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Korean Hand Therapy for Pain
Korean Hand Therapy is a complete acupuncture microsystem, with 14 acupuncture meridians and 404 points identified on the hands. This workshop will teach Correspondence Therapy, the most basic form of Korean Hand Therapy, which utilizes the map of the body on the hands.
With this easy to learn system, needles are not used. Pain anywhere on the body can be rapidly and dramatically reduced by applying pressure to precise points on the hand. Headaches, back/neck pain, and joint pain will be highlighted.
Health care professionals can immediately integrate this technique into their practice and it is easy to use for self-treatment of pain. No prior acupuncture training required.
Instructor:
Ilana Newman, MD
When:
October 20, 2018
9:00 AM - 12:45 PM
Where:
Miami Transplant Institute
1801 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 470
Miami, FL 33136
Directions & Parking
Tuition CEU Register by October 18th $65 After October 18th $75 Non-CEU Register by October 18th $45 After October 18th $55
Continuing Education Credit (CEU): This conference has been planned and implemented in accordance with the essential areas and policies of the Florida Board of Nursing for Continuing Education Provider #50-2105.
Credit Designation: 3.5 CEU’s have been approved by the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies.
3.5 Continuing Education Units have been approved for the Florida Boards of Acupuncture, Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, the Florida Council of Licensed Midwifery, and the Florida Council of Dietetics and Nutrition. CE Provider Number #50-2682.
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The US Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to take up three cases presenting a potentially important test of the free speech rights of minors to engage in offensive and controversial speech on the Internet.
One case involved an eighth grade student suspended from school after creating a fake MySpace page lampooning her school principal as a sex addict.
The high court also refused to take up two similar cases involving high school seniors disciplined for offensive MySpace postings.
The cases were being closely watched by First Amendment scholars because they were seen as presenting the high court with an opportunity to clarify conflicting lower court rulings on whether school officials may discipline a student for offensive comments made at home and posted on the Internet about fellow students or school officials.
Experts say it is one of the most troublesome issues facing school administrators today.
The honor roll eighth grader at Blue Mountain Middle School in Pennsylvania said she created the parody MySpace profile as a joke. In addition to accusing the principal of engaging in sex in his office and “hitting on students and their parents,” the profile said the principal’s wife looked like a man and that his son resembled a gorilla.
The offensive comments were written on a home computer during a weekend and were shared with the teen’s MySpace friends.
The student was suspended for 10 days and threatened with a civil lawsuit and criminal prosecution by the angry principal.
The girl and her mother apologized to the principal, James McGonigle, and to his family. But Mr. McGonigle wasn’t satisfied.
He asked the state police if criminal charges could be filed. The state police advised McGonigle that he could file a harassment charge, but that it would likely be dismissed. Nonetheless, at McGonigle’s request, the police summoned the student and her mother to the state police station to be questioned about the MySpace profile.
The student and her parents hired a lawyer and sued the Blue Mountain School District, claiming that school officials violated the student’s First Amendment free speech rights by punishing her for opinions she expressed on the Internet in her free time at home.
A federal judge ruled in favor of the school district, but the full Third US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia reversed, ruling 8 to 6 that the prank MySpace page caused no substantial disruption at school.
“Though disturbing, the record indicates that the profile was so outrageous that no one took its content seriously,” the majority judges said.
The court ruled that although the student speech involved a school official, the speech was protected by the First Amendment.
“Neither the Supreme Court nor this court has ever allowed schools to punish students for off-campus speech that is not school-sponsored or at a school-sponsored event and that caused no substantial disruption at school,” the Third Circuit said, ruling for the student.
“An opposite holding would significantly broaden school districts’ authority over student speech and would vest school officials with dangerously overbroad censorship discretion,” the court said.
The decision raises a difficult question of how school officials are to respond to offensive speech by students on the Internet and other social media when the comments are made off campus, after school.
In some cases the target is a fellow student, in others it is a teacher or school administrator.
Appeals courts have reached conflicting opinions in similar cases.
Some courts have upheld efforts by school administrators to censor and punish students for words the administrators found offensive and potentially disruptive at school even though the words were written off campus and after school hours.
Other courts have ruled that students enjoy a First Amendment free speech right to express their personal views about school and school officials while outside school.
“School administrators … are understandably confused,” wrote Francisco Negron of the National School Boards Association in a friend of the court brief urging the court to take up the case.
“Given the exploding role of technology in the lives of students, clear guidance from this court on how schools may regulate student speech that originates away from the traditional school campus but dramatically affects the learning environment is imperative,” Mr. Negron wrote.
The leading precedent in this area of law was announced by the Supreme Court in a 1969 case called Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. In that case, students sought to wear black armbands to school to protest US involvement in the Vietnam War. School officials refused, saying the armbands would cause a significant disruption at school.
The high court sided with the student protesters, ruling that student expressions of opinion in school were protected by the First Amendment unless school officials could demonstrate that the forbidden conduct would cause a significant disruption at the school.
The high court has also ruled that school officials may regulate lewd, vulgar, indecent, and offensive speech by students in school even when such speech might not cause a substantial disruption.
The issue in the Blue Mountain case was whether those same rulings may be applied to speech by students off campus, after school.
“When the 2012 school year opens next fall, teachers and administrators need to know whether the First Amendment requires them to sit on their hands in response to student behavior that, as painful real-world experience demonstrates, can ruin careers, disrupt and undermine the school’s learning environment, and, indeed, endanger the very health and well-being of their students,” wrote James Ryan in his brief on behalf of Blue Mountain School District.
In addition to the Blue Mountain case, the high court refused to take up two other student speech cases.
In 2005, Justin Layshock, a senior at Hickory High School in Pennsylvania, used his grandmother’s home computer to create a profile of Principal Eric Trosch. Mr. Layshock included an accurate photo of Mr. Trosch but listed fictitious answers to standard survey questions. The answers suggested the school principal engaged in illegal drug use, excessive consumption of alcohol, as well as lewd and criminal behavior.
During an in-school investigation, Layshock admitted that he created the fake profile. He was suspended for 10 days.
Layshock and his parents sued, claiming the punishment violated the student’s free speech rights. A federal judge ruled for Layshock, finding that the MySpace profile did not threaten to cause a substantial disruption at the school and that school officials could not punish a student for lewd, indecent, or offensive speech conducted off campus.
The Third Circuit upheld the decision on the same day it issued its Blue Mountain decision.
The high court on Tuesday also declined to take up the case of Kara Kowalski, who in 2005 was a senior at Musselman High School in West Virginia. Ms. Kowalski was suspended from school for 10 days and kicked off the high school cheerleading squad as punishment for creating an online MySpace discussion group where malicious comments were made about a particular female student at the high school.
Some students suggested the female student had herpes. One student posted a photo of the targeted student with red dots on her face and an arrow pointing to her pelvic area.
A notice said: “Warning: Enter at your own risk.”
Upon learning of the discussion page, the targeted student and her parents contacted the principal of Musselman High and the local police.
In response to her suspension from school, Kowalski and her parents filed suit, claiming the school district violated her free speech rights.
They argued that the discussion group was set up by Kowalski on a home computer after school hours.
A federal judge and a three-judge panel of the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond upheld the school district’s authority to punish Kowalski for her involvement in the MySpace page discussion. The appeals court said that even though the speech and other conduct occurred outside school, the discussion could potentially cause a substantial disruption at the school.
“There is surely a limit to the scope of a high school’s interest in the order, safety, and well-being of its students when the speech at issue originates outside the schoolhouse gate,” Judge Paul Niemeyer wrote for the three-judge panel.
“But we need not fully define that limit here,” he said, “as we are satisfied that the nexus of Kowalski’s speech to Musselman High School’s pedagogical interests was sufficiently strong to justify the action taken by school officials.”
Lawyers for Kowalski urged the high court to take up her case, reverse the Fourth Circuit, and announce a unified approach to off-campus student speech cases.
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“Under the Fourth Circuit’s holding, school officials have carte blanche to punish any off-campus speech based solely on the speculative belief that similar speech might be repeated on school grounds,” wrote Adam Charnes in his brief to the court on behalf of Kowalski.
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“Spiritual but not religious” (SBNR) describes a large, rapidly-growing fraction of Americans. Surveys suggest it’s a quarter of the population overall, and more than half of twenty-somethings. What it means is still unclear. I suggest that “system-free monism” defines this movement for many.
Monism?
Scholars use the word “monism” to describe any approach to spirituality that asserts the fundamental, organic unity of all things. Monism sees God more as a first principle, ultimate source, or unifying force, than as a person. It finds divinity in all things; most importantly, within ourselves. We are all parts of the one Spirit that encompasses the entire universe.
Monism takes this wholeness as the timeless, universal Truth behind all religions. Different religions are just different ways of reaching toward that one truth, so all religions are valid at their core.
Unfortunately, religions’ narrow dogmas and empty rituals hide the essential insight. Nearly all religions are dualist, meaning that they wrongly insist that divinity is always somewhere else. They say we are absolutely separated from God, from each other, and from nature. But, in reality, you can find the sacred here and now, in your own consciousness; you don’t need a priest and a church and a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.
My impression is that most SBNRs accept these monist ideas.
Why are so many people choosing to be spiritual but not religious? Put another way, why is monism suddenly going mainstream now?
I think there are three reasons:
Monism is particularly relevant to current concerns;
The only well-known alternatives are increasingly unattractive;
A new, “system-free” form of monism avoids critical flaws in earlier versions.
I’ll explain these in turn.
Why monism now?
The way we live now is isolating, atomizing, alienating. We are artificially separated from each other, from nature, and even from our own everyday experience.
These are consequences of the modern social, economic, and technological order. We recognize that this isolation is unhealthy, unnatural, unsustainable.
We intuit that we are not separate; that we are intrinsically connected with everyone and everything everywhere. We long for community and for communion; for a return to the sacred.
Religion claims the sacred as its domain. But we see that religion too often divides us even further: from other people whose religions differ, from nature, and even from God. Dualist religion often seems to stand between us and reality. It separates, rather than unites.
A third alternative
If we abandoned religion, then what? The main alternative has been the materialist consumer culture. But that denies any meaning beyond the superficial, ephemeral, and selfish.
Religion and consumerism have been pushing each other into increasingly extreme positions.
Religions world-wide have become increasingly fundamentalist; narrow, aggressive, and intolerant. They also insist on beliefs, rituals, and moral codes that seem increasingly absurd.
Many religious people would like to drop most specifics of their traditions. They cling to these details, no matter how out of step with reality, because traditional religion seems the only way to preserve meaning and value in the face of attack from consumerist meaninglessness.
Consumerism, meanwhile, heads ever further into nihilistic triviality. Denying the connections between us, it encourages selfish greed. Denying the connections between humans and nature, it produces environmental disasters. Denying spiritual meaning altogether, it reduces the world to a game in which he who dies with the most toys, wins.
Monism offers a hopeful third alternative. It liberates one from the wrong-headed specifics of religion. On the other hand, it can point out what’s important in life, versus the stuff that doesn’t matter. It preserves meaning and a role for the sacred. It affirms the connectedness of all things, our joyful responsibility to care for all beings, and the possibility of experiencing unity with the universe.
System-free: after the New Age
Monist principles are shared with the New Age movement, and SBNR is often confused with the New Age. However, most SBNRs reject the New Age. What is the difference? And why are 20-somethings SBNR where their parents’ generation might have been New Agers?
The problem with the New Age is that it is not a simple, basic orientation toward meaningness. Instead, it is a big collection of specific belief systems. They share the fundamental monist view, but each has its own complex details.
The problem with the New Age is that most of its specifics are pretty silly. Do you really believe that crystal healing comes from ancient astronauts who taught psychic skills to the peaceful pyramid-builders of Atlantis? Anyway, who cares?
People try to believe that kind of stuff because, until recently, it was the only way to access monism. The New Age was pretty much the only game in town, if you rejected both religion and materialism. New Agers were the only ones talking about wholeness and connectedness and consciousness.
Often SBNRs are said to reject “organized religion.” Although this is roughly true, I think it misses the key point.
I don’t think SBNRs are against organizations as such. What they reject is the whole category of systems. By “systems,” I mean ideologies that claim to have a complete set of answers about meaningness, or some dimensions of meaningness. Religious organizations are basically corporations that try to sell you spiritual systems.
The American Baby Boom generation grew up within systems of traditional religion—Christianity, mostly. Though many rejected the specifics of Christianity (and in fact all religions), systems make sense to Boomers. The New Age systems are comfortable as alternatives.
But later generations have grown up in a “post-ism-ist” world. The time for big complicated ideologies that try to tell you everything about what to believe and do has passed. No system like that can be credible anymore. Younger people don’t want or expect to find a complete set of answers in one place.
Monism is a fundamental stance toward meaningness, not a system. It is simple and basic. It doesn’t require you to believe or do anything specific. (It isn’t really an “ism,” despite the word.)
Because the sacred is within ourselves, and is visible in nature, you don’t need a system to find it. You only need to recognize what is obviously there.
Why the new spirituality matters
Many religious leaders dismiss SBNR as lightweight, faddish, cotton-candy spirituality. They expect young people will grow out of it. I think they are wrong on both counts.
Monism is a serious alternative to traditional, dualist religion. No longer weighted down with the dogmas and rituals of silly New Age systems, it appears to be growing rapidly.
Wishy-washy moderate religion seems to have no spiritual inspiration, and people are leaving it in droves. Most people understand that neither fundamentalism nor materialism can be the right answer. Monism is newly attractive as an alternative. Apparently, it appeals to a majority of people growing up now—and that makes sense.
If I were a religious leader, I would be panicking and scrambling for a response. Luckily, I am not a religious leader…
I am not a monist. A fourth alternative
…but I am concerned nonetheless.
I am spiritual, but not religious.
However, I am not a monist.
My experience is that monists suffer frequent spiritual disappointment and unnecessary suffering. I think this is inevitable: monism cannot deliver on some core promises.
Fortunately, monism is not the only way to be spiritual while avoiding religion and materialism. There is another, fourth alternative: not monism, not dualist religion, and not materialism.
This alternative includes what is right in monism, while avoiding its errors. Like the new monism, it is not a system. Unlike monism, it may deliver on its promises.
This site is devoted to explaining that fourth alternative.
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Details Written by Andrew Clarke Andrew Clarke Published: 26 April 2017 26 April 2017 Hits: 1607 1607
After we published the first part of my South Circular ramble, from West Dulwich to Woolwich, we received a message from a reader in China (we have a reader in China!). He said he’d forwarded the link to a friend who had lived in Dulwich for forty years and the friend’s response was “should have turned left out of the station”.
This time I did head west. The colour of the day was a nondescript grey, which suits the South Circular. The first part of the walk is too familiar, more like wandering round the neighbourhood. It wasn’t until I got to the other side of Clapham that it felt the walk was underway.
On Thurlow Park Road, the traffic was moderate rather than heavy but it occurred to me that I’d set the bar for heavy too low. Rosemead Prep School sits right by the road and nitrogen dioxide emissions there are over the EU legal limit. I start to pay attention to the cars, counting those with single occupants. There are lots and lots.
Since InDulwich arranged a climate change talk at Rosendale School (a little under the limit), pollution and waste of various types have been on my mind. It is of course a disgrace that emissions have reached these levels. If we can’t even tackle localised emissions from cars, what chance to do we have of dealing with global problems?
I shop locally, I don’t have a car, I’ve cut down on meat and I’ve never felt the need to upgrade a phone or telly. I care about the environment. I’m one of the good guys. And my carbon footprint is shockingly large. I pass Roupell Road and a boy in the back of a car furrows his brow at me, as well he might.
I cross the top of Brixton Hill. This is an area in which I lived for nearly two decades. Approaching Clapham, I pass a man pushing a Union Jack-canopied push chair. Another man, every inch an estate agent, stands outside a house. Clapham Common comes into site, where a pair of geese crops the grass and birds sing with verve. I cross one of the roads that slice the common into chunks and birdsong is replaced by the insistent, one note cheeping of an exercise machine.
Long ago, a cousin moved from Brixton Hill to one of the streets behind Battersea Rise. A few friends lived in the area too. I never understood the attraction. Battersea Rise is as full of on-trend eateries as ever (The Breakfast Club, a pho place, a Korean restaurant). I’m not in my walking groove yet and seem to have come out with my anti-Clapham prejudices tucked in my backpack. I’m a little happier when the South Circular slopes up towards Wandsworth, despite the stink of three lorries that stop between St Marks church and St Mary’s Cemetery. Emissions, emissions.
Emanuel School reminds me of being thrashed at rugby, sixty something nil. I’d ask “what chance have you got against a tie and a crest?” but I went to a grammar school, so that’s not really appropriate. The thought of grammar schools and May’s plans push sour my mood again. My brother and sister, each at least as bright as me failed their eleven plus exams and went to comprehensives. There were about five grammars close to where I lived and they ensured a two tier education system. I’m not looking for England today, but Paul Weller & co. would have made damn good guides.
Wandsworth feels more relaxed than Clapham. A friend worked in a wine shop there in, again decades ago, and a few of us used to go to a little Caribbean place and order a huge bowl of prawn soup and loads of bread for dunking . The centre of Wandsworth is Youngs pubs and big municipal buildings, a man shouts into his phone, over and over, “that’s why you’re going to die alone!” That doesn’t help me lift my mood. I need another mile or two under my belt.
The South Circular has shared space with the A3 since Clapham Common but the roads divide and Portsmouth drops off the street signs. Instead it’s East Putney I aim for. After the Beer Boutique and a hipster barber, I see two smartly suited men smoking outside a pub. One is middle aged, the other older. They wear sombre ties and look like Londoners whose families go back generations. I guess they are attending a funeral reception.
I’m making good time and finally relaxing, so take a detour and wander up the attractive Putney Park Lane. I follow it as far as the equally attractive The Pleasance, a park of trees, glades and dog walkers. Wandsworth Council says it was once the site of a hunting lodge, used by Archbishops of Canterbury and kings until it was sold by Charles I. Now it feels peaceful and a little out of time and worth some extra exploring one day. An overgrown house on the lane looks like it’s conducting an experiment to see how quickly nature will take over when people are no more.
The South Circular is Upper Richmond Road at this stage. There’s a sign for the London Wetland Centre on the right, a thatched cottage and Rosslyn Park rugby club on the left and I enter East Sheen. It offers a long, straight road of shops and restaurants, that feels very suburban. I pop into a bottle shop called Micro Beers and ask for the most local brewery. The heavily bearded shopkeeper tells me it’s Kew Brewery, just up the road, so I buy a bottle of their Pagoda pale ale.
The road takes a 90° turn to the north and humps up over a railway line with a little thrill of open space and then splits North Sheen Cemetery. I slip through a side gate. Pink blossoms carpet the path. A stone commemorates twenty year old Len, buried in Tunisia in 1943. A corner is Polish, with lots of stones from the 1970s and 80s. A funeral procession makes its way through the cemetery and a few minutes later I see another on the road outside.
Back on track, I’m soon at Kew Green. I had planned to open the bottle of Pagoda but it stays in my bag. Instead I buy a pint of Youngs London Gold and sit outside the Coach & Horses, as close to the green as I can get. A nearby house sports a blue plaque denoting that Pissarro lived there in 1892. The sun is almost out, the beer is soft and gently bitter and altogether relaxing. Another funeral cortège passes by. Counting the men outside the pub, that’s four funerals and one telephone rant about death.
I briefly consider a second pint but instead stroll across the green and onto Kew Bridge. The view east is marred by building works. On the north bank, I receive a minor shock. A street sign points the way for the South Circular with N Circular in parentheses. I thought the South Circular would end when it reached the Thames. Fortunately, it goes only a few hundred metres to the Chiswick Roundabout. I don’t bother to go that far and hop a train at Kew Bridge.
Our correspondent had recommended heading west from Dulwich but it was the eastern arm that was more satisfying. I spent that day in search of England and this one accompanied by thoughts of death and climate destruction. Perhaps there’s a link. I’ve still got that bottle of Pagoda in the fridge to cheer me up.
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a historic visit to the UAE on Sunday. (AFP/File)
Follow > Disable alert for Aziz Alqenaei Disable alert for Waseem Yousef Disable alert for Narendra Modi Disable alert for Abu Dhabi Disable alert for Dubai Follow >
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit in the UAE on Sunday came with several new projects in the emirates, including building Abu Dhabi's first Hindu temple.
The Hindu place of worship would be the third in the country, first in Abu Dhabi. And while there were plenty excited about the announcement in the Muslim country, the hashtag "building a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi" goes to show not everyone in the Gulf feels the same way.
There were several positive responses — not just from the large presence of Indian expats in the country.
@narendramodi Getting land for temple in Abu Dhabi is a historic achievement. ThankU for this precious gift to Hindus living in Abu Dhabi — Madhu Kishwar (@madhukishwar) August 17, 2015
المسلم هو الوحيد الذي يغضب من بناء معابد دينية على أرضه، بينما يقبل أن تكون معابده منتشره في كل بقاع العالم #بناء_معبد_هندوسي_في_ابوظبي — Aziz Alqenaei (@Azizalqenaei) August 19, 2015
Only Muslims refuse other religion’s temples on their lands while he builds his own temples in all corners of the world.
If only others were so understanding; Saudis were especially vocal about just what they thought of the temple.
"العلامة" وسيم يوسف يهاجم الامارات #بناء_معبد_هندوسي_في_أبوظبي ويقول ( مايجوز ) pic.twitter.com/TIEHiqrR6r — خالد المرباطي (@ayoobifm) August 19, 2015
The famous Emirati mentor Waseem Yousef said that all Muslim sheikhs agreed that building temples for infidels is forbidden.
ماذا تتوقع من دولة صنفت إتحاد علماء المسلمين، وعشرات المؤسسات والكتائب الإسلامية بالتنظيمات الإرهابية! واضحه. #بناء_معبد_هندوسي_في_ابوظبي — مُحمّد.. (@_m7md___) August 19, 2015
What would you expect from a country that categorized several Islamic groups and institutions as terrorist.
#بناء_معبد_هندوسي_في_ابوظبي لهذا الحد اصبح الكفر بالله تطور ..الى أين يا #الامارات — huda aLshahrany (@hmsh_02) August 19, 2015
To which level will the UAE reach ... This is clear infidelity.
Regardless, Modi was still greeted with a crowded stadium in Dubai, where a large presence of Indian expats opened him with welcome arms. Here are some photos of his greeting.
Modi has been a popular politician with India since he first joined the running for prime minister in 2013. After a long line of political dynasties, he joined the nationalist organization as a man with refreshingly humble beginnings — the son of a tea vendor.
By Hayat Norimine
Follow @AlBawaba_loop
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1 Done Make black sesame paste by combining black sesame powder and 3 tablespoons of honey in a small bowl. Tip: If you don't have black sesame powder, you can grind whole black sesame seeds very finely with a mortar and pestle.
2 Done Simmer milk over low heat for 5-8 minutes then turn off heat.
3 Done Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. Tip: To keep egg yolk only, crack shell in the middle and pour yolk from one half of shell to the other, while letting the egg white drip into a bowl (reserve egg white for other use if you'd like).
4 Done Add black sesame paste, roasted black sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon honey to the egg mixture. Whisk to combine. Tip: If your black sesame seeds are not already roasted, stir them in a small pan over medium heat until they start popping.
5 Done Add milk slowly to the sesame mixture, whisking to combine.
6 Done Transfer mixture to a medium pot or pan and simmer over medium low heat until temperature reaches 176 degrees (do not exceed this temperature or eggs will cook).
7 Done Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and place the bowl over an ice bath to cool down for about 20 minutes. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
8 Done While the black sesame mixture is cooling, in a separate medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Whisk until the cream becomes very thick and looks whipped, about 3-4 minutes.
9 Done After the black sesame mixture is done cooling (when it thickens), layer the heavy cream all over it. The cream should be softly combined, so do not stir or mix.
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According to Major League Soccer's official team statistics, the Vancouver Whitecaps have conceded 442 fouls so far this season[1]. This leads the league, and by a considerable margin. Therefore, the Vancouver Whitecaps are the dirtiest team in the league.
Well, no, if it were that damned easy I wouldn't have bothered writing an article. It's possible, of course. They certainly have players prone to fouls through carelessness or malice: Gershon Koffie, Martin Bonjour, and Jun Marques Davidson are all regularly-offending regulars. Some would add Darren Mattocks. All Major League Soccer teams have players like this, but the Whitecaps seem to have more than their share.
The first question is what we mean by "dirtiest team". If you think the dirtiest team is the one that takes the most fouls, then it actually is that simple and you can close the window. However, I think I more reasonable definition would be "the team with the largest difference between the number of fouls conceded and the number of fouls received". You wouldn't call a team dirty just because its games are strictly refereed and therefore both teams take a huge number of fouls. Likewise, if two teams are giving as good as they get in a really awful game it would be unfair to point to one team and say "they're the dirty one." And there are statistical reasons why a raw number of fouls over the course of a season in progress isn't a valuable measurement.
I went back through the Whitecaps' games through the course of the season, dividing them into home and away, and recording the number of fouls and cards in each game for both the Whitecaps and whoever their opponent was. The results are below.
