache, we were feeling good about our chances to grab a few more roadside caches before we hit our final caching destination of the weekend. However, with Geo-Baby Jacob sleeping, we knew that only park and grabs were going to work.With that in mind, we zoomed past cache after cache that required us to go for even a 5 minute walk, despairing that we were missing out on some great views and locations, but not wanting the trade off of an awake and grumpy Geo-Baby.As luck would have it, no cache fit the bill, and so we arrived at our final destination of the weekend, the Hope Slide.The skies had darkened on our approach, and the wind was REALLY cold by the time we got out of the car.It's hard to beleive, but I had never actually been to this spot before. It was quite a sight to see, that is for sure. You really can tell pretty much exactly which portion of the mountain came down...I can't even imagine what that must have sounded like.Geo-Baby Jacob was hungry, so Chak was in the car feeding him while I gathered the information for the Earthcache, as well as a couple of pictures.So much rock, and in a few minutes I would be searching through it looking for what was pretty much a needle in a haystack.
Weekend Cache #28
Beyond Hope - GCGTT7After gathering the information from the Earthcache, I checked in on Geo-Baby Jacob, who was still enjoying his bottle. With that, I took off to grab the other two caches in this area.Not much of a story with this one, just a quick grab as the wind died down. There was not many people around at this point, so the grab was easily made and then I was off to climb over the rocks in search of the next cache.
Weekend Cache #29
Hope Landslide - GC1EZZCI was expecting this to be a much longer search then the quick grab I had just made at the other cache located near here...and it did not disappoint.I made my way carefully to GZ, figuring that after a weekend of hiking and off roading with a Sunfire, that the last thing I wanted to do was wipe out on the last cache of the weekend!Once near GZ, I began my search. Looking here, there and everywhere. After 10 minutes or so or searching, I took a gander at the hint, and I must admit, it tricked me pretty good. I searched what I thought was every possible option based on the hint, but was having no luck.As I begun to get a little frustrated, I heard the pitter-patter of fellow caching feet near the location. Peppy and PD21 arrived on the scene, and I headed over to say hello....when there it was...dead on to the hint...just not in the way I was thinking. Calling out that I had made the find, we gathered around to sign the log. High Maintenance and ILoveVacation arrived shortly there-after as well and we had a Ge-Reunion only a few short hours after all leaving the same event.With the cache replaced, and the logbook signed, we headed back to our cars. Chak and Geo-Baby were done, and waiting for us as we arrived. PD21 helped us grab a group shot for the Earthcache, and I had a nice chat with High Maintenance about a coin that she was designing....looks great...I love new shiny things! Soon though, the lure of home caused for us to part company, and we were loading ourselves back into the car.
Weekend Cache #30...last cache of our great weekend at The Great Coal Rush.
______________________________________________________
Whew, that was a mouthful. As you can imagine, we were all exhausted upon our return to Coquitlam....and of course the rain was here waiting for us after 4 perfect days up in Tulameen. The event was amazing, the caches we tons of fun, the folks we had a chance to visit with were all wonderful and we have memories that we will never forget....especially now that I have written them all down!
Thanks so much Turtles for the hard work....I hope you know how much it is appreciated. We are all so lucky to have quality events like this in our area...spoiled might be a better word.
T - Memories, scrapes, possible tetanus, a sunburn, a new found appreciation for small towns and their history, and a perma-smile.
L - Blood, sweat, a soother somewhere on the TCT and a bunch of pasta salad because we made WAY TOO MUCH! |
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Few investors even on Wall Street are aware that over $220 million has been raised in the past three years through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). ICOs are a new form of investment, somewhere between an IPO and a Kickstarter, in which new blockchain ventures sell a digital currency they create to use with their software before the software itself is written.
ICOs are easy money nowadays, and I’ve participated in a few myself; but when it came to my own blockchain startup, I urged that we avoid this Wild West of finance.
Not that there’s any doubt blockchain technology will see huge successes. Bitcoin and blockchain tech will change our lives as substantially as the personal computer and the Internet did before it. But while the word “dot-com” was on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the late ’90s, the blockchain investment boom is largely happening under the radar due to this ICO phenomenon.
Just like early dot-coms, the problem with ICOs is there is simply not enough skepticism. With little more than a white paper and a website, teams have raised as much as $180 million from scores of individual investors. There is no fiduciary duty from the company to the investor and no real penalty for not living up to the hype.
ICOs are typically open for investment for a certain duration of time, after which the funds are available to the startup. Nearly all the incoming funds are in the form of Bitcoin, but there is also a considerable ecosystem around Bitcoin’s primary competitor, Ethereum. At some point after the funds are raised, the organization issues investors units of the new digital currency. Because the currency derives its value from the software being built, it functions somewhat like an investment in the software project itself.
To relate this to the non-tech world, imagine if I proposed starting a national competitor to Starbucks called Coffeetown. At Coffeetown, drinks can only be purchased using coupons we create called Beanbucks. So to fund my new coffee chain, I pre-sell these coupons to the public. People buy them because if you get in early and the chain takes off, you can either resell them at a higher price or trade them in for real coffee at pennies on the dollar. Of course, if the chain doesn’t take off, you’re stuck with a bunch of worthless coupons. This is the world of blockchain ICOs – and I guarantee it’s more of a rush than a shot of espresso.
Ethereum actually had one of the more successful ICOs. This “souped-up” version of Bitcoin allows for smart contracts and other decentralized applications. Having raised $18,500,000 in its ICO, Ethereum has a current market cap of $959,000,000, clearly providing a substantial return for buy-and-hold ICO participants. Why did this one work out? The well-vetted team behind Ethereum held up its end of the bargain. It used the funds to produce a lot of innovative software applications and a thriving organization that has partnered with many household technology names. The company’s ICO process was very well-managed, expectations and details were set, and execution went as well as possible for a new technology. Although there was a long delay from the end of the ICO to the issuance of ETH tokens, everyone seems to have emerged for the better.
By contrast, the MaidSafe project is an example of how difficult delivering on a vision can be. In June 2014, MaidSafe raised $7 million via an ICO – and as of November 2016 appears to have an alpha version barely crawling. Some would say this is hard stuff that takes time, and others would say it is hard for inexperienced teams to efficiently allocate relatively large sums of investment in a meaningful way. I don’t doubt the MaidSafe team’s intentions, but they did set a high bar for themselves. Two other projects launched in 2014, Ziftr and Gems, each raised about $1,000,000 and also have arguably little to show for it two years later.
Perhaps the most tragic example of an ICO gone awry is the DAO, or Decentralized Autonomous Organization. The DAO claimed to have a model for an organization that would efficiently allocate capital and even decentralize decision making to potentially thousands of people. Built on Ethereum’s technology, it rapidly raised $180 million worth of Ethereum and Bitcoin. Unfortunately, a flaw in the software allowed about $50 million to be drained by a hacker, destroying the DAO project and even putting Ethereum in crisis. While many were able to get some of their money back, others did not fare as well.
So far, the overall record of ICOs has been pretty poor. This isn’t the fault of Bitcoin or the ICO concept but rather the “easy money” mentality of investors and entrepreneurs flooding into this market.
Any time a groundbreaking new technology arrives on the scene, there is always a mania around it. It happened with railroads, automobiles, film studios, suburbs, PCs, and dot-coms. Now it’s happening with blockchains. This new technology is groundbreaking, and fortunes will be made. But they will be made the old-fashioned way: by figuring out how to deliver value to consumers. Entrepreneurs should not assume that raising millions in an ICO is a validation of their ability to deliver. If a project doesn’t generate real value, then the new digital currency behind it is going to be worth what you can buy with it – nothing.
Josh Finer is COO of LBRY.io. Follow him on Twitter: @finer9.
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Friday, December 21, 2007
Jihad has in fact many meanings in the Muslim world. There is Jihad as an "inner spiritual struggle" and Jihad as "holy war" and there is no agreement as to which is the "greater Jihad." There are also differences of opinion as to what constitutes a justifiable reason for Jihad. For example, should one wage Jihad only when Islam is threatened? When is Islam is not threatened, but the enemy are pagans? When is Islam is not threatened but the enemy are any non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians. Hassan El Banna, founder of the Muslim brotherhood, claimed it is a duty to wage Jihad against Jews and Christians. Some nice quotes that Hassan Banna brings, as well as his own words:
On the authority of 'Abd al Khayr bin Thabit, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, who said: "A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) named Umm Khalid, wearing a veil, in order to ask him about a son of hers who had been slain in the way of Allah Almighty....The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) said to her:
'Your son has the reward of two martyrs.' She asked: 'Why?" He said: 'Because he was killed by People of the Book.' (Transmitted by Abu Dawud)
...
You should yearn for an honourable death and you will gain perfect happiness. May Allah grant myself and yours the honour of martyrdom in His way!
Unless an enemy threatens the Umma - the Muslim nation, Jihad is not ordinarily Fard al Ayn - an obligation incumbent on every individual. But it is Fard Kifaya - a community obligation. And any individual who is called to war must come. As al Banna notes:
And in Al-Mughni of Ibn Qudama of the Hanbali school, who said:
'Jihad is a fard kifayah. If a group of people engage in it, the remainder are released. It becomes a fard 'ayn under three conditions:
If two armies meet and two lines of soldiers confront one another, those present are forbidden to leave the battlefield, and it becomes a fard 'ayn on each one to remain at his station.
If the unbelievers attack a territory, it is a fard 'ayn on its population to fight and repel them.
If the Imam calls a group of people to arms, then they must join his military forces. And he should at least announce Jihad once every year.'
A Jihad a year brings you virgins dear.
Ami Isseroff
Inquiry & Analysis Jihad & Terrorism December 20, 2007 No. 411
Jihad Today
By Menahem Milson*
The Arabic word jihad has gained wide currency in the media worldwide. Since the 1990s, various countries around the world have seen numerous terrorist attacks perpetrated by Muslims calling themselves "jihad fighters" the most deadly of them being the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.(1) But what exactly is this concept of jihad, which has so much impact on life in the world today?
THE MEANING OF THE WORD JIHAD
Let us begin with the meaning of the word jihad as it is understood by the "ordinary" contemporary speaker of Arabic (and also by Muslims who are not Arabs) I refer to the meaning of the word in "common parlance," to use a British legal term, or in what the Jewish sages called "the language of ordinary people." In the language of ordinary people, jihad means war against the enemies of Islam. Since this interpretation often arouses controversy or objection among academic experts, I present here a word-for-word translation of what is said about the concept of jihad in a standard 11th grade textbook used in Jordan and the Palestinian Authority:
"Jihad is the Islamic term equivalent to the word 'war' among other nations. The difference is that jihad is [war] for the sake of noble and exalted goals, and for the sake of Allah whereas other nations' wars are wars of evil for the sake of occupying land and seizing natural resources, and for other materialistic goals and base aspirations."(2)
It should be noted that the literal meaning of the word jihad is not "war." Jihad is the nominalized form of the verb jahada, which means "to strive," "to exert oneself." The textbook from which the quote is taken presents this etymological information, but what it stresses and what is relevant to this investigation is the accepted meaning of the word in Muslim culture and history, and, of course, its accepted meaning today.(3)
THE PLACE OF JIHAD IN THE MUSLIM WORLD VIEW
To properly understand the place of jihad in the Muslim world view, it is important to keep in mind that Islam has been, from its very beginning, not only a religion but a political community the nation of Islam (ummat al-Islam). Muhammad was not merely a prophet communicating the word of God, but a political leader and military commander. Hence, any victory by the army of a Muslim state over non-Muslims is perceived as a victory for Islam itself. According to Islam, Allah promised the Muslims victory and superiority over all other religions worldwide. Allah validated this message with the Battle of Badr, in Ramadan of 624 CE, in which 300 Muslim warriors under Muhammad's command vanquished the 950-strong army of the Quraysh tribe a military feat which played a crucial role in shaping the Islamic consciousness.(4)
This victory was not an isolated event. Rather, it was the harbinger of an impressive series of victories that led to the rise of a Muslim empire stretching from India to the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, the notion of Islamic superiority became engrained in the Muslim religious consciousness. "Islam is superior and cannot be surpassed" this saying, attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, reflects the Muslim sense of superiority, and this self-perception remained unshaken for many centuries, even when the political and military reality no longer supported it.
According to the traditional Muslim outlook, humanity is thus divided into two groups: the followers of Islam who are called "believers," and all non-Muslims, who are called "infidels." It is the duty of the Muslims to propagate the one true faith Islam throughout the world. Should the infidels refuse to embrace Islam, jihad is the means to vanquish them.
Among the infidels, Islam distinguishes between two main groups: idolaters or polytheists (who, in Arabic, are called al-mushrikun those who place others alongside Allah) and the "People of the Book" (ahl al-kitab), that is, Jews and Christians. Islam recognizes that the Jews and Christians have received divine revelation and divine laws (hence "People of the Book"), but maintains that they distorted the word of God and the holy scriptures, and are thus infidels.
The People of the Book are granted special status in Islam, and their fate is different from that of the polytheist infidels. The Muslims are commanded to fight them until they either accept Islam or agree to pay the poll tax (jizya). The basis for dealing with them is laid down in the Koran in the "jizya verse": "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizya out of hand, in a state of submission..." (Koran 9:29). By paying jizya, the People of the Book indicate that they submit to Muslim rule and accept the status of protected people, called in Arabic ahl al-dhimma.(5)
Just as humanity is divided into two into believers and infidels the world itself is also divided into the abode of Islam (dar al-Islam), namely the region under Muslim rule, and the abode of war (dar al-harb), referring to all lands not yet under Muslim rule, which must be conquered by the sword, i.e., through jihad.
However, jihad, important though it is, is not regarded as a personal obligation (fard 'ain) incumbent upon each and every Muslim. In this, it differs from the "five pillars of Islam" the declaration of faith (shahada), prayer, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca, and the payment of zakat (alms tax) which are personal obligations of every individual believer. According to the shari'a, jihad is a collective duty (fard kifaya) of the Muslim nation, or community, as a whole. It is the Muslim ruler who decides when and against whom to declare jihad. When a Muslim ruler declares jihad, it becomes a personal obligation for those whom he orders to take part in the war.
There is only one situation in which jihad becomes a personal obligation of each and every Muslim even without an order from the Muslim leadership namely when non-Muslims attack Muslims or invade a Muslim country. Bin Laden and the adherents of extremist Islam claim that this is the situation today: Islam is under attack, both physically and ideologically. The infidels Christians and Jews are invading the lands of Islam: Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq and Afghanistan. Therefore, they maintain that waging jihad has become a personal obligation incumbent upon all Muslims, wherever they may be.
Even in the modern era, when the balance of power tipped decisively against the Muslims and in favor of the European states, jihad did not recede from the Muslim consciousness. The notion that any confrontation between Muslims and non-Muslims constitutes jihad was so deeply ingrained in Muslim thought that the Muslim rulers of North Africa in the beginning of the 19th century referred even to the actions of Muslim pirates who used to attack "infidel" ships from ports on the North African coast as "jihad."
Let me enumerate several military conflicts between Muslim and European forces during the 19th century that were defined by the Muslim side as jihad: In 1830, the Algerian leader 'Abd Al-Qadr bin Muhyi Al-Din declared jihad on the French invaders; in the mid 19th century, the Dagestani leader Shamil launched a (partly successful) jihad war against the forces of Czarist Russia; in 1881, the Sudanese Mahdi declared jihad upon the British; in 1912, Sheikh Sayyed Ahmad Al-Sanusi declared jihad against the Italians in Libya; and in 1914, when the Ottoman Empire joined the war alongside Germany and Austria, Sultan Muhammad V declared jihad upon the Entente Powers, though this obviously did not cause all the world's Muslims to join the Ottoman Empire in its war against England, France and Russia.
SELF-SACRIFICE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH
Jihad is obviously closely linked to the concept of self-sacrifice in battle for the sake of Allah (shahada). Shahada means "martyrdom,"(6) and any Muslim who is killed in the course of war with non-Muslims is a shahid (martyr), whether he was engaged in active fighting or not. Every Muslim man, woman, or child whose death came about, directly or indirectly, through the actions of the enemies of Islam is a shahid. Actively pursuing jihad and seeking a martyr's death (istishhad) is especially laudable.
Willingness to sacrifice oneself in battle is no small matter, and Koranic verses dealing with war for the sake of Allah (al-jihad fi sabil Allah) reflect the fact that Muhammad's warriors in the early days of Islam were often reluctant to risk their lives, for Allah rebukes them: "You who believe! What (excuse) have you that when it is said to you: 'Go forth [into battle] for the sake of Allah,' you should cling to the earth; are you contented with this world's life instead of the hereafter?... But the goods of this world's life compared with the hereafter is but little" (Koran 9:38). The reward promised to those who sacrifice themselves for Allah is one of the means to overcome the natural fear of death: "Allah hath purchased of the believers their lives and their property; for theirs [in return] is the garden [of Paradise]..." (Koran 9:111). Moreover, the Koran stresses that those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of Allah are not really dead: "Reckon not those who are killed for the sake of Allah as dead; nay, they live [and] are provided sustenance from their Lord" (Koran 3:169).
The Koran does not merely promise the martyr a reward in the world to come; a number of Suras in the Koran contain descriptions of the pleasures of Paradise food, drink and beautiful women. The Muslim traditionists and commentators greatly elaborated on these descriptions, providing, for example, details about the physical and spiritual characteristics of the black-eyed virgins of Paradise.(7) Every man who enters Paradise is rewarded with 72 such brides.
The distinction of martyrs, compared to other Muslims, lies primarily in the fact that they are guaranteed the privilege of Paradise: The act of falling in battle for the sake of Allah washes away every violation or sin they have committed during their lives. Moreover, the shahid enters Paradise right away, without enduring the "torments of the grave" ('adhab al-qabr), whereas an ordinary Muslim who does not have the privilege of dying as a martyr must wait for the Day of Judgment, and only then providing he is sufficiently virtuous do the gates of Paradise open before him.
The following excerpts show how pervasive is the belief in the pleasures that await the martyr in the world to come:
Al-Risala, the Hamas mouthpiece, published the last statement of Sa'id Al-Hutari, the terrorist who carried out the June 1, 2001 suicide bombing near the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv. Al-Hutari says: "I shall turn my body into pieces and bombs that will pursue the sons of Zion, blow them up, and burn the remains [of their bodies]." Addressing his parents, he tells them not to weep over his death, saying, "There is nothing greater than to give one's soul for the sake of Allah on Palestinian soil. Mother, utter cries of joy; Father and brothers, hand out sweets. Your son is awaiting his betrothal to the virgins of Paradise."8 Indeed, following the death of a shahid, the family does not erect a "mourners' tent," but holds a celebration similar to a wedding celebration: sweets are served and the mother of the "groom" utters cries of joy.
Reports in the Palestinian press likewise reflect the acceptance of these beliefs as a familiar and established reality. Journalist Nufuz Al-Bakri, for example, reported the death of the shahid Wael 'Awwad as follows: "The mother of Wael 'Awwad, from Dir Al-Balah, never planned to hold a second wedding for her eldest son, after he married his fiancée Miyada on August 10, 2001 in a simple ceremony attended only by the family. But Wael's real wedding day arrived yesterday, when the angels of [Allah] the Merciful married him, along with the [other] martyrs, to the black-eyed [virgins], while all around rose the cries of joy that his mother had dreamt of on the day of his wedding [to his fiancée]."(9)
Hamas official Ashraf Sawaftah told of a ceremony honoring 'Izz Al-Din Al-Masri, who carried out the suicide bombing at the Sbarro pizza parlor in central Jerusalem in August 2001: "His relatives handed out sweets. [They] received their son as a bridegroom who was being married to the black-eyed [virgins], not as one who had been killed and was being laid in the ground."(10)
The uncle of Nassim Abu 'Asi, who died in an attempted terrorist attack, said that whenever Nassim was asked why he was not married, he would always reply, "Why would I relinquish the black-eyed [virgins] to marry a woman of clay [i.e. of flesh and blood]?"(11)
Hamas leader 'Isma'il Abu Shanab once explained to a foreign reporter: "This is part of the Islamic belief. One who dies a martyr's death is rewarded [in Paradise]. If a shahid who died for the sake of Allah dreams of the black-eyed virgin, he receives her."(12)
The children in the Hamas education system are taught, beginning in kindergarten, that martyrs are rewarded with 72 virgins in Paradise. After touring Hamas schools in Gaza, Jack Kelley of the American daily USA Today wrote that, in one of the classes he visited, an 11-year-old was speaking before the class, saying: "I will turn my body into a bomb that will tear the flesh of the Zionists, the sons of apes and pigs I will tear their bodies into little pieces and cause them more pain than they could have ever imagined." The teacher responded by saying, "May the virgins give you pleasure!" A 16-year-old youth told Kelley that "most boys cannot stop thinking about the virgins of Paradise."(13)
The terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks also believed that the black-eyed virgins were among the rewards awaiting them in Paradise. A letter of instructions found in the vehicle of Nawaf al-Hazmi contained two mentions of the wide-eyed virgins: "...Do not show signs of discomfort of anxiety, be relaxed and happy. Rest assured that you are carrying out an operation that Allah desires and of which He approves. When the time comes, Allah willing, you will enjoy the virgins of Paradise... Know that Paradise has been bedecked with the finest decorations in anticipation of your coming, and that the black-eyed [virgins] are calling to you..."(14)
The chief mufti of the Palestinian Authority police, Sheikh 'Abd Al-Salam Abu Shukheydem, also mentioned the virgins as one of the rewards of the martyr: "From the moment he sheds the first drop of blood, he does not feel the pain of his wounds, and he is forgiven all his sins; he sees his seat in Paradise; he is spared the torment of the grave and the great horror of Judgment Day; he marries the black-eyed [virgins]; he vouches for 70 of his family members; he receives a crown of honor inlaid with a precious stone that is more valuable than this entire world and everything in it."(15) The phrase "he vouches for 70 of his family members" refers to another reward of the martyr, less known than the black-eyed virgins but nevertheless very significant: a shahid is allowed to bring 70 of his relatives into Paradise, by his own choice and recommendation. This exceptional privilege confers prestige on the shahid and special status on his family.
The last statement of Hanadi Jaradat, who carried out the October 2003 suicide bombing at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa, sheds light on the perception of martyrdom in general, but especially on this aspect of the martyr's reward. This document, posted on the website of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, reads as follows:
"The Exalted One [i.e., Allah] said [in the Koran]: 'Reckon not those who are killed for the sake of Allah as dead; nay, they live [and] are provided sustenance from their Lord' [Koran 3:169]. Verily, Allah's words are true.
"My dear family, whom the Master of the World will reward as He promised us all in His Holy Book... Allah promised Paradise to those who persevere in all that He has brought upon them and what a good dwelling Paradise is.
"Therefore, reckon my sacrifice in anticipation of the reward that Allah, may He be praised and exalted, will [grant] you in the hereafter. [My life] is not too great a sacrifice for the sake of the religion of Allah. I have always believed in what is said in the Holy Koran, and I have been yearning for the rivers of Paradise, and I have been yearning to see the glorious light of Allah's face. I have been yearning for all these ever since Allah bestowed guidance upon me "(16)
The expression "reckon my sacrifice in anticipation of the reward that Allah... will [grant] you in the hereafter" recurs four times in Jaradat's letter addressing her family, her loved ones, her father, and her mother. This expression referring to the special privileges conferred upon a shahid's family is familiar and clear to any Muslim.
THE CULTURE OF DEATH
On February 16, 2003, an Islamist website posted the contents of an audiocassette of a sermon by Osama bin Laden. The sermon naturally created an uproar in the media. Particular attention was paid to the last sentence, which was especially curious and somewhat alarming. In this sentence, bin Laden quoted a few lines from a poem:
"O Lord, when death arrives, let it not be upon a bier covered with green shrouds, "Rather, let my grave be in the belly of an eagle, tranquil in the sky, among hovering eagles."
Various commentaries appeared in the media by experts in various fields such as Middle East specialists, intelligence experts, experts on counter-terrorism, and so on who proposed different interpretations. Some suggested that these words hinted at an imminent aerial attack, along the lines of 9/11, with the eagle symbolizing the hijacked airplane flown by suicide terrorists. Others maintained that the eagle symbolized not the attack itself but the target of the attack not the aircraft, but the United States, whose emblem is an eagle. Some termed this sermon "bin Laden's testament" based on an apparent reference to the expressed desire for burial in "the belly of an eagle."