Home Away Whitecaps Opposition Whitecaps Opposition Date Opponent Fouls Yellow Red Fouls Yellow Red Date Opponent Fouls Yellow Red Fouls Yellow Red 3/10 Montreal 13 1 0 26 2 0 3/17 Chivas 17 2 0 7 1 0 3/24 DC 11 1 0 16 2 0 3/31 Philadelphia 13 1 0 21 3 0 4/18 Kansas City 13 2 0 14 3 0 4/7 San Jose 12 3 0 10 1 0 4/21 Dallas 19 2 0 11 2 0 4/28 Columbus 13 2 0 17 2 0 5/5 San Jose 9 1 0 11 3 0 5/12 New England 16 4 0 18 2 0 5/19 Seattle 10 2 0 13 0 0 5/26 Portland 12 3 0 12 1 0 6/10 Houston 9 1 0 13 2 0 6/23 Los Angeles 16 2 0 14 2 0 6/16 Colorado 18 3 1 13 0 0 7/4 Colorado 14 2 0 14 0 0 6/20 New York 7 1 0 14 2 0 7/7 Chivas 22 4 0 19 2 0 7/18 Los Angeles 16 1 0 19 3 0 7/11 Toronto 8 1 0 10 2 0 7/22 San Jose 17 2 0 15 1 0 7/14 Chicago 13 2 0 15 4 1 8/11 Salt Lake 15 3 0 13 1 0 7/27 Salt Lake 14 3 0 13 0 0 8/15 Dallas 24 6 0 17 3 0 8/18 Seattle 15 1 0 16 1 0 9/23 Colorado 18 2 0 22 0 0 8/25 Portland 20 3 1 9 0 0 9/1 Los Angeles 19 2 0 10 1 0 9/15 Dallas 19 4 0 16 1 0 Total 199 28 1 217 24 0 Total 243 39 1 221 23 1 Per Game 14.21 2.00 0.07 15.50 1.71 0.00 Per Game 15.19 2.44 0.06 13.81 1.44 0.06
You'll notice at a glance that there's a sharp home/away divide in fouls: almost as a rule, the away team concedes more fouls than the home team. This fits the prevailing research. Evidence shows that soccer referees are more lenient towards the home team[2], and a 2006 study showed soccer referees feel their decisions are unconsciously impacted by a home crowd[3].
Given that the Whitecaps have played two more road games than home games this season, this obviously makes a difference in their foul totals. Per game the Whitecaps suffer 1.286 more fouls than they concede at home this season, while on the road they concede 1.375 more fouls per game than they suffer. What this means is that, extrapolated to a 34-game season of 17 home games and 17 road games, the Whitecaps are on pace to concede 499.83 fouls and suffer 498.31: very nearly identical.
Short version: the Whitecaps foul the opponents no more often than the opponents foul them.
But the Whitecaps are still involved in an astonishingly large number of fouls every game. They are first in fouls conceded and second in fouls suffered and will lead the league in total fouls per game (conceded and suffered) by a country mile when the dust clears.
I do not have any easy explanations for why the Whitecaps are involved in so many more fouls than the rest of Major League Soccer. Some possibilities I can think of are:
The Whitecaps play dirty or clumsy soccer, and their opponents retaliate with additional dirty or clumsy soccer. This naturally leads to a large number of fouls spread between both teams. An extremely hasty look at the statistics contradicts this. The next-worst fouling teams, Sporting Kansas City, Real Salt Lake, and San Jose Earthquakes, all give away a large number of fouls without receiving a large number in return. Kansas City and San Jose have played an equal number of games home and away, Salt Lake has played two more games at home than away (which should increase their fouls suffered and reduce their fouls conceded). In short, if the Whitecaps being dirty inspires other teams to play dirtily, they're the only frequently-fouled team doing it. This doesn't mean that can't be the explanation; maybe the Whitecaps are unusually good at getting under an opponent's skin. It is, however, a point against it. A statistic in favour of the Whitecaps being unusually dirty is a markedly higher proportion of yellow cards. In games this year, the Whitecaps are averaging a yellow card every 6.60 fouls conceded, whereas their opponents are averaging a yellow card every 9.32 fouls. The Whitecaps average more yellow cards per game in BC Place (2.00) than their opponents (1.71), when it's the road team which has the crowd against it and is often trying to slow the game down. The Whitecaps are victims of a disproportionate amount of dirty or clumsy soccer, and retaliate with dirty or clumsy soccer of their own. This is a stupid theory for all the reasons in point number one and more that you don't need me to spell out. The Whitecaps get disproportionately heavy-handed refereeing. This isn't as unlikely as it sounds. As a Canadian team, the Whitecaps get a larger share of Canadian Soccer Association referees, and it won't be controversial if I say they are less competent than their American counterparts. If CSA refs were a factor, we would expect to see Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact having the same problem. This doesn't quite happen. The Impact are sixth in fouls conceded and fifth in fouls suffered. Toronto is eighth in fouls conceded but eighteenth in fouls suffered. Toronto is the worst team in Major League Soccer and perhaps opponents don't need to foul them as much, but all other teams in the bottom five for fouls conceded are in the playoff hunt. Perhaps referees are biased against Toronto FC. Or perhaps this just isn't an adequate explanation. Environmental factors. Prior to doing the math, this was my favourite theory. The artificial turf at BC Place, in my opinion and that of others I talk to, seems to be unusually slippery. More players just lose their footing in a half at BC Place than in two games elsewhere. You can imagine how players slipping around, falling over, accidentally clashing, etc. can lead to an increase in the number of fouls called. Unfortunately, I just can't prove it. More fouls are called at BC Place than on the road, but it's a minuscule number: there are an average of 29 fouls per Whitecaps road game and 29.71 fouls per Whitecaps home game. A .71 fouls per game adds up to 12.14 more fouls all season at home than on the road, or, statistically speaking, "diddly-squat". Take 12 fouls away from the Whitecaps and they're still right at the top of the league. For lack of a better word, coincidence. There is no link between the high number of fouls the Whitecaps concede and the equally high number they suffer. They are a team which, for whatever reason, commits a lot of fouls, and for some completely different reason receives about as many.
I genuinely don't have a simple explanation. The data doesn't fully support any possibility I can think of except "coincidence", and that's always vaguely unsatisfying. You may want to take one possibility or another based on what you see in the games. But on the statistics I can't support any of them.
The data do not say that the Vancouver Whitecaps must be the dirtiest team in the league this year. But they certainly could be, and they must be dirtier than average.
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Families could see their council tax bills treble under Labour plans for a 'garden tax', the Tories claimed last night.
The small print of Jeremy Corbyn's manifesto contains proposals to replace council tax and business rates with a Land Value Tax (LVT) on homes and gardens.
Labour has pledged to use the levy –based on the land value rather than property prices – to raise extra money for their spending splurge.
The Conservatives last night put the average cost at nearly £4,000 and warned the 'devastating' and 'destructive' tax would send house prices plummeting and plunge mortgage holders into negative equity.
Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today in London with June O'Sullivan, Chief Executive of the London Early Years Foundation) is set treble council tax bills for some families, the Tories have claimed
The Foreign Secretary declared the charge, which he branded the 'garden tax', would force families to sell off their backyards and send food prices soaring if farmers are forced to pay.
A costings document that accompanies Labour's manifesto lets slip the party's plan to hold a 'review into reforming council tax and business rates and consider new options such as a land value tax, to ensure local government has sustainable funding for the long term'.
A blueprint for how the new tax would work has been drawn up by the Labour Land Campaign, which has received glowing praise from both Mr Corbyn and his Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who has said the levy will 'raise the funds we need'.
Jeremy Corbyn, pictured today., is hitting Britons with higher taxes to bankroll his public spending splurge
The small print of Jeremy Corbyn's (pictured on the Sky / Channel 4 election special) manifesto contains proposals to replace council tax and business rates with a Land Value Tax (LVT) on homes and gardens
Families with gardens could be hit by a bigger tax bill under Labour manifesto plans
Britons with home in the South East are expected to be hit hardest by the new land tax
Under proposals, the new tax would be imposed as an up to 3 per cent levy on the value of land.
A Tory analysis estimates this would result in a yearly tax bill of £3,837 for an average family home in England – a massive 224 per cent increase on the current average council tax bill of £1,185.
The calculations are based on the assumption that land value is about 55 per cent of a house price.
The tax would fall hardest on areas with higher land prices, including London, the South and flourishing market towns. Tory campaign chiefs warned that some families could be forced to sell off their gardens to lower their bills and that it would incentivise people to build over green space.
The National Farmers Union has warned that if agricultural land, which is currently exempt from council tax and business rates, is also hit it would simply lead to hikes in food prices.
JEREMY CORBYN PRAISED 'HARD-WORKING' HAMAS Jeremy Corbyn's links to Hamas were in the spotlight again last night after it emerged he had praised the Palestinian terror group as 'serious and hard-working'. In an LBC interview recorded in 2010, Mr Corbyn said: 'It is not a question of whether one agrees or disagrees with Hamas on its political strategies ... They are serious, hard-working and they are not corrupt.' He later criticised the Israelis for not entering peace talks with the terror group, and called for a trade deal between the EU and Israel to be suspended. The comments resurfaced just days after the Labour leader was forced to admit he met members of the IRA and it emerged he laid a wreath for a PLO terrorist behind the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: 'Jeremy believes all parties that have credible levels of popular and electoral support, including Hamas, need to be part of the peace process.'
Labour business spokesman Rebecca Long-Bailey earlier this month endorsed plans to have 'a land tax to ensure local government has sustainable funding in the long term'. Mr McDonnell has previously said the levy would be a 'radical alternative to austerity'.
During his leadership campaign in 2015, Mr Corbyn said he had been 'impressed by the work of the Labour Land Campaign … on making the case for LVT which can capture for local benefit some of the private gains generated by public investment'.
But Boris Johnson said yesterday: 'Jeremy Corbyn needs to hit ordinary working families with a bombshell of new taxes to pay for his reckless hard-Left giveaways, and this lays bare the price we would all pay.
The Conservatives last night put the average cost at nearly £4,000 and warned the 'devastating' and 'destructive' tax would send house prices plummeting
'Corbyn's garden tax will send tax bills soaring, house prices plummeting, plunge people into negative equity and force families to build over their back gardens.
'This nonsensical policy sums up how Jeremy Corbyn, along with his SNP, Lib Dem and Green comrades in the coalition of chaos would bring misery to every single family in Britain.
'It would wreck our economy, devastate farmers and increase the cost of food on the shelves.'
A Labour spokesman last night dismissed the criticism, saying: 'This is desperate nonsense from the Tories. Labour has no such plans.'
n David Dimbleby has claimed that Jeremy Corbyn has had an 'unfair deal' at the hands of 'Right-wing' press. Despite the Labour leader's poor poll performance, the broadcaster said: 'A lot of Labour supporters really like and believe in the messages that Jeremy Corbyn is bringing across.'
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Story highlights Someone with a bad back "doesn't ... push a big rock," suit's defendant says
The men defended their actions, saying the rock was dangerously unstable
All three have been booted from their Boy Scout leadership roles
One of the men who toppled an ancient boulder in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park last week filed a personal injury lawsuit just a few weeks earlier, claiming he suffers from "serious, permanent and debilitating injuries."
Video of Glenn Taylor shoving the huge rock off a slender pedestal where it rested for millions of years went viral online and prompted media scrutiny. As his friend sang "Wiggle it, just a little bit," Taylor pushed the delicate sculpture over, which was followed by laughter and high fives with his son.
The attention has led to revelations that Taylor filed a personal injury lawsuit in September, claiming he had suffered "serious, permanent and debilitating injuries" from a 4-year-old car crash.
"Someone with a bad back who's disabled, who can't enjoy life, to me, doesn't step up and push a rock that big off the base," the defendant in Taylor's lawsuit, Alan MacDonald, told Salt Lake City television station KTVX.
'You didn't see how hard I pushed'
Taylor's lawyer did not return calls for comment. But when CNN affiliate KUTV noted that Taylor didn't look particularly debilitated in the video, he replied, "You didn't see how hard I pushed."
JUST WATCHED Men topple rock, could face charges Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Men topple rock, could face charges 01:43
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CNN legal analyst Danny Cevallos said when someone has a pending disability lawsuit, "you'd think they'd avoid the camera like the plague.
"But instead, they think no one will ever see it or repercussions will ever come of it," Cevallos said.
'Glenn saved his life'
Goblin Valley, in southern Utah, is home to thousands of the mushroom-shaped rocks -- known to locals as goblins -- that developed as millions of years of winds and water eroded sandstone cliffs.
Taylor and two other men were leading a Boy Scout group on a visit to the park when the incident happened.
The men, all from Utah, defended their actions in interviews last week, saying the delicate structure posed a threat to visitors.
"We have now modified Goblin Valley, a new Goblin Valley exists," David Hall, who shot the video, is heard saying at the end of it. "That's crazy that it was held up just by that little bit of dirt. Some little kid was about ready to walk down here and die and Glenn saved his life by getting the boulder out of the way. So it's all about saving lives here at Goblin Valley. Saving lives. That's what we're all about."
Hall told Utah television station KUTV that the boulder seemed unstable. "That wasn't going to last very long at all," he told the CNN affiliate. "One gust of wind and a family's dead."
Asked if he would do it again, he said, "Absolutely, absolutely."
'Didn't look like a stiff wind to me'
Park officials suggested the men broke the law by defacing a state park.
Jeff Rasmussen, the deputy director of Utah State Parks and Recreation, said, "It didn't look like a stiff wind to me."
"Obviously, we're very concerned and upset that somebody would come and destroy this natural wonder that took millions of years to be formed," he told KUTV.
In his 22 years on the job, he said he had not heard of any goblins rolling off their pedestals.
Connection to Arias trial
All three have been booted from their Boy Scout leadership roles.
The National Boy Scouts of America and the organization's Utah National Parks Council issued almost simultaneous and similar statements Monday addressing the men's actions.
The local council statement said the former leaders violated the Scouts' principle of "Leave no trace," which it said "teaches the value of natural areas and the methods we can use to help protect and conserve these areas for future generations."
Meanwhile, the man who shot the video, Hall, is tied to another nationally publicized case: the Jodi Arias murder trial.
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NEW DELHI/ PATNA: The Kejriwal government has decided to take on loan police officers from Bihar for its anti-corruption bureau Bihar Police recently relieved 6 of its officers- one deputy Superintendent of Police and 5 inspectors and sub-inspectors – to join the ACB which is at the centre of a huge constitutional fight between the Centre and Kejriwal government. Three officers — one inspector and two sub-inspectors --have joined, though they have not been assigned specific responsibilities.This followed a conversation that Kejriwal had with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in New Delhi. Sources said that the six were the first lot and more could join.The DSP taken “on loan” from Bihar is Sanjay Bharti. He was posted in Arwal district of Bihar before being shortlisted for a stint with Delhi’s anti-corruption bureau.The development comes amid an escalating fight between the Centre and Kejriwal government over the jurisdiction of ACB. The home ministry last week issued a notification to stress that ACB’s jurisdiction was limited to employees of Delhi government.Delhi government sources defended the “unorthdox” decision that the transfers were carried as per the standing order of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) which allows the ACB to have a chunk of officers from outside forces but after due documentation and publicity of such deputation being carried out.Yet, the move to bring in cops from Bihar and outside may further strain the already-tense ties as the Centre has maintained that the Delhi government, devoid of powers under the Constitution to deal with issues of “police” and “public order”, cannot recruit police personnel independently. It is wary of the Delhi government’s plans for a huge expansion of ACB, fearing that an effort could be afoot to get around the constitutional provision denying the Delhi government any power whatsoever with regard to “police” and “public order”, by turning the ACB into a parallel force.The disclosure last week that Kejriwal regime is keen on procuring sophisticated snooping equipment for the anti-graft force appears to have strengthened Modi government’s suspicions.Sources also pointed out that the ministry of home affairs was not consulted before these transfers were carried out but Delhi government officials said that they need not inform the MHA or LG for such initiatives.The arrangement between Nitish and Kejriwal governments has raised eyebrows in Patna also, given the challenge of maintaining law and order in the state which has always been tough to police. “With elections looming, I thought we would need all hands on the deck,” said a source in local secretariat.Nitish and Kejriwal have called for preparations to forge a “secular” front to check BJP.Sources in Patna were also clueless about both the criteria and manner for the selection of cops who are supposed to help Kejriwal government with its fight against corruption.
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The Mekong snakes from China into Southeast Asia, where it forms part of Thailand's border with Myanmar and Laos
At least 13 Chinese sailors have been killed in an apparent attack by drug smugglers on the Mekong River between Thailand and Myanmar, prompting the Chinese foreign ministry to call for better protection for its citizens in the area.
Thai officials told China's Xinhua news agency on Monday that 13 sailors were confirmed dead after traffickers hijacked two cargo ship last week in the "Golden Triangle" of the Mekong, a region of Southeast Asia notorious for narcotic production.
Thai police have launched an investigation into the incidents and are hunting the attackers, China's consulate general in northern Thailand told Xinhua.
In a statement, China's foreign ministry said it had "asked the countries concerned to take effective measures to strengthen protection of Chinese vessels and crew on the Mekong River".
China's growing presence in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world has prompted attacks, kidnappings and hijackings, and the issue has become a sensitive one for Chinese officials, who do not want to appear weak in protecting nationals.
Crew on another boat that witnessed Wednesday's attack said eight or so armed men had stormed the two ships.
Thai river police recovered the two boats after a gunfight with the men onboard and found five sacks holding a total of about 900,000 pills of methamphetamine, an illegal drug better known as "speed", China Daily reported citing Thai media reports.
The Golden Triangle region - where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet - is notorious for the production and trafficking of heroin and other illicit drugs.
In April, three Chinese boats and 34 crew members were taken hostage by pirates along the Mekong in Myanmar but were safely rescued within days.
The Mekong snakes from China into Southeast Asia, where it forms part of Thailand's border with Myanmar and Laos, and in 2001 the four countries signed an agreement to regularise shipping on the river. The 4,900km river also flows through Cambodia and Vietnam.
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Reuters journalist Thet Oo Maung Maung, known as Wa Lone, exits a police van as he arrives for a court appearance Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, outside Yangon, Myanmar. The court has extended the detention of the two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and his colleague Kyaw Soe Oo, and set their trial date for Jan. 10 on charges of violating state secrets. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Myanmar extended the detention of two Reuters journalists on Wednesday and set their trial for Jan. 10 on charges of violating state secrets.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested Dec. 12 for acquiring “important secret papers” from two policemen. The police officers had worked in Rakhine state, where abuses widely blamed on the military have driven more than 630,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee into neighboring Bangladesh. The charges are are punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“We are just working as journalists. ... We never violate journalism ethics,” Wa Lone told reporters as he and his colleague were led out of a police van into the courtroom in Mingalardon, on the outskirts of Yangon.
Their families wept as they got a chance to see them for the first time since their arrests.
“I want my husband to be free soon. And I trust him that he would never violate the law,” said Wa Lone’s wife, Pan Ei Mon.
U.S., U.N. and European Union officials are among others calling for their release.
Dozens of Myanmar journalists appeared at the court wearing black shirts as part of a protest against the journalists’ arrests.
“We are facing the same kind of harassment under the civilian government as we did under the military government,” said Thar Lun Zaung Htet, head of a local pressure group for press freedom. “It is not fair for the two journalists to be charged under the official secrets act because they were doing their job as journalists who tried to get information.”
On Tuesday, authorities said they would drop charges against two Singaporean reporters and their local staff working for the Turkish state broadcaster TRT. They were arrested on Oct. 27 for allegedly flying a drone over the parliament building without permission.
Their lawyer said a decision will be made Thursday.
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This story corrects court date.
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The BlackBerry PlayBook has just become the first tablet to be approved under FIPS for use within the U.S. federal government. While the FIPS certification may not mean a whole lot to end users off hand, as it stands right now -- the approval of certification for the BlackBerry PlayBook OS is a pretty big thing to have happen. Many folks have speculated that one reason for the delays of native email and PIM on the PlayBook was due to the lack of FIPS certification. While that may or may not be true, we'll soon find out find out if the certification will help move these updates along. As Isaac highlighted:
FIPS - Federal Information Processing Standard - this is the cryptographic gold standard for the US government and is the required standard for many government agencies on their computers and handheld devices. The FIPS 140-2 certification is issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. A FIPS 140-2 certificate applies to an exact module name, hardware, software, firmware and/or applet version. Translation: if RIM needs to 'tweek' something on this device it will need to be re-certified by NIST to maintain the 140-2.
July 21, 2011 BlackBerry PlayBook Becomes First Tablet Certified for U.S. Government BlackBerry PlayBook Wins 'Best in Show' Award at FOSE 2011 WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 21, 2011) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) announced today that it has received FIPS 140-2 certification for the new BlackBerry(R) PlayBook(TM) tablet, making the BlackBerry PlayBook the first tablet certified for deployment within U.S. federal government agencies. No other tablet on the market has gained FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).
Now that Government has deemed the PlayBook OS secure, it meets RIM's standard policy on security as well and we all know how much Mike Lazaridis likes to ensure folks that BlackBerry devices are secure. Either way, the approval is a good thing that will hopefully trigger some reaction from RIM to push out some new features for the BlackBerry PlayBook.
"RIM is pleased to announce that the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet approved under FIPS for use within the U.S. federal government," said Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion. "This certification demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the needs of security-conscious organizations and enables the U.S. federal government to buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information."
BlackBerry PlayBook is a powerful, ultra-portable tablet that fits comfortably in one hand. It has a stunning 7-inch high resolution display, offers true multi-tasking capabilities and a high-fidelity web experience. It also allows for secure pairing with BlackBerry(R) smartphones via the BlackBerry(R) Bridge(TM) app, which enables users to access their BlackBerry smartphone's email, calendar, address book, memo pad, task list, BBM (BlackBerry(R) Messenger) and browsing functionality using the larger display on the tablet.
The FIPS-certified BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is being showcased this week in Washington DC at FOSE - the largest Federal government information technology conference in the U.S. - where BlackBerry PlayBook has just been awarded Best in Show, and also Best of FOSE in the Handheld Devices category. More information about the BlackBerry PlayBook is available at www.blackberry.com/playbook.
About Research In Motion Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry(R) solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ:RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend," "believe", and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause RIM's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of RIM's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained atwww.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM's forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.
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'X-Men' & 'Alice' Lead Soft Memorial Day Weekend; Disney Tops $4 Billion Worldwide
May 29, 2016
Monday AM Update: Estimates for the four-day holiday weekend are in and X-Men: Apocalypse appears to be right on track to hit pre-weekend expectations. The studio is reporting an estimated $80 million four-day holiday weekend, placing the film atop the weekend chart. For Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass things only continue to look worse as the film's three-day estimate dropped from $18.1 million yesterday to $26.9 million today with the studio now anticipating a $34.1 million four-day weekend, well off the $60 million tracking the film was targeting heading into the weekend.
You can browse the complete four and three-day estimates right here and we'll update our charts with weekend actuals on Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday's look at the three-day estimates follows below.
Three-day Memorial Day weekend results are in and while the numbers at the top are soft compared to franchise predecessors, the weekend was an overall improvement compared to 2015 when Memorial Day took place one week earlier. X-Men: Apocalypse led the weekend charge, matching the studio's expectations, followed by Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass, which fell well short of what the studio was hoping for. That said, Disney's coffers aren't exactly barren as the studio is expected to pass $4 billion at the global box office by the end of the day as three of its films currently rank as the highest grossing worldwide releases of 2016.
Beginning with the weekend #1, X-Men: Apocalypse brought in an estimated $65 million three-day and is looking at anything from $77-80 million for the four-day holiday. The result is pretty much what the studio was anticipating heading into the weekend, but still has to be looked at as something of a disappointment. The four-day total is approximately $30 million less than 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past with a three-day that ranks sixth when compared to the rest of the films in the X-Men franchise.
Looking ahead, outside of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Apocalypse received the worst RottenTomatoes score compared to any film in the X-Men franchise. However, opening day audiences seemed to like it well enough, scoring it with an "A-" CinemaScore, which is just below Days of Future Past's "A" and ahead of the "B+" for X-Men: First Class. In fact, First Class is a solid comparison domestically as it opened with $55.1 million back in 2011 and went on to gross $145.4 million domestically and just over $200 million internationally.
Speaking of international results Apocalypse is already encroaching on First Class' overseas total as the film brought in another $55.3 million this weekend from 79 markets, bringing its international cume to $185.8 million. The film added four territories this weekend, most notably South Korea where it finished #1 in the market with an estimated $12 million. The film retained its #1 position from last weekend in Brazil where it dropped only 17% as well as in the UK and Australia. Apocalypse arrives in China, where First Class was not even released and Days of Future Past brought in $116 million, on June 3 and won't be released in Japan until August 11.
Securing a second place finish is Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass, which brought in an estimated $28.1 million for the three day and is expected to post a $35+ million four-day total. Reviews for the film were brutal and the four-day performance is approximately $25 million less than tracking suggested and $17 million less than Mojo's weekend predictions.
In attempting to figure just how much of a miss Looking Glass is for the studio, it would have been unreasonable to expect a repeat performance of 2010's Alice in Wonderland as it landed in the sweet spot of 3D and visual effects. This becomes even more evident once you consider 59% of the opening weekend audience saw Looking Glass in 2D despite more than 82% of the film's 3,763 opening weekend theaters premiered the film in 3D.
That said, the best comparison for Alice isn't exactly a flattering one as last year's $190 million disappointment Tomorrowland comes to the forefront. Tomorrowland brought in $42.6 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend before going on to finish with $93.4 million domestically. Alice should finish with $90-100 million domestically if not a bit more, but given the $170 million budget, and the success Disney has seen with its live-action fairy tale features as of late, this isn't the result the studio was hoping for.
Internationally, Alice brought in an estimated $65 million as it opened day and date across 72% of the international market. The top performing market was China where the film brought in an estimated $27.1 million followed by Mexico ($5.0m), Russia ($4.6m), Brazil ($4.1m), UK ($3.2m), Germany ($2.5m), Australia ($2.4m), Italy ($2.2m), Spain ($1.6m) and Argentina ($1.6M). It still has yet to open in France (June 1), Japan (July 1) and Korea (Sept. 8).
In its second weekend, Sony's The Angry Birds Movie dropped 51% for an estimated $18.7 million three-day with the studio expecting a Monday bump and a four-day total to rise to $24.5 million. Angry Birds also brought in $31.8 million internationally this weekend as its international cume now sits at $157.2 million with a global gross-to-date of $223.5 million.
Disney's Captain America: Civil War took fourth position with an estimated $15.1 million three-day and an anticipated $19.4 million four-day weekend. Universal's Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising rounded out the top five though it dropped a steep 58.2% for an estimated $9.1 million three-day and an anticipated $11.19 million four-day.
One bright spot in this weekend's top ten is Amazon and Roadside's Love & Friendship, which expanded into 493 theaters (+446) and brought in an estimated $2.49 million. The film will continue to expand next weekend as it continues to take advantage of strong word of mouth and a 99% rating on RottenTomatoes.
Rounding out the top ten is Disney's fourth film in release and fourth film in the top ten, that being Zootopia, which crossed $335 million domestically this weekend and has now made over $990 million globally to become the 26th highest grossing worldwide release of all-time.
As a brief aside, some may have also noticed Zootopia passed The Lion King at the worldwide box office recently while also noticing The Lion King's international total on BoxOfficeMojo declined $19 million on Thursday afternoon. This came as a result of a correction issued by Disney to BoxOfficeMojo, alerting us the original release of The Lion King made $450.6 million internationally, an additional $3.8 million with the 2002 IMAX reissue, and another $91.3 million from 2011's 3D reissue for an international total of $545.7 million. As a result, The Lion King now ranks 29th on Mojo's all-time worldwide chart with $968.5 million.
Elsewhere in the international marketplace, Universal released Warcraft in twenty territories this past weekend where it finished #1 in 19 of them with an estimated $31.6 million. Russia delivered the largest result where the film brought in an estimated $10 million followed by Germany ($5.9m) and Sweden ($1.2m) along with number one openings in Austria, Denmark, Egypt, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Latvia, Lebanon, Middle East, Norway, Pakistan, Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand and United Arab Emirates. Next weekend, it opens in Belgium, Brazil, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia and Montenegro, Spain and the U.K. and Ireland. The film doesn't hit US theaters until June 10.
As far as next weekend's domestic releases are concerned, the widest new release will be Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows arriving in 3,800+ theaters followed by Warner's romantic drama Me Before You in 2,500+ theaters and Universal's Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping in 2,200 theaters.
You can browse the weekend's three-day estimates right here and we will have updated estimates along with four-day holiday estimates tomorrow morning followed by weekend actuals on Tuesday afternoon.
Discuss this story with fellow Box Office Mojo fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @boxofficemojo and author Brad Brevet at @bradbrevet.
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In late May, when it’s time to pollinate the state’s blueberry barrens, millions of tiny migrant workers will arrive on trucks from warmer southern climes and get right to work zooming from blossom to blossom in Down East Maine.
While on the job, those migrant honeybees, which blueberry growers depend on to increase annual yields of the sweet blue fruit, are likely to brush wings with Maine’s own pollinator workforce of native bees. And while lots of people have read the dire headlines about the country’s dramatically declining honeybee population, they may not know that Maine’s native bees are largely bucking that trend, according to a University of Maine bee expert who is happy to share some positive buzz.
“I think it’s a very optimistic story,” Frank Drummond, professor of insect ecology, said. “In general, it seems that most of our native bees are pretty stable and not really in decline. The sampling I’ve done in blueberry fields shows that species are pretty much holding their own and doing OK. On average, the native bee population seems to be doing pretty good.”
That’s not the case with the native bees in many other states, he said. A new national study of wild bees has identified 139 agricultural counties in California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, west Texas and the Mississippi River valley where the wild bees are declining as crop pollination demand is rising. According to researchers at the University of Vermont, if the wild bee decline continues, it could hurt U.S. crop production and add to farmers’ costs.
Two Maine counties show up on the national wild bee map: Hancock and Washington counties, where the lion’s share of the state’s blueberries are grown and where most of the imported honeybees are put to work. But instead of the angry red shade indicating a severe mismatch in wild bee abundance and pollinator demand that dominates places such as California’s Central Valley and the upper Midwest, Hancock and Washington counties are shown in less alarming shades of purple and blue. That sounds about right, Drummond said. Blueberry growers in those Maine counties do import an awful lot of honeybees to pollinate the crop, because they want to get the most berries possible and honeybees have helped them do that. They don’t import bees because Maine’s bees aren’t healthy. In fact, because of a number of factors, native Maine bees are healthier than those in lots of other states.
“In California and the Midwest, where there is really intensive agriculture, there are [not many] natural areas anymore to provide wildflowers to support bees,” he said. “Also, really intensive agriculture on average has more pesticides, and bees are stressed in part because of pesticides.”
But in Maine, the native bee outlook certainly has not remained stationary over the last years or decades. There are 275 species of native bees here, which help to pollinate the state’s plants, and not all are thriving.
“Insect populations fluctuate with environmental conditions,” David Yarborough, a wild blueberry specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, said. “With the warming trends, you tend to see southern species moving in and northern species moving out. It’s a moving target, and there are a lot of considerations. It’s the plight of all animals: climate change, habitat destruction. Things aren’t the way they used to be and they aren’t going to go back.”
In Maine, the environmental fluctuation is perhaps unusual compared to other places. Over the past century, more conifer forests have grown up to replace abandoned fields and farmland, and the state is 93 percent forested. But the return to a more forested environment isn’t necessarily great for bees, according to Drummond.
“Open areas are great for bees. … Conifer forests don’t support the bee community really well,” he said. “The landscape is changing, and many people think that’s a good thing. The pristine landscapes of Maine were forested. But maybe bees are a casualty of that.”
Also, some native bees in Maine are struggling, perhaps because of climate change and perhaps because of diseases and pathogens. One of those species — the rusty patched bumblebee — recently was listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Once widespread in the U.S. and Canada, the species recently has experienced a steep decline.
“It’s really right now unknown as to why it disappeared,” Drummond said.
But another species that seemed to be disappearing in Maine five years ago, the yellow-banded bumble bee, is making a comeback.
“Now it’s exploding in population and doing really well,” Drummond said. “We don’t really know why. All we’re able to do right now is track bees.”
He does have some idea why Maine’s native bees are doing better than they are in some other states. Compared to big agriculture regions in the country, Maine still has lots of natural areas that support its native bees. Also, many residents and farmers are trying to encourage bees by planting pollinator habitat plantings, and the growth of organic farms around the state is a help, too, Drummond said.
“We even had a project with Casella Waste,” he said. “They’re putting in pollinator plantings on top of the landfills.”
Everything helps. That’s because bees were locavores before the word even existed, Drummond said, so taking small, local steps to improve their habitat can really make a difference.
“Bees mostly operate pretty locally, with the distance they fly just a couple hundred meters,” he said. “So individual people can have an impact. Everybody doing their little bit helps.”
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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:55 AM
***UPDATE NEWLY ADDED 8/9***
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This is the complete list. YMMV on some of the titles that I have listed as for a specific console, those said titles that are multi-platform might be on sale for the same price unless listed in different price points.Titles newly added will have asymbol next to themSims 3 Showtime Collector's EditionCivilization V GOTYSims 3 Pets Special EditionThe Darkness IISpirit Camera: The Cursed MemoirSorceryDriver San FransicsoDeepak Chopra ProjectMichael Phelps: Push the LimitWolfensteinJames Bond 007 BloodstoneWho Wants to be a MillionaireNHL 11Tekken HybridinFamousEye Pet and FriendsMedieval Moves: Deadmund's QuestCarnival IslandMLB 11 The ShowUFC Personal TrainerJust Dance Kids 2Beatles: Rock Band SoftwareJust Dance 3Animal Crossing City Folk (Nintendo Select)Wii PartyThe Price is Right DecadesNHL SlapshotKirby's Epic YarnSmurfs Dance PartyMonopoly CollectionNBA JamAdventures of Tin Tin: The GameuDraw Spongebob SquigglepantsuDraw Disney Princess: Enchanting StoryuDraw Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole ReturnsuDraw Kung Fu Panda 2Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2Sims MedievalSims Medieval: Pirates and NoblesRageCrysis 2uDraw Pictonary 2Band Hero SoftwareHasbro's Family Game Night 4Skate 3EA Sports MMADungeon Siege IIIChild of EdenSingularityBrutal LegendNeverdeadDirt 3 (Vanilla)BodycountDead Space 2Dead Rising 2: Off the RecordDef Jam Rapstar BundleDef Jam Rapstar SoftwareLegend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'HooleSupremacy MMATruth or LiesBlack Eyed Peas Experience(added Wii version)Nicktoons MLB(added Xbox 360 version)uDraw Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic CombatShaun White SkateboardingRayman OriginsDJ Hero 2 SoftwareMichael Jackson Experience(added Xbox 360 version)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2Happy Feet TwoGenerator Rex: Agent of ProvidenceMadden NFL FootballSpinter CellSims 3RaymanBust-A-Move UniverseTetris AxisDriver RenegadeRabbids Travel in TimeAsphaltCubic NinjaSuper Street Fighter IV 3D EditionPuss in BootsDragon Quest IXBiggest LoserProfessor Layton and the Unwound FutureRhythm HeavenSanta Claus is Comin' to TownZoobles: Spring to LifeMegamind: The Blue DefenderSpongebob Surf & Skate RoadtripDragon Quest Monsters Joker 2MLB 11 The ShowInvizimals 2 Shadow ZoneThe 3rd BirthdayMetal Gear Solid PeacewalkerNaruto Ultimate Ninja ImpactNaruto Kizuna DriveFinal Fantasy IVGran TurismoLord of the Rings: Aragorn's QuestRiftSims 3 Barnacle BayHidden Mysteries: Titanic 2Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock SoftwareKane and Lynch 2: Dog DaysJonasMichael Jackson The ExperienceLego Rock BandPower Gig Rise of the Six StringJames Bond 007 BloodstoneuDraw Dood's Big AdventureRhythm Heaven FeverDJ Hero 2 SoftwareBand Hero SoftwareMayhem 3DDJ Hero SoftwareGuitar Hero Warriors of Rock SoftwareBulletstorm$9.99 Holiday Dump Bin (assorted titles)>>>>>$0.99Guitar Hero Aerosmith>>>>>$2.99America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get CookingRocketfish Universal Wireless Gaming Headset>>>>>$49.99 (SKU# 3088923)Rocketfish Universal Wired Gaming Headset>>>>>$29.99 (SKU# 3088969)Xbox 360 Call of Duty MW3 Bluetooth Headset>>>>>$29.99 (SKU# 3591033)Xbox 360 Batarang Wired Controller>>>>>$19.99 (SKU# 3098138)PS3 Batarang Wirelss Controller>>>>>$19.99 (SKU# 3098165)PS3 T.A.C. Mouse>>>>>$19.99 (SKU# 3645168)Official PS3 HDMI and USB Cable>>>>>$19.99 (SKU# 8657982)Power Grip for 3DS>>>>>$14.99 (SKU# 3512126)Rocketfish PS3 Premium Bluetooth (SKU# 1151063)Action Replay for Wii (SKU# 5403826)Madcatz PS3 Call of Duty Black Ops Controller (SKU# 1283428)Madcatz Xbox 360 Call of Duty Black Ops Controller (SKU# 1283446)Rocketfish Headset Stand (SKU# 3526165)Rocketfish Kinect Starter Kit (SKU# 3526183)Rocketfish Gamecube Wireless Controller (SKU# 9543121)Rocketfish PS3 4-Port Charging Station (SKU# 8989366)Official Playstation Vita AC Adapter (SKU# 4731498)BD&A Media Stand for PS Vita (SKU# 4759751)(Correction, not official PS Vita Cradle)3DS Road Trip Kit (SKU# 1974615)Nyko PowerPak+ for 3DS (SKU# 2299387)Mario Character Kit Assortment (SKU# 3512092)Wii NERF Wheel (SKU# 3088923)Wii NERF Sports Pack (SKU# 8479121)Memorex Universal DS Game Selector (SKU# 3519796)Rocketfish Universal Kinect Mount (SKU# 1974833)Rocketfish PSP 6 ft Power and Data Cable (SKU# 8362586)Rocketfish Wii Dual Glow Sabers (SKU# 9025592)DS Star Wars Lightsaber Stylus 3 Pack (SKU# 8899463)DS Game Card Cases 3 Pack (SKU# 3526068)DS Lego Game Card Case 3 Pack (SKU# 2203221)DSi Screen Shield Kit (SKU# 9742773)DSi XL Screen Shield (SKU# 9839988)DSi XL Clean and Protect Kit (SKU# 1151594)3DS Screen Shield Kit (SKU# 1974379)3DS Clean and Protect Kit (SKU# 2126056)3DS Executive Case (SKU# 2126074)PSP Rocketfish Screen Protectors (SKU# 9183028)PSP Headphones w/Remote Control (SKU# 7045832)PSP UMD Case (SKU# 9447431)PSP Game Traveler Case (SKU# 3526129)PSP Go Screen Protective Film (SKU# 9564321)PSP Go Black Traveler Case (SKU# 9530448)
Edited by Pookymeister, 14 August 2012 - 02:07 AM.
Updated FULL COMPLETE List
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1st Baron Shaughnessy Thomas Shaughnessy,1st Baron Shaughnessy
Baron Shaughnessy, of the City of Montreal in the Dominion of Canada and of Ashford in the County of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[1] It was created in 1916 for the Milwaukee born businessman Thomas Shaughnessy, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron, a Director of the CPR and of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. His son, the third Baron, was a businessman and was also active in the House of Lords. However, he lost his hereditary seat in parliament after the House of Lords Act 1999.
The line of the eldest son of the first Baron failed on the death of the third Baron's son, the fourth Baron, in 2007. The late Baron was succeeded by his second cousin, the fifth Baron and present Lord Shaughnessy, who is better known as the actor Charles Shaughnessy, star of the American TV comedy The Nanny and the soap opera Days of Our Lives. The fifth Baron's late father was Alfred Shaughnessy, a scriptwriter and producer, and son of the Hon. Alfred Shaughnessy, younger son of the first Baron. The heir presumptive to the title is David Shaughnessy, younger brother of the fifth Baron, an actor and producer. No other heir exists, unless the fifth Baron or his younger brother fathers a son.
Barons Shaughnessy (1916) [ edit ]
Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1st Baron Shaughnessy (1853–1923)
William James Shaughnessy, 2nd Baron Shaughnessy (1883–1938)
William Graham Shaughnessy, 3rd Baron Shaughnessy (1922–2003)
Michael James Shaughnessy, 4th Baron Shaughnessy (1946–2007)
Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy (b. 1955)
The heir presumptive is the present holder's younger brother David James Bradford Shaughnessy (b. 1957).
There are no further heirs.
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
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Hillary is leading in the polls but bombing at rallies with teeny little crowds. She could be the most unpopular person to ever win the presidency should that happen.
Exhausted Hillary slipped as she got off the podium today but Uncle Joe was nearby. Hillary did say in a speech that he’s always there to catch people when they fall but she must have meant it literally.
There were less than 200 people at the rally and some were Trump protesters.
She’s taking weekends off because she’s just too exhausted. she doesn’t look well.
Crooked Hillary looking sick & then look at the women & Man sitting behind her falling asleep, boring paid actors, pic.twitter.com/mWFHO8dLUz — CorgiGirl4TRUMP (@Debramax) August 15, 2016
And she drew a teeny little crowd in Scranton.
Hillary’s Scranton rally was short on people but her campaign aides were doing their best to pump them up as much as possible.
Joe Biden was there to hold on to Grandma when he greeted her at the airport — really hold on.
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An oceanfront home where E.B. White lived when he penned "Charlotte's Web." on July, 13, 2017. The home where White lived until his death in 1985 dates to the late 1700s and includes a barn that was the setting for the beloved children's book featuring a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. (Mark Fleming/Yankee Magazine via AP)
An oceanfront home where E.B. White lived when he penned "Charlotte's Web." on July, 13, 2017. The home where White lived until his death in 1985 dates to the late 1700s and includes a barn that was the setting for the beloved children's book featuring a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. (Mark Fleming/Yankee Magazine via AP)
BROOKLIN, Maine — A 44-acre saltwater farm in Maine where E.B. White penned “Charlotte’s Web” is up for sale for $3.7 million.
The Brooklin home where White lived until his death in 1985 includes a barn that was the setting for the beloved children’s book featuring a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte.
The home dates to the late 1700s. White and his wife, Katharine, bought it in 1933.
Down East Properties listing agent Martha Dischinger says current owners Robert and Mary Gallant, of Anderson, South Carolina, are ready to sell after more than three decades of ownership.
She said Wednesday the property retains many historical touches and the owners maintained the gardens tended by Katharine White before her death.
E.B. White also wrote “Stuart Little,” another children’s book.
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The first official version of Red Alert 3: Revolution has been released, along with a bonus map pack containing an additional 31 maps!
Posted by TX1138 on Jun 14th, 2012
Yes, I am indeed proud to announce the very first release of Red Alert 3: Revolution!
With literally thousands of changes, including many audio/visual improvements, new maps, existing gameplay modifications and new units, Red Alert 3: Revolution is the most comprehensive, yet faithful reworking of the core Red Alert 3 gaming experience out there!
No need to take my word for it, however, as now you can download and play the mod yourselves! There are two way to install RED ALERT 3: REVOLUTION, either via the AUTOMATIC installer version (highly recommended) or the MANUAL install version. You can download these by following the links below:
AUTOMATIC INSTALLER (RECOMMENDED)
MANUAL INSTALL
Also released is an additional MAP PACK, containing 31 new maps, thanks to Speeder and Acid-Crash. Also included are the remaining maps from Red Alert 3: Uprising, as well as the bonus maps from Red Alert 3. Again, there are two ways to install this Map Pack, either via the AUTOMATIC installer version (highly recommended) or the MANUAL install version. You can download these by following the links below:
MAP PACK AUTOMATIC INSTALLER (RECOMMENDED)
MAP PACK MANUAL INSTALL
That's all for today, and I hope you enjoy the first release of Red Alert 3: Revolution!
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International
United Nations human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville condemned ongoing anti-gay crackdowns in Azerbaijan, Egypt, and Indonesia, which we’ve been reporting on. ABC News reported on the Egyptian wave of arrests after social media outrage at a rainbow flag being waved at a concert, noting that repression of all kinds “has intensified under Egypt’s military leaders in recent years.” In Indonesia, where some Muslim leaders are promoting polygamy, the Washington Post’s Vincent Bevins reported from Indonesia, where “radical Islamists” have been “playing a larger role” in politics, and where police recently detained nearly five dozen men in a mass arrest:
In Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, homosexuality is legal and the state largely stays out of issues of private morality. But as conservative religious groups become more prominent in political life here, police are increasingly finding other ways to crack down on LGBT communities. … There have been several public comments that may have led police to believe a crackdown was in order, but the most famous was probably delivered by Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, who said last year that the LGBT agenda was like a “proxy war” threatening national sovereignty. “This is a kind of modern warfare,” he said, according to Tempo magazine. “It’s dangerous as we can’t see who our foes are, but out of the blue everyone is brainwashed — now the [LGBT] community is demanding more freedom, it really is a threat.” President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said last year that the job of police was to defend LGBT communities and other groups from discrimination, but he has largely stayed on the sidelines of the debate as the crackdown has intensified.
Associated Press reports from Africa that activists who “stepped out of the shadows” with support from the Obama administration now “fear that the Trump administration will undermine those gains, and that their exposure could make them more vulnerable if support fades.”
A gay couple living in the United Kingdom, where their civil union was converted to a marriage, is caught in a nightmarish bureaucratic Catch-22 in which the government of France—where one of the men is from—will not recognize their marriage and thus their adoption of their son. Pink News reports that there are at least a dozen same-sex couples in a similar situation who “have been told that they need to get divorced if they want legal rights.”
The Washington Blade reports that activists in Latin America are watching the Trump administration’s moves on LGBT issues and immigration warily, but some said they continue to get support from U.S. embassies, which “in June received guidance from the State Department that allowed them to recognize Pride month.”
Celebrity Cruises will be able to perform same-sex weddings on their cruise ships thanks to marriage equality legislation in “predominantly Catholic Malta,” where “most of the line’s fleet is registered,” reports the Miami Herald.
Romania: Marriage-Refusing Clerk Kim Davis Joins Liberty Counsel’s Anti-Marriage Crusade
We reported last week on U.S.-based conservative Christian groups supporting Romania’s “illiberal” move to put a ban on same-sex couples marrying into the country’s Constitution. More details have emerged, including the fact that anti-LGBT legal group Liberty Counsel took county clerk Kim Davis, who refused to allow couples to marry after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, on a nine-day trip to Romania to support calls for an anti-gay referendum. Liberty Counsel lawyers also met with Orthodox Church bishops.
Last year, Liberty Counsel submitted an amicus brief to the Constitutional Court urging that the referendum be allowed to move forward to prevent “cultural decline” that “has already wreaked havoc on other European Union members, the United States and Canada.” The brief cites the widely discredited “New Family Structures Study” by Mark Regnerus. It is critical of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Lawrence decision, which overturned state laws that criminalized consensual gay sex.
Australia: Anglican Diocese of Sydney Gives Anti-Marriage-Equality Campaign $1 million
The Anglican Diocese of Sydney contributed $1 million to the campaign that is urging a vote against marriage equality in an ongoing mail ballot, reports Buzzfeed:
Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies announced the hefty donation in his address to the 51st Synod of the Diocese of Sydney on Monday afternoon. He told the gathering that the diocese had been a founding member of the Coalition for Marriage, along with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Marriage Alliance and the Australian Christian Lobby. “The Standing Committee has also enthusiastically backed our participation in the Coalition For Marriage and has taken the bold step of drawing down one million dollars from the Diocesan Endowment to promote the ‘no’ case,” he said. Davies told the gathering that “the stakes are high and the cost is high”. “Yet the cause is just and it is a consequence of our discipleship to uphold the gift of marriage as God has designed it — a creation ordinance for all people. By so doing, the wisdom of God is made manifest.” … “I believe that a change in the definition of marriage is unwarranted, not just because it is in opposition to the teaching of scripture and our Lord himself in Matthew 19,” he said “But because I believe marriage, traditionally understood as a union of one man and one woman, is a positive good for our society, where marriage and the procreation of children are bound together as the foundational fabric of our society, notwithstanding the sad reality that not all married couples are able to conceive.”
Meanwhile, the Perth diocese offered LGBT people a “heartfelt apology” for “any harm we have done.”
PayPal announced that it would match donations to the Yes campaign up to AU$50,000.
Costa Rica: Conservative Candidate Hopes LGBT Visibility Will Elect More Christians
La Republica reports on the emergence of Vamos, a provincial political party that “responds to the unfulfilled promises of traditional parties that have not wanted to promote a change in the rights of LGBTI people.”
Fabricio Alvarado, the candidate of the National Restoration party, hopes that the growing visibility of the LGBTI movement will encourage anti-abortion and anti-LGBT voters to elect more Christian candidates who share their values. He accused gay-rights supporters of intolerance:
Just stroll around on social networks and really see what’s going on. They call us intolerant, but in practice they are the fundamentalists, the intolerant. A fundamentalist seeks to pulverize his opponent, those who are against him or think differently and I do not pretend that, they do. They demand to close churches, that there are no more Christian deputies and that for me is a contradiction; They ask for tolerance, but they are not tolerant of those who think differently. … I am a retaining wall in the country. I am the voice of the people who are against abortion and the recognition of the right of the same sex.
In contrast, National Assembly of the PAC candidate Carlos Alvarado supports a platform that includes marriage equality and secular sex education in schools.
India: Legal Proposals to Recognize Marriage Equality, Protect Inter-Religious Marriage
A group of lawyers and public figures have submitted a proposed progressive revision of the Uniform Civil Code to the Law Commission of India:
It defines marriage as “the legal union as prescribed under this Act of a man with a woman, a man with another man, a woman with another woman a transgender with another transgender or a transgender with a man or a woman”. Partnership has been defined as living together of a man with a woman, a man with another man, a woman with another woman a transgender with another transgender or a transgender with a man or a woman. It also provides that any two person who have been in partnership for more than two years shall have same rights and obligations towards each other as a married couple. The draft also bars more than one such partnership at a time. According to the draft UCC, 20 years is the legal age for marriage and it prohibits marriage to a sibling, real uncle or aunt, or direct lineal ascendant descendant. It also recommends compulsory registration of all marriages, something which the panel itself had recommended to the government earlier in the year. “In case of non-heterosexual marriages, the fact that the religious or customary practices do not permit such marriage or prohibit such marriage, will not be a bar and the registrar of marriages will have all such powers to ensure solemnisation of such marriage,” says the draft. … “All married couple and couples in partnership entitled to adopt a child. Sexual orientation of the married couple or the partners not to be a bar to their right to adoption. “Non-heterosexual couples will be equally entitled to adopt a child,” it says.
The Hindustan Times reports that a group of students alarmed by reports of “honor killings” has proposed a law protecting inter-caste and inter-religious marriages, and include marriage equality for same sex couples in their draft. From one of the students:
“Our draft applies to not only inter-caste and inter-religion couples but also to different cults like Shia and Sunnis, within religions. Further, we have also included same sex marriages and crimes against them under our draft, although it is still illegal in the country. It is because we believe it is the basic liberty of an individual to choose their partner.”
Kosovo: President Attends Peaceful First-Ever Pride Parade
“A few hundred people held the first ever pride parade” in the capital of Pristina, reports Associated Press in a story titled, “Pride comes out into the open in tiny, Muslim-majority Kosovo.” The event was peaceful in spite of some threats that were received in advance.
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci also took part at the start to express the support of the country’s institutions to the community and to insist that everyone was equal. “We shall not let anyone in Kosovo exert fear and threats on any individual or any grouping,” he said.
AFP tweeted video of the parade.
Algeria: Growing Trend Toward ‘Rainbow Weddings’ as Alterative to Coming Out
FRANCE 24 reports on gay Algerians who marry people of the opposite sex in response to social and familial pressure as an alternative to coming out.
Taiwan: Admin Court Gives Legislature Time to Comply with Constitutional Court Marriage Ruling
Tapei’s administrative court rejected a lawsuit brought by a lesbian couple that has been seeking to register a marriage. The Constitutional Court ruled earlier this year in favor of marriage equality but gave the legislature two years to implement the ruling.