These interpretations, however, are way off the mark. When we at MEMRI translated the sermon in full, it became apparent that bin Laden was referring neither to an American eagle nor to a hijacked airplane. The poet quoted by bin Laden yearns to die a hero's death as a shahid (martyr) on the battlefield and to be consumed by an eagle, which would then bear him up to heaven, where he would reach the throne of Allah. The eighth-century Arab who authored the poem was a member of a fanatical militant sect of Islam.(17)
I have mentioned bin Laden's sermon in order to highlight two central characteristics of modern jihadist Islam. The first is identification with the early generations of Islam, the first hundred years of its Islamic history. It is impossible to understand contemporary extremist Islam if one does not regard it as a religious movement whose members strive to follow the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions in this early period of Islam. They believe that if they act out of faith and readiness for self-sacrifice, like the Islamic warriors of the Prophet's era, they will prevail over armies superior to them in both numbers and equipment. Early Islam the era of Islam's far-reaching conquests is the exemplary era of Islam and the source of their inspiration.
Another motif that runs through this part of bin Laden's sermon is death for the sake of Allah. This too is a prominent motif in jihadist Islam, which is manifest, for example, in the motto of the Hamas movement: "Allah is our goal, the Messenger our model, the Koran our constitution, jihad our path, and martyrdom for the sake of Allah our aspiration." At an end-of-year ceremony in a Hamas kindergarten in Gaza, the children, dressed in camouflage uniform, enthusiastically chanted this slogan.(18)
Islamic zealots speak boastfully of their "love of death," contrasting themselves with their enemies (in particular the Jews), who love life. In this context, they frequently quote the words spoken by the Muslim military commander Khaled bin Al-Walid to a Persian commander on the eve of the battle between the Muslim and the Persian armies: "I am bringing with me warriors who love death, while you love life."(19)
REACTION TO THE DECLINE OF MUSLIM POWER
The engrained belief in Muslim superiority was seriously shaken during the 19th century, when the Ottoman Empire suffered a series of defeats at the hands of the Russians, and when various Muslim-ruled lands fell under non-Muslim rule: Algeria and Tunisia were conquered by the French, Egypt and Sudan by the British, and the majority of the Balkan countries achieved independence from the Ottomans. In World War I, the Ottoman Empire was totally defeated by Christian powers, and subsequently, in 1924, Turkey's reformist secular leader Kemal Ataturk abolished the Caliphate. To Muslim eyes, it appeared that history had deviated from its predestined course.(20)
It was the disturbing recognition that Muslim power was inferior to that of Europe, the West, or Christendom (however the "other side" is perceived) that shaped the outlook of modern Muslim intellectuals, both extremist and moderate. The question that faced, and that continues to face, Arab intellectuals and political leaders was how the Arab peoples, which constitute the heart of Islam both historically and ideologically, could regain their rightful place in history.
Ideological and political answers to this question are of two kinds. First, there are the answers proposed by the Islamist school of thought. The Islamists argued that the decline in Muslim power did not stem from any flaw in Islam, but rather from the fact that the Muslims had abandoned Islam. Their maxim was: "There is no fault in Islam; the flaw lies with the Muslims." According to them, when Muslims return to the original, pure Islam, all the ills of Muslim society will disappear, and the Muslim nation, led by the Arabs under the banner of Islam, will be in a position to fulfill its historical mission. They call to return to the Islam of the early generations, known in Arabic as al-salaf. This stream is therefore called "Salafi Islam." The Salafi stream is represented in the Arab world by two movements: The first is Wahhabism, founded by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (17031792) in the middle of the 18th century, which is the dominant school of Islam in Saudi Arabia; the second is the Muslim Brotherhood, established in 1928 in Alexandria, Egypt, which today has branches in other Arab countries as well.
Answers of a different kind were proposed by the nationalist school of thought.(21) The concept of nationalism took root in the Arab world in general, and in Egypt in particular, in two different forms: local nationalism, defined by country, and pan-Arab nationalism, based on the unity of language and culture throughout the Arab world. In the contest between local, single-state nationalism and pan-Arab nationalism, the latter had a much stronger appeal, due to the close connection between Arab identity and Islam. The proponents of pan-Arabism believed that the unification of all Arabs would enable the Arab countries to regain their rightful place in history. The influence of pan-Arabism grew after World War II and peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. Gamal 'Abd Al-Nasser's Arab Socialism and the Ba'th movement were both based on the concept of pan-Arab nationalism as the foundation of the Arabs' collective identity. The ideological and political differences between the nationalists on the one hand and the Salafists on the other (both the Wahhabis and the Muslim Brotherhood) were vast.
Salafism both that of the Wahhabis and that of the Muslim Brotherhood derives its inspiration from the works of 14th-century scholar Ibn Taymiyya, who called to purge Islam of all impurities, stressing the centrality of jihad as a personal obligation of each and every Muslim in times when Islam is under threat. According to Ibn Taymiyya, a Muslim ruler who commits grave sins or applies alien laws (i.e., non-Islamic laws) is no better than an apostate (murtadd) and should be put to death. Hence, war against such rulers is a religious duty, namely jihad.(22)
The 1967 Six-Day War, bringing with it the collapse of the Nasserite vision, was a cataclysmic event for the Arabs: an utter defeat, which naturally had religious significance. As far as the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists were concerned, the collapse of the Arab armies, although distressing, was understandable and even justified. In their eyes, it was the Arabs' punishment for having abandoned Islam, and it offered an opportunity for repentance and rectification. For the Muslim Brotherhood and the other Islamists, the 1967 military debacle even more than the defeat of 1948 proved the worthlessness of secular Arab nationalism, Nasserist and Ba'athist alike. The slogan "Islam is the solution" was now being proclaimed with greater force. But the way towards implementing this slogan in practice had not yet been found. The Islamists had great difficulty in living up to their own ideals when it came to jihad against the infidels inside and outside the Muslim world. It took unique historical circumstances to bring about the return of jihad.
THE RETURN OF JIHAD
The takeover of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Tehran and the taking of American hostages by Iranian students on November 4, 1979 was greeted throughout the Muslim world as a victory of Islam over the infidels. Iranian students had managed to humiliate the great American superpower and had thereby confirmed the Islamist belief that, by acting fearlessly in the name of Islam, Muslims could defeat the infidels. The fact that this was a victory by Shi'ites, a minority group in the Islamic world, did not detract from the sense of achievement among Muslims in general. In the grand division of the world into two camps believers and infidels there was a near-universal Muslim solidarity with Khomeini's Iran.
For the Saudi regime, however, the prestige earned by the Islamic Revolution in Iran posed a problem. After all, it is the House of Saud, the Defender of the Two Holy Places (i.e., Mecca and Medina), that should rightfully be the guardian of the true Islam that is, Sunni Islam in accordance with the Wahhabi doctrine. In their view, it was they who deserved to lead the Islamic awakening not the heretical Shi'ite Ayatollah Khomeini, whom they considered not much better than an infidel. The religious aura of the House of Saud was a political asset in the pan-Arab and international arena, and even more so within its own kingdom. In order to preserve its religious status, it had to win the struggle for primacy as the champions of Islam throughout the world. Therefore, in response to the challenge posed by the Iranian Revolution, the Saudis took a dual course of action: They embarked upon jihad against the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and they launched a far-reaching operation for the propagation of Islam.
To achieve the latter goal, they invested billions of dollars through Islamic charities in order to build mosques and religious seminaries (madrasas) throughout the world. Obviously, these madrasas and mosques were venues for Wahhabism, disseminating the doctrine of Ibn Taymiyya. The propagation of Wahhabi Islam worldwide served an internal purpose as well, countering charges of moral laxity directed against the Saudi regime. It would not be an exaggeration to say that, beginning in 1979, there has been a process of "Wahhabization" throughout the world. Although this process cannot be quantified, its effects are evident in far-flung Muslim communities, from Manchester to San Diego, from Shanghai to Oslo.
The 1989 Soviet debacle in Afghanistan was a great victory for Islamism. A decade after Khomeini's Islamic revolution in Iran, Sunni Islam triumphed over the infidel Communist power. The U.S. believed at the time that they had effectively manipulated Islam to deal a blow to the Soviets, but for the Islamists this was only a single battle in the global drama that would unfold until the ultimate victory of Islam, which would include the defeat of the U.S.
A series of terrorist operations during the 1990s signaled the direction and goals of the Islamists: jihad against the "infidel power" the U.S.(23)
On February 23, 1998, Osama bin Laden and four of his aides, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, issued their "Declaration of Jihad against the Crusaders and the Jews," which was a declaration of all-out holy war against the U.S. and its allies. The unique significance of this declaration lay in the fact that bin Laden and his associates had pronounced this jihad to be the personal obligation of each and every Muslim throughout the world. They based their decision on the teachings of medieval Muslim authorities, primarily Ibn Taymiyya, maintaining that the circumstances, which the declaration describes, warranted this unusual decision. The declaration stated: ""Killing the Americans and their allies both civilians and military personnel is a religious duty for every individual Muslim who can do this, in any country in which he can do this."
Islamist jihad has two goals, both global. One of these is to wage war against the main infidel power, the U.S., and all of its allies. Israel and the Jews are singled out in bin Laden's jihad declaration as allies of America. It presents the 1991 Gulf War as an operation by "the Crusader-Zionist alliance." It further states that one of the goals of the U.S. in its campaigns in the Middle East is "to help the tiny Jewish state and to distract attention from the fact that it is occupying Jerusalem and murdering Muslims."
The other goal is to topple the evil regimes in the Muslim countries, because their leaders are only outwardly Muslim. It is thus a religious obligation to fight them, depose them, and establish a truly Islamic regime in their place. The ultimate goal of jihad is to impose Islam on the entire world as the only true religion. This fundamental stance of Islam is manifested in bin Laden's call on the American people to embrace Islam, thereby putting an end to the war in Iraq.(24) Bin Laden reminds the Americans that "the biggest and most irreversible error one can commit in this world is to die without surrendering oneself to Allah, namely, to die without embracing Islam."
Osama bin Laden's declaration of jihad is not an isolated document. Similar calls and even stronger ones are made regularly in Friday sermons that are broadcast live on Arab television across the Arab and Muslim world, and even in the West. These sermons include exhortations to slaughter Jews and Americans because "Allah has commanded the killing of the infidels."(25) From the Islamist perspective, Muslims are in a no-holds-barred war of jihad.
The phenomenon of jihad, and the idea of self-sacrifice in battle for the sake of Allah (shahada), which is closely linked to it, are not easy to comprehend. In some liberal circles in the West, Islamic terror in Europe is often claimed to be the consequence of economic and social factors, such as the frustration, unemployment, and economic hardships suffered by second- and third-generation Muslim immigrants in Europe.
This explanation, based on concepts familiar to the secular Westerner, appears to make sense and is therefore readily accepted. Indeed, many liberal-minded researchers and commentators, who see 'the West' as historically guilty vis-à-vis the Third World, are not prepared to accept an explanation linking terrorist activities with jihad and religious extremism, which they construe as disparagement of Islam. Therefore, they prefer explanations that deny or at least blur the connection between suicide terrorist attacks and the Muslim identity of their perpetrators. The problem with such an approach is that, when we look at the profiles of Islamic terrorists in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere, we see that they do not belong to the population evoked by this explanation, namely those suffering from unemployment and economic deprivation. Neither the perpetrators of the Madrid train bombing on March 11, 2004 nor the 19 Al-Qaeda members responsible for the September 11th attacks were uneducated, unemployed young men. Without recognizing that the Islamist belief system is at the root of all these terrorist acts, we cannot possibly understand the nature of these acts or the motives of their perpetrators.
MUSLIM PROTEST AGAINST JIHADIST ISLAM
In the preceding sections I have described the phenomenon of modern jihad and its early Islamic roots. It is now necessary to present the limits of its power and influence.
Islamist terrorism has won sympathy in the Muslim world, but the Islamist call for universal jihad has had only limited success. The extremist Islamic organizations are all clandestine, and the Arab regimes, in the interest of self-preservation, fight them in various ways including some attempts to delegitimize them from the Islamic religious point of view. The Egyptian and Saudi Arabian media publish abundant information about the struggle of officially ordained clerics against extremist Islamic groups. Bin Laden's call for all-encompassing jihad has thus clearly failed to move the entire Muslim world. In fact, even some of the extremist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt do not subscribe to the idea of global jihad waged here and now, and against all infidels, within and without.(26) On October 1, 2007, Saudi Mufti Sheikh Abd Al-'Aziz bin Abdallah Aal Al-Sheikh issued a fatwa prohibiting Saudi youth from engaging in jihad abroad. The fatwa stated that setting forth to wage jihad without authorization by the ruler is a serious transgression, and that young Saudis who do so are being misled by dubious elements from both the East and the West who are exploiting them in order to accomplish their own aims, and who are actually causing serious damage to Saudi Arabia, to Islam, and to the Muslims.(27) This fatwa is a clear example of the ideological struggle led by the Saudi authorities and a group of Wahhabi religious scholars against the jihadist propaganda.
In addition to the authorities' struggle against this propaganda, there is an ongoing ideological struggle by the educated circles against extremism in Islam in general, and against jihad with its culture of death in particular. Muslim thinkers and writers who strive for social and cultural reform in their countries are calling to abandon the jihad ideology and to desist from fostering hatred of other religions and cultures. Some of these reformist writers have a clearly secular worldview, such as Syrian philosopher Sadiq Al-'Azam, or Arab-American psychiatrist and author Wafa Sultan. Most of the active reformist thinkers, however, do not follow an openly secular doctrine but call for adjustments to Islam to fit it to modern life.
The Jordanian-born historian Dr. Shaker Al-Nabulsi, who resides in the U.S.; the Saudi director-general of Al-Arabiya TV and former editor-in-chief of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed; the Egyptian intellectual Sayyed Al-Qimni; Professor of Psychology at Al-Zaytouna University in Tunis Iqbal Al-Gharbi; Tunisian poet and civil rights activist Basit bin Hassan; Ahmad Al-Baghdadi, Professor of Political Science at the University of Kuwait; Syrian journalist Nidhal Na'isa; former dean of Islamic Law at Qatar University Dr. 'Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari; and Egyptian playwright 'Ali Salem are only some of the figures prominent in the ideological struggle against the jihadist culture.(28)
This ideological struggle whether it is fought by the official clerics or by writers and other independent circles is no simple matter, because jihad is a religious duty, and the reverence for the martyrs of jihad (the shuhada of Islam's first generation al-salaf al-salih) is shared by all Muslims. This makes the ideological struggle against the Islamists, who evoke the authority of "the pious forefathers," all the more difficult. Arab regimes face an inherent ideological contradiction: On the one hand, their security forces battle the jihadist organizations, while on the other, state-funded schools and mosques continue to disseminate the idea of jihad for the sake of Allah. The conflict within Islam over the issue of jihad is essentially a conflict over the path that Muslim societies should follow either hostile isolation and war vis-à-vis everything non-Muslim, or integration into the modern world.
*Menahem Milson is professor emeritus of Arabic Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and MEMRI's academic advisor.
Endnotes:(1) Some of the other attacks were the February 26, 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center; the March 1995 assassination of the American diplomats in Pakistan; the bombing at the Saudi military base in Riyadh in November 1995; the June 1996 bombing at the American barracks in the Saudi town of Dhahran; the double bombing of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar Al-Salam in August 1998; the attack on the U.S.S. Cole near Aden in October 2000; the March 2004 Madrid bombings; the July 2005 bombings in London; and the deadly bombings in Bali tourist resorts in 2002 and 2005. (2) Al-Thaqafa Al-Islamiyya (Islamic Education), Ministry of Education, Palestinian Authority, Ramallah, 2003, p. 208.(3) Jihad can refer not only to actual war, but also to the struggle between good and evil within an individual's soul. This metaphorical understanding of jihad was developed by the Sufis, the Muslim mystics, in the ninth century CE, based on a hadith (oral tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad. On the basis of this hadith, spiritual jihad was termed "the Greater Jihad" (al-jihad al-akbar), while jihad on the battlefront was termed "the Lesser Jihad" (al-jihad al-asghar). However, this understanding of jihad did not supersede the original, historical understanding of the term to mean war against the infidels as a duty incumbent upon every Muslim. (4) In Muslim tradition, Ramadan is not only a month of fasting but a month of victory. In the October 1973 war, the codename of the Egyptian-Syrian offensive, which began on the tenth day of Ramadan in the Muslim year of 1393, was "Operation Badr," after the victorious battle of Badr. The war itself is called the Ramadan War (harb ramadhan) in Arabic. (5) It should be noted that there is a significant discrepancy between Muslim law and what most Muslim leaders did in practice. The far-ranging Muslim conquests brought large populations of different religions not only Jews and Christians under Muslim rule, and all were granted the status of dhimmi. The Muslim scholars found pretexts to allow this, thus granting religious justification for what was essentially a practical necessity. (6) For the sake of accuracy, it should be noted that the word shahada has three meanings: a) "testimony" or "bearing witness"; b) the Islamic pronouncement of faith; c) self-sacrifice in battle for the sake of Allah, that is, martyrdom, also known as "the greater shahada."(7) In the Koran, they are called hur 'ayn. Islamic scholars and commentators have discussed this expression at length, and it is generally agreed that the virgins have wide, black eyes.(8) Al-Risala (PA), July 7, 2001.(9) Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), October 4, 2001.(10) Al-Risala (PA), August 16, 2001.(11) Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), September 11, 2001.(12) Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), September 17, 2001.(13) USA Today, June 26, 2001.(14) Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 30, 2007.(15) Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), September 17, 1999.(16) http://www.qudsway.com/Links/Jehad/7/Html_Jehad7/hinadi/hinadi2/hinadi_qudsnet_003.htm.(17) See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 476, March 5, 2003, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP47603, "Bin Laden's Sermon for the Feast of the Sacrifice." The poet quoted is Al-Tirimmah ibn Al-Hakim Al-Ta'i (660743 CE).(18) See MEMRI TV Clip No. 1468, "Graduation Ceremony at the Islamic Association in Gaza on Hamas TV," May 31, 2007, http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1468.htm. (19) This historical incident appears in numerous medieval Muslim sources. The version given here is taken from the chronicle by Jarir Al-Tabari (d. 923), from the chapter describing the events of the 12th year following the hijra. (20) The decline of the Ottoman Empire was a protracted process, which began long before it reached the awareness of the Ottoman elites. Admittedly, as early as the beginning of the 18th century, as a result of the 1699 Karlovitz agreement, the Ottomans could not avoid the realization that the balance of power between the Muslims and the Christian world had shifted against them and that a reform in the system was therefore necessary. However, the sense of crisis did not become widespread among the Muslim elites until the turn of the 19th century.(21) It is significant that the concept of nationalism as a foundation for collective identity came to Islam from the Western culture.(22) Though all Salafis regard ibn Taymiyya as a religious authority and source of inspiration, not all of them interpret the duty of jihad in the same way. The largest differences concern their perception of intra-Muslim jihad, i.e. jihad against Muslim leaders. (23) See Endnote 1.(24) See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 1709, "Osama Bin Laden's Video Message to the American People," September 11, 2007, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP170907.(25) See MEMRI Special Report No. 25, 'Contemporary Islamist Ideology Authorizing Genocidal Murder," January 27, 2004, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR2504(26) Pressure on the part of the Egyptian authorities has caused most of the members of the Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya movement to abandon their claim that it is every Muslim's obligation to fight any government that is outwardly Muslim but that fails to apply Muslim religious law.(27) The mufti's speech was published in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), in Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), and in Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on October 2, 2007. (28) Ample material on reformist opponents to jihad can be found on MEMRI websites www.memri.org and www.memritv.org.
*********************The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.Source of Jihad
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Sheik Abdul Hadi Palazzi is Secretary General of the Italian Muslim Assembly, the Director of the Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community, Muslim Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Islam-Israel Fellowship, Root & Branch Association, Ltd. He has frequently come under attack from fellow Muslims for his support for Israel and has been a lonely voice for many years, calling for mutual respect and tolerance between Muslims and Jews. He became an Imam and Sheik in 1987 after receiving his PhD in Islamic Theology from Al Ahzar University in Cairo. He has long challenged the Muslim position towards Israel and Jews and claims that the Wahabi sect along with Arab dictators have perverted Islam.
His latest article begins with the words,
As a Zionist Muslim clergyman and a friend of the Jewish people, I cannot keep silent. I feel a moral urge to declare that the nations of the world are once again preparing bad days for the Jewish people.
Please click here to read his entire article. It's well worth your time to do so. You'll be amazed.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
We will join the countries which manufacture nuclear reactors and medium-size power plants within the next 8 years and this achievement will be gained through a practice of the said international model, that is purchasing and building- Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Saeedi
Deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Saeedi here Tuesday said his country will be able to manufacture nuclear reactors and medium-size power plants in 8 years.
"If you intend to have nuclear power plants, there need to be a combination of importing the technology from other countries and building other power plants domestically, and this is an established model in the world," Saeedi said during a television interview with Channel 2 of Iran's state-run TV.
"We will join the countries which manufacture nuclear reactors and medium-size power plants within the next 8 years and this achievement will be gained through a practice of the said international model, that is purchasing and building," he added.
The remarks by the nuclear official followed some recent statements calling for a suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment activities due to nuclear fuel imports from Russia.
Saeedi viewed delivery of the nuclear fuel as a "success" for the Iranian nation, but meantime underlined that the issue has nothing to do with Iran's uranium enrichment activities.
He stressed that efforts by the West to halt Iran's nuclear progress through a prevention of Tehran's uranium enrichment activities are based on an "out-dated analysis", stressing that the Islamic Republic would continue with nuclear fuel production at home.
The official also reminded that Iran's previous nuclear cooperation contracts with the western world, including Germany and France, were not respected by the other side, saying that Europeans halted cooperation since the onset of the Islamic Revolution and refrained from even returning the money of the Iranian nation.
He also reminded that while Iran is a shareholder of a nuclear fuel production complex in France, Paris has always refrained from delivering fuel to Iran, concluding that Iran needs to produce its own nuclear fuel in a bid to secure continued operation of its power plants, otherwise exporters can lay pressure on Iran and threaten to stop deliveries in a bid to get whatever concessions they desire.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The article examines the evolution of three distinct poles of Islamism in Lebanon and how they have adapted to changes in local political and security conditions over the past three decades.
Although Lebanon's ethno-sectarian demography is manifestly unsuitable for the establishment of an Islamic state, the salience of militant Islamist movements in this tiny Mediterranean country has few parallels. Above and beyond the regional conditions fueling Islamic revivalism, Lebanon's weak state, acute socioeconomic and political inequities, and experience of pervasive external intervention converged to create an unusually permissive environment for Islamists. Under these circumstances, radical Islamism has become a powerful instrument of communitarian social mobilization and an effective vehicle for drawing resources from the outside world.
BACKGROUND
The modern state of Lebanon is a unique amalgam of 18 officially recognized religious sects, the product of over a millennium of immigration by Christians and heterodox Muslims from the surrounding Sunni Islamic world and deliberate colonial border demarcation following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Political offices in Lebanon have been distributed among its sectarian communities by fixed quotas. Under the terms of the 1943 National Pact, the presidency is reserved for Maronite Christians, the office of prime minister for Sunni Muslims, and the office of parliament speaker for Shi'a Muslims. Parliament seats were divided among Christian and Muslim sects by a 6:5 ratio until 1989, then evenly afterwards. In addition, the Lebanese constitution and subsequent laws grant the religious establishment of each sectarian community authority over matters pertaining to personal status (e.g. marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance).
By Betsy Pisik - MARDAN, Pakistan The bomb that ravaged Benazir Bhutto's homecoming processional in October appears to have been rigged to the clothes of a baby who was held up for the former prime minister to embrace, Mrs. Bhutto said.
A man approached her armored truck, Mrs. Bhutto recounted, and was trying to hand across a small child as her motorcade inched through the thronged streets of Karachi. She remembers gesturing for the man to come closer.
"It was about 1 or 2 years old, and I think it was a girl," Mrs. Bhutto told The Washington Times in her first public remarks about the baby.
"We feel it was a baby, kidnapped, and its clothes were rigged with explosives. He kept trying to hand it to people to hand to me. I'm a mother, I love babies, but the [streetlights] had already gone out, and I was worried about the baby getting dropped or hurt."