Mexico: Some State and Local Officials Resist Federal Marriage Equality Rulings
Ongoing resistance to marriage equality is taking the form of a kind of civil disobedience by some civil officials in Puebla refusing to grant marriages to same-sex couples in defiance of orders from the country’s Supreme Court. The same is reportedly true in the state of Guerrero.
Germany: Gay Couples Adopts Foster Son
DW reports that a gay couple that was married a day after the country’s marriage equality law went into effect on October 1, has become the first same-sex couple to adopt a child, a two-year old who they have served as foster parents for since he was born.
Uruguay: First Transgender Senator Sworn In
Michelle Suarez was sworn in as the first transgender senator.
Hong Kong: Gay Man Challenges Anti-Gay Laws
A gay man is legally challenging seven sections of law that criminalize sex between men:
Yeung Chu-wing, a volunteer from local sexual minorities rights group Rainbow Action, argued that such laws were discriminatory since they targeted only gay men without providing equivalent criminal sanctions against heterosexuals or lesbians for the same or comparable conduct.
Chile: Presidential Candidate Rejects Abortion, LGBT Equality
AND Radio reported, “Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast not only rejects abortion, but also opposed homosexual marriage and homoparental adoption.”
Nigeria: Canadian Catholic Finds Home For Anti-LGBT Op ed
Paul Kokiski, a Canadian Catholic writer who has published anti-LGBT op eds in various countries, had a commentary published in the Standard Times Press praising legislation to “ban gay marriage and outlaw any groups actively supporting gay rights” approvingly quoted a U.S. cardinal saying the LGBT movement has begun to “morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan.” Author Paul Kokoski writes, “Under no circumstances should [homosexual acts]be approved.”
To chose someone of the same sex for one’s sexual activity is to annul the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of the Creator’s sexual design. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union, able to transmit life; and so it thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living. This does not mean that homosexual persons are not often generous and giving of themselves; but when they engage in homosexual activity they confirm within themselves a disordered sexual inclination which is essentially self-indulgent.
The commentary repeats quite a few of the rhetorical claims of anti-LGBT activists around the globe, including an attack on “gender ideology.”
This new “gender ideology” which is increasingly being imposed on society by Western governments, undermines the fundamental understanding of what it means to be a human. In seeking to make every individual completely autonomous, it destroys the understanding of the family as a community designed for the rearing of children. In this radical new understanding of sexuality, children lose their own rights and become mere objects of adult possession.
The above paragraph is identical to one appearing in a Kokoski commentary that appeared in the Bahamas in 2013.
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With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy and his "you might be a Redneck" routine: "If you arrive at work in the morning and find a 25-foot high inflatable rat balloon on the sidewalk – you might have a union issue." That was the situation in which Miami University officials and one of their construction contractors found themselves recently. Laborers Union Local 534 has a dispute with a contractor doing renovation in a building on the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio. A common method used by unions to show displeasure with non-union contractors is public display of the 25-foot rat balloon with appropriate signage and handbills to equate the contractor with the "rat." When Laborers Local 534 attempted to inflate the balloon on the sidewalk outside the campus building, they were stopped by Miami University police.
Local 534 filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, asking for a temporary restraining order ("TRO") against the University allowing the Union to inflate their balloon. The Union argued that the University and its police were violating their First Amendment right of free speech. This was not the first Constitutional law rodeo for this particular rat. In an earlier case, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which covers courts in Ohio, ruled that display of the inflatable rat is constitutionally-protected expression. But, in this case, Judge Barrett refused to grant the TRO for the Union. To get a TRO, the Union had to show a substantial likelihood that they would succeed with their First Amendment argument when the case goes to a full trial. The Judge said the Union did not show a substantial likelihood of success because the specific sidewalk on which they were attempting to inflate the balloon is only a "limited public forum" and therefore the Union’s right to speech is more limited.
Determining whether to limit speech in a public area requires a court to consider whether the location is a "traditional public forum" or a "limited public forum." In this case, even though the Union demonstrated that the sidewalk in question is designated a "public right of way" on county maps, the Judge was more persuaded by the fact that the sidewalk is entirely on the University campus, is maintained by the University, and is patrolled by University police, rather than City police. The Union had no evidence that the sidewalk has been used historically for public speech or that Union support was being singled out for restriction. Also, the University presented evidence that the balloon might present safety hazards. The Union can continue to pursue the case to a full trial where both sides will have a more expanded opportunity to present evidence and arguments, but in the meantime, the rat has been deflated.
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On Day Five of the Wisconsin presidential election recount, as reported by Fox 6 News, a milestone has been reached. Over a million votes have now been recounted, and the recount effort is finished in six of the 72 Wisconsin counties. Donald Trump now has 20 fewer votes than he had at the close of the polls on November 8; Hillary Clinton also has exactly 20 fewer votes than she had at the close of the polls, so Trump’s margin of victory is literally unchanged. Gary Johnson (who came in third in the actual election) has gained 13 votes over what he had on November 8; and Jill Stein, who came in fourth and who petitioned for this recount, has gained a grand total of 27 votes.
That's all there is to show for it.
Over the last six years, Wisconsin has been the venue for considerable political drama. There was first the breathtaking Republican victory of 2010: Prior to the November election, Democrats were in control of the statehouse and both houses of the state legislature, and in fact held every state-wide office save one (attorney general); five of Wisconsin’s eight representatives in Congress were Democrats. After the election, the statehouse and both houses of the legislature were in Republican control; all state-wide officeholders save three (secretary of state, one U.S. senator, and the supervisor of the Department of Public Instruction) were Republicans, and five of the eight congressmen were now Republicans.
This was followed by the tumultuous riots in the state capital, Madison, in the wake of the historic Act Ten legislation which limited the power of public-sector unions in various ways and permitted balancing of the state budget (a constitutional requirement); then a closely fought election to the state Supreme Court in 2011 (which led to a state-wide recount of the results, until it was finally certified that conservative Justice David Prosser had won); then the Walker recall election that fall.
In the wake of the Supreme Court recount, the state legislature in 2015 enacted certain changes to the recount law, such that, (1) in a local election in which 4,000 or fewer votes were cast, only an election in which the margin of victory was 10 votes or fewer would qualify for a recount at public expense; and (2) in an election involving more than 4,000 votes, the margin of victory which would permit a recount was lowered from .50% to .25% of the total votes.
Next Page: Scott Walker responds to the recount.
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Even as Scene But Not Heard is confined to rigid set of what’s usually 16 panels per page in this 6” X 9” book, Sam Henderson’s hilarious strip swirls and sputters uncontrollably, percolating with riotous energy and wordless pandemonium. The 128-page collection mines back issues of Nickelodeon Magazine, to which the New York-based cartoonist began contributing in 1993 under comics editor Anne Bernstein. Henderson’s work ran in the magazine until 2009, when the nationally distributed Viacom-owned kids publication abruptly folded. While he freelanced for Bernstein and subsequently for co-editors Chris Duffy and Dave Roman, the Scene But Not Heard creator also snagged a full-time day job as a writer and storyboard director on the immensely popular television series SpongeBob SquarePants beginning in 2001 (Duffy would go on to helm the print comic property), and earned an Emmy nomination for his efforts. Sandwiched between contributions from Craig Thompson, Art Spiegelman, Ellen Forney, and more, Henderson’s Scene But Not Heard was the longest-running strip in Nickelodeon Magazine’s 159 issues.
A single-toothed red bear and a bald, phallic-shaped man are the sole figures fiddling about in Henderson’s pages. And the only copy that appears within these often four- or five-color panels is the strip’s title and Henderson’s name — Scene But Not Heard's bear and his manic, flabbergasted cohort are left to their overtly expressive features. Minimal scene-setting is upstaged by panel-spanning grins, aggressive fist-shaking, the works. If the characters aren’t at the mercy of Henderson’s bottomless stable of gags (or his intermittent difficulty with proportional consistency), they’re in total control of what happens next. An early strip has both characters quarreling (silently) about the bear’s disregard for punctuality, an episode that concludes with both of them directly engaging with the page’s structure by pulling apart the thick black panel frames. It’s funny enough, but Henderson tunnels a bit deeper by allowing the two of them to have a look what happens next, as they’re peering into the panels to the left, right, and below, having dissembled the lines that traditionally maintain the narrative sequence. Later, an unmanageable vacuum cleaner is to blame for swallowing up panel lines and disrupting any sort of comic storytelling convention. When armed with cans of paint, the bear gives himself a makeover and blends into the background, merely to poke and prod at his short-tempered counterpart under the cloak of invisibility.
Sam Henderson’s humor stings most when these monochrome, everyday observations or prop-driven gags are dutifully spun into absurdist folly. It's reliably enough of a pisser to have had me chortling alongside the poker-faced stiffs on my cramped subway ride to work, but the classics are here, too. The wacky Scene But Not Heard "a man goes to the doctor” strips or those involving flies in one's soup, which appear a couple of times over the course of the collection, tap into a more universally recognizable piece of joke book history. They nod directly to the venerable Catskill Mountains resort hotels of upstate New York, where contemporary standup comedy took root decades ago in colorful quick-fire setups dealt onstage by young Jewish-Americans that frequently centered on a physician bearing some really grim news for his patient. In bouts of the batty violence that’s vanished from animated television since I was a kid, Scene But Not Heard’s pranksters aren’t too proud to pay tribute to the frequent hostility that's all-too-familiar to enthusiasts of Tom & Jerry or Chuck Jones’s Bugs Bunny cartoons (Henderson has cited the latter as influential for him). There are grotesque air pump mishaps, occasional headlessness, and a reliably detachable bear’s nose. One of Henderson’s gags has his hairless pink gent taking on a sculptor role, methodically chipping away at a slab of stone that’s as motionless as his bear friend, who sits to the right of the panels, the inspiration for the carving. When the sculpture goes south because efforts to duplicate the bear’s ear prove fruitless, the man resorts to chiseling down his chum’s actual appendage in order to match the flawed stonework. Ouch.
The off-the-wall stuff, as well as the decidedly not-for-kids fare that's fleshed-out for his now-two decade old The Magic Whistle, is the kind of thing Henderson scrawls into a sketchbook in the middle of the night, when half-formed ideas read like chunks of solid gold. "In my partial sleep haze, it seems like the most brilliant idea ever thought of by anyone; when I look at it later, half the time it doesn’t make much sense," he wrote in a 2012 post for The Comics Journal. The Scene But Not Heard book features this sort of process insight, too. Brief but valuable back matter includes an insidery overview of production stages on Henderson’s end, with a page of pencil sketches, a depiction of roughs with an editorial review, and more. The book’s preface takes the form of a diary comic from The Hypo's Noah Van Sciver. He cites "The Henderson Generation," and attributes the direction of his career path to the day he first pored over the Nickelodeon Magazine strip as a nine-year-old. With the Scene But Not Heard creator cast as a heinous, pus-spouting ogre in Van Sciver’s illustrations and the suggestion that the "impact" of Henderson’s work for cartoonists everywhere could only yield a barren love life and premature balding, a lead-in better suited to this nutty digest is difficult to imagine.
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Serbian media reported this weekend a British RAF pilot who took part in NATO's agreession against Serbia in 1999 was beaten in a Swiss restaurant while dining with a local politician in Zurich.
During the discussion the British RAF pilot boasted to the local politician that he took part of NATO's 72 day air campaign in which he bombed Serbian cities.
Unfortunately for him, a Serb identified by media as Rade S. was seated at a nearby table who overheard the conversation and approached the table of the British pilot.
Rade S.
When Rade received confirmation again that he indeed bombed Serbia, an altercation occured which ended quite badly for the pilot. The Royal AirForce pilot ended up in the hospital with bloodied face.
Rade S told the pilot "Next time you see your broken face in the mirror, you'll remember all the innocent Serb kids you killed".
Serbian media reports Rade S. left Zurich after the incident.
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As a so-called bathroom break girl at the advertising agency BBDO in 1985, Susan Credle took over for receptionists when they left their desks. When she learned how to type quickly and accurately, she was promoted to secretary. In the decades since, she has become one of the most accomplished women in the industry, holding top executive positions at some of the most esteemed creative agencies. She has been behind numerous memorable campaigns, including the humanlike M&M’s characters and Allstate’s Mayhem ads.
But even today, there are male leaders in the industry who do not acknowledge her. At industry parties, people assume they should be talking to her husband, who is an architect. She tries not to show her emotions at work because when she does, she said, “I immediately am looked at as the crazy woman.”
“I still to this day, when I feel the blood boiling in me and I just want to let it all out, I cut it by 90 percent because I’m a woman,” she said.
Women now make up almost 50 percent of those working in the advertising industry, including a relatively small number, like Ms. Credle, in top executive positions. Yet when a female employee of the J. Walter Thompson agency filed a lawsuit in March accusing the company’s chief executive of racist and sexist behavior, the accusations brought to the surface what women in the industry had talked about for years: that more than half a century after the “Mad Men” era, gender bias, while often unspoken or acknowledged, continues to affect how they are treated at work, whom they interact with and what positions they hold.
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'Trivial' infractions could be used as an excuse to strip immigrants of their citizenship, the US Chief Justice has warned in a scathing criticism of the Trump administration.
John Roberts warned that failure to declare speeding tickets could be used as an excuse to evict people from the US.
His comments follow a ruling against Divna Maslenjak, a Serbian immigrant who is bidding to regain her US citizenship, which was revoked after she wrongly claimed her husband had not been part of the Bosnian Serb army in the 1990s.
Roberts, along with other Supreme Court judges, has indicated support for Maslenjak.
US Chief Justice John Roberts has warned that failing to declare speeding tickets could be used as an excuse to evict people from the country
The conservative chief justice said in the past he has exceeded the speed limit while driving, but warned that if immigrants fail to disclose similar offences when asked if they had ever broken the law, they could lose their citizenship.
He asked Justice Department lawyer Robert Parker: 'Now you say that if I answer that question "no", 20 years after I was naturalized as a citizen, you can knock on my door and say, 'Guess what, you're not an American citizen after all?''
Roberts warned the government could likely find an excuse to deport most naturalized citizens, and warned this could lead to 'prosecutiorial abuse'.
He observed: 'That to me is troublesome to give that extraordinary power, which, essentially, is unlimited power, at least in most cases, to the government.'
Trump has sought to restrict immigration and deport people who have entered the United States illegally.
Maslenjak entered the United States with her husband and two children in 2000, granted refugee status over a claimed fear of ethnic persecution in Bosnia at the hands of Muslims.
They settled in Ohio. She became a US citizen in 2007, but concealed her husband Ratko's service in a Bosnian Serb Army brigade that participated in the notorious 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
Maslenjak's citizenship was revoked, and she and her husband were deported to Serbia last October.
Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer shared Roberts' concern, noting he had once walked into a government building with a pocketknife on his key chain in violation of the law.
'It's, to me, rather surprising that the government of the United States thinks that Congress is interpreting this statute and wanted it interpreted in a way that would throw into doubt the citizenship of vast percentages of all naturalized citizens,' Breyer said.
Trump has sought to restrict immigration and deport people who have entered the United States illegally
Conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy also rebuked Parker, saying: 'It seems to me that your argument is demeaning the priceless value of citizenship.'
There are around 20 million naturalized US citizens, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
The legal question is whether Maslenjak's false statements had a material effect on the US decision to grant her refugee status.
The government argued it only matters that she made a false statement, not whether it had any impact on its decision to grant refugee status.
At a 2009 hearing to help her husband avoid deportation after he was convicted of making a false statement by concealing his military service, she admitted that when she had applied to be a refugee she had not revealed that from 1992 to 1997 the family lived in Bosnia and her husband served in the military.
She was later convicted of lying on her citizenship application. This was the last oral argument of the court's current term. A ruling is due by the end of June.
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When most people think of winter in the Pacific Northwest, they think of depressingly gray skies, constant rain, and not much else. The reputation of being the rain capitol of the world haunts the region, especially those living on the drenched Olympic Peninsula. It is true that clouds, more often than not, blanket the region, dumping 14 feet of rain a year in places. However, in the cold months, when most of the country assumes that clouds are sitting over the Olympic Peninsula like an umbrella, blocking the true beauty from escaping, the mountains become a winter wonderland.
High up in the Olympic Mountains, nearly a mile above sea level, Hurricane Ridge gives one of the nation’s best panoramic views. Just 17 miles away from the international port city of Port Angeles, “The Ridge”, is one of the more popular destinations in Olympic National Park. Open four days a week, this wintery wonderland offers the very best snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding environments in the Pacific Northwest. While there is a kid-friendly sledding area near the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, the main draw to the region is the nearly 400 inches of powder that fall on the snowy summit each winter.
A perfect winter day at Hurricane Ridge Mitch Zenobi
Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area is one of only three operating ski and snowboard areas in our National Parks. It has 10 trails, two rope tows, one lift, and views as far as the eye can see. While only officially sporting an elevation drop of 800 feet, there are a few backcountry areas where those looking for adventure can find waist deep powder and epic lines. Hurricane Ridge also has a terrain park with natural hits, jumps and rails, set against the glorious panorama of the Olympic Mountains.
Mitch Zenobi, a local to the northern Olympic Peninsula, has been enjoying the powder at Hurricane Ridge since 2009, when he first started snowboarding. On Christmas Eve, 2009, Mitch bought a cheap board at a pawn shop, rented a pair of boots, and hit the Olympic slopes for the first time. After his first run, he was hooked.
“Oh that’s a tough one, there are so many,” Mitch recalled when asked to share his best memory at Hurricane Ridge. “I think my best experience up there was the entire 12/13 season. I didn’t miss a single day of the lifts running, and the road didn’t close once due to bad weather, and there were more powder days than I can count.”
For locals like Mitch Zenobi, Hurricane Ridge helps define the region and the people, especially those looking for more extreme activities in the snowy months.
Kicking it at Hurricane Ridge Mitch Zenobi
“It means everything to us.” Mitch shares, when asked about the local community’s relationship with Hurricane Ridge. “Riding snow is our passion, and Hurricane Ridge is our Valhalla. It’s our home away from home. The days we aren’t up there, we count the days until we can be. During the summer, we hope for early snowfall and a long season of good snow and clear roads.”
Recently, I sat down with Mitch to share his perspective of why Hurricane Ridge is so amazing and awesome. He is one of the 4,000 visitors to Hurricane Ridge each winter, and is one of the few that documents, records, and shares his experiences of this forgotten ski and snowboard area with the world. A longboarder during the summer months, and a snowboarder in the winter, Mitch embodies the outdoor passion that is shared by so many who live around Olympic National Park.
What makes you want to be on Hurricane Ridge with fresh powder?
Untracked pow lines! Since it’s a small mountain community, you can always find fresh lines to ride.
What are your favorite views?
My utmost favorite view is from the top of Sunrise Ridge where you can see the majestic Olympic Mountains, and overlook the Strait of Juan De Fuca and Canada.
What is the worst experience, aside from days where the road to The Ridge is closed?
I don’t have any. There isn’t a single day, in all the years I’ve been up there, that I’ve had a bad experience.
Is there a run/area that everyone needs to try?
Oh yes. It’s called the Face. You start from the top of Sunrise Ridge and drop the west side down into the poma bowl. I think its about a 1000 ft drop in elevation, and its pure awesome.
Why should people from around the country come to Hurricane Ridge in the winter?
If you were just coming for the sights, the views are breathtaking. Add snow on top of that and you have a playground worthy of the gods. There is endless opportunity for fresh tracks, no lift lines, friendly atmosphere, wonderful hiking trails, back country adventures, sledding/tubing, and it’s an all around great place to be.
Looking down toward Hurricane Ridge Mitch Zenobi
Hurricane Ridge is truly a playground of the gods, even more so in the winter. As the trees become weighed down with snow and transform into images from a Dr. Seuss book, the already intoxicatingly beautiful region becomes indescribably perfect. A wintery wonderland, snowshoers and cross-country skiers have over 20 miles of trails to explore, each offering views more breaktaking every mile. High above the trails, daring backcountry skiers and snowboards weave through forests before bombing down bowls packed full of powdery goodness. If you are a lover of snow and want to get away from the more developed ski resorts in the Pacific Northwest, take a trip to Olympic National Park’s Hurricane Ridge Ski Area. Unrivaled views, fresh lines, and all the powder you could ask for are just some of the things waiting for you.
Read More about Winter Access to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park at ExoticHikes.com.
High in the Olympic Mountains, Hurricane Ridge is one of the best ski areas in the Pacific Northwest, offering clean powder lines without the crowds.
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Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in
“Iris Oifigiúil” of 7th September, 2012.
1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) Regulations 2012.
(2) These Regulations come into operation on 19 January 2013.
2. The Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 2006 ( S.I. No. 537 of 2006 ) are amended—
(a) in Regulation 10, by substituting for paragraph (1) the following:
“(1)(a) A driving licence shall be in scheduled form D.402 and shall comply with the provisions of Annex 1 to Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 20062 .
(b) In driving licence form D.402—
‘Date of issue’ indicates the date on which the driving licence concerned comes into force;
‘Date of expiry’ indicates the date on which the driving licence concerned expires;
‘Valid from’ indicates the date on which the licence holder first held a driving licence in the category concerned;
‘Valid to’ indicates the date on which the licence expires in respect of the category concerned;”,
(b) in Regulation 17(1), by substituting for subparagraph (b) the following:
“(b) In learner permit form D.202—
‘Issue date of permit’ indicates the date on which the learner permit concerned comes into force;
‘Expiry date of permit’ indicates the date on which the learner permit concerned expires;
‘First issue date, by category’ indicates the date on which the permit holder first held a learner permit in the category concerned;
‘Expiry date, by category’ indicates the date on which the permit expires in respect of the category concerned.”,
(c) in Regulation 32(4)(b), in the Table to that Regulation—
(i) by substituting—
(I)“EST” for “EE”,
(II)“H” for “HU”,
(III)“LT” for “LI”,
(IV)“SLO” for “SI”,
(V)“UK” for “GB”,
(VI)“Slovakia” for “Slovak Republic”, and
(ii) by adding to the Table the following:
BG Bulgaria RO Romania
”,
and
(d) in Schedule 1 (as inserted by Regulation 2(b) of the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2010 ( S.I. No. 544 of 2010 )) by substituting—
(i) for Form D.202 — learner permit, the form specified in Part 1 of the Schedule to these Regulations, and
(ii) for Form D.402 — driving licence, the form specified in Part 2 of the Schedule to these regulations.
SCHEDULE
Part 1
“Form D.202 — learner permit
Side 1
Side 2
”
Part 2
“Form D.402 — driving licence
Side 1
Side 2
”
GIVEN under my Official Seal
3 September 2012.
LEO VARADKAR,
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)
These Regulations amend the driver Regulations in order to comply with the requirements of Commission Directive 2011/94/EU.
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On Thursday, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times wrote a column about how President Trump was treating the media as his enemy. The column was long on accusation and short on introspection. The column began, in fact, by suggesting that Trump hated reporters more than neo-Nazis. And it got worse from there.
Kristof stated:
Look, we in journalism deserve to have our feet held to the fire. We make mistakes all the time, and too often we are superficial, sensationalist, unfair, defensive or diverted by shiny objects. Critics are right that we in the national media are often out of touch with working-class America, and distressingly often, we are lap dogs instead of watchdogs. Yet for all our failings, journalism remains an indispensable constraint on power.
All of that is true. But the reason that Trump’s routine critique of the media works is that they proclaim that their only standard is the truth, and conservatives keep asking, “whose truth?” Sometimes, the media present facts. More often, they present facts mixed with opinion. Take, for example, Kristof’s next accusation:
Trump has systematically tried to delegitimize the institutions that hold him accountable — courts, prosecutors, investigators, the media — and that’s the context for his vilification of all them, for we collectively provide monitoring that outrages him.
Has he truly attempted to delegitimize courts? How so? Has he said things? Or has he actually ignored court orders? How about investigators? Has he ripped their prospective bias, or has he actually fired them? Kristof isn’t wrong that Trump has attacked all of these institutions, but has he attempted to destroy them wholesale to prevent them from monitoring him?
I dislike Trump’s overstatement of his case against the media. The vast majority of journalists don’t hate the country. But many journalists masquerade as objective fact-bringers, when they’re bringing facts and perspective intertwined. Trump accuses the media of lying about their supposedly “objective” status, and he accuses them of simply making up facts. The first accusation is correct. The second mostly isn’t; media members generally don’t make up the news. But because the media refuse to acknowledge the truth of Trump’s former accusation, they allow Trump to conflate the two, and thereby undercut their own credibility overall. Trump insists that the media have an agenda, and therefore lie; the media insist that they don’t lie, and that they therefore don’t have an agenda. Neither is correct. The media have an agenda, and they generally don’t just make things up (although they sometimes do, and they often spin facts in anti-conservative ways).
But while Kristof is castigating Trump for casting the media as an enemy, he’s accusing Trump of getting “people hurt … buoying the repressive instincts of dictators around the world … [it is possible that] our president is mentally unstable.” Does this sound like Kristof is Trump’s enemy, or merely a critic?
Kristof concludes, “So may I humbly suggest that when a megalomaniacal leader howls and shrieks at critics, that is when institutional checks on that leader become a bulwark of democracy.” Then he wonders why Trump considers the media his enemies.
It’s not that tough to understand. Trump should stop treating the media as his enemies, but the media have to stop treating Trump as their enemy, too.
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As the Baltimore County Council voted 7-0 without comment Monday to phase out the county's stormwater remediation fee, opponents in the audience held up signs that said, "Show us the $."
They were referring to the lack of a plan by the county to pay for federally mandated stormwater remediation if not with the current fee.
The council voted to reduce the stormwater fees attached to 2016 property tax bills and eliminate them in 2017. Council members have said the fee is a burden on homeowners and businesses.
But critics, including County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, question the move. Kamenetz reduced the fee by one third earlier this year, but has balked at doing away with it entirely. Don Mohler, a spokesman for Kamenetz, has said eliminating the fee would cut the county's annual budget by $16 million and that cuts to other projects would be necessary if the county doesn't have money dedicated for stormwater projects.
Moreover, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has warned the council that its elimination of the fee, without having an alternate plan to pay for required environmental projects, could violate state law.
Nicole Munchel / Baltimore Sun Media Group Signs for the Clean Water Rally line the wall as protesters make their way over to pick one up during Monday night's protest of the Baltimore County Council vote to phase out the stormwater fee. Those protesting wanted to know what would replace the money to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Signs for the Clean Water Rally line the wall as protesters make their way over to pick one up during Monday night's protest of the Baltimore County Council vote to phase out the stormwater fee. Those protesting wanted to know what would replace the money to protect the Chesapeake Bay. (Nicole Munchel / Baltimore Sun Media Group) (Nicole Munchel / Baltimore Sun Media Group)
In a letter to county officials earlier this month, the foundation said state law requires the county to first send a plan to the Maryland Department of the Environment, describing how it would pay for projects to reduce polluted runoff, "so we know [the money is] allocated and they can actually do the work," said Elaine Lutz, staff attorney for the foundation.
Environment Secretary Benjamin H. Grumbles said his staff is reviewing the foundation's concerns.
"We look forward to working with Baltimore County and its citizens for real progress in improving water quality and restoring the Chesapeake Bay," Grumbles said.
Nicole Munchel / Baltimore Sun Media Group About 50 people gathered for a rally at the Patriot Plaza in downtown Towson Monday before the Baltimore County Council vote to phase out the stormwater fee. They wanted the council to delay the vote until an alternative funding method can be worked out. About 50 people gathered for a rally at the Patriot Plaza in downtown Towson Monday before the Baltimore County Council vote to phase out the stormwater fee. They wanted the council to delay the vote until an alternative funding method can be worked out. (Nicole Munchel / Baltimore Sun Media Group) (Nicole Munchel / Baltimore Sun Media Group)
In 2012, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring 10 large urban and suburban jurisdictions, including Baltimore County, to collect the stormwater remediation fee to pay for projects to reduce pollution in rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. A revision approved this year allows jurisdictions to drop the fee after getting the state's approval to dedicate another source of money to the projects.
Baltimore County is the first of the 10 jurisdictions to phase out the fee. Some counties, including Harford County, dropped their fee before the state law was changed.
Baltimore County homeowners pay yearly stormwater fees of $14 for a townhouse, $22 for a condominium or $26 for a detached single-family home. Commercial, industrial and institutional property owners pay based on the measurement of impervious surfaces, such as rooftops and parking lots, on their properties.
The council's unanimous vote Monday makes it veto-proof against a possible challenge by Kamenetz. The vote was expected, but that didn't stop a group of about 50 people from gathering prior to the vote for a rally at Patriot Plaza in downtown Towson, where they called on the council to delay the vote until an alternative funding mechanism can be worked out.
"We want the executive and the County Council to work together to come to a solution," said Elise Bruner, of Towson, a community organizer for Blue Water Baltimore, which organized the rally.
Also represented was the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the newly formed Green Towson Alliance.
"I've let the County Council know I think it was a poor decision" to eliminate the fee, said state Del. Steve Lafferty, who represents Towson and who joined the rally. "Eliminating the fee, while permitted under state law, doesn't really expand efforts to eliminate stormwater pollution."
"Me and my family, like everyone else in the county, has a huge stake in clean water," said Bill Deysher, vice president of the Ridgeleigh Community Association and a member of the Green Towson Alliance, who spoke at the rally.
Also speaking was the Rev. Mary Gaut, interim general presbyter of the Baltimore Presbytery and vice chairwoman of Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake. She called it a moral issue.
"This is about making sure that the commitment to cleaning up pollution runoff is made clear," Gaut said. "This is about neighbors. This is about making sure the council respects us enough as citizens."
Jennifer Dowdell, 38, came from Baltimore City to the rally, "to support clean water and funding to keep our water clean," said the Hampden resident, a landscape ecological planner.
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ZHARI, Afghanistan -- It's the cash crop of the Taliban and the scourge of Afghanistan - the country's intractable opium cultivation. This year, many Afghan poppy farmers are expecting a windfall as they get ready to harvest opium from a new variety of poppy seeds said to boost yield of the resin that produces heroin.
The plants grow bigger, faster, use less water than seeds they've used before, and give up to double the amount of opium, they say.
No one seems to know where the seeds originate from. The farmers of Kandahar and Helmand provinces, where most of Afghanistan's poppies are grown, say they were hand-delivered for planting early this year by the same men who collect the opium after each harvest, and who also provide them with tools, fertilizer, farming advice - and the much needed cash advance.
Afghanistan's poppy harvest, which accounts for most of the world's heroin, is worth an estimated $3 billion a year, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Production hit a record high in 2014, up 17 percent compared to the year before, as opium and the drugs trade continued to undermine security, rule of law and development, while funding both organized crime and the Taliban -- often one and the same.
The trend is expected to continue in 2015, in part thanks to the new poppy seeds, according to officials tasked with overseeing the eradication of poppy crops.
This upcoming harvest in late spring is expected to surpass last year's country-wide record of 8,600 tons by as much as 7 percent, and 22 percent in Kandahar and Helmand provinces respectively, local officials said.
Experts say the Taliban, who have been waging war on the Kabul government for more than a decade, derive around 40 percent of their funding from opium, which in turn fuels their insurgency.
Obama announces slowdown in exit of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
Fierce fighting in recent months in poppy-growing regions shows the Taliban's determination to protect their trafficking routes and the seasonal workers who come to earn money at harvest time from government forces under orders to eradicate the crop.
Gul Mohammad Shukran, chief of Kandahar's anti-narcotics department, said the new seeds came with the drug traffickers, but he did not know exactly where from. They yield "better drug plants, which require less water and have a faster growth time."
"This is a big threat to everyone," he said, adding that Afghanistan's central authorities had failed to act on his warnings.
Growing poppy for opium is illegal in Afghanistan and forbidden under Islam, the country's predominant religion. But Afghan farmers feel they have no choice. For more than a decade the government and its international partners have pleaded with them to grow something else -- wheat, fruit or even saffron.
When that didn't work, the police were sent to destroy crops. And when that failed, the Americans and the British tried handing out free wheat seeds, an enterprise that found little fertile ground.
This spring, the opium fields have again erupted in a sea of bright pink poppy flowers.
The new poppy seeds allow farmers to almost double the output from each plant, said Helmand's provincial police chief Nabi Jan Malakhail. At harvest, collectors cut the bulb of the plant, allowing the raw opium to ooze out. This resin dries and is collected the following day.
An Afghan farmer harvests opium sap from a poppy field in Surkh Rod District, of Nangarhar province near Jalalabad, May 5, 2015. Getty
Malakhail said the new seeds grow bulbs that are bigger than usual and can be scored twice within a few days, thus doubling the quantity of raw opium. The plants mature in three to four months, rather than the five months of the previous seed variety, allowing farmers to crop three times a year instead of just twice.
In Kandahar's Zhari district, farmer Abdul Baqi said he knows poppy growing is illegal and that, given a choice, he would "rather eat grass." But, he added, "I cannot feed my kids with nothing but the air."
Baqi said the Taliban and associated crime gangs make it easy for the farmers to produce opium, and difficult -- even deadly -- not to.
Without government support, it's impossible to grow food crops as the cash-strapped farmers would have to pay for the seeds, tools, fertilizer and irrigation themselves. No one would come and collect their crop, even if their landlords allowed them to grow wheat or other food.
If the government took charge and provided irrigation and power, Hismatullah Janan, another Zhari poppy grower, said he would gladly change to growing wheat or similar crops "so we could make an honest and decent living, and leave this so-called dirty work behind."
Afghan anti-narcotics officials say they need international assistance to proceed with poppy eradication.
Yet since 2002, the United States has spent at least $7 billion "on a wide variety of programs to reduce poppy cultivation, prevent narcotics production, treat drug addiction and improve the criminal justice system to combat drug trafficking," John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, told the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control in January.
Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world's opium and opiates originating from there find their way to every corner of the globe, Sopko said.
The Taliban will also likely be emboldened, since for the first time this year, there are no international combat troops on the battlefields of Afghanistan after the NATO drawdown at the end of 2014.
Many anti-narcotics officials also left, fuelling concerns that Afghanistan's economic addiction to opium, worth around 15 percent of its gross domestic product, would only grow, Sopko added.
Almost 90 percent of Afghanistan's poppy cultivation is in the south and the west -- and provinces such as Helmand and Kandahar, longtime Taliban strongholds, have become synonymous for poppy cultivation.
As opium production rises, so does Afghanistan's own drug addiction problem. Estimates put the number of heroin addicts in the country at between 1.5 million and 2 million in a population estimated at around 30 million. And the unchecked Afghan opium production is also blamed for rising drug addiction in neighboring countries, including the former Soviet republics to the north, Iran to the west, and China and Pakistan to the east.
The UNODC can do little beyond encouraging the government to curb opium production, said the organization's chief in Afghanistan, Andrey Avetisyan.
Kabul, with the support from the international community, he said, needs to find a way to introduce "crops that can be a serious competition to opium."
But for now, finding something more lucrative than the mystery poppy seeds is a daunting task, so the vicious opium cycle continues.
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By Paul Brown / Climate News Network
Energy efficiency is a subject unlikely to grab the headlines, but there is a quiet revolution under way that is changing the electricity industry and helping to save the planet from climate change.
After decades of constant increases, the consumption of electricity in many European countries is going down. Coupled with the rise in the use of renewable energy, this has cut carbon emissions faster than expected.
Some countries, notably Germany, have been expecting and planning for this to happen, but the UK government has been surprised by the trend. It forecast a continued rise in the use of electricity — but it has been falling.
The use of electricity per person in the UK has gone down every year since 2008, causing the government to repeatedly revise its future forecasts for energy consumption.
Part of the reason for this is European Union regulations that have pushed the production of energy-efficient appliances, machinery and light bulbs.
But another significant factor is the appointment by many large companies and organisations of sustainability officers, whose specific job it is to find ways of using less resources – particularly energy.
Energy expertise
As this trend has gathered pace, more than 100 of the best-known organisations in the UK, many of them charities, have joined together to support the Fit for the Future Network, which has the simple aim of sharing expertise on ways of using less energy and cutting carbon dioxide use. The results can be remarkable.
The savings made on its energy bills in England by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution alone pays for 10 extra inshore rescue boats a year, and have allowed the National Trust, which looks after the countryside, to find the extra money this year to restore 36 kilometres of footpaths.
Collectively, the organisations saved 4,144 tonnes of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere in 2016, and saved themselves £1.2 million on their electricity bills. They also increased by 50% their own output of renewable energy, reducing the need for new power stations.
The success of the Fit for the Future Network, which only started life in 2012, is down to the simple idea of sharing experience between people who have the same job in different organisations.
By discussing ideas, success stories and knowledge of potential setbacks with dozens of other people trying to achieve the same objectives, experience shows that energy saving and renewables schemes are implemented far quicker and at less cost.
The idea grew from an award won by the National Trust in Wales in 2012 for saving 40% on its energy bills.
“If you can make a castle energy efficient,
any other building should be a piece of cake”
A practical side of the award from the Ashden Trust sustainability charity is that winners get expert advice on how to continue their work and are asked to share some of their experience so that others can benefit too.
Simon Brammer, UK programmes manager at Ashden, and Trust Executive at the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, says he had to find a way of helping others to learn the National Trust’s secrets. “After all, if you can make a castle energy efficient, any other building should be a piece of cake,” he argues.
He says that there were many large property-owning organisations that could benefit from saving this quantity of energy. “We asked: How could they learn from each other? How do we prevent the wasted effort of re-inventing the wheel every time, and how can we ensure organisations trust the advice they receive?”
Renewable resources
The result was the Fit for the Future Network. Organisations as diverse as Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Tate Gallery, Cancer Research UK, the Natural History Museum, the Canal & River Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds came together with the same objectives of cutting the use of energy and increasing renewable resources.
Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder director of Ashden Sustainable Solutions, says: “What is so important about this network is that it brings organisations together to accelerate their energy reduction plans. And, not just that, the money saved on energy can be ploughed back into the organisation’s core services, whether its buying lifeboats, fighting cancer or preserving the UK’s heritage.”
As a result of its success and growing membership, the network is widening its remit beyond energy to include wastewater, food and other issues that need to be improved to make businesses more sustainable.
Members believe that although the organisation began in Britain its ideas could be used in any country and would have a direct impact on the cutting the use of fossil fuels everywhere.
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The Ebon Hawk, the space freighter made famous in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, could literally be in your hands thanks to a free design you can download and 3D print.
This comes to us thanks to user J Patrick Payne on the design-sharing site MyMiniFactory who modelled it in SolidWorks before 3D printing it and applying damaged details to the print after the fact.
This versions measures in at 8″ x 10″ x 4″ (20 cm x 25 cm x 10 cm) and was scaled to fit on Payne’s print bed, but it can be scaled at will. Well, to a degree, we doubt anyone will print a 1:1 version…
This design was one of MyMiniFactory’s picks which are displayed on the “featured” section on the front page of the site. Other featured designs include: a sheath to make your battery bank look like a Pokédex, Torbjörn’s rivet gun from Overwatch, a Fallout 4 power armour helmet, and a lot of Pokémon-related prints for their contest that is currently running.
But if you want another object from the Star Wars universe there’s Ahsoka Tano’s lightsaber hilts as seen in Star Wars Rebels. You’ll need to provide your own lightsaber crystal though.
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Yes, let’s continue to screw over places that are already screwed:
The White House is assembling a spending request to send to Capitol Hill as early as this week, and while the final sum is still in flux, it should fall between $45 billion and $55 billion. That represents an enormous sum at a time when Mr. Obama is locked in a titanic struggle with Republicans over the federal deficit, but is significantly less than the states sought. Unless an austerity-minded Congress adds to the president’s plan, state leaders would have to figure out other ways to finance tens of billions of dollars of storm-related expenses or do without them.
Can we start using the word cheapskate instead of meaningless village-phrases like “austerity-minded?” Because that’s all this is, pointless cheap-ass-ism. This is managing one’s vast wealth through controlling the thermostat and buying off-brand cheese and refusing to tip the diner waitress.
I swear to God, I don’t know what kind of economy we’re building here, if every third business in the Rockaways is going to be left to rot. If you’re not nearby, followOccupy Sandy for a few days on Twitter and it will give you an idea of the enormity of the need and the ways people are scraping pennies out of their couch cushions in order to pay for respirators and, you know, cleaning supplies. And just because ’twas ever thus doesn’t make it okay.
A.
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Hornqvist went to the Nashville Predators that year, the same year Sidney Crosby was the No. 1 pick. Through hard work and a tenacious attitude, Hornqvist stood alongside Crosby as part of the 2016 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
The final pick (No. 230) in the 2005 NHL Draft, Hornqvist has proven to be a valuable player.
The final pick (No. 230) in the 2005 NHL Draft, Hornqvist has proven to be a valuable player.
Hornqvist went to the Nashville Predators that year, the same year Sidney Crosby was the No. 1 pick. Through hard work and a tenacious attitude, Hornqvist stood alongside Crosby as part of the 2016 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
When Hornqvist was drafted, the 5-foot-11 forward was playing in the third division in his native Sweden, but by the 2006-07 season he was named Swedish Elite League Rookie of the Year with Djurgardens after scoring 23 goals in 49 games. After another season in Sweden, Hornqvist made the move to Nashville and started the 2008-09 season with the Predators before being assigned to Milwaukee of the American Hockey League a month into the season and getting called back up to Nashville in February.
By his second season in Nashville, Hornqvist showed a willingness to be a strong net-front presence, creating havoc in front of the opposing goaltender. That suited Hornqvist's game perfectly as he found ways to get his stick on pucks, either on deflections or rebounds. That helped Hornqvist reach the 30-goal mark in 2009-10, becoming the fourth player in Predators history to score at least 30.
He proved a key contributor as the Predators advanced past the first round of the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, with Hornqvist finishing with 21 and 27 goals, respectively.
Nashville traded Hornqvist and Nick Spaling to Pittsburgh for James Neal on June 27, 2014. Hornqvist continued to produce for the Penguins and got his first NHL hat trick against the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 29, 2016. Less than two months later he had his first career playoff hat trick in Game 1 of the first round against the New York Rangers on April 13, 2016, finishing with four points. He had nine goals in the 2016 playoffs, including two in the Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks.
In 2016-17, Hornqvist had 44 points (21 goals, 23 assists) in 70 games. He scored five goals in 19 playoff games, including the game-winner with 1:35 remaining in the third period against the Predators in Game 6 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
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President also says Nato is ‘no longer obsolete’ following his secretary of state’s visit to Moscow
Donald Trump says US relations with Russia 'may be at all-time low'
Donald Trump has said that US relations with Russia may be at “an all-time low” and declared a new-found faith in Nato, suggesting the alliance was “no longer obsolete”.
The US president’s remarks at the White House followed a two-hour meeting in Moscow between his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and Vladimir Putin, which failed to resolve any of the deep differences between the two nations on Syria, Ukraine, or Moscow’s interference in the 2016 US election.
'No longer obsolete': Trump backtracks on Nato with Russia tensions rising Read more
“We’re not getting along with Russia at all,” Trump said, adding “we may be at an all-time low”. He avoided any direct criticism of Putin, but compared the relationship with Russia unfavourably to the one he had cultivated with China since the visit of Xi Jinping last week.
Russia, Trump noted, had vetoed a US-backed resolution on Syria at the UN security council while China had abstained, adding that he was “not surprised” by Beijing’s stance – implying he had negotiated it with Xi.
In the latest of a series of dramatic foreign policy reversals in recent days, Trump dropped an allegation he had repeated throughout his presidential campaign, telling the Wall Street Journal that the Chinese were “not currency manipulators”.
The president’s comments confirmed a significant shift in his positions since taking office nearly three months ago, cooling towards Russia and reaffirming support for Nato.
A day after approving Nato’s latest expansion with the accession of Montenegro, a source of fury in Moscow, Trump used a joint appearance with the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, to distance himself from his past denigration of Nato, while claiming credit for improving its performance.
“I complained about that a long time ago and they made a change, and now they do fight terrorism,” the president said. “I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete.”
Tillerson’s two-hour audience with Putin in the Kremlin led to the removal of the most immediate threat of escalation, as Putin “reaffirmed” the maintenance of a hotline between the two countries’ militaries to avoid midair collisions between their aircraft operating in Syrian airspace.
Putin meets with Rex Tillerson in Russia amid escalating tensions over Syria Read more
America’s top diplomat said the two countries had agreed to create a working group to find solutions to “smaller problems” so that they could then concentrate on bigger issues.
But as he sat alongside his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, at a press conference, it was clear that fundamental differences between the US and Russia on Syria and beyond remained very much in place.
“I expressed the view that the current state of US-Russian relations is at a low point,” Tillerson said. “The world’s two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship.”
Tillerson stuck to the Trump administration insistence that a chemical weapons attack that killed more than 80 people last week in Syria was the work of Bashar al-Assad, and that the Syrian president could play no part in the country’s long-term future.
“The perspective from the US is supported by facts we have that are conclusive that the chemical attack was planned and directed and executed by Syrian regime forces,” Tillerson said, adding that the “reign of the Assad family is coming to an end” and “Russia perhaps has the best means of helping the Assad regime recognise this reality”.
Russia later vetoed a UN security resolution put forward by the US, the UK and France calling for chemical weapons inspectors to be allowed to investigate chemical weapons attacks and for the Syrian regime to hand over air force flight logs and other operational details from 4 April, the day of the Khan Sheikhun attack. It was Russia’s eighth veto on a resolution putting pressure on the Assad regime. China abstained, while 10 council members voted for it.
On Ukraine, Tillerson said US sanctions on Russia for its military intervention there would stay in place, and on Russian interference in the US presidential election, he said Moscow’s role was “well established”.
Lavrov disagreed with him on every point. As to Syria’s political future, Lavrov said Russia was not “making a bet on one person or another, including Assad”, but said the “fate of Syria should be decided by Syrians themselves”.
Lavrov went on to say the US and its allies had failed to learn from the past and still clung to their ambitions to topple leaders they saw as dictators, a policy that had led to disaster elsewhere.
“We’ve already gone through such experiments based on the need to overthrow some dictator or authoritarian leader,” he said. “I don’t know of any positive examples of removing a dictator.”
Identifying Donald Trump's foreign policy – a quiz with no right answers | Lawrence Douglas Read more
Tillerson was the first member of the Trump administration to meet Putin. The meeting followed a day of public uncertainty over whether it would take place, although US officials had been confident that it would eventually happen.
Putin’s spokesman had previously been coy about whether the president would even speak with Tillerson, saying no such meeting was on his schedule. Putin waited until after the talks with Lavrov to invite Tillerson to the Kremlin.
The two men had friendly ties when Tillerson was in his previous job as head of the ExxonMobil oil company and Putin had bestowed the Russian Order of Friendship on the Texan.
Unusually for the Russian president, he did not keep Tillerson waiting at the Kremlin before starting the meeting, which lasted two hours.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vladimir Putin, right, in 2012 with Rex Tillerson, then ExxonMobil chief executive, left Photograph: Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/EPA
Asked about allegations of Russian hacking during the US election, Tillerson suggested additional sanctions on Moscow could be adopted only if Russia interfered again in the future. “That is a fairly well-established, serious issue, it’s one we know is serious enough to attract additional sanctions,” he said. “We are mindful of it in the future and Russia I think is mindful of it.”
The Kremlin talks took place at a point where US-Russian relations appeared to have hit a crisis over Syria, following the chemical weapons attack, which the US said was carried out by the Assad regime using sarin nerve agent, and a punitive US missile strike on a Syrian air force base three days later.
A former US official involved in relations with Russia over Syria said Russia had overstated its public outrage over the US missile strike, which it may well have welcomed as a way of restraining Assad, over whom Moscow has limited control.
“How are they going to stop him [using chemical weapons]? You would have to be ready to walk away,” the former official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“If Putin walks away, how does he justify the casualties Russia has suffered if you’re not on the side of the angels, fighting terrorists. It’s hard enough in a democracy to admit you were wrong. Once you are in and your reputation is tied up with your client, then the client, Assad, has leverage over Putin.”
As Tillerson was meeting Putin and Lavrov in Moscow, representatives of the two countries exchanged slights at the UN security council before Russia wielded its veto.
“To my colleagues from Russia – you are isolating yourselves from the international community every time one of Assad’s planes drop another barrel bomb on civilians and every time Assad tries to starve another community to death,” the US envoy, Nikki Haley, said.
“It is long past time for Russia to stop covering for Assad ... and to push for peace.”
The Russian deputy envoy to the UN, Vladimir Safronkov, called the US salvo of 59 cruise missiles which hit the regime base in Shayrat a “provocation” which would only provide encouragement to those seeking a military solution to the conflict.
Even in the bearpit of the security council, however, the US and Russian envoys pulled their punches, compared with the raw exchanges of recent days.
Haley focused most of her comments at Iran, which she called “Assad’s chief accomplice”. Safronkov reserved his fiercest disdain for the UK envoy, Matthew Rycroft, who had said that UK scientists had determined that sarin had been used in the Khan Sheikhun attack and called on Russia to cut ties with Assad, who Rycroft said was bringing Moscow only “shame and humiliation”.
In a remarkable confrontation in the council chamber, Safronkov rounded on Rycroft. “You’re scared,” he yelled at the British envoy. “Your dream has slipped away, because we’re going to work with the United States. You’re afraid of this. You’re doing everything you can to sabotage this teamwork … Look at me! Don’t turn your eyes away! Why are you looking away?”
He accused Rycroft of behaving “irresponsibly, offensively, and obscenely” before concluding: “Don’t you dare insult Russia again!”
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It seems Supergirl will make an appearance in the upcoming second season DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, but her guest shot will not necessarily lead to a proper crossover.
According to Slashfilm, executive producer Marc Guggenheim presented reporters at Comic-Con with a tease of Supergirl’s eventual appearance on Earth-1. “It’s an external threat from outside the shows that will involve Supergirl coming over to Flash, then Arrow then Legends of Tomorrow,” he explained.
Which sure sounds like it will be the focus of the now-traditional late fall Flash/Arrow crossover — with Legends joining in — but Guggenheim was quick to clarify that the story will not spill back into the character’s own show, despite all of them now airing on The CW. “I don’t like to oversell. She is going to be coming over but we’re not going to do a full on Supergirl crossover episode,” he explained. “I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”
So those of us waiting to see what happens when Cisco, Winn and Felicity meet will have to wait for another story.
Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow return in October.
(Last Updated )
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More than two and a half years have gone by since the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, went fully into effect. Most of the news about health reform since then has been good, defying the dire predictions of right-wing doomsayers. But this week has brought some genuine bad news: The giant insurer Aetna announced that it would be pulling out of many of the “exchanges,” the special insurance markets the law established.
This doesn’t mean that the reform is about to collapse. But some real problems are cropping up. They’re problems that would be relatively easy to fix in a normal political system, one in which parties can compromise to make government work. But they won’t get resolved if we elect a clueless president (although he’d turn to terrific people, the best people, for advice, believe me. Not.). And they’ll be difficult to resolve even with a knowledgeable, competent president if she faces scorched-earth opposition from a hostile Congress.
The story so far: Since Obamacare took full effect in January 2014, two things have happened. First, the percentage of Americans who are uninsured has dropped sharply. Second, the growth of health costs has slowed sharply, so that the law is costing both consumers and taxpayers less than expected.
Meanwhile, the bad things that were supposed to happen didn’t. Health reform didn’t cause the budget deficit to soar; it didn’t kill private-sector jobs, which have actually grown more rapidly since Obamacare went into effect than at any time since the 1990s. Evidence also is growing that the law has meant a significant improvement in both health and financial security for millions, probably tens of millions, of Americans.
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Dr. Nobody, Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-like Texan who's a year older than McCain, raked in $6 million one slow Sunday last December from his motivated followers when everyone else was ...