Mrs. Bhutto would have been killed, she said, if she hadn't stepped back to loosen the shoes on her swollen feet.
"The baby, the bomb, it went off only feet from me; there was nothing between us but the wall of the truck," she said.
"We were rocking from side to side, this huge truck. We saw the bodies, the blood everywhere; we saw the carnage. Some bodies were naked, with their clothes burned off," she said, shutting her kohl-rimmed eyes against the vision.
More than 170 supporters were killed in coordinated blasts along the route, a horror that was carried on live television and has shaped the already tumultuous campaign season here.
For Mrs. Bhutto, whose Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is contesting "as the underdog" for 264 seats in the Pakistani parliament, the blast and subsequent failure of the Musharraf government to investigate have made a political rivalry intensely personal.
She has complained to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and demanded an investigation, but party officials complain bitterly that the government and intelligence services have done nothing and are probably even involved.
"I wanted him to say to me, 'BB, bring in Interpol, Scotland Yard. Let's get to the bottom of this.' " Instead, she said, she has "not been allowed" to file a police report.
In declaring emergency rule on Nov. 3, Mr. Musharraf outlawed political rallies, citing the attack on Mrs. Bhutto's homecoming. The emergency is to be lifted tomorrow, but even then, it is clear the charismatic daughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Bhutto will not be campaigning as she did 17 years ago.
The PPP chose Mardan, in Pakistan's conservative North West Frontier province, for its party leader's first campaign appearance this season. However, instead of the tumultuous outdoor demonstrations she usually addresses, Mrs. Bhutto rallied the party's faithful in the walled courtyard of the party's regional headquarters.
She said she chose the courtyard not for security, but because authorities would enable a loudspeaker to reach a larger crowd. She is rattled, though: In an interview just after the well-received appearance, she confessed that she was tense all day, unsure whether she would arrive in Mardan before nightfall.
Only a small crowd lined the route when her motorcade wailed past, but the people could not see her through the black-tinted windows that security no longer allows her to roll down. The PPP thinks a helicopter would be a worthwhile campaign investment but ultimately rejects it as too easy to shoot down.
Mobility is important in a sprawling country with 160 million people and nearly 300 seats in parliament at stake.
Mrs. Bhutto is such a valuable election asset that the PPP charges candidates as much as $3,000 to join her ticket. The practice is not uncommon in Pakistan, where Mr. Musharraf and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dominate rival wings of the Pakistan Muslim League.
This pay-to-play policy is well known and universally loathed, a sign to many Pakistanis that politics has been and always will be a corrupt game played by the people who can afford it.
Ordinary Pakistanis and aspiring politicians complain that the parties have too tall a hierarchy, that candidates must appeal to the leadership before they are allowed to run, and that fortune favors the insiders and their friends and children.
Mrs. Bhutto, universally known here as Benazir or just "BB," agrees with critics who say that large personalities dominate Pakistan's political scene. However, she defends the celebrity factor as "electability" and said merit and experience justify what others see as nepotism.
"People want to belong to a party that will get them votes; it is a simple matter of electability," she said, adding that in this regard, she is little different from American Democratic hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Like Mrs. Clinton, Mrs. Bhutto has been married to a larger-than-life man who dominates her political career.
Unlike former President Bill Clinton, however, Asif Ali Zardari is considered by many to be a political liability. The businessman and former polo player has been charged with, but never convicted of, ordering the killings of political and business rivals including his wife's brother, Mir Murtaza and of fraud and corruption.
Mrs. Bhutto, whose marriage was arranged, defends her husband of 20 years with what sounds like genuine passion.
"People say he is a liability, but they hit me by getting at him," she said, praising Mr. Zardari for sticking by her through political scandal, financial investigations, scathing accusations and an eight-year jail term she insisted was politically motivated.
"I am very proud that he has stood by me; he stood his ground," she said, curling her hands around a tea mug and whispering intently in a room echoing with entourage and favor-seekers. "He is a proud man, and he was humiliated. ... I don't consider him a liability."
Her face beaming, Mrs. Bhutto added, "I always think, what if he was not as brave as he turned out to be? What if he had listened to the army and divorced me? He could have chosen his business, you know. But he has paid a lot politically and personally. I am very lucky to have him. I think that people respect that he has stayed with me.
Syrian and Iranian Leadership comprehends only the language of force and coercion.By: Elias Bejjani/LCCC Chairman
December 16/07
(News Agencies: "December 13, 2007- A powerful car bomb killed one of Lebanon's top generals and his bodyguard in a suburb of Beirut on Wednesday, striking an unexpected blow at the country's most widely respected institution and further undermining Lebanon's precarious stability. The army officer, Brig. Gen. François al-Hajj, was killed when a bomb under a parked blue BMW sedan exploded as he drove past on his way to work at the Defense Ministry. General Hajj, 54, was a top contender to succeed Gen. Michel Suleiman, the army chief who is poised to become the country's next president. He was also the operational commander during the three-month battle over the summer against Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Whether it was intended as a political message or as revenge, the blast underscored the persistence of the bitter political confrontation that has crippled the government during the past year. The crisis has deepened since Nov. 23, when Émile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his term as president without any agreement on a successor.) With sorrow and pain the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) condemns the assassination of General Francois Hajj. This crime has in fact targeted all the Lebanese people in their safety, security and the stability of their nation, as well as their common living and the future of their young ones. It can't be seen or understood except in the context of the Syrian-Iranian axis of evil ongoing scheme against Lebanon and its democracy. All previous and current unfolding major events indicate plainly that the assassins are Syrian - Iranian agents.
The paramount goals of the Iranian - Syrian plot against Lebanon has been overtly and shamelessly declared by the top leaders of these two countries, as well as by their Lebanese armed militias, mercenaries, Trojans, and especially by Hezbollah's leadership. The anti-Lebanese evil goals are clear even to children and the naïve. They aim to dismantle the Lebanese institutions, annihilate and shatter its democratic free regime of coexistence, slaughter its leaders, destroy its civilian, judicial, and military institutions, in a bid to force the Lebanese people into a state of despair, intimidation and subordination.
The scheme aims to impose, through the conduit of Lebanese and Palestinian terrorist instruments made in Damascus and Tehran, a status quo of chaos, insecurity, institutional vacuum, terror, poverty, isolation, and population exodus. The ultimate goal is to replace the Lebanese constitutional, civilized, and peaceful system which is based on multiculturalism, consensual democracy, freedoms, common living and coexistence, with a fundamentalist state replicating the Iranian Mullahs (Welaet Al Faqeh) religious republic.
We strongly believe that any compromises by the Cedars' Revolution Leadership over the constants of sovereignty, freedom, and independence, with the so-called Lebanese opposition spearheaded by Hezbollah, Iran's army in Lebanon, no matter how small they are, will be comprehended by the two countries of the Axis of Evil and their instruments of fundamentalism and terror in Lebanon, as a mere defeat to the state, entity and identity of Lebanon, its constitution and the UN resolutions, and a victory for their satanic plans.
Based on declared schemes, ongoing hostility, refusal to dismantle the Hezbollah armed cantons, the ultimate military confrontation with this evil axis and its local Lebanese-Palestinian instruments, first and foremost of them being Hezbollah, is unavoidable as a consequence of its practices, declarations, and plans. We therefore would like to bring to the attention of the sovereign Lebanese and the nations of the free world the following points:
The extremely dangerous security condition in Lebanon is due to the spread and infiltration of Syrian-Iranian agents throughout the country's civil and governmental institutions. This ailment cannot be cured or contained with pain killers, whether with toothless international resolutions, verbal warnings and diplomatic advice, or other shy, peaceful and civilized means. Rather, it is of outmost urgency for the Security Council to immediately and quickly place Lebanon and all its territory under Chapter Seven of its charter and declare it a nation unable to govern itself and constituting a menace to regional and global peace.
Then proceed to deploy international forces throughout the Cedars nation, and specifically on the Syrian-Lebanese borders. This could be enacted as a new international resolution authorizing the expansion of the UN forces mission and placing the Lebanese army under its command.
In case the international order is unable to perform this dangerous and expensive mission through the security council, then it is imperative that NATO takes the initiative with its own military forces to immediately settle the conflict before the axis of evil spreads to Europe, America, and the rest of the world nations.
The leaders of the Axis of Evil, as proven by all facts and practices since 1975, only understand the language of firmness and force. They are detached fromreality and rationality, and from all that is human civilization, values, and laws, and therefore build all their plans on illusions and deviated religious beliefs totally insensitive to the consequences of their actions no matter how destructive they are.
These leaders do not take in account their own capabilities or the capabilities of those they are declaring wars against. They live in a world of fantasies and illusions, and accordingly only deterrent military aggressive means can bring them back to their senses and reality.
Let the free world - countries, leaders, people and institutions - know without a shred of doubt that leaving Lebanon as an easy prey to the Syrian-Iranian terror dragon will not eliminate by any means their disastrous dangers against regional and international states, regardless of how strong these countries are.
We call on all of the above to be certain that the fall of Lebanon means the beginning of the fall of all free and democratic regimes in the world. |
Note: Citations are based on reference standards. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied.
Bearing witness : how America and its Jews responded to the Holocaust
Historian Henry L. Feingold probes the haunting question of why the efforts of the American government and Jewish leaders were ineffective in halting or mitigating Germany's genocidal policy during the Holocaust. Focusing on the role of the Roosevelt administration and American Jewish leadership, Feingold anchors the American reaction to the Holocaust, in the tension-ridden domestic environment of the Depression, to the international scene. In these essays, he argues that the constraints of the American political system in the 1930s and 40s and the extraordinary events of the time virtually made it impossible for the administration and American Jews to react differently.--From publisher description.Read more...
pt. 1: Holocaust : the historical problem. The uniqueness of the Holocaust ; Like sheep to the slaughter : the Judenrat ; The resistance question ; Allied foreign policy and the Holocaust ; pt. 2: America and the Holocaust. Roosevelt's New Deal humanitarianism ; Could mass resettlement have saved European Jewry? ; The American effort to save the Jews of Hungary ; Governmental response to human crisis ; PBS's Roosevelt : deceit and indifference or politics and powerlessness? ; pt. 3: American Jewry and the Holocaust. Was there communal failure among American Jews? ; Jewish leadership during the Roosevelt years ; Rescue and the secular perception ; Who shall bear guilt for the Holocaust?
Responsibility:
Henry L. Feingold.
Abstract:
This text focuses on the role of the Roosevelt administration and American reaction to the Holocaust in the domestic environment of the Depression to the international scene. The constraints of the American political system in the 1930s and 1940s is also included here.Read more...
"Historian Henry L. Feingold probes the haunting question of why the efforts of the American government and Jewish leaders were ineffective in halting or mitigating Germany's genocidal policy during the Holocaust. Focusing on the role of the Roosevelt administration and American Jewish leadership, Feingold anchors the American reaction to the Holocaust, in the tension-ridden domestic environment of the Depression, to the international scene. In these essays, he argues that the constraints of the American political system in the 1930s and 40s and the extraordinary events of the time virtually made it impossible for the administration and American Jews to react differently.--From publisher description."@en
"pt. 1: Holocaust : the historical problem. The uniqueness of the Holocaust ; Like sheep to the slaughter : the Judenrat ; The resistance question ; Allied foreign policy and the Holocaust ; pt. 2: America and the Holocaust. Roosevelt's New Deal humanitarianism ; Could mass resettlement have saved European Jewry? ; The American effort to save the Jews of Hungary ; Governmental response to human crisis ; PBS's Roosevelt : deceit and indifference or politics and powerlessness? ; pt. 3: American Jewry and the Holocaust. Was there communal failure among American Jews? ; Jewish leadership during the Roosevelt years ; Rescue and the secular perception ; Who shall bear guilt for the Holocaust?"@en |
Year 4 Wyre Estuary & Country Park
Year 4 had a great day at Stannah Estuary, from map reading, creating dens, playing on the adventure park and doing The Floss. The children and staff had an amazing day and were a credit to RLA with their outstanding behaviour!! |
Whoopi Goldberg Claims Bush Skipped Afghanistan to Attack Iraq
"The View" co-hosts, typically very loose with the facts, demonstrated that again on the March 10 edition. Ironically accusing the Bush administration of lying to take America into war with Iraq, Whoopi Goldberg put out false information herself.
GOLDBERG: Let me say, let me say this. Now, when it all went down at 9-11 and he said "we’re going get him." I was like "come on Georgie, let’s go."
HASSELBECK: Right,
GOLDBERG: But he didn’t go where he said we were going. See, that’s where I got, because I woke up the next morning, we were in Iraq. I was like, what? I don’t think we’re in Afghanistan. So, for me-
Whoopi must have slept through the 17 months the United States was in Afghanistan before invading Iraq. On October 7, 2001, less than a month after September 11, the United States began its military campaign in Aghanistan. The United States did not attack Iraq until March 19, 2003. Even after the Iraq invasion, the United States retained its military presence in Afghanistan.
Joy Behar screamed Bush’s weapons of mass destruction charge in Iraq is "a lie! Accept it. Everyone accepts that it’s a lie at this point." Not according to an investigation that found the Iraq WMD case was "a major intelligence failure," not a case of the president’s dishonesty.
The segment began with discussions on former President Clinton’s infidelity issues and what character flaws may disqualify one from the presidency. Behar felt that John McCain’s alleged "anger management" issues are worse, forgetting that Clinton lambasts just about every journalist that challenges him. Behar also suggested McCain’s behavior is "crazy," "aberrational," and "nutsy."
The entire transcript is below.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Here’s an interesting question that Joy actually brought up. What kind of flaws are acceptable in a candidate? Because now, you know, we’re starting to see all this discussion about who did this, and who did this, and who wasn’t supposed to and all this stuff. And are there things that you’re willing to accept knowing that everybody is flawed.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: I think we should look at them kind of like as if you’re dating them. You know what I mean? Like, are there deal breakers in the relationship? You would look at it as if there were a man that would come into your house, date your daughter, you were going to date him, or a woman that was going to come into your home, in terms of a relationship. I think you should think about those deal breakers. I think they’re important.
SHERRI SHEPHERD: Everyone’s got different deal breakers.
JOY BEHAR: The reason that I brought this up is that I was at this dinner party Saturday night. And it was men and women, you know, all over, over 50 I would say. And they were talking about Bill Clinton and his little-
GOLDBERG: Escapades.
BEHAR: -escapades that he had in the White House.
GOLDBERG: Right.
HASSELBECK: Just a teensy one he had, little hiccup in the White House Oval Office.
BEHAR: So, I won’t go into the gorey details of this, but men seem to be, the men seem to be much more against and angry about what he did. And the women, how should I put this? They blew it off. [laughter] And so I was interested in that. The fact that men were much more judgmental of Clinton than the women were. And I thought maybe they were jealous that they, didn’t happen to them, or why else, why else would they be so mean against it. And then I said, well, is that a worse flaw than, say, John McCain supposedly having those anger issues? You know, and we’ve had other presidents, Nixon was a mentally ill person. Everybody seems to agree with that at this point. So how diffi- how much flaw will we, how many flaws will we tolerate?
HASSELBECK: If John McCain has anger issues first of all, I think he dealt with it pretty well considering all that he’s been through. I haven’t seen any-
BEHAR: How do you know that? You don’t know that.
HASSELBECK: I haven’t seen, have you seen him lashing-
BEHAR: I haven’t seen him in psychotherapy. I haven’t seen him in the in treatment show on HBO.
HASSELBECK: He doesn’t go to psychotherapy. He doesn’t need it.
BEHAR: He doesn’t need it?
GOLDBERG: But the, but the question is still says, what is an acceptable flaw? That’s the issue.
SHEPHERD: So you’re talking about something more acceptable than he leaves his clothes lying around on the floor.
GOLDBERG: I’m going to point this out again. If you did a vacuum job on that rug in the Oval Office, you could start a new country.
HASSELBECK: Sure, sure.
GOLDBERG: With all that went on in the Oval Office-
BEHAR: Over the years.
GOLDBERG: Over the years, you can-
HASSELBECK: But it doesn’t, does that make the last thing that happened okay?
GOLDBERG: No, but it makes it something that is not new.
HASSELBECK: No, so bad.
GOLDBERG: Okay, so, some people think it’s bad, some people think where else is he going to go? He can’t go down the street and say "hey, hey, I’m not the president really, but come here and let me get some."
SHEPHERD: Well, apparently, he did.
GOLDBERG: So, I’m saying, well, the joke is, it really is, it does go on in the White House. It does go on in the Congress. People have these things that we do. And as we saw with some of the guys during the course of the impeachment, people had to subtly step down because you can’t throw rocks if you live in a glass house. So that’s the question.
HASSELBECK: No you can’t. It doesn’t make it right though.
SHEPHERD: So if you’re talking about the flaws that individually each of us would, you know, not accept it and mine is a big one. What is infidelity? Because that aff- you know, that’s an issue that I go through. So infidelity is one that, like, it’s a character issue, and that’s one of the flaws that I could not accept. So I don’t know if anger is-
HASSELBECK: What about, you know, in terms of specifics, isn’t it, you know, you’re saying John McCain’s anger issue. Is it the fact that Hillary Clinton won’t let everybody see her tax form.
GOLDBERG: She’s not president yet. She’s not the president yet.
HASSELBECK: Her tax records, right, or-
GOLDBERG: What is, what is acceptable and what is-
SHEPHERD: What is, isn’t acceptable
GOLDBERG: What is acceptable, and what isn’t?
HASSELBECK: Like a deal breaker?
GOLDBERG: Yeah.
HASSELBECK: A deal breaker for me is not keeping us safe, not going to the, to the line to make sure that we are safe in terms of national security, in addition to taking care of us on the home front.
BEHAR: Yeah, okay.
HASSELBECK: I think that, that is to me-
BEHAR: But that’s not character flaw. That’s not what we’re talking about. It’s a qualification. It’s different. If I’m-let’s just go with the anger thing for a second. Let’s say, theoretically, I don’t know if he has them or not, that’s what they say. That he kind of has a short fuse, McCain. I don’t think that, that’s a great thing to have when you’re dealing with foreign nations in this kind of a world. It’s a little shaky. To me that’s more scary than, you know, getting some action in the oral off- Oval Office.
HASSELBECK: I think the difference in other countries, is that, you know, John McCain-
BEHAR: Call me wacky!
HASSELBECK: He led, in terms- I think he’s a great, he’s more tactical in terms of dealing with other countries and nations. You know when he led, when he led the whole force with the surge in Iraq, that’s the one thing that went really right there. And I feel like, I felt proud to even know his name to think, yes he’s leaning on his generals. I feel like he’s more tactical dealing with other nations than maybe someone else would be, who doesn’t have experience.
GOLDBERG: Well, he-
SHEPHERD: No, I was just going to say, you know, because I, you know, when you said, like "oh he’s just getting some in the Oval Office." I feel like, and I want to clarify my thoughts. You know, I just feel like infidelity, if you are willing to lie and keep things from your partner, and that’s a commitment that you made before God., and you’re willing to lie, and with hold and cheat, then what makes me think as a person that nominated you into that office, that you’re not going to lie and keep things from me and people in the country?
[applause]
HASSELBECK: Go Sherri!
GOLDBERG: So given that, given that you both believe this, would you say that lying to the country about going to war, sort of balances that out? Because, you know, sometimes, sometimes-
[applause]
HASSELBECK: He lied?
GOLDBERG: Yeah, I, there were no weapons of mass destruction. I’m sorry. Osama bin Laden was not in Iraq.
HASSELBECK: Well, then is Hillary Clinton wrong? Because she approved that choice.
GOLDBERG: Yes, absolutely she was wrong and so was I.
HASSELBECK: They were given information-
GOLDBERG: Hello! Well, I think that we didn’t do enough homework. We didn’t and you know that we should have done more homework, and he-
HASSELBECK: But is that a lie?
[applause]
GOLDBERG: This was a subtle way-yes it’s a lie!
BEHAR: It’s a lie! Accept it. Everyone accepts that it’s a lie at this point.
GOLDBERG: He wasn’t, he was not as forthcoming, and now he says it’s this person and that person, this person, but so would another person. He said, "well, you know, she’s not putting out, so I went and found someone else." The question is, do they- well, that’s what I’m saying. You know, there are times when you kind of got to go well, is this right, when is it okay to you know-
HASSELBECK: We’re not going to find a perfect person. You know what I mean?
GOLDBERG: Well, that’s the point.
BEHAR: That’s the point, though, which is the one, which is the flaw that we will, that’s not a deal breaker? Which is the flaw? That’s what we’re trying to get to.
HASSELBECK: Well, no, I don’t think there was mal intent there. I don’t believe that. That’s what you believe. I don’t think there was. I think that there was a response based on intelligence that was appropriate at the time and everybody felt that way at the time. There wasn’t one person, including Senator Rodham Clinton who-
GOLDBERG: Let me say, let me say this. Now, when it all went down at 9-11 and he said "we’re going get him." I was like "come on Georgie, let’s go."
HASSELBECK: Right.
GOLDBERG: But he didn’t go where he said we were going. See, that’s where I got, because I woke up the next morning, we were in Iraq. I was like, what? I don’t think we’re in Afghanistan. So, for me-
HASSELBECK: The facts that were provided said "this is where you need to go."
GOLDBERG: Well, but, but just know that we find. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off. But we find now that we went places where we didn’t want to go, so maybe she can say, "yeah, you know what? This is not what I thought it was going to be." This is going to, this is going to happen and people are going to change their mind about things. That’s not a flaw.
BEHAR: But that brings us back to which is worse, incompetence or lying? That’s another dilemma that we could face, you know. Because that’s an incompetent move that you were describing in Iraq.
Federal employees and military personnel can donate to the Media Research Center through the Combined Federal Campaign or CFC. To donate to the MRC, use CFC #12489. Visit the CFC website for more information about giving opportunities in your workplace. |
Now Available: Artist's Editions of "62% More Awesome"
Thursday, August 16, 2007 - 06:19 PM
1.) Limited Artist's Editions for "62% More Awesome" are now available in the Sheldon Store! First dibs were offered to Sheldon newsletter subscribers, so there are only 83 copies left as of this blog post. Snag your copy now before they're all gone!
Whoever is lucky enough to get the last copy gets an extra-special sketch of awesomeness inside.
2.) Regular editions of "62%" will be available in the store next week, after the book launch party.
3.) Regarding orders from the Sheldon Store: some readers have noted that I've been refunding excess shipping fees after we've shipped their order out.
The goal, for me, is to charge folks *exactly* what it costs us to ship...and no more. Shipping can be expensive enough as it is -- and nothing gets me more ticked than when an online store or an eBay seller tries to make their shipping fees a profit center. I always shake an impotent fist at those people.
The Sheldon Store has some automatic shipping algorithms in place that try to apply the right shipping costs to your order, and they're pretty accurate, 95% of the time. But whenever a reader was charged more than was needed, or whenever we spot a shipping efficiency that the computer missed, the excess gets refunded. It's the right thing to do.
4.) Also! As a final note for today....I really like Flaco's little T-Rex arms in today's strip. Something about that just made me chuckle to draw.
Copyright 1998-2016 Dave Kellett. "Sheldon" is a registered trademark of Small Fish Studios, Inc.
Site Design: MindFaucet. Site Privacy Policy. You can become a "Patron of the Arts" by supporting the comic on Patreon! |
Sen. Murkowski Responds to President’s Comments on Rising Gas Prices
Published: March 14, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to the President’s comments on rising energy prices:
“At a time when oil prices remain close to $100 a barrel, and nationwide gasoline prices are averaging more than $3.50 a gallon, American families and businesses want a plan that will lead to real relief at the pump. Today, the president failed to deliver that plan.
“Among the most misleading statistics used by opponents of new production is that ‘America has two percent of the world’s oil reserves, but consumes 25 percent of the world’s oil.’ I was deeply disappointed to hear it repeated today. That statement ignores the fact that America is the world’s third-largest oil producer, and our ‘proven reserves’ are just a small part of our nation’s oil resource. To understand why this statement is so deceptive, consider this: while America’s proven oil reserves have never exceeded 40 billion barrels, we have actually produced almost 200 billion barrels of oil since 1900,” Murkowski said.