But that means this interim run-up to the general election is a week longer. And $15 lousy million? For the Republican who's supposed to represent all the fat cats and big businesses? McCain folks tell fellow blogger Marc Ambinder that March was their best month and quarter ever. And tonight McCain expects to take in $400,000 from a banquet in Washington.
To be sure, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still donating their millions to TV stations all over Pennsylvania and North Carolina contradicting each other in 30 seconds or less, which is worth something to the Arizonan with the GOP nod sewn up. McCain is preparing to take maybe $85 million in public funds for the general election, which is a week shorter for the late-meeting Republicans.
How can the troublesome twin Democratic candidates raise $60 million between them last month and John McCain scrapes together barely $15 million, according to campaign sources. And this is supposed to be so great? A successful month for this guy?
thinking about Christmas. And then the congressman, who all but 803,000 supporters who voted for him so far dismissed as never having a chance at the GOP nomination, outpaced all the Republicans for that fourth quarter with $20 million.
McCain is in some kind of financial trouble. First of all, would-be Republican donors and voters are downhearted, apparently believing all the media hype and allegedly self-fulfilling polls about this being a Democrat year. They're voting less, caucusing less and giving less in state after state.
Additionally, there's a price to being a maverick. Over time, the folks you've mavericked, say, the kind of folks who didn't like your McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms or the ones who lost out on that lucrative aircraft contract, they sort of drift away.
But most importantly, McCain is a horrible fundraiser. Always has been. Nobody in the political business likes begging for bucks, but they do it because they must. McCain hates it.
He's not one of those canape-crunching, conversation-making, how-about-those-D'backs kind of small talkers, can you please help a poor candidate out with a couple grand? And he's not been organized for it. He's especially not organized for small donor drives.
We saw the impact of this last spring and summer, when the alleged Republican front-runner's campaign imploded in disarray and overspending and McCain ended up flying solo again on commercial flights, crammed into Row 22F on US Air to South Carolina.
McCain over the years has proved particularly awful at organizing drives to tap small donors, not short people but the folks who give $100 here and there or $25 a month like Paul's and Obama's financial fans. Those are the folks you can go back to. Forty percent of Obama's donors last month gave less than $200. The figure for McCain was 24%; for Clinton even worse, 23%.
Obama's donor list totals about 1.3 million now. And he can reach every single one of them within the hour.
Last month Obama, who's assembled $230 million total so far, took in another $40 million, less than his stunning $55 million in February, but still twice Clinton's March donations. McCain's February total was a measly $11 million.
That's nearly $1.3 million a day for Obama last month, $900 every minute of every day all month, while McCain's finance folks were collecting about $336 a minute.
More importantly, Obama got that money from 442,000 donors, 218,000 of them brand new givers at an average of $96 per person. That's a lot of people -- voters -- buying into his effort. Who do you think they'll vote for to make it all worthwhile?
McCain sources bragged to Ambinder that $11 million of their $15 million came from large donors, big checks.
McCain needs help. His former adversary, Mitt Romney, who spent more than $43 million of his own dough on his own campaign, has promised to raise another $15 million from Romney supporters later this spring. So if you already gave to the former Massachusetts governor, watch for that e-mail or envelope in your mailbox soon.
To someone who endured 66 months of solitary confinement, loneliness and torture in a dank Vietnamese prisoner of war cell, a stunning seven-month political comeback like McCain's in comfortable hotels may seem like a long vacation. So no one would ever underestimate the former flier's grit.
But to make a race of it in the fall, he's still gonna need more dough in the spring and summer.
-- Andrew Malcolm
Photo Credit: MSNBC
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than half of Southern California's beaches could completely erode back to coastal infrastructure or sea cliffs by the year 2100 as the sea level rises, according to a study released Monday.
Using a new computer model to predict shoreline effects caused by the rise of sea levels and changes in storm patterns from climate change, the research found that with limited human intervention, 31 percent to 67 percent of the beaches could vanish over the next eight decades with sea-level rises of 3.3 feet (1 meter) to 6.5 feet (2 meters).
Human efforts will likely need to increase to preserve the beaches, study lead author Sean Vitousek said in a statement.
"Beaches are perhaps the most iconic feature of California, and the potential for losing this identity is real," he said. "The effect of California losing its beaches is not just a matter of affecting the tourism economy. Losing the protecting swath of beach sand between us and the pounding surf exposes critical infrastructure, businesses and homes to damage."
Vitousek was a post-doctoral fellow at the U.S. Geological Survey at the time of the study and is now a professor in the Department of Civil and Materials Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The study was published in the American Geophysical Union's Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.
The computer model looks at how sand is transported parallel and perpendicular to beaches as well as historical positions of shorelines and changes caused by waves and cycles such as the ocean warming phenomenon El Nino.
According to the researchers, its reliability was shown by accurately reproducing shoreline changes seen between 1995 and 2010.
Patrick Barnard, a USGS geologist and study co-author, said it shows that "massive and costly interventions" will be needed to save the beaches, which he described as both crucial to the Southern California economy and the first line of defense against coastal storm impacts.
Losing so many beaches would be unacceptable, said John Ainsworth, executive director of the California Coastal Commission.
"The beaches are our public parks and economic heart and soul of our coastal communities," he said.
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As an Python advocate and educator, I’m always looking for ways to make my job (and yours) easier. This list put together by Morpheus Data offers a ton of great resources for Python users (more than 25 tools specific to Python) and other DevOps and Sysadmins. Enjoy.
Table of Contents
Source Code Repos
bitbucket.org — Free unlimited public and private repos (Git and Mercurial) for up to 5 users
chiselapp.com — Unlimited public and private Fossil repositories
github.com — Free for an unlimited number of public repositories
about.gitlab.com — Unlimited public and private Git repos with unlimited collaborators
hub.jazz.net — Unlimited public repos, private repos free for up to 3 accounts
visualstudio.com — Free unlimited private repos (Git and TFS) for up to 5 users per team
fogcreek.com — Free unlimited public and private repos (hybrid of Git and Mercurial) for 2 users
plasticscm.com — Free for individuals, OSS and nonprofits organizations
cloud.google.com — Free private Git repositories hosted on Google Cloud Platform. Supports syncing with existing GitHub and Bitbucket repos. Free Beta for up to 500 MB of storage
Tools for Teams and Collaboration
scinote.net — scientific data management & team collaboration. One Team with Unlimited number of users, backup and 1GB storage space
appear.in — One click video conversations, for free
flowdock.com — Chat and inbox, free for teams up to 5
slack.com — Free for unlimited users with some feature limitations
hipchat.com — Free for unlimited users with some feature limitations
gitter.im — Chat, for GitHub. Unlimited public & private rooms, free for teams of up to 25
hangouts.google.com — One place for all your Conversations, for free, need a Google account
seafile.com — Private or cloud storage, file sharing, sync, discussions. Private version is full. Cloud version has just 1 GB
sameroom.io — Free for unlimited users with some feature limitations
yammer.com — Private social network standalone or for MS Office 365. Free, just a bit less admin tools and users management features
helpmonks.com — Shared inbox for teams, free for Open Source and nonprofit organizations
typetalk.in — Share and discuss ideas with your team through instant messaging on the web or on your mobile
talky.io — Free group video chat. Anonymous. Peer‑to‑peer. No plugins, signup, or payment required
sourcetalk.net — Code discussion tool, free for open code talks
helplightning.com — Help over video with augmented reality. Free without analytics, encryption, support
evernote.com — Tool for organizing information. Share your notes and work together with others
wunderlist.com — Share your lists and work collaboratively on projects with your colleagues, free on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows and the web
doodle.com — The scheduling tool you’ll actually use. Find a date for a meeting two times faster
sendtoinc.com — Share links, notes, files and have discussions. Free for 3 and 100 MB
zoom.us — Secure Video and Web conferencing, add-ons available. Free limited to 40 minutes
ideascale.com — Allow clients to submit ideas and vote, free for 25 members in 1 community
filehero.io — Make it easy to access your company’s file storage from a corporate download page. Free for 5 concurrent downloads
wistia.com — Video hosting with viewer analytics, HD video delivery, and marketing tools to help understand your visitors, 25 videos and Wistia branded player
cnverg.com — Real-time shared visual workspace, whiteboard, GitHub integration. Free 5 GB, 5 spaces and 5 collaborators, no GitHub repos
Code Quality
tachikoma.io — Dependency Update for Ruby, Node.js, Perl projects, free for Open Source
gemnasium.com — Dependency Update for Ruby, Node.js projects, free for Open Source
deppbot.com — Automated Dependency Updates for Ruby projects, free for Open Source
landscape.io — Code Quality for Python projects, free for Open Source
codeclimate.com — Automated code review, free for Open Source
houndci.com — Comments on GitHub commits about code quality, free for Open Source
coveralls.io — Display test coverage reports, free for Open Source
scrutinizer-ci.com — Continuous inspection platform, free for Open Source
codecov.io — Code coverage tool (SaaS), free for Open Source
insight.sensiolabs.com — Code Quality for PHP/Symfony projects, free for Open Source
codacy.com — Automated code reviews for PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, JavaScript, Scala, CSS and CoffeeScript, free for Open Source
pullreview.com — Automated Code Review for Ruby in GitHub, Bitbucket and GitLab, free for Open Source
gocover.io — Code coverage for any Go package
goreportcard.com/ — Code Quality for Go projects, free for Open Source
inch-ci.org — Documentation badges for Ruby, JS and Elixir
scan.coverity.com — Static code analysis for Java, C/C++, C# and JavaScript, free for Open Source
webceo.com — SEO tools but with also code verifications and different type of advices
zoompf.com — Fix the performance of your web sites, detailed analysis
websitetest.com — Yotta’s tool to optimize web sites, free limited version online
gtmetrix.com — Reports and thorough recommendations to optimize websites
browserling.com — Live interactive cross-browser testing, free only 3 min. sessions with MS IE 9 under Vista at 1024 x 768 resolution
loadfocus.com — Load and speed tests for websites, mobile apps and APIs, monitoring,… Free 5 tests/month, 120 clients/test, 1 monitor, 1 location,…
versioneye.com — Monitor your source code and notify about outdated dependencies. Free for Open Source and public repos
beanstalkapp.com — A complete workflow to write, review & deploy code), free account for 1 user and 1 repository, with 100 MB of storage
testanywhere.co — Automatic test website or web app continuously and catch bugs in the early stages, free 1,000 tests/month
srcclr.com — SourceClear to scan source code for vulnerabilities, multi-languages and OS
Code Search and Browsing
sourcegraph.com — Java, Go, Python, Node.js, etc., code search/cross-references, free for Open Source
searchcode.com — Comprehensive text-based code search, free for Open Source
CI / CD
codeship.com — 100 private builds/month, 5 private projects, unlimited for Open Source
circleci.com — Free for one concurrent build
travis-ci.org — Free for public GitHub repositories
wercker.com — Free for public and private repositories
drone.io — CI platform that includes browser testing, free for Open Source
semaphoreci.com — 100 private builds/month, unlimited for Open Source
shippable.com — Free for 1 build container, private and public repos, unlimited builds
snap-ci.com — Free for public repositories, 1 build at the time
appveyor.com — CD service for Windows, free for Open Source
github.com — Comparison of Continuous Integration services
ftploy.com — 1 project with unlimited deployments
deployhq.com — 1 project with 10 daily deployments
hub.jazz.net — 60 minutes of free build time/month
styleci.io — Public GitHub repositories only
bitrise.io — iOS CI/CD with 200 free builds/month
saucelabs.com — CI with scalable testing for mobile and web apps, free for Open Source
buddybuild.com — Build, deploy and gather feedback for your iOS and Android apps in one seamless, iterative system.
Automated Browser Testing
gridlastic.com — Selenium Grid testing with free plan up to 4 simultaneous selenium nodes/10 grid starts/4,000 test minutes per month
browserstack.com — Manual and automated browser testing, free for Open Source
EveryStep-Automation.com — Records and replays all steps made in a web browser and creates scripts,… free with fewer options
Security and PKI
threatconnect.com — Threat intelligence: It is designed for individual researchers, analysts, and organizations who are starting to learn about cyber threat intelligence. Free upto 3 Users
crypteron.com — Cloud-first, developer-friendly security platform prevents data breaches in .NET and Java applications
snyk.io — Snyk found and reported several vulnerabilities in the package.Limited to 1 private project (unlimited for open source projects)
vaddy.net — Continuous web security testing with continuous integration (CI) tools. 3 domains, 10 scans history for free
letsencrypt.org — Free SSL Certificate Authority with certs trusted by all major browsers
globalsign.com — Free SSL certificates for Open Source
startssl.com — Free SSL certs
wosign.com — Free SSL certs. Up to 5 domain names for 2 years period. China authority
soclall.com — Free up to 1,000 users login, post, share through top 20+ social networks
stormpath.com — Free user management, authentication, social login, and SSO
auth0.com — Hosted free for development SSO
getclef.com — New take on auth unlimited free tier for anyone not using premium features
ringcaptcha.com — Tools to use phone number as id, available for free
ssllabs.com — Very deep analysis of the configuration of any SSL web server
qualys.com — Find web app vulnerabilities, audit for OWASP Risks
alienvault.com — Uncovers compromised systems in your network
duo.com — Two-factor authentication (2FA) for website or app. Free 10 users, all authentication methods, unlimited, integrations, hardware tokens
tinfoilsecurity.com — Automated vulnerability scanning. Free plan allows weekly XSS scans
acunetix.com — Free vulnerability and network scanning for 3 targets
ponycheckup.com — An automated security checkup tool for Django websites
foxpass.com — Hosted LDAP and RADIUS. Easy per-user logins to servers, VPNs, and wireless networks. Free for 10 users
opswatgears.com — Security Monitoring of computers, devices, applications, configurations,… Free 25 users and 30 days history
bitninja.io — Botnet protection through a blacklist, free plan only reports limited information on each attack
onelogin.com — Identity as a Service (IDaaS), Single Sign-On Identity Provider, Cloud SSO IdP, 3 company apps and 5 personal apps, unlimited users
logintc.com — Two-factor authentication (2FA) by push notifications, free for 10 users, VPN, Websites and SSH
report-uri.io — CSP and HPKP violation reporting
Management System
bitnami.com — Deploy prepared apps on IaaS. Management of 1 AWS micro instance free
visualops.io — 3,600 instance hours/month free
Log Management
papertrailapp.com — 48 hours search, 7 days archive, 100 MB/month
logentries.com — Free up to 5 GB/month with 7 days retention
loggly.com — Free for a single user, see the lite option
option sematext.com — Free up to 500 MB/day, 7 days retention
sumologic.com — Free up to 500 MB/day, 7 days retention
logz.io — Free up to 1 GB/day, 3 days retention
Translation Management
lingohub.com — Free up to 3 users, always free for Open Source
getlocalization.com — Free for public projects
webtranslateit.com — Free up to 500 strings
transifex.com — Free for Open Source
oneskyapp.com — Limited free edition for up to 5 users, free for Open Source
crowdin.com — Unlimited projects, unlimited strings and collaborators for Open Source
Monitoring
opbeat.com — Instant performance insights for JS developers. Free with 24 hours data retention
checkmy.ws — Free 15 days full demo and 3 websites, forever free for Open Source
appneta.com — Free with 1 hour data retention
thousandeyes.com — Network and user experience monitoring. 3 locations, plus 20 data feeds of major web services free
datadoghq.com — Free for up to 5 nodes
stackdriver.com — Free monitoring up to 10 servers/hosted services
keymetrics.io — Free for 2 servers with 7 days data retention
newrelic.com — Free with 24 hours data retention
nodequery.com — Free basic server monitor up to 10 servers
watchsumo.com — Free website monitoring, 50 Http(s), Ping or keywords, every 5+ minutes
opsgenie.com — Alert management with mobile push. 600 free alerts/month for 2 users
runscope.com — Monitor and log API usage. Single user 25,000 requests/month free
circonus.com — Free for 20 metrics
uptimerobot.com — Website monitoring, 50 monitors free
statuscake.com — Website monitoring, unlimited tests free with limitations
bmc.com — Free 1 second resolution for up to 10 servers
ghostinspector.com — Free website and web application monitoring. Single user, 100 test runs/month
java-monitor.com — Free monitoring of JVM’s and uptime
sematext.com — Free for 24 hours metrics, unlimited number of servers, 10 custom metrics, 500 K custom metrics data points, unlimited dashboards, users, etc
sealion.com — Free up to 2 servers, 3 days data retention, graphs and raw command output history ( top , ps , ifconfig , netstat , iostat , free , custom, etc.)
, , , , , , custom, etc.) stathat.com — Get started with 10 stats for free, no expiration
skylight.io — Free for first 100 K requests (Rails only)
appdynamics.com — Free for 24 hours metrics, application performance management agents limited to one Java, one .NET, one PHP, and one Node.js
deadmanssnitch.com — Monitoring for cron jobs. 1 free snitch (monitor), more if you refer others to sign up
librato.com — Free up to 100 metrics at 60 seconds resolution
freeboard.io — Free for public projects. Dashboards for your Internet of Things projects
loader.io — Free load testing tools with limitations
speedchecker.xyz — Performance Monitoring API, checks Ping, DNS, etc
blackfire.io — Blackfire is the SaaS-delivered Application Performance Solution. Free Hacker plan (PHP Only)
apimetrics.io — Automated API Performance Monitoring, Testing and Analytics. Free Plan, manually make API calls and Run from their West Coast servers
opsdash.com — Self-hoster server, clusters and services monitoring, free for 5 servers and 5 services
Crash and Exception Handling
rollbar.com — Exception and error monitoring, free plan with 5,000 errors/month, unlimited users, 30 days retention
bugsnag.com — Free for up to 2,000 errors/month after the initial trial
getsentry.com — Sentry tracks app exceptions in realtime, has a small free plan. Free, unrestricted use if self-hosted
Search
algolia.com — Hosted search-as-you-type (instant). Free hacker plan up to 10,000 documents and 100,000 operations. Bigger free plans available for community/Open Source projects
swiftype.com — Hosted search solution (API and crawler). Free for a single search engine with up to 1,000 documents. Free upgrade to Premium level for Open Source
bonsai.io — Free 1 GB memory and 1 GB storage
searchly.com — Free 2 indices and 5 MB storage
facetflow.com — Hosted Elasticsearch for Microsoft Azure. Free 5,000 docs and 500 MB
indexisto.com — Site search reinvented. Free 10 million document index limit with advertisement block
Email
mailinator.com — Mailinator is Free, Public, Email system where you can use ANY inbox you want! … Disposable Email.
sparkpost.com — First 100,000 emails/month are free
mailgun.com — First 10,000 emails/month are free
tinyletter.com — 5,000 subscribers/month are free
mailchimp.com — 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month are free
sendloop.com — 2,000 subscribers and 10,000 emails/month are free
sendgrid.com — 400 emails/day for free and 25,000 free transactional emails/month for emails sent from a Google compute instance or Microsoft Azure App Service
phplist.com — Hosted version allow 300 emails/month for free
mailjet.com — 6,000 emails/month for free
sendinblue.com — 9,000 emails/month for free
mailtrap.io — Fake SMTP server for development, free plan with 1 inbox, 50 messages, no team member, 2 emails/second, no forward rules
mailstache.io — 4 mailboxes with 1 GB each for up to 2 custom domains
postmarkapp.com — First 25,000 emails are free
zoho.com — Free email management and collaboration for up to 10 users
domain.yandex.com — Free email and DNS hosting for up to 1,000 users
pawnmail.com — 2 GB free email hosting across unlimited users for custom domain. Roundcube webmail, POP3, IMAP, and SMTP access. No paid plans or upgrades
moosend.com — Mailing list management service. Free account for 6 months for startups
debugmail.io — Easy to use testing mail server for developers
mailinator.com – Free public email for testing accounts
mailboxlayer.com — Email validation and verification JSON API for developers. 1,000 free API requests/month
mailcatcher.me — Catches mail and serves it through a web interface
yopmail.fr — Disposable email addresses
kickbox.io — Verify 100 emails free, real time API available
inumbo.com — SMTP based spam filter, free for 10 users
biz.mail.ru — 5,000 mailboxes with 25 GB each per custom domain with DNS hosting
maildocker.com — First 10,000 emails/month are free
sendpulse.com — 50 emails free/hour, first 12,000 emails/month are free
pepipost.com — Unlimited emails free for first three months, then first 25,000 emails/month are free
CDN and Protection
kloudsec.com — Minimal CDN platform targeted at programmers. CDN is free. Optional and free plugins include Page Optimization (Pagespeed), Service Doctor (Website performance analytics and alerts) and One-click Encryption (Auto provision/renew LetsEncrypt certs for HTTPS)
(Pagespeed), (Website performance analytics and alerts) and (Auto provision/renew LetsEncrypt certs for HTTPS) cloudflare.com — Basic service is free, good for a blog, Cloudflare also offers a free SSL certificate service
bootstrapcdn.com — CDN for bootstrap, bootswatch and font awesome
surge.sh — Single–command, bring your own source control web publishing CDN
cdnjs.com — CDN for JavaScript libraries, CSS libraries, SWF, images, etc
jsdelivr.com — Super-fast CDN of OSS (JS, CSS, fonts) for developers and webmasters, accepts PRs to add more
developers.google.com — The Google Hosted Libraries is a content distribution network for the most popular, Open Source JavaScript libraries
asp.net — The Microsoft Ajax CDN hosts popular third party JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and enables you to easily add them to your Web application
toranproxy.com — Proxy for Packagist and GitHub. Never fail CD. Free for personal use, 1 developer, no support
rawgit.com — Free limited traffic, serves raw files directly from GitHub with proper Content-Type headers
incapsula.com — Free CDN and DDoS protection
fastly.com — Free CDN, all features until USD 50/month is reached, enough for most, then pay or suspended
athenalayer.com — Free DDoS protection with unlimited websites
section.io — A simple way to spin up and manage a complete Varnish Cache solution. Supposedly free forever for one site
netdepot.com — First 100 GB free/month
dropigee.com — Dropigee provides CDN + Cloud Storage, get 2 GB of bandwidth and unlimited storage free per month
PaaS
cloud.google.com — Google App Engine gives 28 instance hours/day free, 1 GB NoSQL database and more
engineyard.com — Engine Yard provides 500 free hours
azure.microsoft.com — MS Azure gives USD 200 worth of free usage for a trial
appharbor.com — A .Net PaaS that provides 1 free worker
shellycloud.com — Platform for hosting Ruby and Ruby on Rails apps, €20 of free credit
heroku.com — Host your apps in the cloud, free for single process apps
firebase.com — Build realtime apps, free plan has 100 max. connections, 10 GB data transfer, 1 GB data storage, 1 GB hosting storage and 10 GB hosting transfer
bluemix.net — IBM PaaS with a monthly free allowance
openshift.com — Red Hat PaaS, free tier provides three small gears each with 512 MB memory and 1 GB storage. {Browse one-click deployments}
outsystems.com — Enterprise web development PaaS for on-premise or cloud, free “personal environment” offering allows for unlimited code and up to 1 GB database
platform.telerik.com — Build and deploy mobile applications using JavaScript. Free plan has 100 MB data storage, 1 GB file storage, 5 GB bandwidth, 1 million push notifications for BaaS offering, 100 active devices for analytics
scn.sap.com — The in-memory Platform-as-a-Service offering from SAP. Free developer accounts come with 1 GB structured, 1 GB unstructured, 1 GB of Git data and allow you to run HTML5, Java and HANA XS apps
mendix.com — Rapid Application Development for Enterprises, unlimited number of free sandbox environments supporting 10 users, 100 MB of files and 100 MB database storage each
pythonanywhere.com — Cloud Python app hosting. Beginner account is free, 1 Python web application at your-username.pythonanywhere.com domain, 512 MB private file storage, one MySQL database
configure.it — Mobile app development platform, free for 2 projects, limited features but no resource limits
elastx.com — Free tier with up to 4 cloudlets, must be renewed every year
pagodabox.io — Small worker, web server, cache, and database for free
cloudandheat.com — 128 MB of RAM for free, includes support for custom domains for free
zeit.co/now – Managed platform for Node.js deployments, featuring dynamic realtime scaling. Includes 20 free deploys/month limited to 1GB storage and 1GB bandwidth for OSS projects (source files are exposed on a public URL)
sandstorm.io – Sandstorm is an open source operating system for personal and private clouds. Free plan offers 200MB storage and 5 grains free.