The president also claimed credit for the fact that domestic oil production is at its highest point since 2003 – right before he announced that new production was not a solution to this emerging crisis because it would take time to bring to market. The inconsistency between those points – especially as he called for a long-term energy policy – is striking.
America’s oil production rose in 2010 largely because the Bush administration fought for years to enact pro-production policies to create conditions that would make that possible. The president didn’t mention that while 2010 was a good year, it could have been much better. Decades of opposition in Congress and elsewhere have forced us to forgo a number of opportunities to increase production – and since taking office, this administration has also brought about an array of delays, suspensions, revocations and outright cancellations of oil leases. Earlier today, it was reported that former President Bill Clinton, talking about oil and gas leasing, said there are “ridiculous delays in permitting when our economy doesn’t need it.”
We know what the end result of those actions will be – less production, more imports, and higher oil prices – and in the years ahead, the consequences of decisions being made today will become even more painful. At a time when the administration is tying leaseholders’ hands in places like Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and the Rocky Mountain West, the so-called ‘idle leases’ argument is also inappropriate.
“The truth is, the extent of America’s petroleum resources has been mischaracterized for nearly a century,” Murkowski said. “Earlier today, I released a Congressional Research Service report with Sen. Inhofe of Oklahoma showing that the United States has the largest recoverable fossil fuel endowment on Earth. Included in those resources are an estimated 163 billion barrels of oil, including at least 40 billion in Alaska alone, but they are effectively off-limits to development. It’s time to take advantage of those resources and produce more of the energy we consume.
“The president said that he was ‘looking at’ additional production in Alaska. That’s precisely the problem. Given world events, high prices, and all the benefits that accompany oil production, ‘looking at’ more production doesn’t result in jobs for anyone but government bureaucrats and doesn’t result in lower gas prices for anyone. We need to find more and use less. We need to actually move on – not look at – new oil production throughout America.” |
Sediments, Haze and Various Cloud Phenomena Near Yangtze River Mouth, China
The Yangtze River empties a thick load of sediments into the waters of the Yellow Sea, tinging them gold and making apparent the reason for the sea’s name. To the northwest, haze hangs over the plain near Beijing and over the Bohai Sea. East of the rivermouth, two other kinds of atmospheric phenomena can be observed: wave clouds (the straight, parallel lines of clouds) and van Kármán vortex streets (the clouds organized into two rows of spirals). |
TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT, AT AUSTIN
ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
NO. 03-12-00579-CV
Appellant, Robert Kinney // Cross-Appellants, BCG Attorney Search, Inc.; and
Professional Authority, Inc. d/b/a Legal Authority
v.
Appellees, BCG Attorney Search, Inc.; and Professional Authority, Inc. d/b/a Legal
Authority // Cross-Appellee, Robert Kinney
FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF TRAVIS COUNTY, 353RD JUDICIAL DISTRICT
NO. D-1-GN-12-001521, HONORABLE GARY HARGER, JUDGE PRESIDING
MEMORANDUM OPINION
We withdraw our opinion and judgment dated August 21, 2013, and substitute the
following in its place. Appellees’ motion for rehearing is denied.
This is an interlocutory appeal from the trial court’s partial denial, and cross-appeal
from its partial grant, of a motion to dismiss under chapter 27 of the Texas Civil Practices and
Remedies Code. See generally Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 27.001–.011. Chapter 27, known
as the Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA), is an “anti-SLAPP” statute that permits defendants
targeted by “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation” or SLAPP suits to move for dismissal
if the action relates to the defendant’s exercise of the right of free speech, right to petition, or right
of association. See id. § 27.003. BCG Attorney Search, Inc., and Professional Authority, Inc. d/b/a/
Legal Authority (sometimes jointly BCG) sued Kinney for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary
duty, and violations of the Lanham Act, see 15 U.S.C. §1125(a), based on statements Kinney made
in a post on an internet website. Kinney filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to section 27.003 of the
TCPA. The trial court granted the motion as to BCG’s Lanham Act claim and awarded sanctions
against BCG. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.009(a)(2) (if trial court orders dismissal, it
shall award sanctions as it determines sufficient to deter party from bringing similar actions). The
trial court denied the motion as to BCG’s breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims.
For the reasons that follow, we reverse the trial court’s denial of the motion as to the breach of
contract and fiduciary duty claims, render judgment dismissing those claims, and affirm the order
in all other respects.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
BCG and Legal Authority are two of more than 100 affiliated job search websites,
employment services, recruiting firms, online employment news magazines, and student loan
companies owned by Andrew Harrison Barnes. From 2002 to 2004, Kinney worked for BCG, a
legal recruiting company. Kinney contends his employment agreement with BCG was oral,
confirmed by an offer letter that asked him to keep the terms of the offer confidential. According
to Barnes, the terms of Kinney’s employment were governed by a written employment agreement
signed by Kinney. The employment agreement, on which Kinney maintains his signature was
forged, includes a confidentiality provision. After leaving BCG, Kinney formed a legal recruiting
firm, Kinney Recruiting, Inc. In May 2008, Kinney made a single post to an internet website
describing BCG’s business operations “based on his experience as a former employee” and stating
2
negative opinions of Barnes and his companies. The post was made anonymously and contained no
reference to Kinney or his business.
Barnes, BCG, and other related companies (jointly Barnes and BCG) brought suit
in California state court against Kinney, Kinney Recruiting, and other defendants who had posted
comments concerning Barnes and BCG on the internet, asserting claims for libel, unfair competition,
and intentional interference with economic advantage. In the complaint, Barnes and BCG alleged
that the statements were false and defamatory, had damaged the reputations of Barnes and his
companies, and had caused them to lose customers and business opportunities, resulting in damages
in the amount of at least $10 million. Kinney filed a motion to strike under California’s anti-SLAPP
statute. See Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §§ 425.16–.18. The California court held that, with the exception
of BCG, the plaintiffs had failed to demonstrate a probability that they would prevail on the merits.
See id. § 425.16(b)(1) (cause of action arising from defendant’s right of petition or free speech
subject to motion to strike unless court determines plaintiff has established probability of prevailing
on merits).
As reasons for its conclusion, the court stated that (1) notwithstanding the allegations
of unfair competition and interference with economic advantage, the gravamen of the action was
libel and the complaint was barred by the one-year statute of limitations for libel, see id. § 340(c),
because Kinney and Kinney Recruiting had not been added as defendants until more than one year
after the posting of Kinney’s comments and (2) the defendants had produced evidence that there was
already a good deal of online discussion regarding plaintiffs’ businesses when Kinney posted his
remarks, which were based on first-hand knowledge and were statements of opinion that are
3
privileged communications under section 47 of the California Civil Code,1 see id. § 47(c) (defining
privileged communication to include one made without malice by interested party to interested
party). The California court also awarded Kinney and Kinney Recruiting more than $45,000 in
attorney’s fees and costs as the prevailing parties. See id. § 425.16(c). As for BCG, the court
reasoned that it was Kinney’s competitor and was therefore exempt from the anti-SLAPP statute.
See id. § 425.17(c). Subsequently, however, the court dismissed BCG’s claims as barred by
limitations because BCG had not been added as a plaintiff until after the one-year statute of
limitations for libel had expired, see id. § 340(c), and the court of appeal affirmed.2
In May 2012, BCG filed this action against Kinney asserting breach of the
employment contract and breach of fiduciary duty for Kinney’s disclosure of confidential
information and violations of the Lanham Act for false and defamatory statements in Kinney’s single
online post. BCG alleged that it had suffered reputational injury and lost revenues and profits as a
result of the post and sought damages of at least $1 million.3 Kinney filed a motion to dismiss
pursuant to section 27.003 of the TCPA. The trial court heard the motion on July 3, 2012, and on
that same day issued a “Court’s Rendition on Defendant’s First Amended Motion to Dismiss and
1
BCG contends that the second reason stated by the California court for concluding that
plaintiffs had not demonstrated a probability of prevailing on the merits was “dicta.” We do not
agree with that construction of the court’s order.
2
BCG Attorney Search v. Kinney, No. B223326, 2011 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 5460
(July 21, 2011) (not certified for publication) (cited for purposes of case history and res judicata
analysis only). See Cal. R. Court 8.1115(b)(1).
3
Between the dismissal of the California action and the institution of this action, BCG
sought arbitration of certain claims, but the arbitration did not occur. The parties offer differing
explanations for why there was no arbitration.
4
for Other Relief.” Two days later the trial court issued and filed with the clerk a document entitled
“Amended Court’s Rendition on Defendant’s First Amended Motion to Dismiss and for Other
Relief,” in which the court “render[ed]” that (1) the conduct alleged regarding the Lanham Act or
other claims of libel or disparagement is protected speech governed by the TCPA and (2) the breach
of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims stem from an alleged employment agreement, the
validity of which is a matter of fact, not law, to be determined by the trier of fact. Consequently, the
trial court “render[ed] dismissal” of the Lanham Act claim and denial of the motion to dismiss as
to the claims for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. In connection with the dismissal
of the Lanham Act claim, the trial court awarded $75,000 in sanctions against BCG. See Tex. Civ.
Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.009(a)(2).
In the cover letter transmitting the amended rendition to the parties, the trial court
asked counsel for Kinney to prepare an order consistent with the rendition. Kinney submitted an
order, to which BCG objected and proposed revisions. Kinney filed his notice of appeal on
August 31, 2012, and BCG filed a “conditional” notice of cross-appeal on September 14, 2012.4 On
November 9, 2012, the trial court signed the order as submitted by Kinney. The order included
additional findings not contained in the rendition, including that (1) the Lanham Act claims had been
brought to deter or prevent Kinney from exercising his constitutional rights and for the improper
purpose of harassing Kinney and (2) considering finding (1) and the previous litigation between
4
In filing a “conditional” notice of cross-appeal, BCG reserved its right to argue that the trial
court’s failure to sign the order until more than 30 days after the hearing resulted in denial of the
entire motion by operation of law under sections 27.005 and 27.008, an issue we address below. See
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 27.005(a), .008(a).
5
the parties, sanctions in the amount of $75,000 were necessary to deter BCG from bringing
similar actions.
DISCUSSION
Standard of Review
The parties’ issues concerning the TCPA present matters of statutory construction,
which is a question of law that we review de novo. See Railroad Comm’n of Tex. v. Texas Citizens
for a Safe Future & Clean Water, 336 S.W.3d 619, 624 (Tex. 2011). Of primary concern is the
express statutory language. See Galbraith Eng’g Consultants, Inc. v. Pochucha, 290 S.W.3d 863,
867 (Tex. 2009). We apply the plain meaning of the text unless a different meaning is supplied by
legislative definition or is apparent from the context or the plain meaning leads to absurd results.
Marks v. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hosp., 319 S.W.3d 658, 663 (Tex. 2010). “We generally avoid
construing individual provisions of a statute in isolation from the statute as a whole[,]” Texas
Citizens, 336 S.W.3d at 628, and we must consider a provision’s role in the broader statutory
scheme, 20801, Inc. v. Parker, 249 S.W.3d 392, 396 (Tex. 2008). We presume that “the entire
statute is intended to be effective[,]” Tex. Gov’t Code § 311.021(2), and we interpret it so as to give
effect to every part, Parker, 249 S.W.3d at 396.
6
Jurisdiction over Interlocutory Appeal
Application of Amendment to TCPA
As a preliminary jurisdictional matter, we consider whether the TCPA authorizes this
interlocutory appeal and cross-appeal. Since the enactment of chapter 27, our sister courts have
wrestled with the question of whether section 27.008 provides for interlocutory appeal of a trial
court’s express ruling on a motion to dismiss and have come to differing conclusions. Compare
KTRK TV, Inc. v. Robinson, 490 S.W.3d 682, 688 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2013, pet.
denied) (finding jurisdiction over order denying motion); San Jacinto Title Servs. of Corpus Christi,
LLC v. Kingsley Props., LP., ___S.W.3d ___, No. 13-12-00352-CV, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 5081,
at *15 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi Apr. 25, 2013, pet. denied) (same); Direct Commercial Funding,
Inc. v. Beacon Hill Estates, LLC, No. 14-12-00896-CV, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 1898, at *8–9 (Tex.
App.—Houston [14th Dist.] Jan. 24, 2013, order) (finding jurisdiction over order granting motion
that was interlocutory because of pending counterclaims) with Jennings v. Wallbuilder
Presentations, Inc., 378 S.W.3d 519, 528–29 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2012, pet. denied) (finding
no jurisdiction over order denying motion); Lipsky v. Range Prod. Co., No. 02-12-00098-CV,
2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 7059, at *2 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Aug 23, 2012, pet. denied) (mem. op.)
(same). In its 2013 session, however, the legislature made several revisions to the TCPA, including
a corollary revision to chapter 51 of the Civil Practices and Remedies Code, to address the apparent
ambiguity in chapter 27 concerning interlocutory appeals. See Act of May 24, 2013, 83d Leg., R.S.,
H.B. 2935, § 4 (codified at Tex. Civ. Prac & Rem. Code § 51.014(a)(12)) (the amendment). The
amendment to chapter 51 expressly provides for interlocutory appeal of a trial court’s denial of a
7
motion to dismiss filed under section 27.003. See id. The amendment is not expressly retroactive,
nor does it contain a savings clause for pending suits. See id. Because it received a vote of
two-thirds of all the members elected to each house,5 the amendment became effective immediately.
See Act of May 24, 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., H.B. 2935, § 6. Thus, we are faced with the question of
whether to apply the amendment to this case retroactively.
The Texas Constitution provides that “[n]o bill of attainder, ex post facto law,
retroactive law, or any law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be made.” Tex. Const. art. I,
§ 16. “However, not all statutes that apply retroactively are constitutionally prohibited.” Subaru of
Am., Inc. v. David McDavid Nissan, Inc. 84 S.W.3d 212, 219 (Tex. 2002). A retroactive statute
violates the constitution only if, when applied, it takes away or impairs vested rights. Id. Generally,
courts presume that the legislature intends statutes and amendments to operate prospectively unless
they are expressly made retroactive. Tex. Gov’t Code § 311.022; City of Austin v. Whittington,
384 S.W.3d 766, 790 (Tex. 2012); University of Tex. Sw. Med. Ctr. v. Estate of Arancibia,
324 S.W.3d 544, 547 (Tex. 2010). However, this general rule does not apply when the statute or
amendment is procedural, remedial, or jurisdictional because such statutes generally do not affect
vested rights. Whittington, 384 S.W.3d at 790; Estate of Arancibia, 324 S.W.3d at 548. Procedural,
remedial, and jurisdictional laws should be enforced as they exist at the time the judgment is
rendered. Whittington, 384 S.W.3d at 790; Estate of Arancibia, 324 S.W.3d at 547–48; Texas Mun.
5
See http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=83R&Bill=HB2935
(Actions/Record Vote).
8
Power Agency v. Public Util. Comm’n, 253 S.W.3d 184, 198 (Tex. 2007) (jurisdictional statutes
should be applied as they exist at time of judgment).
In providing for interlocutory appeal, the amendment does not take away or impair
the parties’ vested rights. Rather, it is a jurisdictional statute that “speaks to the court’s power rather
than to the parties’ rights or obligations.” See Subaru of Am., 84 S.W.3d at 220. It does not take
away substantive rights but simply changes the time at which an appellate court can hear the case.
See id. (citing Landgraf v. USI Film Prods., 511 U.S. 244, 274 (1991) (new statute conferring or
ousting jurisdiction merely changes tribunal that is to hear case and applies to existing cases)).
Statutes like the amendment that do not deprive the parties of a substantive right and address the
power of the court rather than the rights or obligations of the parties should be applied in cases
pending when the statute is enacted. See Whittington, 384 S.W.3d at 790; Estate of Arancibia,
324 S.W.3d at 548. Accordingly, we conclude that we must apply the amendment to this case, see
Whittington, 384 S.W.3d at 790; Estate of Arancibia, 324 S.W.3d at 548, and would have
jurisdiction over this interlocutory appeal if the TCPA were properly invoked.
Application of TCPA
Because it also implicates our jurisdiction over this matter, we turn next to BCG’s
second issue on cross-appeal: whether the TCPA applies to Kinney’s statements. BCG argues that
Kinney did not establish that the action relates to Kinney’s right of free speech or to petition.6 See
6
Kinney contends that BCG has waived this argument by not presenting it in the trial court.
However, because it pertains to this Court’s jurisdiction, we will address it. See Freedom
Communs., Inc. v. Coronado, 372 S.W.3d 621, 623 (Tex. 2012) (appellate court must consider its
jurisdiction even if consideration is sua sponte); Minton v. Gunn, 355 S.W.3d 634, 639 (Tex. 2011)
9
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.003(a). Although BCG does not argue this issue as one of
jurisdiction, if Kinney failed to invoke the provisions of the TCPA, then this Court has no
jurisdiction over an interlocutory appeal brought pursuant to its provisions. An interlocutory order
is not appealable unless a statute expressly provides for appellate jurisdiction. Stary v. DeBord,
967 S.W.2d 352, 352–53 (Tex. 1998). If Kinney’s statements do not fall within the provisions of
the TCPA, then the amendment providing for interlocutory appeal when a trial court denies a motion
to dismiss filed under the TCPA cannot apply. See id.
Section 27.003 provides that a party may file a motion to dismiss if a legal action “is
based on, relates to, or is in response to [that] party’s exercise of the right of free speech, right to
petition, or right of association.” Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.003(a). Section 27.001(3)
defines “exercise of the right of free speech” as “a communication made in connection with a matter
of public concern.” Id. § 27.001(3). “Matter of public concern” is defined as including an issue
related to “a good, product, or service in the marketplace.” Id. § 27.001(7)(E). Section 27.005(b)
provides that a court “shall dismiss a legal action against a moving party if the moving party shows
by a preponderance of the evidence” that the action is based on, relates to, or is in response to the
moving party’s exercise of the right of free speech, right to petition, or right of association.
Id. § 27.005(b).
BCG contends that Kinney’s statements do not relate to free speech because they were
false and defamatory and thus not constitutionally protected. Kinney argues that determining
whether a communication meets the statutory definition of the “exercise of the right of free speech”
(appellate court must determine its jurisdiction to consider appeal before reaching merits).
10
does not entail deciding whether the speech is true. We agree. Whether Kinney’s statements were
defamatory and thus actionable is reviewable in the second part of an appellate court’s analysis,
under section 27.005(c), which precludes dismissal if the plaintiff establishes by clear and specific
evidence a prima facie case for each essential element of its claim. See id. § 27.005(c); In re Lipsky,
411 S.W.3d 530, 543 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2013, orig. proceeding). However, “[t]he statutory
definitions for the exercise of the right of free speech and the exercise of the right to petition do not
include language requiring us to determine the truth or falsity of communications [in our threshold
determination of] whether a movant for dismissal has met its preliminary preponderance of the
evidence burden under section 27.005(b).” In re Lipsky, 411 S.W.3d at 543; see also Harris Cnty.
Hosp. Dist. v. Tomball Reg’l Hosp., 283 S.W.3d 838, 846 (Tex. 2009) (court should not add
language to statute when construing it).
Under section 27.001, a communication need only be “in connection with a matter
of public concern,” which includes issues “related to a good, product, or service in the marketplace.”
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.001(3), (7)(E). The record shows that Kinney’s online statements
related to services BCG provides to the public and that BCG’s claims are based on those statements.
Considering the plain language of the TCPA, see Marks, 319 S.W.3d at 663, and construing section
27.005 as a whole and in the context of the full statute, see Texas Citizens, 336 S.W.3d at 628, we
conclude that Kinney has met his initial burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence that
his statements were made in connection with a matter of public concern and that this action relates
to those statements so that the TCPA applies, see Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 27.001(3), (7)(E),
.005(b); Avila v. Larrea, 394 S.W.3d 646, 655 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2012, pet. denied) (allegedly false
11
and defamatory broadcast statements about lawyer’s services constituted exercise of right of free
speech and TCPA applied); see also Lipsky, 411 S.W.3d at 543 (declining to decide whether
statements were defamatory when determining whether plaintiff had shown statements fell within
provisions of TCPA).
BCG also argues that the TCPA does not apply because Kinney’s statements are
exempt under section 27.010(b). See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.010(b). Section 27.010(b)
provides that:
This chapter does apply to a legal action brought against a person primarily engaged
in the business of selling or leasing goods or services, if the statement or conduct
arises out of the sale or lease of goods, services, or an insurance product or a
commercial transaction in which the intended audience is an actual or potential buyer
or customer.
Id.7 Section 27.010(b) thus provides, in relevant part, that a statement is exempt from the TCPA if
the action is against a person primarily engaged in selling services and the statement arises from the
sale of services. This provision has been construed to mean that for the exemption to apply, the
statement must be made for the purpose of securing sales in the goods or services of the person
making the statement. See Newspaper Holdings, Inc. v. Crazy Hotel Assisted Living, Ltd.,
416 S.W.3d 71, 88–89 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2013, pet. filed) (following four-prong
analysis devised by Supreme Court of California in Simpson Strong-Tie Co., Inc. v. Gore,
7
Section 27.010(b) has been referred to as the “commercial speech” exemption. See Pena
v. Perel, 417 S.W.3d 552, 555 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2013, no pet.); Newspaper Holdings, Inc.
v. Crazy Hotel Assisted Living, Ltd., 416 S.W.3d 71, 88 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2013,
pet. filed).
12
230 P.3d 1117, 1129 (Cal. 2010) for determining whether exemption applied under essentially
identical California anti-SLAPP statute and concluding statements did not arise out of sale of goods
or services of defendant); see also Better Bus. Bureau of Metro. Houston, Inc. v. John Moore Servs.,
Inc., No. 01-12-00990-CV, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 8756, at *12–13 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]
July 16, 2013, pet. denied) (construing section 27.010(b) in context of Better Business Bureau’s
statements concerning its selling of its memberships). In Newspaper Holdings, the court applied the
analysis of the California Supreme Court and concluded that the plaintiffs had the burden to show
that the exemption applied. 416 S.W.3d at 89; see also Better Bus. Bureau of Metro. Dallas v. BH
DFW, Inc., 402 S.W.3d 299, 309 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2013, pet. denied) (applying general rule that
burden of proving statutory exception rests on party seeking benefit from exception to construction
of section 27.010(b)). The court then applied the Simpson four-pronged test and held that the
plaintiffs had not met their burden as to Newspaper Holdings (NHI), concluding that the
“complained-of statements d[id] not arise out of the lease or sale of the goods or services that NHI
sells—newspapers.” 416 S.W.3d at 89.
We agree with the reasoning of our sister courts in Newspaper Holdings and BH
DFW, Inc. that the plaintiff has the burden under section 27.010(b) to show that the statements arise
from the sale of the defendant’s services so that the exemption applies. BCG does not dispute that
the statements must arise from the sale of Kinney’s services but contends that his online statements
did “arise out of” the sale of those services because Kinney is in the business of selling legal
recruiting services and it is “obvious” that Kinney would not have made the post had it not been
13
for the fact that he and BCG were competitors.8 On the facts of this case, we do not find this
argument persuasive.
Here, Kinney’s statements were made anonymously and made no reference
whatsoever to his business or the sale of his services. BCG offered no evidence that the post was
“‘for the purpose of obtaining approval for, promoting, or securing sales or leases of, or commercial
transactions in, [Kinney’s] goods or services or in the course of delivering [Kinney’s] goods or
services.’” See Newspaper Holdings, 416 S.W.3d at 88 (quoting Simpson four-prong test); see also
BH DFW, 402 S.W.3d at 309 (plaintiff offered no evidence statements arose out of defendant’s
commercial transaction and failed to establish exemption). We therefore conclude that BCG has not
met its burden of showing that the statements arose out of the sale of Kinney’s services so as to be
exempted from the TCPA under section 27.010(b) and that, consequently, the TCPA was properly
invoked. We overrule BCG’s second issue on cross-appeal as to the application of the TCPA.
Effect of Trial Court’s Rendition
The final issue that implicates our jurisdiction over this appeal is BCG’s first issue
in its cross-appeal. BCG contends that because the trial court did not sign an order until more than
30 days after the hearing, Kinney’s entire motion to dismiss was overruled by operation of law.
Section 27.005(a) provides that the trial court “must rule” on a motion to dismiss no later than the
30th day following the date of the hearing on the motion, and section 27.008(a) provides that if the
8
Although BCG initially states that the entire subject of Kinney’s post concerns legal
services that are identical to those sold by Kinney, it ultimately argues that Kinney made the
statements because he was a competitor of BCG and the statements therefore “‘arise out of’ Kinney’s
sale of services.”