BaaS
apigee.com — Unlimited trial includes NoSQL data store with 25 GB of storage, user and permission management, geolocation, 10 million push notifications/month, remote configuration, beta and A/B split testing, APM, fully API driven. Accessible and manageable via UI, SDK, and API
appacitive.com — Mobile backend, free for the first 3 months with 100 K API calls, push notifications
bip.io — A web-automation platform for easily connecting web services. Fully open GPLv3 to power the backend of your Open Source project. Commercial OEM License available
blockspring.com — Cloud functions. Free for 5 million runs/month
kinvey.com — Mobile backend, starter plan has unlimited requests/second, with 2 GB of data storage, as well as push notifications for up 5 million unique recipients. Enterprise application support
konacloud.io — Web and Mobile Backend as a Service, with 5 GB free account
layer.com — The full-stack building block for communications
quickblox.com — A communication backend for instant messaging, video and voice calling, and push notifications
pushbots.com — Push notification service. Free for up to 1.5 million pushes/month
dreamfactory.com — DreamFactory is an Open Source backend platform that provides all of the RESTful services you need to build fantastic mobile and web applications
onesignal.com — Unlimited free push notifications
getstream.io — Build scalable news feeds and activity streams in a few hours instead of weeks, free for 3 million feed updates/month
tyk.io — API management with authentication, quotas, monitoring, and analytics. Free cloud offering
iron.io — Async task processing (like AWS Lambda) with free tier and 1 month free trial
stackhut.com — Async task processing (like AWS Lambda). 10 free private services and unlimited free public services
pubnub.com — Free push notifications for up to 1 million messages/month and 100 active daily devices
webtask.io — Run code with an HTTP call. No provisioning. No deployment
zapier.com — Connect the apps you use, to automate tasks. 5 zaps, every 15 min. and 100 tasks/month
stackstorm.com — Event-driven automation for apps, services and workflows, free without flow, access control, LDAP,…
simperium.com — Move data everywhere instantly and automatically, multi-platform, unlimited sending and storage of structured data, max. 2,500 users/month
stamplay.com — Connect services together with a visual interface. 50 K API calls, 100 GB data transfer, and 1 GB storage for free
Web Hosting
closeheat.com — Development Environment in the Cloud for Static Websites with Free Hosting and GitHub integration. 1 free website with custom domain support
code.fosshub.com — is a free service offered by FossHub. Free hosting for Open Source projects.
sourceforge.net — Find, Create, and Publish Open Source software for free
simplybuilt.com — SimplyBuilt offers free website building and hosting for {Open Source projects}. Simple alternative to GitHub Pages
devport.co — Turn GitHub projects, apps, and websites into a personal developer portfolio
netlify.com — Builds, deploy and hosts static site or app, free for 100 MB data and 1 GB bandwidth
pantheon.io — Drupal and WordPress hosting, automated DevOps, and scalable infrastructure. Free for developers and agencies
acquia.com — Hosting for Drupal sites. Free tier for developers. Free development tools (such as Acquia Dev Desktop) also available
bitballoon.com — BitBalloon offers hosting for static sites and apps. Free on a subdomain
readthedocs.org — Free documentation hosting with versioning, PDF generation and more
bubble.is — Visual programming to build web and mobile apps without code, free 100 visitors/month, 2 apps
contentful.com — Content as a Service. Content management and delivery APIs in the cloud. 3 users, 3 spaces (repositories) and 100,000 API requests/month for free
tilda.cc — One site, 50 pages, 50 MB storage, only the main pre-defined blocks among 170+ available, no fonts, no favicon and no custom domain
pubstorm.com — Free static content hosting with global CDN and custom domain support. 10 free sites, each with 2 past revisions
DNS
freedns.afraid.org — Free DNS hosting
dns.he.net — Free DNS hosting service with Dynamic DNS Support
luadns.com — Free DNS hosting, 3 domains, all features with reasonable limits
domain.yandex.com — Free email and DNS hosting for up to 1,000 users
selectel.com – Free DNS hosting, anycast, 10 geo zones
cloudns.net — Free DNS hosting up to 3 domains with unlimited records
ns1.com — Data Driven DNS, automatic traffic management, 1 million free queries
IaaS
aws.amazon.com — AWS Free Tier, free for 12 months
exoscale.ch — Free resources for Open Source
developer.rackspace.com — Rackspace Cloud gives USD 50/month for 12 months
cloud.google.com/compute — Google Compute Engine gives USD 300 over 60 days
virtzone.net — Free VPS. You must meet certain minor qualifications
backblaze.com – Backblaze B2 cloud storage. Free 10GB (Amazon S3-like) object storage for unlimited time
DBaaS
cloudant.com — Hosted database from IBM, free if usage is below USD 50/month
orchestrate.io — 1 application free
redislabs.com — Redis as a Service, 30 MB and 30 concurrent connections free
backand.com — Back-end as a service for AngularJS
zenginehq.com — Build business workflow apps in minutes, free for single users
redsmin.com — Online real-time monitoring and administration service for Redis, 1 Redis instance free
graphstory.com — GraphStory offers Neo4j (a Graph Database) as a service
elephantsql.com — PostgreSQL as a service, 20 MB free
graphenedb.com — Neo4j as a service, up to 1,000 nodes and 10,000 relations free
mongolab.com — MongoDB as a service, 500 MB free
scalingo.com — Primarily a PaaS but offers a 512 MB free tier of MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MongoDB
skyvia.com — Cloud Data Platform, offers free tier and all plans are completely free while in beta
airtable.com — Looks like a spreadsheet, but it’s a relational database, unlimited bases, 1,200 rows/base and 1,000 API requests/month
fieldbook.com — Fieldbook lets anyone create a simple tracking database, as easily as a spreadsheet. Automatic API. Unlimited free sheets, share with unlimited users
iriscouch.com — CouchDB as a service. Free for developing, prototyping, etc
STUN, WebRTC, Web Socket Servers and Other Routers
pusher.com — Hosted Web Sockets broker. Free for up to 20 simultaneous connections and 100 K messages/day
stun:stun.l.google.com:19302 — Google STUN
stun:global.stun.twilio.com:3478?transport=udp — Twilio STUN
segment.com — Hub to translate and route events to other third party services. 100 K events/month free
ngrok.com — Expose locally running servers over a tunnel to a public URL
cloudamqp.com — RabbitMQ as a Service. Little Lemur plan: max 1 million messages/month, max 20 concurrent connections, max 100 queues, max 10,000 queued messages, multiple nodes in different AZ’s
Issue Tracking and Project Management
bitrix24.com — Free intranet and project management tool
pivotaltracker.com — Pivotal Tracker, free for public projects
atlassian.com — Free Jira etc for Open Source
kanbantool.com — Kanban board based project management. Free, paid plans with more options
kanbanflow.com — Board based project management. Free, premium version with more options
kanbanery.com — Board based project management. Free for 2 users, premium tiers with more options
zenhub.io — The only project management solution inside GitHub. Free for public repos, OSS, and nonprofits organizations
trello.com — Board based project management. Free
producteev.com — Task management tool. Free, premium version with more options. Mobile applications available
fogcreek.com — Bug tracking and project management. Free for 2 users
waffle.io — Board based project management solution from your existing GitHub Issues, free for Open Source
huboard.com — Instant project management for your GitHub issues, free for Open Source
taiga.io — Project management platform for startups and agile developers, free for Open Source
jetbrains.com — Free hosted YouTrack (InCloud) for FOSS projects, private projects {free for 10 users}
github.com — In addition to its Git storage facility, GitHub offers basic issue tracking
asana.com — Free for private project with collaborators
acunote.com — Free project management and SCRUM software for up to 5 team members
gliffy.com — Online diagrams: flowchart, UML, wireframe,… Also plugins for Jira & Confluence. 5 diagrams and 2 MB free
cacoo.com — Online diagrams in real time: flowchart, UML, network. Free max. 15 users/diagram, 25 sheets
draw.io — Online diagrams stored locally, in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox. Free for all features and storage levels
hub.jazz.net — IBM Bluemix’s project management services. Free for public projects, free for up to 3 users for private projects
leankit.com — Kanban board, that visualizes your workflow. Free up to 10 users
visualstudio.com — Unlimited free private code repositories; Tracks bugs, work items, feedback and more
testlio.com — Issue tracking, test management and beta testing platform. Free for private use
vivifyscrum.com — Free tool for Agile project management. Scrum Compatible
targetprocess.com — Visual project management, from Kanban and Scrum to almost any operational process. Free for unlimited users, up to 1,000 data entities {more details}
overv.io — Agile project management for teams who love GitHub
taskulu.com — Role based project management. Free up to 5 users. Integration with GitHub/Trello/Dropbox/Google Drive
contriber.com — Customizable project management platform, free starter plan, 5 workspaces
planitpoker.com — Free online planning poker (estimation tool)
Storage and Media Processing
aerofs.com — P2P file syncing, free for up to 30 users
bintray.com — Binary File storage, free for Open Source. Includes SSL, CDN and a limited number of REST calls
cloudinary.com — Image upload, powerful manipulations, storage, and delivery for sites and apps, with libraries for Ruby, Python, Java, PHP, Objective-C and more. Perpetual free tier includes 7,500 images/month, 2 GB storage, 5 GB bandwidth
plot.ly — Graph and share your data. Free tier includes unlimited public files and 10 private files
transloadit.com — Handles file uploads & encoding of video, audio, images, documents. Free for Open Source & other do-gooders. Commercial applications get one GB free for test driving
podio.com — You can use Podio with a team of up to five people and try out the features of the Basic Plan, except users management
shrinkray.io — Free image optimization of GitHub repos
imagefly.io — Responsive images on-demand. CDN fronted image resizing, transcoding, and optimizing. 100 MB/month for free
kraken.io — Image optimization for website performance as a service, free plan up to 1 MB file size
placehold.it — A quick and simple image placeholder service
placekitten.com — A quick and simple service for getting pictures of kittens for use as placeholders
placepenguin.com — A quick and simple service for placeholder images of penguins
embed.ly — Provides APIs for embedding media in a webpage, responsive image scaling, extracting elements from a webpage. Free for up to 5,000 URLs/month at 15 requests/second
backhub.co — Backup and archive your GitHub repositories. Free for public repos
otixo.com — Encrypt, share, copy and move all your cloud storage files from one place. Basic plan provides unlimited files transfer with 250 MB max. file size and allows 5 encrypted files
tinypng.com — API to compress and resize PNG and JPEG images, offers 500 compressions for free each month
filestack.com — File picker, transform and deliver, free for 250 files, 500 transformations and 3 GB bandwidth
packagecloud.io – Hosted Package Repositories for YUM, APT, RubyGem, and PyPI. Limited free plans, open source plans available via request.
Design and UI
pixlr.com — Free online browser editor on the level of commercial ones
imagebin.ca — Pastebin for images
cloudconvert.com — Convert anything to anything. 208 supported formats including videos to gif
resizeappicon.com — A simple service to resize and manage your app icons
vectr.com — Free Design App For Web + Desktop
walkme.com — Enterprise Class Guidance and Engagement Platform, free plan 3 walk-thrus up to 5 steps/walk
marvelapp.com — Design, prototyping and collaboration, free limited for 3 projects
Data Visualization on Maps
geocoder.opencagedata.com/ — Geocoding API that aggregates OpenStreetMap and other open geo sources. 2,500 free queries/day
datamaps.co a free platform for creating visualizations with data maps.
geocod.io — Geocoding via API or CSV Upload. 2,500 free queries/day
gogeo.io — Maps and geospatial services with an easy to use API and support for big data
cartodb.com — Create maps and geospatial APIs from your data and public data
giscloud.com — Visualize, analyze and share geo data online
latlon.io — Geocoding API + school districts, census geography divisons, and other address based data. 2,500 free requests/month
mapbox.com — Maps, geospatial services, and SDKs for displaying map data
Package Build System
build.opensuse.org — Package build service for multiple distros (SUSE, EL, Fedora, Debian etc.)
copr.fedoraproject.org — Mock-based RPM build service for Fedora and EL
help.launchpad.net — Ubuntu and Debian build service
IDE and Code Editing
c9.io — IDE in a browser. Incorporates an Ubuntu virtual machine and in-browser terminal access. Integrates with GitHub and BitBucket, but also adds SFTP and generic Git access
koding.com – online cloud-based development environment. You have a Ubuntu OS machine
codeanywhere.com — Full IDE in the browser and mobile apps. Access FTP, SFTP, Dropbox, Google Drive, GitHub, and BitBucket. Hosted virtual machines with terminal access. Collaboration features like share links, live editing, permissions, and version tracking
codenvy.com — IDE and automated developer workspaces in a browser, collaborative, Git/SVN integration, build and run your app in customizable Docker-based runners (free tier includes: 4 GB RAM, always-on machines, ability to run multiple machines simultaneously), pre-integrated deploy to Google Apps
nitrous.io — Private Linux instance(s) with interactive collaboration, free for 2 hours/day. {More Details}
visualstudio.com — Fully-featured IDE with thousands of extensions, cross-platform app development (Microsoft extensions available for download for iOS and Android), desktop, web and cloud development, multi-language support (C#, C++, JavaScript, Python, PHP and more)
code.visualstudio.com — Build and debug modern web and cloud applications. Code is free, Open Source and available on your favorite platform, Linux, Mac OSX and Windows
cloud.sagemath.com — Collaborative mathematics-oriented IDE in a browser, with support for Python, LaTeX, IPython Notebooks, etc
wakatime.com — Quantified self metrics about your coding activity, using text editor plugins, limited plan for free
apiary.io — Collaborative design API with instant API mock and generated documentation (Free for unlimited API blueprints and unlimited user with one admin account and hosted documentation)
mockable.io — Mockable is a simple configurable service to mock out RESTful API or SOAP web-services. This online service allows you to quickly define REST API or SOAP endpoints and have them return JSON or XML data
jetbrains.com — Productivity tools, IDEs and deploy tools. Free license for students, teachers, Open Source, and user groups
stackhive.com — Cloud based IDE in browser that supports HTML5/CSS3/jQuery/Bootstrap
tadpoledb.com — IDE in browser Database tool. Support Amazon RDS, Apache Hive, Apache Tajo, CUBRID, MariaDB, MySQL, Oracle, SQLite, MSSQL, PostgreSQL and MongoDB databases
sourcelair.com — In-browser IDE for Django, JavaScript, HTML5, Python, and more. Integrates with Git, Mercurial, GitHub, Heroku and more. Free forever for 1 private project
codepen.io — CodePen is a playground for the front end side of the web
Analytics, Events and Statistics
analytics.google.com — Google Analytics
heapanalytics.com — Automatically captures every user action in iOS or web apps. Free for up to 5,000 visits/month
sematext.com — Free for up to 50 K actions/month, 1 day data retention, unlimited dashboards, users, etc
usabilityhub.com — Test designs and mockups on real people, track visitors. Free for one user, unlimited tests
gosquared.com — Track up to 1,000 data points for free
mixpanel.com — Free 25,000 points or 200,000 with their badge on your site
amplitude.com — 1 million monthly events, up to 2 apps
keen.io — Custom Analytics for data collection, analysis and visualization. 50,000 events/month free
inspectlet.com — 100 sessions/month free for 1 website
mousestats.com — 100 sessions/month free for 1 website
metrica.yandex.com — Unlimited free analytics
hotjar.com — Per site: 2,000 pages views/day, 3 heatmaps, data stored for 3 months,…
imprace.com — Landing page analysis with suggestions to improve bounce rates. Free for 5 landing pages/domain
baremetrics.com — Analytics & Insights for stripe
optimizely.com — A/B Testing solution, free starter plan, 1 website, 1 iOS and 1 Android app
expensify.com — Expense reporting, free personal reporting approval workflow
ironSource atom — Atom Data Flow Management is a data pipeline solution, 10M monthly events free
botan.io — Free analytics for your Telegram bot.
International Mobile Number Verification API and SDK
cognalys.com — Freemium mobile number verification through an innovative and reliable method than using SMS gateway. Free accounts will have 10 tries and 15 verifications/day.
numverify.com — Global phone number validation & lookup JSON API. 250 API requests/month
sumome.com — Heat map and conversion enhancement tools, free without few advanced features
Payment / Billing Integration
braintreepayments.com — Credit Card, Paypal, Venmo, Bitcoin, Apple Pay,… integration. Single and Recurrent Payments. First USD 50,000 are free of charge
taxratesapi.avalara.com — Get the right sales tax rates to charge for the close to 10,000 sales tax jurisdictions in the USA. Free REST API. Registration required
currencylayer.com — Reliable Exchange Rates & Currency Conversion for your Business, 1,000 API requests/month free
vatlayer.com — Instant VAT number validation & EU VAT rates API, free 100 API requests/month
Docker Related
docker.com — One free private repository,free managed node and Unlimited public repositories
quay.io — Unlimited free public repositories
tutum.co — The Docker Platform for Dev and Ops, build, deploy, and manage your apps across any cloud, free while in beta and free developer plan when tutum will be production ready
Vagrant Related
atlas.hashicorp.com — HashiCorp’s index of boxes
vagrantbox.es — An alternative public box index
Miscellaneous
apichangelog.com — Subscribe to be notified each time API Documentation is updated (Facebook, Twitter, Google,…)
docsapp.io — Easiest way to publish documentation, free for Open Source
instadiff.com — Compare website versions with highlighted changes before you deploy, free for 100 pages/month
fullcontact.com — Help your users know more about their contacts by adding social profile into your app. 500 free Person API matches/month
apicastor.com — Convert spreadsheets into URL and monitor access
formlets.com — Online forms, unlimited single page forms/month, 100 submissions/month, email notifications
superfeedr.com — Real-time PubSubHubbub compliant feeds, export, analytics. Free with less customization
screenshotlayer.com — Capture highly customizable snapshots of any website. Free 100 snapshots/month
screenshotmachine.com — Capture 100 snapshots/month, png, gif and jpg, including full-length captures, not only home page
readme.io — Beautiful documentations made easy, free for Open Source
APIs, Data, and ML
monkeylearn.com — Text analysis with Machine Learning, free 100,000 queries/month
wit.ai — NLP for developers
wolfram.com — Built-in knowledge based algorithms in the cloud
parsehub.com — Extract data from dynamic sites, turn dynamic websites into APIs, 5 projects free
import.io — Easily turn websites into APIs, completely free for life
wrapapi.com — Turn any website into a parameterized API
algorithmia.com — Host algorithms for free. Includes free monthly allowance for running algorithms. Now with CLI support
bigml.com — Hosted machine learning algorithms. Unlimited free tasks for development, limit of 16 MB data/task
mashape.com — API Marketplace And Powerful Tools For Private And Public APIs. With the free tier, some features are limited such as monitoring, alerting and support
dominodatalab.com — Data science with support for Python, R, Spark, Hadoop, Matlab, and others
havenondemand.com — APIs for machine learning
restlet.com — APISpark enables any API, application or data owner to become an API provider in minutes via an intuitive browser interface
scrapinghub.com — Data scraping with visual interface and plugins. Free plan includes unlimited scraping on a shared server
context.io – Create simple email webhooks and code against a free, RESTful, imap API to leverage email data.
Other Free Resources
github.com – FOSS for Dev — A hub of free and Open Source software for developers
github.com – Free for nonprofit — List of free services for nonprofit organizations
getawesomeness — Retrieve all amazing awesomeness from GitHub… a must see
education.github.com — Collection of free services for students. Registration required
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God has mellowed. The God that most Americans worship occasionally gets upset about abortion and gay marriage, but he is a softy compared with the Yahweh of the Hebrew Bible. That was a warrior God, savagely tribal, deeply insecure about his status and willing to commit mass murder to show off his powers. But at least Yahweh had strong moral views, occasionally enlightened ones, about how the Israelites should behave. His hunter-gatherer ancestors, by contrast, were doofus gods. Morally clueless, they were often yelled at by their people and tended toward quirky obsessions. One thunder god would get mad if people combed their hair during a storm or watched dogs mate.
In his brilliant new book, “The Evolution of God,” Robert Wright tells the story of how God grew up. He starts with the deities of hunter-gatherer tribes, moves to those of chiefdoms and nations, then on to the polytheism of the early Israelites and the monotheism that followed, and then to the New Testament and the Koran, before finishing off with the modern multinational Gods of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Wright’s tone is reasoned and careful, even hesitant, throughout, and it is nice to read about issues like the morality of Christ and the meaning of jihad without getting the feeling that you are being shouted at. His views, though, are provocative and controversial. There is something here to annoy almost everyone.
In sharp contrast to many contemporary secularists, Wright is bullish about monotheism. In “Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny” (2000), he argued that there is a moral direction to human history, that technological growth and expanding global interconnectedness have moved us toward ever more positive and mutually beneficial relationships with others. In “The Evolution of God,” Wright tells a similar story from a religious standpoint, proposing that the increasing goodness of God reflects the increasing goodness of our species. “As the scope of social organization grows, God tends to eventually catch up, drawing a larger expanse of humanity under his protection, or at least a larger expanse of humanity under his toleration.” Wright argues that each of the major Abrahamic faiths has been forced toward moral growth as it found itself interacting with other faiths on a multinational level, and that this expansion of the moral imagination reflects “a higher purpose, a transcendent moral order.”
This sounds pro-religion, but don’t expect Pope Benedict XVI to be quoting from Wright’s book anytime soon. Wright makes it clear that he is tracking people’s conception of the divine, not the divine itself. He describes this as “a good news/bad news joke for traditionalist Christians, Muslims and Jews.” The bad news is that your God was born imperfect. The good news is that he doesn’t really exist.
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Wright also denies the specialness of any faith. In his view, there is continuous positive change over time — religious history has a moral direction — but no movement of moral revelation associated with the emergence of Moses, Jesus or Mohammed. Similarly, he argues that it is a waste of time to search for the essence of any of these monotheistic religions — it’s silly, for instance, to ask whether Islam is a “religion of peace.” Like a judge who believes in a living constitution, Wright believes that what matters is the choices that the people make, how the texts are interpreted. Cultural sensibilities shift according to changes in human dynamics, and these shape the God that people worship. For Wright, it is not God who evolves. It is us — God just comes along for the ride.
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It is a great ride, though. Wright gives the example of the God of Leviticus, who said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and he points out that this isn’t as enlightened as it may sound, since, at the time, “neighbors” meant actual neighbors, fellow Israelites, not the idol-worshipers in the next town. But still, he argues, this demand encompassed all the tribes of Israel, and was a “moral watershed” that “expanded the circle of brotherhood.” And the disapproval that we now feel when we learn the limited scope of this rule is itself another reason to cheer, since it shows how our moral sensibilities have expanded.
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As part of a debate I was involved with at the Conservative conference this week on public health policy and e-cigarette legislation, I demonstrated an e-cigarette to the audience by inhaling on it. Judging from the reaction of some of them you would have thought I had just rolled up my sleeve and injected heroin, and this is one of the problems with public perception of this form of nicotine replacement therapy. Without being driven by doctors e-cigarettes have become the public’s preferred choice of nicotine replacement, with an estimated 2.9 million people now using them, up from 700,000 in 2012 when figures were first collected.
The basic point remains that smoking continues to be the single biggest cause of preventable early death and illness in England, with some 100,000 deaths in the UK attributable to smoking each year despite the rate of smoking having halved in the last 50 years. Even on the most optimistic grounds, and including implementing policies currently under consideration, this prevalence is unlikely to reduce to 10 per cent by 2025.
As a GP committed to reducing morbidity and mortality in smokers, I have no doubt that the NHS and recent smoking cessation campaigns have been very effective at helping the ‘soft underbelly’ of smokers quit. This is obviously hugely encouraging, but we face a tougher challenge with smokers who have either been unable to quit or who choose not to. I now believe this means that our views on smoking cessation need to widen to include harm reduction as a valid end-point rather than the absolute cessation of cigarettes or nicotine-related products.
It is vital to remember here that it is not nicotine that kills smokers – after all, medicinal nicotine has a minimal effect on the body, usually consisting of a temporary small rise in pulse and blood pressure – but the 7,000 or so chemicals inhaled in tobacco smoke. These include niceties such as arsenic, cyanide, lead and ammonia as well as almost 70 potential cancer-causing chemicals, so preventing smokers from inhaling smoke is a key aim of health professionals. Smoking one cigarette takes around 11 minutes off your life so smoking 20 a day for a week loses a day of life expectancy.
I use the term ‘harm reduction’ to mean decreasing the burden of death and disease, without completely eliminating nicotine use. In 2007 the Royal College of Physicians stated that ‘if nicotine could be provided in a form that is acceptable and effective as a cigarette substitute, millions of lived could be saved’.
Licensed NRT products include transdermal patches, tablets and lozenges, inhalators, gum and nasal or mouth sprays. In practice however I have found that these sometimes fail to help smokers quit because they are not delivering nicotine in the same way that cigarettes do, including not being able to address the sensory cues and rituals so often associated with smoking. This may in part explain the dramatic rise in the use of e-cigarettes by smokers trying to quit because they offer smokers a similar experience to their normal habit. In my surgery, increasing numbers of smokers are telling me they are trying these as an aid to cutting down smoking or quitting, and ignoring this phenomenon is not helpful.
For the first time, there are more ex-smokers (1.5 million) who use e-cigarettes than current smokers (1.3 million) and the main reason given by ex-smokers who are currently vaping is to help prevent them returning to their cigarettes. Despite their phenomenal increase in popularity though, public perceptions of harm from e-cigarettes remains inaccurate with only 13 per cent of people accurately understanding that e-cigarettes are considerably safer than smoking, and with just under a third of smokers knowing that nicotine replacement therapy in general is much less harmful than smoking.
60 years after the seminal publication of smoking on health by Doll and Hill, we must continue to strive to reduce the impact of cigarettes on the health of the country. Ignoring the rise in e-cigarette use among smokers is not an option in my view, and I would have no qualms whatsoever about being able to prescribe regulated e-cigarettes on prescription. It may be nicotine that makes it hard for smokers to quit, but it is smoke and tar that puts them in the ground.
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National Infertility Awareness Week is April 21- 27, 2013. This week highlights the issue of infertility, as a way of creating a supportive network for families who are finding it difficult (if not impossible) to conceive, and helps to shed light on an often silent topic. CTWorkingMoms.com blogger, Gena Golas wrote the following piece as part of her series about her experience with infertility.
When you're having trouble having a baby, there may be a lot to grieve. You grieve your ovaries, which work only some of the time. You grieve your partner's sperm for being too few or poor swimmers. You grieve the entire process; all of the tests, the diagnoses, the waiting. Things many may never need to think about, you've obsessed over. Good grief.
Just as with any other grieving process, like the five stages identified by Kubler-Ross, the progression of infertility emotions has stages as well.
Denial
"We must have just gotten the timing wrong. Again."
"Male factor infertility, you say? Hon, we're switching you out of boxer briefs into boxers. That must be the easy fix. Bonus points if you want to go commando."
"Something must be wrong with these pee sticks, I can't ever seem to get the second line to show up."
Anger (see also: jealousy, irrational behavior, selfishness)
"Whaddya mean she's pregnant, again?!"
"Everyone around me is pregnant. It must have been so easy for them. Must be nice."
"They sent me the defective pee sticks again, these are OBVIOUSLY BROKEN!"
Bargaining
"I'd give anything to be pregnant."
"If only we had started sooner, I'd probably have a baby by now."
"Why can't we just skip all this testing and get right to the IVF? We know that's what we'll need anyways."
"Hello, Amazon.com? Yes, if you could send me another batch of pee sticks, the ones that work this time, I'll take back that nasty review I wrote last year when I tried to order on Christmas Eve in time for Christmas. I know you have deadlines for a reason. Besides, you have the cheapest pee stick prices..."