14
trial court does not “rule on a motion to dismiss . . . in the time prescribed by Section 27.005, the
motion is considered to have been denied by operation of law . . . .” Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code
§§ 27.005(a), .008(a). BCG argues that a signed order is required under section 27.005, that the
rendition is not a signed order, and that the trial court’s request for counsel to prepare an order
indicates the rendition was not final. Consequently, BCG contends, the trial court did not rule within
30 days of the hearing, and the motion to dismiss was overruled in its entirety by operation of law.
See id. § 27.008(a).
We do not find these arguments persuasive. Under sections 27.005(a) and 27.008(a),
the court need only “rule” within 30 days of the hearing. See id. §§ 27.005(a), .008(a). Although
the TCPA does not define “rule,” the plain meaning of the verb is “to decide a legal point.” See
Black’s Law Dictionary 1446 (9th ed. 2009); see also Marks, 319 S.W.3d at 663 (we apply plain
meaning unless meaning is supplied by legislature). In the rendition, the trial court expressly decided
the legal points as to dismissal of each claim and rendered its decision or “ruling.” Cf. Tex. Fam.
Code § 101.026 (“‘Render’” means the pronouncement by a judge of the court’s ruling on a matter.”)
(emphasis added). Further, in looking at the TCPA as a whole, see Texas Citizens, 336 S.W.3d at
628, we observe that section 27.008(b) refers not to the trial court’s “ruling” but to its “order.” See
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.008(b) (appellate court shall expedite appeal from a trial court’s
order on a motion to dismiss). If the legislature had intended to require the trial court to sign an
order within 30 days, it could have done so; instead the plain language of the statute requires only
that the trial court “rule” within 30 days. See Marks, 319 S.W.3d at 663.
15
In Greene v. State, 324 S.W.3d 276, 280–82 (Tex. App.—Austin 2010, no pet.), this
Court drew a similar distinction between a trial court’s ruling and order, holding that a “letter ruling”
stating that “judgment is rendered for the plaintiffs” and requesting counsel to prepare a judgment
for the court’s signature, while insufficient to serve as an appealable order, can serve as the rendition
of judgment if it is filed with the clerk. Id. at 281. Here, the trial court rendered its decision in
writing, signed the rendition, and delivered it to the clerk. We conclude that the amended rendition,
signed two days after the hearing, was a timely “ruling” within the meaning of “rule” in sections
27.005 and 27.008 and the motion to dismiss was not overruled by operation of law under section
27.008(a). See id. We overrule BCG’s first issue on cross-appeal and conclude that we have
jurisdiction over this interlocutory appeal and cross-appeal.
Res Judicata
We turn, then, to Kinney’s first issue on appeal. Kinney contends that this action is
barred by res judicata based on the California court’s order, an affirmative defense he asserted below.
As a preliminary matter, BCG argues that the TCPA does not require it to overcome Kinney’s
affirmative defenses. In the 2013 revisions to the TCPA, the legislature added subsection (d) to
section 27.005 providing that the trial court “shall dismiss” a case “if the moving party establishes
by a preponderance of the evidence each essential element of a valid defense to the nonmovant’s
claim.” See Act of May 24, 2013, 83d Leg., R.S., H.B. 2935, § 2 (codified at Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem.
Code § 27.005(d)). Thus, as amended, section 27.005 requires a nonmovant to overcome a movant’s
affirmative defenses to avoid dismissal. See id. However, even prior to the addition of section
27.005(d), the plain language of section 27.006 required the court to consider “the pleadings and
16
supporting and opposing affidavits stating the facts on which the liability or defense is based.” See
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.006(a) (emphasis added); Marks, 319 S.W.3d at 663. Therefore,
without reaching the question of whether new subsection (d) applies to this case, we conclude that
under either version of the statute, the result is the same and BCG is required to overcome any
affirmative defenses Kinney established. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.006(a); Act of
May 24, 2013, 83d Leg., R.S., H.B. 2935, § 2; Tex. R. App. P. 47.1. Therefore, while neither section
27.006(a) nor new subsection (d) changes the fact that Kinney had the burden of proof on his
affirmative defense of res judicata, see Commint Tech. Servs., Inc. v. Quickel, 314 S.W.3d 646, 651
(Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2010, no pet.), under either section 27.006(a) or new section
27.005(d), it was proper, under the plain language of either version of the statute, for the trial court
to consider the pleadings and evidence relevant to res judicata in ruling on Kinney’s motion to
dismiss.9 See Navellier v. Sletten, 131 Cal. Rptr. 2d 201, 205 (Cal. Ct. App. 2003) (applying
language in California anti-SLAPP statute identical to that in section 27.006(a) and concluding that
“[i]n deciding the question of potential merit, the trial court considers the pleadings and evidentiary
submissions of both the plaintiff and the defendant”).10
9
In addition, construing the TCPA to preclude a trial court’s consideration of affirmative
defenses in determining motions to dismiss under section 27.003 would contravene the statute’s
purpose—to protect free speech by enabling the early dismissal of meritless lawsuits that threaten
that right. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.003; Direct Commercial Funding, Inc. v. Beacon
Hill Estates, LLC, No. 14-12-00896-CV, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 1898, at *2 (Tex. App.—Houston
[14th Dist.] Jan. 24, 2013, order).
10
We also observe that BCG could have requested limited discovery relevant to the motion
and Kinney’s affirmative defenses. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.006(b).
17
We next consider whether Kinney met his burden of proof by establishing the
elements of the affirmative defense of res judicata. “To determine the preclusive effect of a
judgment of another state’s court, Texas courts apply the res judicata principles of that state.”
Highland Crusader Offshore Partners, L.P. v. Motient Corp., 281 S.W.3d 237, 242 (Tex.
App.—Dallas 2009, pet. denied) (citing Purcell v. Bellinger, 940 S.W.2d 599, 601 (Tex. 1997)).
Under California law, res judicata applies if “(1) the decision in the prior proceeding is final and on
the merits; (2) the present proceeding is on the same cause of action as the prior proceeding; and
(3) the parties in the present proceeding or parties in privity with them were parties to the prior
proceeding.” Villacres v. ABM Indus. Inc., 117 Cal. Rptr. 3d 398, 410 (Cal. Ct. App. 2010). The
issue of res judicata is a question of law. See Cornette v. Department of Transp., 26 P.3d 332, 341
(Cal. 2001) (“‘While all [the res judicata] issues may have factual predicates, they are peculiarly
legal determinations.’” (quoting and distinguishing Windsor Square Homeowners Assn. v. Citation
Homes, 62 Cal. Rptr. 2d 818, 825 (Cal. Ct. App. 1997))).
Kinney argues that all three elements of res judicata are met in this case. While BCG
does not dispute that the California order is final or that there is privity between the plaintiffs in the
California action and the plaintiffs here, it does contend that the California court’s determination was
not on the merits and that the two proceedings do not involve the same causes of action. Concerning
whether the California order was a determination on the merits, BCG argues that the California court
based its decision on procedural grounds only and its statements that the plaintiffs had not
established a probability of prevailing on the merits and that Kinney’s statements were privileged
were mere dicta. As we have already noted, we do not agree with BCG’s reading of the California
18
court’s ruling. Citing section 47 of the California Civil code, see Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 47(c), the
California court order stated:
In addition to being time barred, plaintiffs have not provided sufficient evidence to
establish a probability of prevailing on the merits. Defendants have presented
evidence that there was already a good deal of on-line discussion regarding plaintiffs’
businesses when defendant Kinney posted his remarks, which were based on his first
hand knowledge. Kinney’s statements of opinion are privileged communications
amount [sic] interested parties. CC47(c).
Considering this language, we conclude that the California court’s holding was based on the
alternative grounds of limitations and privilege. The privilege under section 47 is “an ‘absolute’
privilege, and it bars all tort causes of action except a claim of malicious prosecution.” Flatley
v. Mauro,139 P.3d 2, 16 (Cal. 2006). Further, dismissal under the California anti-SLAPP statute
is essentially equivalent to dismissal on the merits on summary judgment. See Navellier,
131 Cal. Rptr. 2d at 205; cf. Boeken v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., 230 P.3d 342, 345 (Cal. 2010) (for
res judicata purposes, dismissal with prejudice is equivalent of final judgment on merits); Federal
Home Loan Bank of San Francisco v. Countrywide Fin. Corp., 214 Cal. App. 4th 1520, 1528 (Cal.
Ct. App. 2013) (dismissal with prejudice is determinative of issues). Therefore, we conclude that
the California court’s order was an adjudication on the merits.11
11
Although the California dismissal on the merits was as to Legal Authority only, and not
to BCG, BCG admits that it is an affiliate of Legal Authority and does not dispute that it is in privity
with Legal Authority. Therefore, for purposes of res judicata, the California order on the merits as
to Legal Authority was also a determination on the merits as to BCG, and BCG is bound by the
order. See Arias v. Superior Court, 209 P.3d 923, 932 (Cal. 2009); Villacres v. ABM Indus. Inc.,
117 Cal. Rptr. 3d 398, 410, 422 (Cal. Ct. App. 2010).
19
Regarding whether the two proceedings involve the same causes of action, BCG
argues that in the California action, it asserted only libel, unfair competition, and intentional
interference with prospective economic relations claims—which were based on Kinney’s false and
defamatory statements—not the claims for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty—which
are based on Kinney’s true statements disclosing confidential information—or the statutory claims
under the Lanham Act that it asserts in this case. However, California law is settled that “‘a prior
final judgment on the merits not only settles issues that were actually litigated but also every
issue that might have been raised and litigated in the first action.’” Countrywide Fin. Corp.,
214 Cal. App. 4th at 1529 (quoting Mattson v. City of Costa Mesa, 164 Cal. Rptr. 913, 916 (Cal. Ct.
App. 1980)); see Bullock v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., 131 Cal. Rptr. 3d 382, 393 (Cal. Ct. App.
2011). If a matter is within the scope of the prior action, related to the subject matter, and relevant
to the issues, so that it could have been raised, the judgment is conclusive on it. Countrywide Fin.
Corp., 214 Cal. App. 4th at 1529 (citing Villacres, 117 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 409). “The fact that different
forms of relief are sought in the two lawsuits is irrelevant, for if the rule were otherwise, ‘litigation
finally would end only when a party ran out of counsel whose knowledge and imagination could
conceive of different theories of relief based upon the same factual background.’” Villacres,
117 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 409 (quoting Interinsurance Exchange of the Auto. Club v. Superior Court,
257 Cal. Rptr. 37, 39 (Cal. Ct. App. 1989) (internal quotations and italics omitted)). “A party cannot
by negligence or design withhold issues and litigate them in consecutive actions.” Aerojet-General
Corp. v. American Excess Ins. Co., 117 Cal. Rptr. 2d 427, 436 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002). Res judicata
20
should bar a claim if with diligence it could have been brought earlier. Allied Fire Protection
v. Diede Constr., Inc., 25 Cal. Rptr. 3d 195, 200 (Cal. Ct. App. 2005).
We conclude that BCG could have raised the claims asserted in this case in the
California action. Both the libel-based claims and the claims based on disclosure of confidential
information arise from the same factual background—Kinney’s single internet post—and the current
claims are within the scope of the California action, related to the subject matter and relevant to the
issues. See Countrywide Fin. Corp., 214 Cal. App. 4th at 1529; Villacres, 117 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 409.
The only reason BCG offers for not asserting the contract and fiduciary duty claims in the California
action is that it had not “discovered” the employment contract. However, the alleged contract was
one BCG prepared, presented to Kinney, and subsequently located in its files. BCG had knowledge
of the contract and, with diligence, could have asserted the claims based on it in the prior action. See
Diede Constr., 25 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 200. Similarly, BCG’s claim in this case for violations of the
Lanham Act is based on the same alleged false statements upon which the libel-related claims in the
California action were founded, it could have been asserted in the California case, and BCG may not
withhold issues and litigate them later. See Countrywide Fin. Corp., 214 Cal. App. 4th at 1529;
Aerojet-General Corp., 117 Cal. Rptr. 2d at 436. We therefore hold that BCG’s claims are barred
by res judicata and sustain Kinney’s first issue.
Sanctions
Because we conclude that BCG’s claims are barred by res judicata, we need not reach
the remainder of the parties’ issues, with the exception of BCG’s challenge to the trial court’s award
of sanctions under section 27.009 of the TCPA. See Tex. R. App. P. 47.1. Section 27.009(a)(2)
21
provides that if the court orders dismissal, it “shall award to the moving party . . . sanctions against
the party who brought the legal action as the court determines sufficient to deter the party . . . from
bringing similar actions.” Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.009(a)(2). In its third issue on
cross-appeal, BCG contends that the sanctions amount was excessive and the trial court abused its
discretion because it awarded the amount of $75,000 without any guidance from a determination
of actual litigation costs and without providing a sufficient explanation for how it determined
that amount.
We generally review a trial court’s award of sanctions for an abuse of discretion. See
American Flood Research, Inc. v. Jones, 192 S.W.3d 581, 583 (Tex. 2006) (per curiam). A trial
court abuses its discretion if its ruling is arbitrary, unreasonable, or without reference to any guiding
rules and principles. K-Mart Corp. v. Honeycutt, 24 S.W.3d 357, 360 (Tex. 2000) (per curiam). In
determining whether the trial court abused its discretion, we must decide whether the sanctions were
appropriate or just under a two-part inquiry. American Flood Research, 192 S.W.3d at 583. The
appellate court must ensure that (1) there is a direct nexus between the improper conduct and the
sanction imposed, id.; Low v. Henry, 221 S.W.3d 609, 614 (Tex. 2007), and (2) less severe sanctions
would not have been sufficient to promote compliance, American Flood Research, 192 S.W.3d at
583. We do not rely only on the trial court’s findings but must independently review the entire
record to determine if the trial court abused its discretion. Id.
Because the order reflects that the trial court ordered sanctions pursuant to the TCPA,
we review the order under the language of section 27.009. See Tex. Civ. & Prac. Rem. Code
§ 27.009(a)(2); Low, 221 S.W.3d at 614 (reviewing order in light of chapter 10 of Civil Practices and
22
Remedies Code because trial court’s written order specifically ordered sanction pursuant to penalty
provision of chapter 10); cf. American Flood Research, 192 S.W.3d at 583–84 (where order
imposing sanctions neither referred to nor tracked any language of specific rule, analysis governed
by language of any rule cited in motion). Section 27.009(a)(2) requires the trial court to award
sanctions if it dismisses a claim pursuant to section 27.003 and gives the trial court broad discretion
to determine what amount is sufficient to deter the party from bringing similar actions in the future.
See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.009(a)(2). It does not expressly require the trial court to
explain how it reached its determination. Cf. id. § 10.005 (in imposing sanction under chapter 10,
court shall describe the sanctionable conduct and explain the basis for the sanction); Tex. R. Civ. P.
13 (good cause must be stated in sanction order).
As we have already discussed, the record shows that BCG asserted claims that could
have been asserted in the California suit. See Countrywide Fin. Corp., 214 Cal. App. 4th at 1529;
Villacres, 117 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 409. While the sanction imposed was large, “the amount [of the
sanction] alone does not render the order unjust.” Wal-Mart Stores v. Davis, 979 S.W.2d 30, 47
(Tex. App.—Austin 1998, pet. denied). The record also shows a culmination of multiple actions,
including an attempted arbitration, concerning claims for the same harm asserted under various legal
theories and that one of the prior actions resulted in an award of attorney’s fees against BCG in the
amount of $45,000. See Boelken, 230 P.3d at 348; Villacres, 117 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 409. Given the
history of the litigation, the trial court could have reasonably determined that a lesser sanction would
not have served the purpose of deterrence. See Stromberger v. Turley Law Firm, 315 S.W.3d 921,
924 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2010, no pet.) (sanction awarded based on party’s conduct over two-year
23
period). In light of the trial court’s findings and the record before us, as well as the broad discretion
afforded the trial court by section 27.009, we conclude that the sanction has a direct relationship to
BCG’s sanctionable conduct and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that
a lesser sanction would have been insufficient to deter further actions by BCG. See Tex. Civ. Prac.
& Rem. Code § 27.009(a)(2); American Flood Research, 192 S.W.3d at 583.
In arguing that the trial court abused its discretion because it awarded sanctions
without reference to the actual litigation costs, BCG relies on Low, in which the supreme court held
that a determination of the amount of a penalty under chapter 10 of the Civil Practices and Remedies
Code “should . . . begin with an acknowledgment of the costs and fees incurred because of the
sanctionable conduct[, which] provides a monetary guidepost of the impact of the conduct on the
party seeking sanctions and the burdens on the court system.” See 221 S.W.3d at 621. Although no
court has addressed a sanctions award under the TCPA, because both chapter 10 and the TCPA allow
for sanctions to deter future sanctionable conduct, see Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 10.004(b),
27.009(a)(2), we assume without deciding that this guideline may reasonably apply to sanctions
under the TCPA. However, the trial court expressly considered the prior litigation, and the record
reflects that the California court awarded Kinney $45,000 in attorney’s fees in that action. On the
record before us, we conclude that there was sufficient evidence of the economic impact to Kinney
of the sanctionable conduct of BCG over the course of litigation in two states to serve as a
“guidepost” for the amount of the sanction. See Low, 221 S.W.3d at 621. Further, although unlike
chapter 10 and rule 13, section 27.009 does not require the trial court to state the reasons for the
sanction amount, the order nevertheless expressly recited the trial court’s consideration of the prior
24
litigation, which resulted in an award of attorney’s fees against BCG, in deciding that a sanction of
$75,000 was necessary to deter BCG from bringing similar actions in the future. Cf. Low,
221 S.W.3d at 620 (absence of explanation of how court determined amount when sanction is
especially severe is inadequate). In light of the statutory language and the record before us, we
cannot conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in awarding $75,000 in sanctions against
BCG. We overrule BCG’s third issue on cross-appeal.
CONCLUSION
Having concluded that we have jurisdiction over this appeal and cross-appeal, that
BCG’s claims are barred by res judicata, and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in
awarding sanctions in the amount of $75,000 against BCG, we reverse the trial court’s order denying
Kinney’s motion to dismiss as to BCG’s breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims and
render judgment dismissing those claims. We affirm the trial court’s order in all other respects.
__________________________________________
Melissa Goodwin, Justice
Before Chief Justice Jones, Justices Goodwin and Field
Affirmed in Part; Reversed and Dismissed in Part on Motion for Rehearing
Filed: April 11, 2014
25
|
Diversion of prescription stimulants among college students: An initial investigation of injunctive norms.
Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) is an increasing problem among the college student population. Despite recent increases in stimulant prescriptions, little research has examined diversion of prescription stimulants among college students. The purpose of the current exploratory study was to compare normative beliefs about the frequency and motives of NMUPS among a college student sample. Participants were 121 college students who reported having a current prescription for a prescription stimulant. Participants completed online surveys and reported occasions of diversion behavior along with ratings of perceived approval for NMUPS and associated motives. Participants with a history of diversion were more likely to rate their close friends as more approving of more frequent NMUPS, and more approving of various motives for NMUPS. Perceived approval of NMUPS and NMUPS motives among parents and typical university students was similar across diversion groups, with parents and university students being rated as more approving of NMUPS for educational purposes. These findings extend the use of social norms theory to a new behavior while adding to our understanding how those who divert their medication differ from those who do not. Future studies should seek to establish a causal relationship between perceived approval for NMUPS and diversion behaviors. These findings also suggest that future research should focus on the feasibility and impact of social norms intervention for NMUPS and medication diversion. |
MANAGEMENT OF METASTATIC BREAST CARCINOMA OF IRIS WITH INTRAOCULAR BEVACIZUMAB INJECTIONS.
To describe intraocular use of bevacizumab for a metastatic breast carcinoma of the iris resistant to advanced systemic chemotherapy protocols, for which conventional treatment would be local radiotherapy or brachytherapy. Case report. A 65-year-old woman, who was previously diagnosed with breast carcinoma and treated with radical mastectomy coupled with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, presented with an iris mass in her left eye. Four successive intravitreal injections of bevacizumab resulted in progressive regression of the tumor to an almost indiscernible size at 8 months, along with blunting of the highly complex tumor vascular network on fluorescein angiography. At 12 months, the patient's visual acuity remained 20/20, and no ocular or systemic adverse effects were encountered. Intravitreal bevacizumab can offer a simpler and safer solution to treat metastatic iris tumors compared with other treatment options. This report of bevacizumab for treating iris metastasis from breast carcinoma may broaden the treatment options for similar neoplasms of the iris. |
'Benedict will hold the old coat up again, so he can look sexy'
Sherlock co-creator promises more episodes 'when our careers have dipped'
For all things Comic-Con 2017, visit our EW Comic-Con section.
Historians will separate this decade into the long periods of waiting between seasons of Sherlock. And since the fourth series of 90-minute episodes just aired earlier this year, don’t expect more episodes of the Benedict Cumberbatch-headlined phenomenon anytime soon. Speaking at the Titan Comics panel for the Sherlock manga, the show’s co-creator Steven Moffat said he hadn’t even spoken to his fellow co-creator Mark Gatiss about another batch of episodes. “Sherlock and Doctor Who overlapped last year,” said the busy showrunner, referring to his other beloved British series. “Which was hell. So I haven’t had a moment to sit with Mark and talk about it. That’s the truth.”
But Moffat was hopeful that there would be more adventures with Cumberbatch’s Holmes and Martin Freeman’s Watson further down the line. “I’m assuming, probably wrongly, that at some point we’ll all show up somewhere and do it again when our careers have dipped,” he joked. “Benedict will hold the old coat up again, so he can look sexy. And we’ll recreate our glory days, with a desperate air, going back to a time everybody loved us.” The audience laughed, but later in the panel, Moffat more seriously promised, “Everything’s possibly on the table…the best I can tell you is, I kind of assume at some point we’ll reassemble.”
Moffat was onstage with Sue Vertue, a Sherlock executive producer. (The pair also happen to be married.) While recalling the run of their series, the pair mentioned one notable change they would make to an earlier episode of Sherlock. “There’s an element in The Blind Banker which worked brilliantly at the time,” Moffat explained. “Steve Thompson, who wrote that one, came up with the idea of the code — a cipher — was a book that everybody owns, the London A-Z. At that time it was absolutely true that everyone in London owned an A-Z. A very small number of years later, absolutely nobody owns an A-Z. It’s all on their iPhone. So that doesn’t work. That’s our updated version, our updated Sherlock Holmes, becoming a period piece before our eyes.”
Illustrated by manga artist Jay, the comic book adaptation of Sherlock began appearing in 2012 with an adaptation of the first “episode,” A Study in Pink. The Blind Banker and The Great Game followed, and Titan Comics has been releasing English-language editions of the Manga since 2016. (The first issue of The Great Game arrived on Aug. 9.) Vertue admitted that they were initially hesitant about adapting Sherlock into another medium. “We were very cautious about it, really,” said Vertue. “Every page gets approved by me.”
“It’s properly exciting,” Moffat said. “It somehow makes our version more real. Our version of Sherlock Holmes has rippled out into the world.”
Image zoom Titan Comics
What is it that makes the character so universal?
“If you knew somebody like Sherlock Holmes in real life, you’d think he was a d—,” Moffat joked. “But that kind of character can work marvelously as a fantasy. If there was a real James Bond, we’d all hate him. Right, you know, right-wing monster shoots foreigners and women, more or less. That’s not a nice man! But you put him on screen, and you sort of think, ‘I’m allowed to think that’s okay for two hours.'”
“I don’t know if Sherlock Holmes is likable,” Moffat said. “The fantasy you have is: You’d like him to like you.” |
MS-1, Puebla, Guadalajara, IWL/DTU
MS-1, Pablo Fuentes Reina, passed away in a car accident. He is said to have been teaching at a wrestling school in Huamantla. MS-1 was a rudo in Arena Mexico in 80s and 90s. MS-1 spend most of his career unmasked, losing his mask to Rayo de Jalisco Jr. just four years after debuting. A few years later, he, Satanico and Espectro Jr. formed Los Infernales, a rudo trio which was sort of the answer to El Toreo’s own Misionerios de la Muerte of great rudos, as trios themselves were taking off. Espectro Jr. was replaced by Pirata Morgan, and Morgan, Satanico & MS-1 became a legendary trio. The three won the national trios titles, and reformed the team in 1990s to become the first CMLL World Trios Champions. Pirata and Satanico both left for bits in AAA, but MS-1 was the constant guy in CMLL thru multiple versions of the group. MS-1 main evented the 1983 Anniversary Show (loss to Sangre Chicana in a hair match) and the 1989 one (loss teaming with Tierra Viento y Fuego to Atlantis and a then tecnico Satanico.) As a single, MS-1 held the NWA Light Heavyweight championship twice. He traded it back and forth with Ringo Mendoza, Rayo de Jalisco and Cien Caras, so they must’ve thought highly of him. MS-1 was a hardworking wrestler who, like the rest of the Infernales, a favorite of the hardcore fan base.
MS-1 left CMLL in 1996, promoting small shows around Naucalpan with his son (MS-1 Jr.) They would occasionally give the MS-2 mask to an random indy wrestler to create a one night version of the Infernales for indy shows. He slipped away from sight a lot faster than other wrestlers of his era; his name would turn up from time to time, but he’s not a guy who’d be often seen on the legend/reunion shows. MS-1 did have one brief foray in AAA, turning up for a one show appearance in 2005, then was one of the Allien trio in 2006 (though this was never acknowledged.) MS-1’s only turns up a couple more times after that. The last time he was advertised was a 2010 show in Laguna, though I don’t know if he actually wrestled.
Possibly the only match of the year with Mexicans, Chileans and Japanese. Last time there was some named Tetsuya in Mexico, it was (future AJPW’s) Bushi, but I think he’s still in Japan.
Other News
Volador Jr. says Sombra is a very tough opponent, but not an impossible one. Their title match on the NJPW/CMLL show might be Volador’s first trip to Japan (it’s not), but Volador points out he traveled to the US and won the TNA World X Cup so he has experience winning outside the country, and he won the Bicentennial Cup, so he has experience winning big matches.
Tiger wants to challenge Sombra and win his world welterweight title, which would mean everyone in TRT will have world championships. Good luck on that, cat. Tiger says Rey Bucanero & Terrible have uncaged his talent, and he’s clearly doing the right thing since they’re undefeated as a group.
The authors of “¡Quiero ver sangre! Historia ilustrada del cine de Luchadores”, the new book about lucha libre in the movies, are interviewed here. There’s also a mostly positive review here. Looks like you may able to purchase it here, but don’t hold me to it.
This is an IWL “versus” DTU, though all the guys work all these shows and only the promotions see much off a difference. The Porros and the hardcore DTU guys haven’t appeared on the other shows, but guys like Suicida (representing IWL) have been on DTU as well.
Press conference angles also seemed to set up Violento Jack vs XL and possibly Allison Evans vs Luchadora To Be Named Later.
11 thoughts to “MS-1, Puebla, Guadalajara, IWL/DTU”
MS-1? Man that sucks. I did quite a bit of research on his career when I wrote his Wikipedia article and saw some great six man and singles matches from the peak of his career. Did not follow him in recent years but it is sad when someone dies too soon.
MS-1 was one of my favorite rudos to watch. His work in the ring was always something that made you say hey this guy has got it. I was a fan of the the REAL Infernales and always will be, as the latter Infernales did not work nor could compare with Pirata, Satanico and MS-1.
“Tetsuya” surely is Kansuke. The guy looks exactly like Kansuke looked at the “Novato del Ano” pic in the last Superluchas edition. And Daisuke Hanaoka always teamed with Kansuke and Yusuke Shiranami in the last months. |
When I was in medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Mehmet Oz had the reputation of being a competent and caring cardiothoracic surgeon whose research interest was reducing preoperative stress. I remember hearing about a music study of his in which soothing melodies reduced blood pressure and heart rates in patients preparing for heart surgery. I felt pleased that a surgeon was leading the charge in improving patients’ O.R. experiences, and had no inkling that 15 years later Dr. Oz would be America’s chief snake oil salesman.
I have been slow to criticize Dr. Oz on my blog because of a sense of loyalty to my medical school, however yesterday he crossed the line when things got personal – a friend of mine was negatively impacted by his misinformation to the point where her life was endangered. From watching his TV show, she was led to believe that she would put herself at risk for thyroid cancer if she got a mammogram. Several of her relatives have had breast cancer, and she should be particularly vigilant in her screening efforts. However, because Dr. Oz said that mammograms may themselves cause cancer, she opted out of appropriate screening.
But how does the average lay person know how to evaluate Dr. Oz’s health claims? When Oprah’s network promotes him as “America’s physician” the platform itself offers him credibility, and a reach that can damage and misinform millions like my friend. I have a feeling that many of my peers at Columbia are concerned about Dr. Oz’s promotion of quackery, but once they’ve invested in his brand for so long, it’s easier to turn a blind eye to his nuttiness than to oust him from his academic positions. At what point is a celebrity doctor doing more harm than good to an institution’s reputation? Is he now “too big to fail?”
But back to my main point – dear readers if you watch Dr. Oz and think that he’s a credible source of health information, please be aware that much of what he says is inaccurate, exaggerated, and based on mystical belief systems. Please don’t act on his advice without checking with your own physician first.
Sadly, good science doesn’t always make good television. But the truth can make you well. Be warned that you are unlikely to find the truth consistently on the Dr. Oz show.
Swaroup Anand, 23, from Bangalore, is fully conscious as he undergoes open-heart surgery. An epidural to the neck, administered at the city’s Wockhardt Hospital, has numbed his body. Dr Vivek Jawali pioneered the technique ten years ago and has recently released a tutorial on DVD which gives a step-by-step guide to the procedure – sorry, but you can only get a copy if you’re a surgeon or an anaesthetist.
Seems there would be considerable risk of respiratory compromise is the epidural went too high. But according to this video, over 400 cases have been performed, including a bypass with aortic valve replacement!
I don’t know… I’m not sure I could stomach the sound of the bone saw or, worse, if the surgeon said “Oh, crap…”
The newest media Doc on the block is Dr. Mehmet Oz. When he was first seen on Oprah, he seemed engaging and answered some interesting questions in a real and professional way. The audience loved his blue scrubs and boyish clean cut open style.
That was then.
Let’s face it…the media spotlight seems to corrupt even the best physicians. Dr. Oz now has his own show and website and production company. That is a pretty big infrastructure to maintain and we know that the public is fickle. So what does he do?
His “Real-Age” website got 27 million people to sign up and take a health quiz. That information was sold to pharmaceutical companies who used the direct emails for marketing. Real-Age also sends the participants a series of emails about conditions they may (or may not) have and drugs they can use to treat it, based on their answers to the on-line health quiz, sponsored by drug companies of course. Read more »
My son is sleeping right now…had a rough weekend – his blood pressure dropped, his blood count was decreasing, and he had chest and neck pain. The clinical team adjusted his meds, gave him a unit of blood, and are now trying to figure out what to do next. He is scared and worried and wants so desperately to be “normal” again. He is scheduled for leg surgery this afternoon and then we wait to see what the next steps will be.
While I have a few quiet moments, I thought I’d document the story of how he made it this far….it is a story of extraordinary luck and a fair amount of clinical heroism.
My son was born 17 years ago with transposition of the great arteries (his heart had over-rotated and was pumping in a way that didn’t allow oxygenated blood to move from the lungs to the body and back again) so he had a 9 hour operation at a week old to reconstruct his heart.
My son is receiving absolute top-notch care from the only place in the area that could have saved him, but was by luck, not by any “consumerism” on our part – we didn’t Google “teenage arterial switch survivor with heart attack” or pull up HealthGrades to find the best hospital or doctors to treat him….we have benefited from the kindness and skill of a community of health care providers affiliated with a hospital that was uniquely situated to help him, but the only choice we had in this was what hospital to drive him to.
We learned much later that the problem that caused the heart attack was due to his reconstructive surgery when he was a baby…as he grew and became more active, one of the reimplanted coronary arteries became pinched between the rebuilt pulmonary artery and the aorta….this was an inevitable result of the surgery that saved his life 17 years ago and would have happened at some point – while swimming, riding his bike, walking in the neighborhood, playing lacrosse, or running by himself in the neighborhood as he trained for cross country….so the fourth link – he happened to have his attack while at a school with trainers equipped with an AED, with coaches and parents and teammates right there ready and able to help him. He wasn’t alone….and he was in the best possible place to have his attack (even though he complicated things a bit by having it in the woods and falling down a steep bank)
Coronary artery anomalies constitute 1–3% of all congenital malformations of the heart. In approximately 0.46–1% of the normal population, anomalies of the coronary arteries are found incidentally during catheter angiography or autopsy. The etiology of coronary artery anomalies is still uncertain. Maternal transmission of some types has been suggested, particularly when only a single coronary artery is involved. Familial clustering is also reported for one of the most common anomalies, in which the left circumflex coronary artery (CX) originates from the right sinus of Valsalva. Anomalies of the coronary arteries may also be associated with Klinefelter’s syndrome and trisomy 18 (i.e., Edwards syndrome). Cardiac causes for early and sudden infant death include anomalies of the coronary arteries; the Bland-White-Garland-Syndrome may be one relevant cause. Anomalies of the coronary arteries found in children may be associated with other congenital anomalies of the heart like Fallot’s syndrome, transposition of the great arteries, Taussig-Bing heart (double-outlet right ventricle), or common arterial trunk.2
Normal Coronary Arterial Anatomy
Common variants are anomalies with origin from the contralateral side of the aortic bulb. These include an origin of the LMA or the LAD from the RSV or the proximal RCA and an origin of the RCA from the LSV or the LMA. There are four possible pathways for these aberrant vessels to cross over to their regular peripheral locations: (1) “anterior course” ventral to the pulmonary trunk or the right ventricular outflow tract, (2) “interarterial course” between the pulmonary artery and aorta, (3) “septal course” through the interventricular septum, and (4)”retro-aortic course”. Clinically, course anomalies of the coronary arteries are subdivided into “malignant” and “non-malignant” forms. Malignant forms are associated with an increased risk of myocardial ischemia or sudden death and mostly show a course between the pulmonary artery and aorta (i.e., “interarterial”). The most common case is an origin of the RCA from the LSV that courses between the aortic bulb and the pulmonary artery. Anomalies of the LMA or the LAD arising from the RSV with a similar course are associated with higher cardiac risk, too. It is suggested that myocardial ischemia and sudden death result from transient occlusion of the aberrant coronary artery, due to an increase of blood flow through the aorta and pulmonary artery during exercise or stress. The reason is either a kink at the sharp leftward or rightward bend at the vessel’s ostium or a pinch-cock mechanism between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Up to 30% of such patients are at risk for sudden death.2
…
The young man in this story probably had something like this after the surgical correction (Arterial Switch Operation) for TGA…
“Malignant” course of LAD
…a classical malignant course of the LAD between the Aorta and Pulmonary artery.
…
References:
Sudden Death in Young Athletes: Screening for the Needle in a Haystack – Free full text article in American Family Physician.
Yesterday in our cath conference, we discussed the substudy from the prospective randomized trial called PREVENT-IV just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. That study evaluated the major adverse cardiac event rates of minimally invasive vein harvesting compared to open vein harvesting prior to coronary bypass surgery.
I was surprised to see that minimally-invasive vein harvesting had a higher combined complication rate of death, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and need for revascularization in the patients who received vein grafts harvested by the minimally-invasive technique. Following the presentation of the data, our surgeons were asked why this might be the case. While none knew for sure, they postulated that the art of harvesting vein-conduits using endovascular techniques might play a role (it’s more difficult), or the effects of the thrombolytic state induced by on-pump bypass vs. off-pump bypass might create the discrepency in post-surgery vein survival, since patients are less likely to develop clinical thromboses in the post-open chest bypass population.
So this morning, I was surprised that President Obama toured Cleveland Clinic yesterday and had such an up-front experience with minimally-invasive robotic surgical techniques for mitral valve repair that hardly represents mainstream American health care. While the marvels of the technology cannot be disputed, like the endovascular vein harvesting study above, might we find that robotics could be as deleterious to patients compared to open chest techniques? After all, these techniques have yet to be compared in multi-center trials to more conventional open techniques for mitral valve repair. But more concerning as we move forward is this question: will academic centers be granted more funds to test comparative effectiveness research for robotics at the expense of front-line American health care? Surely, this won’t be, will it?
Probably.
But when I see pieces like this I wonder why the article does not question the cost and risks of this technique compared to conventional open-chest procedures, especially in this era of touting the need for health care cost containment. How much is this piece about the marketing of this technique to the community (for financial gain) or to the President (for obtaining grants or political favors)?
Perhaps we should ask ourselves how many of the physicians and surgeons at Cleveland Clinic stand to earn a seat on the proposed MEDPAC board that will determine if Congress will approve payment for robotic techniques even when few data exist to show their superiority over conventional techniques.
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On the 21st of October Mark Coleman will be fighting against Fedor Emelianenko at Pride The Real Deal in Las Vegas. This will be an interesting fight. I think Emelianenko will destroy him and beat Coleman again... but you never know.
If Coleman comes into the fight in peak shape he will be able to take Fedor down and keep him down. I don't think Coleman will escape a submission though, Fedor's technique is too good. I see it ending up pretty much like their last fight only it will probably take Fedor a little longer to catch Coleman in a submission since Coleman will be more cautious where he leaves his arms this time around. My prediction: Fedor by submission in round 1.
On the 21st of October Mark Coleman will be fighting against Fedor Emelianenko at Pride The Real Deal in Las Vegas. This will be an interesting fight. I think Emelianenko will destroy him and beat Coleman again... but you never know. |
Last year, Poland signed a blockbuster missile defense deal that would give the country the most robust missile defense system in Europe. Recently, there are indications that Warsaw may be backtracking on these plans, but this would be a mistake. Staying the course on missile defense is critical not only for the security of Poland, but for the defense of the West - as Matthew Kroenig, Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, writes for the Defence24.com.
In 2018, President Duda announced a $4.75 billion deal to purchase and co-produce a mix of air and missile defenses comprising two layers, known as Wisła and Narew. Wisła includes Patriot air defenses, including the highly capable PAC-3 missile. Narew may include a layer of lower-cost interceptors, potentially the Skyceptor missile which is similar to that used in Israel under the name David’s Sling. These two layers will then be stitched together by the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, produce a capable, layered, and cost-effective air and missile defense.
This new missile defense complex has become a key priority in the bilateral relationship between the United States and Poland. It was, for example, a subject of discussion between Presidents Trump and Duda in their June 12 meeting at the White House in Washington DC.
It is no surprise that Poland is a European leader in the pursuit of an integrated air and missile defense system. Indeed, these steps are consistent with Poland’s recent role as a major contributor to the security of Europe. Poland deserves credit for meeting its NATO commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, for talks on the development of a new “Fort Trump,” and for hosting the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site for the defense of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Poland is planning to purchase the F-35A fighters, but that should not lead to limiting the country's missile defense projects. Photo: USAF.
Several of Poland’s planned missile defense systems will not achieve initial operational capability until 2024. Given Poland’s numerous other defense considerations, including the F-35 acquisition, the Polish government may be tempted to rethink its decision and cancel some of the important capability and integration elements of both Wisla and Narew. Such a move could have deleterious consequences for both Poland’s national defense and the defense of NATO’s Eastern flank.
In recent years, Russia has become more aggressive, invading its neighbors Ukraine and Georgia and attempting to coerce and divide the rest of Europe. Among the greatest fears of NATO defense planners is that Russian President Vladimir Putin may try to rerun his playbook from Ukraine against the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. A successful invasion of these NATO allies would be a major victory for Putin and could mean the effective end of the alliance.
Preventing such an attack is the foremost priority of NATO and the most effective deterrence is a good defense. The U.S. and its allies must have a serious plan for repelling a Russian invasion of the Baltics should it occur.
This is where Poland comes in. Poland is the new center of gravity in Europe. Unlike the Baltic states, Poland is a large NATO member on the Eastern flank capable of defending itself. In the event of conflict, Polish territory would be a major conduit for flowing U.S. and allied forces from North America and Europe into the Baltic region.
Russian cruise missiles, such as the depicted, are part of the A2/AD system. Photo: mil.ru.
This central role means that Poland could be an attractive target for Russian missile attacks. As the 2019 U.S. Missile Defense Review makes clear, Russia is building a sophisticated and wide-ranging offensive missile systems which form a central piece of Russia’s coercive strategy against NATO. The missiles contribute to Russia’s Anti-Access Area Denial (A2AD) capabilities and are designed to help defeat the will and capability of NATO in a regional conflict. In the event of war, Russia would almost certainly attempt to degrade NATO forces before they could arrive in the Baltics by attacking them as they flow forward across Polish territory and elsewhere. Russia could event attempt a nuclear “de-escalation” strike, conducting a limited nuclear attack on NATO forces or bases in Poland in a bid to frighten the Western alliance into submission.
Robust missile defenses in Poland would go a long way toward negating this threat. In the event of a major conflict, Polish missile defenses could blunt an incoming Russian missile attack, protecting NATO forces and allowing them to continue to effectively prosecute their mission. Moreover, and even more importantly, Polish missile defenses would serve as a deterrent that would make Putin less likely to attack in the first place. If he cannot hope to stop NATO’s wall of steel from coming to the defense of the Baltics, then he has no feasible path to victory.
Prof. Matthew Kroenig. Photo: matthewkroenig.com
This strategic problem is shared by both the United States and Poland alike. As Gen Tod Wolters, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander put it, “U.S. forces in Poland…signal(s) commitment to the Alliance and to Poland…To enhance deterrence against Russian aggression, we must…augment Joint Fires and increase connectivity with Integrated Air and Missile Defense sensors.”
Indeed, the best evidence that these systems are critical to thwarting Russia’s military strategy are the repeated Russian statements expressing extreme displeasure over the deployment of these missile defenses in Poland. In 2016, for example, Putin warned that the deployment of a missile defense system would put Poland in Russia’s “crosshairs.”
In short, Russia has a menacing and sophisticated and integrated air and missile strike complex. Deterring its employment will require Poland and NATO to field equally capable, layered, and integrated defenses.
Matthew Kroenig is Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council and Associate Professor of Government and International Affairs at Georgetown University. |
Laparoscopic versus open partial nephrectomy for multilocular cystic renal cell carcinoma: a direct comparison based on single-center experience.
To compare the treatment of laparoscopic (LPN) versus open partial nephrectomy (OPN) in patients with multilocular cystic renal cell carcinoma (MCRCC). Thirty-seven patients diagnosed with MCRCC were reviewed retrospectively between January 2007 and January 2013 at our institution. They were divided into two groups: group 1 (LPN) consisted of 19 patients (51.4%) and group 2 (OPN) of 18 patients (48.6%). RENAL and the Preoperative Aspects and Dimensions Used for an Anatomical classification were applied to predict perioperative complications, which were graded based on the Clavien-Dindo classification. The two groups were comparable with regard to all of the patients' baseline characteristics. In group 1, the mean operative time was 142.1 min, including the mean warm ischemia time (WIT) of 32.6 min; the mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 96.1 ml, the mean retroperitoneal drainage lasted 3.6 days, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 5.3 days. In group 2, the figures were 126.6 and 23.5 min, 223.3 ml, and 4.6 and 8.7 days, respectively. The differences in WIT, EBL, drainage days and hospitalization were statistically significant between both groups (p < 0.05). No recurrence or new lesions occurred in these patients during a mean follow-up of 37.8 months. Our single-center experience suggests that although it remains technically complex, demanding and challenging for MCRCC, LPN can still induce favorable perioperative results and survival rates in MCRCC are comparable with OPN. |
Comparative DNA sequence analysis of genetic variation in the African grey parrot, Psittacus erythacus.
Comparative genome analysis promises to provide an insight into avian species that have been very little studied. To test the feasibility of this approach, we investigated the use of heterologous primers to generate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the African grey parrot, Psittacus erythacus, using primers specific for chicken and turkey DNA fragments. Three of the primers were specific for three expressed sequence tagged sites in the turkey and the fourth for a chicken proteoglycan core protein-like DNA sequence. A total of about 2200 bp of the parrot genome was evaluated for DNA sequence variation. Seven SNPs were identified and confirmed by Mendelian segregation. The frequency distribution of the most common nucleotide at each SNP locus in an unrelated group of parrots ranged from 0.84 to 0.97. The percent similarity of each parrot sequence to the reference sequence was inconsistent and ranged from zero to 100%. The primers as well as the nucleotide variants described represent valuable resources for genetic analysis in the parrot. |
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From enchanting ceremony backdrops to luxe reception Wedding Gifts For Couples Who Have Everything to lighting tricks and more, here’s how to bring your wedding-day vision to life. Browse Wedding Gifts For Couples Who Have Everything ideas for your ceremony & reception, whether you’re throwing your wedding in a barn or ballroom, we have creative & DIY inspiration. [mwp_html tag=”img” src=”https://mundobecas.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/find-the-best-affordable-wedding-gifts-for-couples-who-have-everything-youll-love.jpg” alt=”10 Decorating Ideas Wedding Gifts For Couples Who Have Everything Collections”] Shop for […] |
By the time the seventh e-mail about coursework and assignments arrives in my in-box, the guilt is too much to take. The online class I signed up for started on Sept. 17, and as the unopened emails pile up from Coursera, I haven’t watched a single lecture or done any work. But hey, having the flexibility to take in lectures at whatever pace you please is one of the attractions of such courses. The fact they’re free is another. In any event, it’s time to buckle down.
Everyone in higher education is obsessed with MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) these days, and taking one sounded like a good idea. Whenever the local community college mails out the latest list of classes that are open to the public, I always find something that is not only interesting but also somehow “good” for me—maybe Woodworking, Web Design Basics, or Advanced Gardening. I should take that, I find myself saying.
A MOOC seemed even more appealing. Yes, there’s the free thing (I’m a Moneyland guy, so free goes a long way with me), but also there’s the idea that I could be taught by a world-class professor. Somebody from MIT or Princeton, or, in the case of the class I signed up for, Stanford.
After considering many options, I decided on a course called Introduction to Mathematical Thinking. It certainly qualified as “good for me” in the way that we’re all supposed to keep growing and expanding our knowledge base and perceptions and whatnot. Plus, Stanford is known as the place that churns out engineering, entrepreneurial, and mathematical geniuses by the truckload. I’d sure like to learn how to think more like the people there, especially if it helps me start a company that one day will get bought for billions by Google.
Another reason I signed up for this class is because in the video introduction for it, the professor, Keith Devlin—who looks and sounds like a long-lost Monty Python troupe member—repeatedly said that this math course involves almost no math. This sounds like the math course for me! I read on USA Today that more than 50,000 students are also signed up for Devlin’s course, and I hope that I’m not the most clueless of all.
As I watch Devlin’s first lecture, which seems more like an introductory pre-lecture, he offers the analogy that high school math is like learning to drive a car, while college math—the kind that requires “mathematical thinking”—is akin to mastering automotive technology, designing and building a car. The key to high school math (algebra, geometry, calculus—stuff I was pretty good at) is following rules and thinking entirely inside the box, Devlin says. College math, by contrast, requires outside-the-box thinking.
His phrases are wonderfully romantic, and also terribly confusing. But at least there’s no math. When the video freezes a few minutes in, I feel a surge of relief. Here is my excuse for giving up on being able to think like a mathematician.
I click on Lecture 1. Damn, it works just fine. The video is 29 minutes long, mostly just Devlin in a button-down shirt talking with a white-screen background. I keep listening as I find myself clicking around the Web, checking e-mail, reading random Tweets.
I should be mowing the lawn, or putting together a grocery list, or doing something more productive. It’s amazing how quickly you can second-guess an idea when you don’t have any skin in the game.
There are a few quizzes sprinkled throughout the lecture. You have to complete them in order to get a certificate for the course (though you don’t have to get the answers right), and their basic purpose is to check if you’re paying attention and sort of getting the material.
At one point, Devlin’s lecture becomes something of a lecture, as he advises students who haven’t done the Background Reading (I’m one of them, of course) to do so now before continuing the video. He doles out phrases like “Math is alive!” and “mathematics makes the invisible visible,” which are as intriguing as they are puzzling. And passages like this from the Background Reading are difficult to wrap my brain around:
“These days, mathematics books tend to be awash with symbols, but mathematical notation no more is mathematics than musical notation is music. A page of sheet music represents a piece of music; the music itself is what you get when the notes on the page are sung or performed on a musical instrument. It is in its performance that the music comes alive and becomes part of our experience; the music exists not on the printed page but in our minds. The same is true for mathematics; the symbols on a page are just a representation of the mathematics. When read by a competent performer (in this case, someone trained in mathematics), the symbols on the printed page come alive—the mathematics lives and breathes in the mind of the reader like some abstract symphony.” |
Q:
Provide password to udisks to unlock LUKS-encrypted device
Currently, I do this to mount my encrypted thumbdrive:
# Works!
pass thumbdrive-password | # get device password entry from password manager
head -n 1 | # get the device password itself
sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb thumbdrive # unlock device
udisksctl mount -b /dev/mapper/thumbdrive # mount device
I'd like to do something like this instead:
# Does not work!
pass thumbdrive-password |
head -n 1 |
udisksctl unlock -b /dev/sdb # unlock device
udisksctl mount -b /dev/mapper/luks-foobar # mount device with uuid "foobar"
This would allow semi-privileged users (with permission to org.freedesktop.udisks2.filesystem-mount in polkit) to mount encrypted filesystems without using sudo. Udisks will not accept this piping method, because it uses an interactive password prompt. How can I provide my device password to udisksctl unlock without typing it in manually?
A:
For udisks version 2.6.4 and later
Note: I haven't tested this. I will once I get udisks 2.6.4 (whenever https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/41723 is backported to NixOS stable).
Update: I have udisks 2.8.0 now, so I can test my solution. The only thing I missed was removing the trailing newline from the output of pass (...) | head (...). To trim that, either use the -n flag with echo, or append | tr -d '\n' to the head output . I've reflected this in my two solutions below.
Generic (unsecure) solution
Use the --key-file flag and substitute the password string in place of a keyfile. To unlock /dev/sdb with the password hunter2:
udisksctl unlock --block-device /dev/sdb --key-file <(echo -n "hunter2")
Passing sensitive data directly through the command line is unsafe, so this method should be avoided.
pass implementation
Instead, retrieve the password string with pass thumbdrive-password | head -n 1, trim the trailing newline, and substitute it in place of a keyfile:
udisksctl unlock \
--block-device /dev/sdb \
--key-file <(pass thumbdrive-password | head -n 1 | tr -d '\n')
|
e number?
False
Let c = 612 - -43. Is c a prime number?
False
Is 354/(-3)*(-28)/8 a composite number?
True
Suppose -2*n + 8 = 2. Suppose -n*x + 81 = 3*h, h + 5*x = 2*h - 51. Is h a prime number?
True
Let l(u) = -u**2 - 6. Let j be l(7). Let r = 134 + j. Is r a prime number?
True
Let v be 11/4 - (-5)/20. Suppose v*k - 185 = -2*k. Is k composite?
False
Suppose 0 = -5*d + n + 6 - 0, 0 = -3*d - n + 10. Is -34*(d - (-30)/(-4)) composite?
True
Let r(t) = 37*t - 15. Let o(y) = y + 4. Let f be o(6). Is r(f) prime?
False
Let u be -1*((3 - 3) + 0). Suppose u = -0*t + t. Suppose -4*l - 78 = -2*o, 2*o - 2*l - 81 + 11 = t. Is o composite?
False
Suppose c + 40 = -4*m + 107, 0 = m - 2. Is c composite?
False
Suppose 5 = -4*y - 95. Let h = y - -48. Is h a composite number?
False
Let l = -395 + -1551. Let u = l + 3382. Is (-3)/4 + u/16 a prime number?
True
Suppose c - 4 = -0*c. Let m(j) = 5*j**2 - 6*j + 3. Is m(c) prime?
True
Suppose 5*u - 33 = 3*k, 5*u + 0*k = 2*k + 32. Is (-2)/3 + 1558/u a composite number?
True
Let k = -52 + 138. Is k prime?
False
Suppose 5*t - 376 = t. Is t a prime number?
False
Let j = -17 - -18. Is j*((3 - -31) + 1) a composite number?
True
Suppose j + 160 - 30 = 0. Is (11/(-2))/(13/j) a prime number?
False
Let i(k) = 19*k**2 - 1 - 7*k**2 + 3*k**2. Is i(2) a composite number?
False
Let k = -22 + -72. Let v = -25 - k. Is v composite?
True
Let m(a) = 129*a**3 + a**2 - a. Let n be m(2). Suppose -5*w + n = 309. Is w a prime number?
False
Let n = -12 + 36. Let p(o) = 2*o**3 - 6*o**2 - 3*o + 2. Let j be p(5). Is (n/18)/(2/j) composite?
True
Suppose 5*i + 10 = 5*g, 2*i + g = -3*i + 2. Let m = i - -141. Is m prime?
False
Let q(b) = 7*b**2 - 9*b - 27. Is q(-11) a prime number?
True
Let y = 94 + -47. Let h be 57/21 + 4/14. Suppose n + 5*i = 17 + y, 3*i = -h*n + 156. Is n a composite number?
True
Suppose -2*i + 150 = 4*t, 2*i - 3*t = -i + 198. Is i a composite number?
True
Let g(s) = s**3 + 2*s**2 - 4*s - 3. Let t be g(-3). Suppose 3*y + 5*f - 241 = t, -f = y + 35 - 118. Is y a prime number?
False
Suppose x = -x + 662. Is x prime?
True
Let h(a) = -53*a**3 - 21*a - 3. Let c be 2 + -3 + 2/(-2). Let z(v) = 13*v**3 + 5*v + 1. Let s(y) = c*h(y) - 9*z(y). Is s(-2) prime?
False
Let b = 12 + -8. Suppose -10 = 4*v + v, -b*n - 5*v + 994 = 0. Is n a composite number?
False
Suppose 0 = -l - k + 2, 0 = -l + 4*k + 2. Let c be (-5)/(-2) - l/(-4). Is c*-3*(-66)/27 composite?
True
Suppose 19*s - 20724 = 7*s. Is s a composite number?
True
Let v be (18/(-8))/(6/16). Let u = v - -8. Suppose -3 = -5*z - 3*m + 32, -u*z = -5*m - 14. Is z prime?
True
Suppose -4*v + 822 = -2*v - 4*o, -o = -2*v + 807. Is v a composite number?
False
Suppose l + 3*l - 636 = 0. Suppose -2*k = k - l. Is k a composite number?
False
Suppose 0 = -5*j - 3*a + 2016, -4*j - 5*a = -2*j - 814. Let z(k) = 22*k**2 + 3*k + 5. Let g be z(6). Let d = g - j. Is d prime?
False
Suppose 3*m - 31 = 29. Suppose 0 = 2*u - 6*u + 140. Let n = u - m. Is n a composite number?
True
Let m = -49 + -20. Let t = 154 + m. Is t a prime number?
False
Suppose 0 = r + 5*g - 253, 7*r - 3*g = 5*r + 506. Is r a prime number?
False
Let q(u) = 1039*u**2 + u - 5. Is q(2) composite?
False
Let j = 1 + -2. Let a(q) = -144*q**3 - q**2 + q + 1. Is a(j) a prime number?
False
Let p = -4 + 78. Is p prime?
False
Suppose -29 - 147 = -2*i. Suppose 3*f + i = -2*f + y, -f - 12 = -3*y. Let t = f + 25. Is t composite?
False
Let h be ((-15)/6)/(3/(-6)). Suppose 2*n + 83 = a, 0*n - 10 = h*n. Is a a prime number?
True
Let c(g) be the second derivative of -g**6/144 - 13*g**5/120 + g**4/12 - 2*g. Let v(z) be the third derivative of c(z). Is v(-10) prime?
True
Let l(q) = -28*q + 5. Is l(-3) composite?
False
Let h = -97 + 251. Let b = h + -107. Is b prime?
True
Suppose -57 = -0*p - 3*p. Is p prime?
True
Let f(m) = 10*m**2 + 2*m + 9. Is f(-4) a composite number?
True
Let t(l) = l**3 + l - 1. Let n be t(3). Suppose -n + 6 = -c. Is c prime?
True
Let q(x) = -x + 6. Let r be q(6). Suppose -5*d + 395 = -y - 4*y, -3*d + 2*y + 235 = r. Suppose -4*n + 234 = 5*p + d, 4*n = 2*p + 122. Is n composite?
True
Let m be 9/4 + 6/(-24). Let b be 216/(-28) - m/7. Is b/(-10)*(-140)/(-8) a prime number?
False
Suppose 2*z + 4*z - 9174 = 0. Is z a prime number?
False
Let t = 18 - -103. Let u = 34 + t. Suppose 3*p = 8*p - u. Is p prime?
True
Suppose -4*l - 6 = -4*r - 2*l, -5*r + 35 = 3*l. Suppose 5*u = r*u + 7. Is u composite?
False
Suppose 3*c = -62 + 299. Suppose 5*u + 4*x = -0*u + 453, u - 5*x - c = 0. Is u a composite number?
False
Let f(t) be the third derivative of -t**8/6720 + t**7/1260 + t**6/120 - t**4/6 + 3*t**2. Let k(u) be the second derivative of f(u). Is k(-5) composite?
True
Let c be (-18)/5*(-10)/3. Let f be (-43)/(-4)*(c + -4). Suppose h + f = 3*h. Is h composite?
False
Let v(y) = -34*y - 5. Let c(x) = 69*x + 10. Let i(j) = 4*c(j) + 7*v(j). Is i(4) composite?
False
Let w(l) = -l**2 - 5*l - 3. Let s be w(-3). Suppose -o + s = -0*o. Suppose -2*p + 4*a = o*p - 165, 4*a = -p + 33. Is p prime?
False
Suppose -4*c = -c + 105. Suppose -154 - 56 = -5*w. Let x = w - c. Is x composite?
True
Let z = 4125 + -1714. Is z composite?
False
Let u(a) = a**3 - 10*a**2 + 9*a. Let l be (3/(-6))/((-2)/36). Let g be u(l). Suppose g = -f + 5*n + 12, 0 = 3*f + 5*n - 16. Is f a composite number?
False
Suppose -4*d = 5*o - 121, 3*o - 26 = o + 4*d. Is o a prime number?
False
Let s be (4/6)/(4/(-6)). Suppose 7*m = 173 - 5. Is m + 1 + 2/s prime?
True
Let w(v) = v**2 - 6*v + 8. Let t be w(6). Suppose t + 0 = 2*q. Suppose -q*k - 356 = -4*l, -l - k - 4*k + 89 = 0. Is l composite?
False
Let d = 8 + -7. Is (d/((-3)/237))/(-1) prime?
True
Let z be (-56)/40 + 4/10. Let s be 46/3 + z/3. Is 417/5 - 6/s a prime number?
True
Let r(y) = -y**2 - 10 - 5*y + 0*y - 4*y. Let g be r(-7). Suppose -5*v - 4*l + 25 = -13, -g*v + 28 = 4*l. Is v a composite number?
True
Is 966/8 - 1/(-4) prime?
False
Let q = -406 + 1197. Is q a prime number?
False
Let c = 1263 + -252. Is c prime?
False
Let r be (-624)/6*1/(-2). Let b = r + -15. Is b composite?
False
Suppose -k + 6 = 2*k. Suppose -6*d = f - 3*d - 74, -k*d = -10. Is f composite?
False
Suppose 7 = y + 2. Suppose -k - y*w = -106, -w = 5*k - 2*w - 452. Is k a composite number?
True
Let x(b) = -b**3 + b**2 + b + 97. Let c = -6 + 8. Suppose -c*v = -v. Is x(v) composite?
False
Let o(r) = r - 1. Let g be o(5). Let y(b) = 25*b**2 + b + 5. Let z be y(g). Let c = z + -290. Is c a composite number?
True
Let g(v) be the second derivative of v**5/10 - v**4/4 + 2*v**2 + 3*v. Let q be ((-2)/3)/((-2)/9). Is g(q) a composite number?
False
Suppose 0 = -5*j + 4*j + 97. Is j a prime number?
True
Suppose -2*i + 0*i + 624 = 0. Suppose 3*u - i = 3*w, 9*w + 84 = u + 4*w. Is u a composite number?
False
Suppose -3*g + 298 - 121 = 0. Is g a composite number?
False
Suppose -23 = k - 5*t, -2*t - 2 + 12 = 0. Suppose -k*h - 67 = -3*h. Is h prime?
True
Suppose 0*s + 3*s + 42 = 0. Let t(v) = v**3 + 16*v**2 + 9*v + 21. Is t(s) a composite number?
True
Is (3 - 8/2) + 35 prime?
False
Let v(w) = w**2 + 4*w + 2. Let m be v(-4). Let d = 17 + m. Is d a prime number?
True
Suppose 27 = 3*x - 2*x. Let s = x + -12. Is s composite?
True
Let o be ((-3)/2)/((-3)/(-16)). Is (-4)/o*154 + 2 prime?
True
Let p(g) = 3*g. Let c be p(1). Suppose -5*m - 465 = -10*m + 3*l, -c*l = 4*m - 372. Suppose -m = -a - 2*a. Is a a prime number?
True
Let v(r) = r**2 - 3*r - 2. Let p be v(4). Suppose -p*y - 53 = -3*y. Is y a composite number?
False
Let a(l) = -l**3 - 4*l**2 + 3*l - 7. Let y be a(-5). Suppose 0*p = y*p - 3*c - 51, -3*p - c + 59 = 0. Is p a composite number?
False
Suppose 6*n + 6327 = 5*s + 2*n, -s + n + 1265 = 0. Is s prime?
False
Suppose -6*p + 3*p - 5*s + 113 = 0, 4*s + 20 = 0. Is p a prime number?
False
Let a be (-3 - -6)/(3/2). Suppose -7*w + 919 = -2*w + a*b, 5*b = 3*w - 539. Is w a prime number?
False
Let t(d) = -3 + 14*d**2 - 1 - 7*d**2 - 2*d + 5. Is t(-6) a prime number?
False
Let q be -1*5/((-5)/(-18)). Let y(w) = -w**3 - 10*w**2 + 3*w + 1. Let h be y(-10). Let a = q - h. Is a prime?
True
Let t(a) = -a**3 - 4*a**2 + 3. Let o be t(-4). Suppose 3*x = -4*d + 1510, -5*x - 7 = o. Is d a composite number?
False
Let x = 46 + -22. Let s = -137 + x. Let g = -76 - s. Is g prime?
True
Let y(w) be the first derivative of |
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<div
className="form-group"
>
<div
className="col-sm-12"
>
<label
className="control-label sr-only"
htmlFor="url"
>
URL
</label>
<input
autoFocus={true}
className="form-control"
id="url"
placeholder="https://example.com"
type="text"
/>
</div>
</div>
`;
exports[`URLField should match the previous snapshot with invalid field state 1`] = `
<div
className="form-group has-error"
>
<div
className="col-sm-12"
>
<label
className="control-label sr-only"
htmlFor="url"
>
URL
</label>
<input
autoFocus={true}
className="form-control"
id="url"
placeholder="https://example.com"
type="text"
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</div>
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|
Make a BUDGET
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates it can cost as much as $184,000 to
raise a baby from birth to the age of 17.*
Your pregnancy is a good time to evaluate your finances and adjust your budget
to make room for baby.
Step 1: Determine how much income you and your spouse bring home in one
month. Include alimony or other payments you receive regularly. If one spouse
plans to stop working, figure your budget using the income of the working spouse.
Step 3: Subtract costs you will incur for baby supplies like diapers, formula,
clothing, and college contributions. You should expect to pay about $20 a
week for diapers, and an additional $25 to $50 a week for formula.
Step 4: Subtract any day care costs you will incur (if applicable).
Depending on where you live, day care costs start at about $400 per month
and go up to $700 or more.
Step 5: Total the amounts. You now have an estimate of your monthly
budget. Use this figure to make any plans.
Many families would like to have one parent stay home with a child but don�t
think they can live without a second income. If this is your desire, figure your
budget twice. Use two incomes the first time and one income the second time.
And, be sure to remove your daycare expense from the one-income budget.
You may be surprised. |
Engineers have developed a device platform that combines electronic components for sensing, medical diagnostics, communications and human-machine interfaces, all on an ultrathin skin-like patch that mounts directly onto the skin with the ease, flexibility and comfort of a temporary tattoo.
Led by researcher John A. Rogers, the Lee J. Flory-Founder professor of engineering at the University of Illinois, the researchers described their novel skin-mounted electronics in the Aug. 12 issue of the journal Science.
The circuit bends, wrinkles, and stretches with the mechanical properties of skin. The researchers demonstrated their concept through a diverse array of electronic components mounted on a thin, rubbery substrate, including sensors, LEDs, transistors, radio frequency capacitors, wireless antennas, and conductive coils and solar cells for power.
"We threw everything in our bag of tricks onto that platform, and then added a few other new ideas on top of those, to show that we could make it work," said Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering, of chemistry, of mechanical science and engineering, of bioengineering and of electrical and computer engineering. He also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and with the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at U. of I.
The patches are initially mounted on a thin sheet of water-soluble plastic, then laminated to the skin with water -- just like applying a temporary tattoo. Alternately, the electronic components can be applied directly to a temporary tattoo itself, providing concealment for the electronics.
"We think this could be an important conceptual advance in wearable electronics, to achieve something that is almost unnoticeable to the wearer," said U. of I. electrical and computer engineering professor Todd Coleman, who co-led the multi-disciplinary team. "The technology can connect you to the physical world and the cyberworld in a very natural way that feels very comfortable."
Skin-mounted electronics have many biomedical applications, including EEG and EMG sensors to monitor nerve and muscle activity.
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One major advantage of skin-like circuits is that they don't require conductive gel, tape, skin-penetrating pins or bulky wires, which can be uncomfortable for the user and limit coupling efficiency. They are much more comfortable and less cumbersome than traditional electrodes and give the wearers complete freedom of movement.
"If we want to understand brain function in a natural environment, that's completely incompatible with EEG studies in a laboratory," said Coleman, now a professor at the University of California at San Diego. "The best way to do this is to record neural signals in natural settings, with devices that are invisible to the user."
Monitoring in a natural environment during normal activity is especially beneficial for continuous monitoring of health and wellness, cognitive state or behavioral patterns during sleep.
In addition to gathering data, skin-mounted electronics could provide the wearers with added capabilities. For example, patients with muscular or neurological disorders, such as ALS, could use them to communicate or to interface with computers. The researchers found that, when applied to the skin of the throat, the sensors could distinguish muscle movement for simple speech. The researchers have even used the electronic patches to control a video game, demonstrating the potential for human-computer interfacing.
Rogers' group is well known for its innovative stretchable, flexible devices, but creating devices that could comfortably contort with the skin required a new fabrication paradigm.
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"Our previous stretchable electronic devices are not well-matched to the mechanophysiology of the skin," Rogers said. "In particular, the skin is extremely soft, by comparison, and its surface can be rough, with significant microscopic texture. These features demanded different kinds of approaches and design principles."
Rogers collaborated with Northwestern University engineering professor Yonggang Huang and his group to tackle the difficult mechanics and materials questions. The team developed a device geometry they call filamentary serpentine, in which the circuits for the various devices are fabricated as tiny, squiggled wires. When mounted on thin, soft rubber sheets, the wavy, snakelike shape allows them to bend, twist, scrunch and stretch while maintaining functionality.
"The blurring of electronics and biology is really the key point here," Huang said. "All established forms of electronics are hard, rigid. Biology is soft, elastic. It's two different worlds. This is a way to truly integrate them."
The researchers used simple adaptations of techniques used in the semiconductor industry, so the patches are easily scalable and manufacturable. The device company mc10, which Rogers co-founded, already is working to commercialize certain versions of the technology.
Next, the researchers are working to integrate the various devices mounted on the platform so that they work together as a system, rather than individually functioning devices, and to add wi-fi capability.
"The vision is to exploit these concepts in systems that have self-contained, integrated functionality, perhaps ultimately working in a therapeutic fashion with closed feedback control based on integrated sensors, in a coordinated manner with the body itself," Rogers said. |
After years of focusing upon real-name registration, China has entered into a new era of “real-face registration.”
Regulation that came into effect on Sunday mandates that anyone signing up for a new mobile or mobile data contract must have their face scanned to verify it matches up with their ID card.
This extra layer of security was drawn up in September by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, ostensibly as a way of reducing fraud and “protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens in cyberspace.”
Most Chinese netizens use their phones to access the web. Phone plans in China rely on a system of “real-name registration” where customers must present their national ID cards, allowing the government to verify the identities of hundreds of millions of Chinese internet users.
Now, they’ll also be able to match faces.
This continues China’s obsession with face-recognition technology which has been used for everything from shaming jaywalkers to dispensing toilet paper to suppressing ethnic minorities. |
Q:
MySQL row count incorrect when reading a table's indexes from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.STATISTICS
I'm seeing some strange results when querying INFORMATION_SCHEMA.STATISTICS for index names. When I do "SELECT * ...", I see 2 indexes, but "SELECT COUNT(*) ..." it says count(*) is 0. Anyone know why? Is there a better way to get indexes on a table, ideally not MySQL-specific?
Example:
mysql> SELECT COUNT(*) FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.STATISTICS WHERE
table_schema = 'mifostest' AND table_name ='CUSTOMER' AND INDEX_NAME =
'CUSTOMER_BRANCH_SEARCH_IDX';
+----------+
| COUNT(*) |
+----------+
| 0 |
+----------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
However...
mysql> SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.STATISTICS WHERE table_schema =
'mifostest' AND table_name ='CUSTOMER' AND INDEX_NAME =
'CUSTOMER_BRANCH_SEARCH_IDX'\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
TABLE_CATALOG: NULL
TABLE_SCHEMA: mifostest
TABLE_NAME: CUSTOMER
NON_UNIQUE: 1
INDEX_SCHEMA: mifostest
INDEX_NAME: CUSTOMER_BRANCH_SEARCH_IDX
SEQ_IN_INDEX: 1
COLUMN_NAME: BRANCH_ID
COLLATION: A
CARDINALITY: 0
SUB_PART: NULL
PACKED: NULL
NULLABLE: YES
INDEX_TYPE: BTREE
COMMENT:
*************************** 2. row ***************************
TABLE_CATALOG: NULL
TABLE_SCHEMA: mifostest
TABLE_NAME: CUSTOMER
NON_UNIQUE: 1
INDEX_SCHEMA: mifostest
INDEX_NAME: CUSTOMER_BRANCH_SEARCH_IDX
SEQ_IN_INDEX: 2
COLUMN_NAME: SEARCH_ID
COLLATION: A
CARDINALITY: 0
SUB_PART: NULL
PACKED: NULL
NULLABLE: YES
INDEX_TYPE: BTREE
COMMENT:
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)
More information:
I'm using MySQL 5.1.31-1ubuntu2 on Ubuntu 9.04.
"SHOW CREATE TABLE" does show the indexes.
Thanks!
-Adam
A:
The ANSI/ISO SQL standard doesn't have anything to say about indexes, so I doubt there is a "not MySQL specific" way to query for them. The standard's INFORMATION_SCHEMA includes CONSTRAINTS, ASSERTIONS, and KEY_COLUMN_USAGE among the many base tables, but there's nothing about indexes. Even STATISTICS is not mentioned in the standard that I can find.
What you report sounds like a bug to me. If SELECT * returns rows, SELECT COUNT(*) shouldn't return zero. Perhaps there has been a regression of this bug.
|
<?php
/**
* Copyright © Magento, Inc. All rights reserved.
* See COPYING.txt for license details.
*/
namespace Magento\Framework\View\Design\FileResolution\Fallback;
use Magento\Framework\View\Design\ThemeInterface;
/**
* Provider of localized view files
*/
class LocaleFile
{
/**
* @var ResolverInterface
*/
private $resolver;
/**
* Constructor
*
* @param ResolverInterface $resolver
*/
public function __construct(ResolverInterface $resolver)
{
$this->resolver = $resolver;
}
/**
* Get locale file name, using fallback mechanism
*
* @param string $area
* @param ThemeInterface $themeModel
* @param string $locale
* @param string $file
* @return string|bool
*/
public function getFile($area, ThemeInterface $themeModel, $locale, $file)
{
return $this->resolver->resolve($this->getFallbackType(), $file, $area, $themeModel, $locale, null);
}
/**
* @return string
*/
protected function getFallbackType()
{
return \Magento\Framework\View\Design\Fallback\RulePool::TYPE_LOCALE_FILE;
}
}
|
Tens of thousands bid farewell to Morgan Tsvangirai
Bitter face-off in first parliament session
Tempers flew Tuesday when parliament held its first session since the disputed presidential election. Opposition candidate was elected as parliament speaker in a close-fought vote. (Report: C. Norris-Trent)
Kenya's opposition candidate on Tuesday was elected as parliament speaker in a close-fought vote held during the first parliament session since last month's disputed presidential poll.
The candidate supported by President Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) and its allies, Francis ole Kaparo, garnered 101 votes.
The announcement was greeted by loud cheers from opposition lawmakers, who had walked into parliament sporting orange handkerchiefs tucked in their suit pockets, in protest at what they say was Kibaki's fraudulent re-election.
"We won," "Long live ODM," chanted opposition supporters in the streets of Eldoret, an opposition stronghold in western Kenya which was badly hit by the violence that followed election results two weeks ago.
"We are under duty to uphold democracy," Marende said in an inaugural speech that made no direct reference to the dispute over Kibaki's re-election.
The new speaker, a 52-year-old lawyer based in the port city of Mombasa, also expressed hope "that this house will endeavour to grant Kenyans a new constitutional order at the earliest".
During his first five-year term, Kibaki was criticised for failing to push through a constitutional reform aimed at limiting the president's powers and creating a prime minister position.
With no candidate clinching the required two-thirds majority in the first two rounds of voting, the election was decided in a third and final round by simple majority, after more than five hours of proceedings.
Marende was elected to parliament in last month's polls and, in compliance with the constitution, will have to lose his seat to become the speaker. New elections will have to be held in his constituency.
The inaugural session of Kenya's 10th parliament was expected to last deep into the night, with the election of a deputy speaker and swearing in of the lawmakers still on the agenda.
The session started with prayers but quickly turned into a shouting match between the government camp and the opposition, with Odinga's supporters demanding the vote be public.
The vote was interrupted and had to be started over. The rest of the election eventually carried on smoothly.
According to the Kenyan constitution, the presence of Odinga's MPs-elect in an assembly session convened by Kikabi could be tantamount to a recognition of the president, something the opposition has so far refused to do.
The ODM had won 99 seats in the December 27 general polls. The PNU only managed 43 but has received the support of several medium-sized parties.
Three seats have not been attributed due to irregularities in the ballot, while 12 are to be handed out proportionally to the election results.
The ODM's victory in the parliament vote was expected to dampen opposition anger during three days of nationwide protests scheduled to kick off on Wednesday. |
cub — [kʌb] n ↑fur, ↑paw, ↑claw 1.) the baby of a wild animal such as a lion or a bear ▪ a five month old lion cub ▪ a tiger and her cubs 2.) the Cubs the ↑Cub Scout organization … Dictionary of contemporary English
cub — noun (C) 1 a young lion, bear, etc: a lion cub | A fox and her cubs were crossing the field. 2 the Cubs BrE the cub scout organization 3 a member of the cub scout organization … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
Lion Geyser — is a geyser in Yellowstone National Park.Lion is a fairly large geyser. It can reach 90 feet high and an eruption last over seven minutes. Lion erupts in a series of 1 to 7 or more eruptions. The initial eruption of the series is the tallest and… … Wikipedia
cub — [ kʌb ] noun count a young bear, lion, FOX, WOLF, or other wild animal: lion/fox cubs … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Lion Scout — can refer to several ranks in Scout organizations around the world:*Lion Scout, the highest rank in the Kenya Scouts Association. *Lion Scout, the highest rank in the Iranian Scouting Organization until 1979. *Lion Scout, formerly the highest… … Wikipedia
Cub-1 — was a code name for a medium sized division of an Advance Base Aviation Training Unit. The Navy established the ABATU at the onset of WWII to support expeditionary airfield operations in the Pacific Area of Operations. Guadalcanal was the first… … Wikipedia |
Too-Tall Texas Trounces Cardinal
JAIME ARON The Associated Press
Published: March 29, 2008
Updated: May 31, 2013 at 08:29 PM
HOUSTON - Stanford's big guys were no match for the small, medium and jumbo sizes of the Texas Longhorns.
Little D.J. Augustin set the tempo, 299-pound Dexter Pittman pounded and pestered Brook Lopez and the rest of the Longhorns chipped in as Texas defeated Stanford 82-62 Friday night in an NCAA South Region semifinal.
The victory sends the Longhorns into Sunday's region final against Memphis.
Mixing their inside and outside games, the Longhorns (31-6) took control early. Still, they were up only 52-51 after Lopez did everything but dribble the ball up the court to rally the Cardinal (28-8).
Texas answered with a 20-3 run, punctuated by several plays that sent the heavily pro-Longhorns fans to their feet. Most were by Augustin, but Pittman also contributed by using his girth to throw Lopez off stride.
Lopez was so frustrated that on one play he was trying to signal officials to call three seconds on the humongous guy while also trying to play defense.
Lopez had 24 of Stanford's first 48 points, but finished with 26 and 10 rebounds.
As the final seconds ticked off, he pounded a fist on the floor and untucked his shirt, scowling as he walked to midcourt for the postgame handshake.
The Cardinal already were on their deepest run since 2001. Whether they can get back next year might depend on whether Lopez and his 7-foot twin brother, Robin, stick around for their junior years.
They'll need more scorers, too, as reserve Landry Fields had the second-most points with 11. No one else had more than six.
Augustin, playing before lots of family in his adopted hometown, had 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds. He scored eight points during the game-breaking run and everyone knew this one was done when he fed Damion James for a dunk so electrifying he began celebrating on his way down.
James scored 18 points. A.J. Abrams, Texas' shooting ace the first two games, had only 12 on 5-for-14 shooting. He was only 2-for-8 on 3-pointers.
The Longhorns also got 10 from Connor Atchley, one of six big men who logged time trying to cover Brook Lopez. The most effective, though, was Pittman, a sophomore who arrived in Austin weighing 366 pounds and in need of a rebuilt body if he was ever going to play.
Pittman wound up being the first sub Coach Rick Barnes asked to slow Lopez. Barnes deployed all four of his reserves 6-7 or bigger early on. He knew he had a lot of fouls to use - and the guys seemed intent on using them. The Cardinal took nine free throws before the Longhorns even had one.
There's no doubt Pittman was the most effective. While he produced only four points and six rebounds, the best stat might be this: Lopez's last field goal came with 13:55 left. Pittman didn't cover him that entire time, but he certainly wore down Lopez and frustrated the heck out of him.
Stanford had nowhere else to go for offense. The Cardinal had back-to-back turnovers on two second-half possessions Lopez sat out, so Coach Trent Johnson called a timeout to get him back in.
The Cardinal made only five of their first 21 shots, and three of those were by Brook Lopez. The game was 17:29 old before they finally hit anything longer than an 8-footer.
At the half, their starting backcourt was 1-for-9; the only basket was a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Another 3 to open the second half provided some hope, but the Longhorns were just too deep.
About tbo (Tampa Bay Online) provides local news and information for Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and communities throughout Tampa Bay. Originally published by The Tampa Tribune, tbo is now among the portfolio of brands powered by the Tampa Bay Times. |
It took little more than a week in office for President Donald Trump to thrust the nation to the brink of a constitutional crisis.
Late Friday, Trump issued an executive order forbidding millions of refugees, hundreds of thousands of visitors and 500,000 legal immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States. Over the following 48 hours, massive protests erupted in cities and airports nationwide, courts temporarily blocked major parts of the order, the administration defied the courts and Democrats called for an investigation into the administration’s defiance. As the weekend drew to a close, an anonymous White House official proclaimed the whole episode a “massive success story.”
The federal courts thought otherwise. On Saturday night, a judge in Brooklyn ordered the Trump administration to stop deporting refugees and visitors immigration authorities had previously cleared to enter the country. Two judges in Massachusetts ordered that travelers who were legally authorized to be in the United States shouldn’t be detained at or deported from Logan International Airport for a period of seven days. A judge in Seattle halted the deportation of two travelers. And a judge in Virginia issued an order requiring the administration to allow lawyers access to lawful permanent residents — also known as green card holders — whom Customs and Border Protection agents had detained at Dulles International Airport on Trump’s instructions.
When federal judges rule, government officials — up to and including the president — are supposed to obey or risk being held in contempt of court. A government that ignored the courts would be able to violate the law and the Constitution at will. So for more than two centuries, the nation’s courts have had the last word on what’s legal and constitutional — and what is not.
“We are and will remain in compliance with judicial orders,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Sunday evening.
DHS added that it was working with airlines to prevent people it didn’t want to enter the U.S. from even boarding planes. Since the broadest federal court order only applied to people inside the U.S. or in transit, and since federal court orders generally don’t apply outside the U.S., this move will allow the administration to enforce the executive order as it chooses with less risk of flouting judicial directives. It’s not yet clear whether the Massachusetts judges’ order, which applied to people traveling through Logan International Airport in Boston, requires airlines to allow people affected by the executive order to board.
And over the weekend, at least, there was little indication that the Trump administration had fully complied with the court orders — or that Trump’s inner circle even believed the administration had to do so.
“Saturday’s ruling does not undercut the president’s executive order,” a senior White House official told NBC News midday Sunday in reference to the Brooklyn judge’s decision. “All stopped visas will remain stopped. All halted admissions will remain halted. All restricted travel will remain prohibited.”
Customs and Border Protection officials refused throughout the weekend to obey the Virginia judge’s order to allow lawyers access to detainees at Dulles. “It’s not going to happen,” they told attorneys who hoped to represent the detained people. When Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) showed up at the airport shortly before midnight Saturday, CBP officials refused to meet with him, according to reporting by The Daily Beast’s Betsy Woodruff.
“I am now of the belief that though this was issued by the judicial branch, that it was violated tonight,” Booker said, brandishing the order. “And so one of the things I will be doing is fighting to make sure that the executive branch abides by the law as it was issued in this state and around the nation. This will be an ongoing battle ... I believe it’s a constitutional crisis, where the executive branch is not abiding by the law.”
The next morning, four Democratic members of the House of Representatives went to the airport and tried and failed to convince CBP to obey the order. |
Effective removal of tetracycline from aqueous solution using activated carbon prepared from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) industrial processing waste.
Activated carbon (TAC) prepared under optimized conditions with ZnCl2 activation from a new precursor; tomato industrial processing waste (TW), was applied as an adsorbent to remove tetracycline (TC) from aqueous solution. The factors (TAC dosage, initial TC concentration, contact time, ionic strength and solution temperature) affecting the adsorption process were examined at natural pH (5.7) of TAC-TC system in aqueous solution. Kinetic data was found to be best complied by the pseudo-second order model. The isotherm analysis indicated that the equilibrium data could be represented by the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity was identified as 500.0mgg(-1) at 308K. |
Browse bmw group articles
The world’s largest premium automaker seeks to consolidate it position this year, forecasting that global demand for cars will grow this year, including in the segment it activates, which would allow for a year of record sales.
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BMW Group head of technology communications Cypselus von Frakenberg confirmed during the 2013 IAA Frankfurt Motor show that no M engineers worked on the i8 hybrid supercar project.
Actually, von Frakenberg ...
The German brand is promoting its new electric cars through an artificial intelligence automated information service targeted directly to British customers.
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The BMW Group and automotive supplier Continental are stepping up their collaboration in the field of driver assistance systems.
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The Global Gender Gap in Education
Established in 1888, The Kiski School is one of the oldest, private, all-boys, college preparatory boarding schools in Pennsylvania and the United States. Home to 200 boys, Kiski offers an academically rigorous curriculum that includes AP and Honors courses, 12 varsity sports, and a community that allows boys to thrive through project-based learning and self-discovery. Kiski's beautiful, 350-acre campus is located in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, PA. |
#ifndef _PROCONNECTCLIENT_H
#define _PROCONNECTCLIENT_H
//提供客户端反复链接的解决方案
//用户链接类，只管数据的收发，自动重连策略由上层指定
//add by freeeyes 2010-12-24
#include "ace/Recursive_Thread_Mutex.h"
#include "ace/INET_Addr.h"
#include "ace/Asynch_IO.h"
#include "ace/Mutex.h"
#include "ace/Thread_Mutex.h"
#include "AceProactorManager.h"
#include "BaseConnectClient.h"
#include "LogManager.h"
#include "BaseHander.h"
#include "TcpRedirection.h"
#include "IDeviceHandler.h"
#define MAX_BUFF_1024 1024
#define MAX_IP_LEN 16
class CProConnectClient : public ACE_Service_Handler, public IDeviceHandler
{
public:
CProConnectClient(void);
virtual ~CProConnectClient(void);
virtual void open(ACE_HANDLE h, ACE_Message_Block&); //用户建立一个链接
virtual void handle_read_stream(const ACE_Asynch_Read_Stream::Result& result); //接受用户数据
virtual void handle_write_stream(const ACE_Asynch_Write_Stream::Result& result); //发送用户数据
virtual void addresses(const ACE_INET_Addr& remote_address, const ACE_INET_Addr& local_address); //获得链接地址
virtual bool Device_Send_Data(const char* pData, ssize_t nLen); //透传数据接口
void Close(); //链接关闭
void ClientClose(EM_s2s& ems2s); //客户端自我关闭
void SetServerID(int nServerID); //设置当前的ServerID
void SetPacketParseInfoID(uint32 u4PacketParseInfoID); //设置PacketParseID
void SetClientMessage(IClientMessage* pClientMessage); //设置消息接收处理类
int GetServerID(); //获得当前ServerID
bool SendData(ACE_Message_Block* pmblk); //发送数据
bool GetTimeout(ACE_Time_Value const& tvNow); //获得当前数据处理是否超时
_ClientConnectInfo GetClientConnectInfo(); //得到当前链接信息
private:
bool RecvData(uint32 u4PacketLen, ACE_Message_Block* pmbSave); //接收数据
int SendMessageGroup(uint16 u2CommandID, ACE_Message_Block* pmblk); //将接收的数据包发给框架消息处理模块
private:
ACE_INET_Addr m_AddrRemote; //链接远程服务器的地址
ACE_Message_Block* m_mbRecv; //收取数据缓冲
ACE_Asynch_Read_Stream m_Reader; //读取流
ACE_Asynch_Write_Stream m_Writer; //写入流
IClientMessage* m_pClientMessage; //处理消息接收的类
int m_nIOCount; //当前引用个数
uint32 m_u4MaxPacketSize; //最大接收包长
int m_nServerID; //当前ServerID
ACE_Recursive_Thread_Mutex m_ThreadWritrLock; //线程锁
ACE_Time_Value m_atvBegin; //链接建立时间
uint32 m_u4SendSize; //发送字节数
uint32 m_u4SendCount; //发送数据包数
uint32 m_u4RecvSize; //接受字节数
uint32 m_u4RecvCount; //接受数据包数
uint32 m_u4CostTime; //消息处理总时间
EM_s2s m_ems2s; //是否需要回调
ACE_Time_Value m_atvRecv; //数据接收时间
EM_Server_Recv_State m_emRecvState; //0为未接收数据，1为接收数据完成，2为处理数据完成
EM_CONNECT_IO_DISPOSE m_emDispose; //处理模式，框架处理 or 业务处理
uint32 m_u4PacketParseInfoID; //框架处理模块ID
string m_strDeviceName; //转发接口名称
};
#endif |
Magical mission
Shamanism is experiencing a renaissance in Mongolia – and facing totally new questions: Is it acceptable for summoners of spirits to have a Facebook presence and promote themselves on TV shows?
One more step and Erdenebat Nansamlmaa would be in flames. The hem of his black robe is already dangerously close to the bonfire, and sparks are licking at his heavy boots as he spins, wilder and wilder, and beats on the goatskin drum at his chest. At the very last moment, an assistant pulls him back, and the man collapses into a trance on a cushion, emitting a sound somewhere between a throaty laugh and a creepy grunt. The man now cowering in the Mongolian steppes is not Erdenebat Nansamlmaa, 41, family man and hairdresser from Ulaanbaatar, the capital city an hour away from here, but Khokhchir Ulaach, ageless, shaman, ready to make contact with the spirit world.
The otherworld is omnipresent in Mongolia. It is alive in the mountains and rivers, in the yaks and wild horses, and as the souls of forefathers in heaven. These are the precepts of Tengrism, the ancient religion of the Turkic peoples of Siberia and Central Asia, for whom shamans have served as guardians and high priests for thousands of years. Today, one in six Mongolians again believe in spirits and that the “mediators between the worlds” – which is what “shaman” means – can make contact with them.
Until 300 years ago, no one in Mongolia would have questioned such beliefs, but then came wars and new rulers, bringing first Buddhism and ultimately Soviet Communism, and with it atheism. Threatened with prison or worse, the shamans hid in the country’s impenetrable forests and mountains. Officially, shamans no longer existed, and by the time the Mongolian Parliament wrote religious freedom into the Constitution in 1992, there were only 700 left. Since then, around 40 different religions have been practiced in the country sandwiched between Russia and China, and shamanism is experiencing its own renaissance thanks to today’s approximately 20 000 shamans.
Strong as a bear and ready to go: Shaman Erdenebat Nansamlmaa dressed for work on a hill near Ulaanbaatar
“Our time has come,” Nansamlmaa said the night before, as he slipped his haircutting scissors into their case and closed the Barber and Cosmetic Shop before driving out through the smog of the metropolis into the wide expanses of the tundra. He was on his way to meet with some 100 men and women, some of them shamans from the Gobi Desert and the Changai Mountains, to celebrate the summer solstice there with rituals, gives thanks to the spirits for their aid and speak with the forefathers. Nansamlmaa was also intending to win over a few waverers. “The more people see us, the more people will acknowledge their Mongolian heritage again,” he says, “and the more attention shamanism will receive.” It is growing unhindered. The number of shaman practices all over the country is rising, and there are shaman magazines, and books and guides written by shamans are consistently high on the bestseller lists. TV shows – something like “Mongolia’s Got Talent” – pick the shaman with the best direct line to the supernatural. Nansamlmaa has also been on “Challenge of Mongolian Shamans.” A year ago he was on live prime-time television contacting spirits, asking them to help him identify objects inside sealed boxes or tell him which woman owned the bright red lipstick he was shown. Dubious marketing or desecration of an ancient heritage? Nansamlmaa regards such appearances as good PR in the service of shamanism. For the audience, the show is excellent entertainment, but they also believe that shamans can help in serious cases; shamans are regarded as teachers, doctors and priests all at once.
Blessed encounter: Erdenebat Nansamlmaa makes contacts with his clients’ ancestors and channels their advice and comfort
“Our shamanic tradition is so old and so strong that people are more likely to consult us than a physician or a psychologist. They also open their hearts to me, feel they can let go and weep with me, and talk about their concerns and problems,” says Nansamlmaa. For a small donation, he offers herbal concoctions and conversations with spirits in surroundings that are less than peaceful – his white yurt, cowering beside stacks of car tires and a pack of howling sled dogs in an unfenced gravel yard. This doesn’t worry his clients in the least. “The people who come to me are looking for a better life and solutions to their problems – and I help them.” Some miss their deceased loved ones, others are hoping for some advice or comfort from them. Others are sick, requesting a blessing for an upcoming exam or advice on how to cope with money worries. Politicans and captains of industry count among the clients of the most famous shamans. And they have no reason to fear for their livelihoods: They live in villas, drive luxury cars, and are courted as celebrities. An income of two million tugriks – that’s nearly 720 euros and almost twice the average monthly income – is a real possibility even for novice shamans and turns a tradition that’s been handed down over centuries into a lucrative business model. After all, life is expensive in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, home to half of the three million Mongolians.
Our tradition is so old and so strong that people tend to consult us rather than a physician
Erdenebat Nansamlmaa, Shaman
Solstice ceremony in the wild: The fire stops evil spirits from coming close
Because there aren’t many well-paid jobs around, more and more men and women who work as teachers, taxi drivers or sales assistants, have become part-time shamans to earn a little extra – or a little more. That’s because some of them immediately start training novices: They instruct young people in the arts of fire and dance, show them how to attract the spirits’ attention with a jaw harp, or teach them which copper plates keep out unwanted energies by acting as a mirror. As Nansamlmaa explains, for a true shaman, the learning process only ends at death. He bemoans that more and more copycats are handing their pupils certificates after just a few months and raising them to the rank of ulaach, or young shaman in return for a suitably generous consideration.
Nansamlmaa just wrinkles his nose, but another man is following this development with great concern. His name is Jargalsaikhan – just the one name – but he holds a mighty office: President of the Mongolian Trade Union of Shamans. It demands that charlatans be prevented from practicing. Only “genuine” shamans should be permitted to make contact with the spirits and thus fulfill their millennia-old duty, namely that of helping people to live in harmony with themselves and their surroundings. Awareness for this still exists. That’s why foreign mine companies sometimes also ask the village shamans to obtain permission from the spirits of the local forefathers before extracting gold, copper or oil from the ground – and for their forgiveness for the deep wounds their excavators and drills cut into the rocks and earth. But is the shaman competent? Can the shaman sitting in his tent in the city really communicate with the grandfather? Who or what is it that speaks through him? Does he bring his clients inner balance and peace of mind or nothing but chaos and financial ruin?
The rising sun above a fire in the Mongolian steppe; an axis drawing that symbolizes the gods of the shamans
To find that out, Jargalsaikhan moved into an office on the second floor of one of the countless tower blocks in Ulaanbaatar. There’s just enough space in the tiny room for a chair, a desk, a huge flatscreen TV and a map on the wall, on which the locations of the over 100 shaman groups in the various provinces are marked. “We take care to ensure that the tradition is preserved and that there is continuity from generation to generation,” says Jargalsaikhan, a short, stout figure. He regularly visits the different groups’ meetings to check that no bribes are changing hands, that herbal mixtures contain the correct herbs in the correct quantities, that rituals are followed faithfully and that no other rules are being broken. But sometimes groups will also want to know the correct procedure for a ceremony. It is no longer a given that the old knowledge is there.
It seems that some modern trends are unavoidable: “Tradition doesn’t cover new phenomena, such as TV shows with shamans or Facebook posts,” says Jargalsaikhan, explaining the dilemma, “but no one could have foreseen their arrival.” Is it acceptable for spirits to express themselves on social media channels because shamans film their sessions and post them online? Is it acceptable for rituals to be seen on video? Is it acceptable to earn money with closely guarded ceremonies? Jargalsaikhan doesn’t have the answers yet, either. “First, we have to rediscover our identity,” he says. But one thing is certain, that shamanism will help in the search for it.
The eagle is considered to be the “first shaman,” and its claws are supposed ward off negative energies
The most successful shamans write books, live in villas and drive expensive cars
Nansamlmaa has profited from his TV appearances, but he also insists that “the purity of our teachings must be preserved.” For him, shamanism is both career and calling; he did not find it, shamanism found him. Some years ago, he was plagued by bad headaches, fever and nightmares. Nansamlmaa, a regular guy who left school at 18, completed two years of military service, then became a hairdresser and today has four children to feed, believed he was seriously sick. “It was a struggle,” he recalls, “and only when a shaman told me that I had uk flowing in me – a Mongolian word for source – could I acknowledge my destiny.” It told him to become a shaman and take up the battle with the spirits – because there are good ones, that he welcomes, and malevolent ones from which he wants to protect himself – with rings and amulets on his robe. “Heaven will ultimately decide whether a shaman is good or bad. But a shaman who abides by tradition and knows the correct ceremonies and rituals will remain.”
On the longest day of the year, shamans celebrate the eagle, the only creature capable of looking into the sun
That is why, the previous evening, when his trance began beneath the vast skies above the steppe, like the forefathers before him, he had a leather mask pulled down over his face with leather strips hanging down like a curtain. Two white ovals on the upper edge look like substitute eyes, symbols for looking inward. One by one, visitors sit down in front of the shamans to hear the messages the spirits have for them. If there are spirits, Nansamlmaa cannot see them, but he can feel their presence: “The body of a shaman is like a window,” he says, “when a spirit steps inside, I become very light.” It feels like he could fly, he adds. |
In a word: Yes. Many medical professionals will say things like, “You can’t get a cold by being cold.” Or, “There is no evidence that the weather can make you sick.” Wrong and Wrong. Anyone who says that weather has no influence on... |
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