Depression
"Nothing is going right. I'll never be pregnant at this rate."
"My 18-year-old employee was happy when her pregnancy test was negative. It's all I can do to keep from sobbing each time I get a negative result."
"Those pee stick manufacturers obviously don't want me to have kids."
Acceptance
"It is what it is. We need to just keep going with the tests to give us the best outcome when the time comes."
"We're not the only ones going through this. So many other couples have struggled with infertility, whether we know it or not. There's a lot of support out there from places we never imagined we'd find it."
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The IEA has long assessed a need for investment of $1 trillion a year in clean energy like wind and solar to meet the 2 C target
Back in 2009, after the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties (COP)19 failed to deliver the big emitters; the US, China and India coming to agree on the need for and level of commitment, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated $1 trillion a year was needed to prevent catastrophic climate change starting to ramp up in the next decades and continuing for centuries.
That estimate is now out of date. Typically each year since COP19 we have been investing globally something closer to $300 billion a year in solar and wind, or a third of what the IEA estimated is needed. So now the mountain is higher.
According to a new study issued by the IEA in advance of the COP21 Paris talks on climate change, we need to quickly ramp up the rate of investment.
To get caught up and remain on track, that rate of investment needs to be raised. Now the world needs to invest an astonishing $53 trillion in the clean energy revolution by 2035. With just 20 years to go, this means the new annual rate of investment needed is $2.6 trillion a year.
With a slow start, now the clean energy investment needed would be $2.6 trillion a year till 2030
“The headline numbers revealed by this analysis are almost too large to register,” the IEA report admits. No kidding!
(OTOH, the savings from not letting our climate go to hell are also up there in the trillions according to CitiBank.)
The World Energy Investment Outlook is a full and comprehensive update of the energy investment picture to 2035 – a first full update since the 2003 World Energy Investment Outlook.
“We estimate that $53 trillion in cumulative investment in energy supply and in energy efficiency is required over the period to 2035 in order to get the world onto a 2 °C emissions path. Investment of $14 trillion in efficiency helps to lower energy consumption by almost 15% in 2035, compared with our main scenario.
The $39.4 trillion of energy supply investment remains at a comparable level to our main scenario, but unit investment costs are higher as investment shifts away from fossil fuels (where investment is almost 20% lower on average and coal is hit hardest) and towards the power sector.”
According to the report, a breakthrough at the Paris UN climate conference in 2015 will be essential to open up a different investment landscape, one that favors renewable energy over fossil fuels. But their assessment of the part that fossil fuels will play is a shocker!
Around $300 billion in fossil fuel investments will be left stranded by stronger climate policies
If there is a global agreement in 2015, the results will be dire for the fossil fuel industry: because the value of all of those stranded assets, bankrupted coal companies, abandoned oil and gas leases, closed pipelines will mount into the billions.
IEA estimates that if strong policy is passed, as now looks increasingly likely, then the fossil fuel sector could lose $300 billion already sunk into investments in fossil fuel infrastructure; like expenditures on coal fired power stations that will no longer burn coal, for example.
And uncertainty will be even worse for the old energy industry. A lack of clarity over policy would increase the risk of investments becoming stranded, says the IEA.
Image Credit: Sea Sunset via PEXELS under Creative Commons Licence
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The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is out this week, and it offers an interesting mobile feature aimed not at Windows Phone, but at Android: mirrored Android notifications. The idea is that when a notification pops up on your Android phone, it should also pop up on your Windows PC, allowing you to then deal with your notifications remotely on the PC. For now most of the features come with a well-deserved "beta" tag, but it's worth a look to see where this feature is and how much more work needs to be done.
Beaming Android notifications to your PC isn't a new idea—third-party apps like Pushbullet and AirDroid can already do it, but it's still interesting that Microsoft has introduced its own first-party implementation (it's also a tacit admission that Microsoft's own mobile platform is quickly fading). The way all these services work is to basically "become a really big smartwatch." The services plug in to all of the remote notification capabilities Google originally introduced for Android Wear, but they're available to any app that is granted the proper permissions. We'd expect our ideal notification service to be able to do everything Android Wear can do with a notification, just inside of a PC app instead of a watch.
In Android 4.3, Google added a Notification API, which can mirror the entire notification panel to another device. Apps can sign up to be a Notification Listener Service, which allows the remote app to dismiss notifications on the phone and to remotely press the notification action buttons. These are things like "Archive" or "Delete" for e-mails and "Reply" for e-mails, IMs, and SMSes. The transportation of these notifications all happens at the OS level and requires no developer support.
Google also added the Remote Input API for messaging apps. After remotely pressing the "reply" button, normally this just pops up the keyboard on a phone and opens a reply dialog, which isn't very useful. The Remote Input API allows the remote device to send a string of text (via voice or typing) to the device instead, and this text gets posted as a message. This is something developers specifically have to build into their apps, but most of the big messaging apps support it.
With those capabilities available, our wish list for a good notification mirroring service becomes clear:
Display all notifications quickly. Display all the information from a notification. Remotely dismiss notifications. Remotely press action buttons. Remotely send "reply" text. Let me "dive in" to a notification by launching the appropriate app/website when clicked on.
Can Windows do it?
Setup
All of these services require some kind of account system and desktop app to sync notifications between Android and the PC. For Pushbullet, that's an OAuth Google login and a Chrome extension; for AirDroid it's an OAuth login and a Windows app; for Windows 10's notification mirroring it's a Microsoft account and Cortana. You've already got Cortana on your Windows 10 box—you just need to install the Cortana Android app, sign in to a Microsoft account on both devices, and give Cortana lots of permissions.
As expected, Cortana asks for the "notification access" permission, which means it uses the Notification Listener Service just like Android Wear. The Cortana app has check boxes for "Missed calls," "Incoming messages," and "low battery notifications," but the real power is the "App notification sync" check box. This makes the previous three options redundant and gives you notifications for all your apps. In this screen, you can add or remove any app from the push notification list, which is important since you probably won't want every notification making the jump to your PC.
On the Windows side of things, you'll need to enable Cortana (if it isn't already enabled) and turn on the "Sync Notifications" option. There you should see your phone in the list of devices, and as long as that happens, setup is done.
What works
At Build 2016, Microsoft promised Android SMS mirroring and that remotely dismissing notifications would work on the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. For the most part, it does.
Your Android notifications will show up in the Win 10 notification panel, right next to native notifications. They'll have a tag that says "From [name of phone]" to denote that they are remote notifications. Like you would expect, an SMS pops up with a text of the message and the sender's name. After you expand the notification, there's a "reply" box that lets you quickly type out a response, which Cortana sends to your phone and delivers. On the phone, Cortana will spawn a confirmation message letting you know the SMS was sent. Missed call notifications work pretty much the same way—including the reply box so you can respond with a text message.
Remotely dismissing notifications is an important feature, since after a hard day of computing on your PC, you don't want to pick up your smartphone and see a bunch of redundant notifications. Dismissing a notification on your PC should also dismiss the notification on the phone. Windows 10 can remotely dismiss Android notifications, but it only does it on one of the dismiss methods.
The problem is there are many dismiss methods. Basically the "new" Dismiss button—the big checkbox button with "Dismiss" text at the bottom of every Android notification—will remotely dismiss a notification. All the "old" Windows 10 methods of dismissing a notification—the "X" button in the top right, the "clear all" button, and swiping away a notification—will only dismiss the Windows notification, leaving the Android phone notification present. Notification dismissal doesn't work the other way, either. Clearing a notification on your phone will not remove it from Windows.
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So let me tell you about a little thing called Shodan. To put it simply, this terrifyingly beautiful website is a search engine for the Internet of Things. It’s powerful, thorough, and just downright fun to play with. Shodan will take your search and discover all devices connected to the internet related to the query. You can make it a board search (all devices with port 21 open) or pin point specific devices (devices with the host name “wordpress” with port 8443 open and running on Apache httpd in the US). Oh, did I mention that it’s free? Pretty f***ing insane, right? Your free account will have a few restrictions, one being that you can only view the first 5 pages of results, but it’s nothing compared to the God-like power that’s now at your finger tips.
This is Shodan. Ignore the “Refrigerators” part… I swear you can search for more than that. Once you create a free account and login, you can begin searching the world for anything and everything connected to the internet. Let’s start off with a basic search, just looking for the keyword “WordPress”.
As expected, we got thousands of results back. Anything that contained the string “wordpress” was returned. On the left side, you’ll see your results sorted by country, port/service, organization, and operating system. We can select one of them to narrow down our search. Let’s only return results from the United States.
Notice that the “Top Country” section is now replaced by a “Top City” section so we can continue fine-tuning our search if we wanted. Let’s get rid of some junk results by defining where the string ‘wordpress’ should show up by using the hostname operator.
Well that helped a lot. We can see that the first result is some kind of remote service, and the third result has an open DNS port. We could continue narrowing down the results, but it looks like we have some interesting stuff we can look into. Shodan is very flexible and has lots of search options you can use to target your searches:
Option Command Example Host/Domain hostname hostname:”google” Port/Service port port:”21” Country country country:”United States” City city city:”New York” Organization/Company org org:”Amazon” Internet Service Provider isp isp:”Hostwinds LLC” OS/Product/Platform product product:”Apache httpd” Product Version version version:”2.2.15” Geo Location geo geo:”39.6949,-83.1383” Date before/after before:”12-12-15” IP Address/Subnet net net:”74.91.246.0/24”
Time For Some Fun
Now that you have a pretty good understanding of Shodan, let’s have a little fun. We literally have the world of technology at our finger tips, we might as well do something a little more interesting. We can click on the “Explore” button at the top and see a list of the top searches and most recent searches:
Nothing shocking here. A bunch of creepy people looking to spy through open webcams, some SCADA port searches, and I have no idea what Dreambox is but I’m sure it’s interesting. Let’s try the basic “default password” search:
Well that’s a concerning amount of results. Again, we just gave it a key term to search for and it may pick up some false positives. I’m going to narrow this down by country and look within the U.S. The third result looks like it could be interesting:
Normally, I’d scrub these pictures of any sensitive information (IP address, system information, etc.) but you’re probably doing this along with me (or about to try it yourself) and seeing the same results. We can take a closer look at the details for that third result. Under the header, we see some very (shockingly) helpful information:
Well, the only thing left to do is give it a try. Lo and behold… the default credentials works:
Lesson #1: Change the damn default password.
Lesson #2: There’s no hiding on the internet.
I hope you enjoy using this tool as much as I do. You’ll come across some really interesting devices (network controlled refrigerator temperature controller, like what?).
Disclaimer: Please use Shodan responsibly. Manipulating any system that you do not own is illegal. This is meant to be a research tool, please be sure to put on your white hat before walking out into the cyber world.
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A superb performance of this classic story
What did you like best about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? What did you like least?
This is a visionary science fiction story - Verne's ability to imagine what could be done with an up-and-coming technology like electricity is brilliant. And I really like how he weaves that ultra-modern (at the time) technology into the old classic tale of the sea.
As for what I liked least, read on to the next question...
What was most disappointing about Jules Verne’s story?
The most disappointing part of this story is...the story. The vast majority of the story - excepting the first few chapters and the last few chapters - is completely bereft of a plot. It is one endless travelogue, listing the sights and wonders they see around the world. And that frequently descends into such tediously pedantic lists of plants and animals that I just want to yell "get on with it!"
Oh...and the other disappointing part is the characters. All of the characters in the story are cardboard cut-outs with no depth or humanity. Captain Nemo is the inscrutable loner. Arronax is the man of science. Conseil is his devoted servant. But none of them are anything more...interesting.
With no interesting characters, and little plot, to drive the story, I frequently found it dragging.
Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite part of the book is the beginning chapters, as Prof. Arronax speculates as to the nature of the creature that has been sighted, and then the chase aboard the Abraham Lincoln.
Do you think 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Certainly not. This book is a work of its time; it would not make sense to try to follow it up.
Any additional comments?
I purchased this audiobook because of the narrator, David Chase. He did not disappoint. His reading brought life to this book - even to some of the tedious lists of the types of fish and plants they saw on their journey. It is an excellent narration.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
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This article is over 3 years old
London mayor backpedals after being told he should have known better than to let his wife hitch a ride on bicycle built for one
Boris Johnson sorry for giving his wife a 'backie' on his bike
Boris Johnson has apologised for giving his wife a ‘backie’ on a bicycle, claiming he was unaware he was breaking the law.
The mayor of London was criticised by the national cycling charity CTC for pedalling his barrister wife Marina Wheeler through the city late on Thursday night on a bicycle designed for one person. The charity said he should have known better.
But Johnson’s official spokesman said the mayor was “unaware that he was apparently in contravention of the Road and Traffic Act”.
“The mayor wishes to apologise for offering his wife a short-lived lift on the back of his bike!
When did Boris the whiny crybaby start being a thing? | Catherine Bennett Read more
“He wasn’t intending to ride all the way home from North Kensington to north London with Marina on the back; rather he was attempting to transport his wife to a main road, from where they hailed a black cab for her.”
The spokesman added: “As everyone knows, the mayor is a huge supporter of cycling, and an even bigger fan of the black cab trade, hence his desire to combine the two!”
Sam Jones, from CTC, said: “We wouldn’t encourage other cyclists to carry passengers in such a fashion. We would never encourage cyclists to break the law.”
Johnson’s romantic gesture could land him in trouble with the police, as giving a backie is illegal under section 24 of the Road Traffic Act and offenders can be fined up to £200.
The law states: “Not more than one person may be carried on a road on a bicycle not propelled by mechanical power unless it is constructed or adapted for the carriage of more than one person.”
Johnson was caught on camera by passengers in a passing car as the couple cycled along Barlby Road in North Kensington.
The footage, obtained by the Sun newspaper, shows Wheeler sitting on the saddle, without a helmet, clutching onto her handbag as Boris stands on the pedals.
After the passengers informed the mayor that he was breaking the law, Johnson stepped off the bike and said “night, night” to them.
They can be heard in the video asking Johnson: “Mate, you all right? Saddling that’s a good one, eh?”
Another says: “You’re not allowed to do that mate.”
The mayor, whose responsibilities include London transport, has had the city’s bike-sharing scheme colloquially named after him.
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Keira Keeley, 35, is a New York actress who has appeared in off-broadway shows including The Glass Menagerie. View Full Caption keirakeeley.com
MANHATTAN — An off-Broadway actress was arrested for trying to push a woman into the path of an oncoming subway train at the Union Square station, officials said.
Keira Keeley, 35, came up behind the 57-year-old victim and tried to shove her toward the tracks as a northbound 4 train pulled into the station shortly about 11:40 p.m. Friday, police and prosecutors said.
The victim managed to save herself by grabbing onto a pillar, police said. She suffered bruises to her arm and pain to her back and wrist, according to the criminal complaint.
It wasn't immediately clear why Keeley, has appeared in several off-Broadway shows, attacked the woman.
The actress, from Highbridge in The Bronx, was arrested about a half hour later after a witness identified her, police said. She was charged with felony first-degree attempted assault, court records show.
Keeley was held at a detention facility for two days but released Monday after paying her $7,500 bail, according to prosecutors and city Department of Corrections records.
Neither Keeley nor her Legal Aid attorney immediately returned requests for comment.
Keeley has starred in several off-Broadway productions, including "The Glass Menagerie" at the Roundabout Theater, according to her website.
READ MORE: 48 People Were Killed by Subways in 2016, Lowest in 5 Years, MTA Says
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STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — If making a nearly six-figure salary in a fun, hospitable working environment sounds good, Chipotle Mexican Grill might be the company for you!
The eatery, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is looking to fill 300 positions at 140 locations all over Southern California.
New restaurants are also expected to open in Orange County, San Bernardino and Riverside.
The average compensation for an entry-level worker at Chipotle is $21,000 a year, which includes health benefits and two weeks paid vacation.
An employee, however, is able to work their way up the ladder.
Lidia Castillo from Koreatown went from an entry-level position rolling burritos to an elite management role.
“From January to December of last year, I went through service manager, apprentice, general manager, and restaurateur,” she said.
Ronald Sedillo, the Director of Training and Development at Chipotle, said a restaurateur makes a comfortable salary.
“Those people make about $99,000 a year,” he said.
Castillo added, “I get a bonus, I get a company car, and if I help somebody else become a general manager, I get $10,000.”
The 22-year-old said she now makes more money than her parents.
“That makes me really proud to say because I never imagined I could do something like that in such a short amount of time,” said Castillo.
Castillo also said she didn’t need a college education for her job because she has 13 qualities Chipotle values in an employee.
“Conscientious, respectful, hospitable, high energy, infectiously enthusiastic, happy, presentable, smart, polite, motivated, ambitious, curious, and honest. As long as you have the 13 characteristics, you’ll thrive,” she said.
The company’s atypical CEO, Steve Ells, also exemplifies those traits.
Ells, who graduated from the University of Colorado, went to culinary school in New York and landed a job at a swanky San Francisco restaurant.
However, it was the city’s street food that inspired him to sell high-quality affordable burritos.
Sedillo said, “He went back to Denver. Borrowed money from his father and opened the first Chipotle (in 1993).”
For more information on employment opportunities at the Mexican grill, visit its website.
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UNITED NATIONS — Holding photographs of dead Syrian children after a chemical bomb attack, the United States ambassador to the United Nations warned on Wednesday that her country might take unilateral action if the Security Council failed to respond to the latest atrocity in the Syria war.
Facing her first serious Syria showdown at the Security Council, the ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, also used her remarks at an emergency session to blame Russia for blocking a robust response to the attack on Tuesday on a northern Syrian town, which has incited widespread condemnation. The death toll was reported to exceed 100.
The United States, France and Britain have accused the Syrian government of responsibility and bitterly criticized Russia — Syria’s main ally in the six-year-old war — for objecting to a resolution they drafted condemning the attack.
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The city hall in the southwestern German town had been evacuated on Friday after a bomb threat was phoned in, but after a search of the building did not turn up any explosives, employees were allowed to re-enter the building.
"After a thorough assessment, nothing suspicious could be found," police said on Friday.
The person who called in the threat to the town hall said it was linked to the cancellation of a controversial campaign speech by Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, said Dieter Spannagel, Gaggenau's head of citizen services.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Germany would face "consequences" over the decision to cancel the justice minister's speech. Germany's Foreign Ministry said it did not play a role in canceling the event, adding that the decision was reached by local authorities.
The town of around 30,000 inhabitants was one of two German venues to cancel speeches by Turkish politicians campaigning for changes to the Turkish constitution that would give more power to country's president, currently Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
sms/cmb (dpa, AFP)
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The American experiment with democracy is in crisis. In this new Gilded Age, wealth is increasingly concentrated in fewer hands and the gap between the rich and poor has grown ever wider.
For the more than 14 percent of this nation officially living in poverty and for the millions more who lack any economic security, the current political process is bankrupt. It does not provide any meaningful opportunity for the voices of ordinary citizens to be heard. For the very forces that control and directly benefit from the U.S. economy also control and directly benefit from today's campaign-finance system, and in doing so, disproportionately influence our public elections.
We can change the direction. To do this, we must not only highlight the standard arguments of the danger of corruption posed by our money-dominated political system. We must also return to the bedrock principle of democracy: political equality for all. The power of the democratic vision lies in that simple promise. As James Madison wrote in The Federalist Papers No. 57:
"Who are to be the electors of the federal representatives? Not the rich, more than the poor; not the learned, more than the ignorant; not the haughty heirs of distinguished names, more than the humble sons of obscure and unpropitious fortune. The electors are to be the great body of the people of the United States ..."
If the promise of political equality is to mean anything, it must, first and foremost, have meaning for the most powerless of our society. The political process cannot serve as an avenue for changing economic conditions for the poor when the playing field is uneven. In a true democracy, the poor and the rich must stand on equal ground.
To renew this promise, we must use our power as a people under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to enact a constitutional amendment that will end the big-money dominance of our elections and level the playing field for all, regardless of economic status.
Such an amendment would overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which equated corporations with people and unleashed unlimited dollars from corporations and billionaires into our political process. It would also overturn the prior ruling in Buckley v. Valeo, which equated money with speech and set us on this course of our elections as auctions up to the highest bidders. In the five years since the Citizens United ruling, a growing movement has emerged demanding this 28th amendment--the Democracy For All Amendment; last September, it received the support of 54 U.S. senators in an historic vote on the Senate floor.
To date, 16 states and more than 650 cities and towns across the country have joined the call for this constitutional amendment. And now Arkansas will soon have the opportunity to become the 17th state. On Tuesday, a broad coalition of national and local organizations will hold a rally at 12:30 p.m. outside the state Capitol in Little Rock to launch a campaign for a ballot initiative in Arkansas calling for this amendment. Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Stamp Stampede will join state Rep. Clarke Tucker, along with many other local and national leaders.
Arkansas has witnessed firsthand the destructive impact of unlimited campaign spending on our democracy. Total spending in the 2014 Senate race here last year reached nearly $63.5 million, with $39.9 million of that total sourced from outside groups, making the contest one of the top five most-expensive Senate races in 2014. Statewide races last year for governor and lieutenant governor also saw millions of dollars spent, and the money chase has affected state legislative elections as well. The staggering price tag on participation in public debate muffles the voices of everyday people.
The time has come for a 28th Amendment that will allow for overall campaign-spending limits in our elections and that will help ensure that all voices can be heard. We have used our constitutional amendment power before to bring down barriers to our democracy and to overturn egregious Supreme Court rulings which threaten our republic. We can and we must do it again.
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than 50 years ago, he spoke about a "promissory note" that had "come back marked 'insufficient funds.'" It is a promissory note that still today has yet to be fulfilled.
America's promise of political equality cannot co-exist with the current campaign-financing structure. If this nation is to uphold its expressed commitment to a democratic vision, then this barrier, like ones before it, must come down.
Join us Tuesday at the Capitol and help us reclaim our democracy.
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Paul Spencer is the co-chair of Regnat Populus and a history teacher at the Catholic High School for Boys in Little Rock. John Bonifaz is a constitutional attorney and the co-founder and president of Free Speech For People.
Editorial on 05/18/2015
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President Donald Trump on Friday tapped Stephen McAllister, a University of Kansas law professor who represents Kansas in appellate cases as solicitor general, to serve as U.S. Attorney for Kansas.
U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran, Kansas Republicans, praised the nomination of a lawyer who clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Byron White.
"Mr. McAllister is a well-qualified and impressive nominee who has my full support to serve Kansans as U.S. attorney," Roberts said. "He has extensive legal experience in state and federal courts, including arguing nine cases before the Supreme Court of the United States."
Roberts said McAllister’s administrative experience as dean of the KU School of Law and "a heavy dose of western Kansas common sense acquired in his hometown of Lucas" would serve him well in his efforts to prosecute criminal and civil cases.
McAllister’s legal mind and litigation experience qualify him for the role, Moran said.
"I look forward to supporing his confirmation," Moran said. "Mr. McAllister is a veteran attorney and has had a distinguished career in federal litigation, as Kansas solicitor general and during his time clerking for two Supreme Court justices."
Trump’s nomination must be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate.
McAllister, who took a prominent role arguing school-finance cases on behalf of the state before the Kansas Supreme Court, had been mentioned for several months as a possible appointee.
The state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the districts in March, compelling the Kansas Legislature to pass a new plan increasing funding for K-12 education. Justices heard oral arguments on the new school finance plan in July.
Before joining the KU law school faculty in 1993, McAllister clerked for White and Thomas. He also filled that role for 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner. He worked in private practice in the Washington, D.C., office of the Los Angeles law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.
McAllister was dean of the KU law school from 2000 to 2005. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1985 and his law degree in 1988 from KU.
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I have to admit, I was pretty homesick. But being so far from home is good for the soul. It's allowed me to understand just how great our country truly is, blemishes and all. But it's also been an enlightening experience to see how we're viewed by those from other parts of this planet we call Earth.
It was May of 2011, when I made my decision to return to Germany, a land I hadn't seen since I was a young U. S. airman during the early 1980's. In the year since I've been back, I've been able to reconnect with old friends, as well as form wonderful and new relationships with others. A lot of people have been pretty curious about this guy from America. And when folks find out I'm from sunny California, I'm peppered with questions as they burst with envious curiosity.
Being African American, I also get another question asked, in one form or another.
"Has America really changed between black and white?"
"Of course America has changed," I reassure them. "Just not everything."
An expression of respectful disbelief immediately forms upon their faces.
I guess the fact we've elected the nation's first African American President hasn't convinced them. But why should it, considering the disrespectful manner in which the opposition party has treated him. In spite of the vigorous denials of some U. S. political pundits, the racial element is obvious. Even to the German people.
Then, the Trayvon Martin story broke and their inquisitiveness took on an entirely different tone.
"America hasn't really changed between black and white, has it?"
Let's ignore the fact that they'll never understand our gun culture. When a shooting happens here, it's a big f-ing deal. But when they learned an unarmed 17-year-old black kid was shot and the person who did it walked free without being charged because of a law, it blew their minds.
"That's a disgrace! How can this happen in a land like America?"
Sadly, this plays into the other images they see coming out of our country. I explain to them how much America has changed. I share with them how far we have come. I try to convince them it's not the same America of fifty years ago. Or even of twenty years ago, as memories of the LA Riots popped back in the news.
At the same time, I'm very honest with them. I explain how, as a black person in America, the rules are different.
I've shared with them how I've entered elevators where white women have clutched their purses tightly to their bodies, fearful I might steal from them.
I've explained that black folks aren't supposed to run out of stores. For many, it's an instant sign a crime has been committed, even when one hasn't been reported.
I've told them how I was "trained" to keep my hands in the air while being stopped by police. Then, I'd instruct the officers to "tell me what you want me to do next." That "training" came from my mom. She just wanted to make sure I made it home alive every day.
"How could you live like that?" I've been asked.
"I'd be afraid every time my son left the house," a German mother said to me.
But I also share with them many folks of different races who do find ways to get along. I've explained it was a white reading development teacher who took me, a black inner city kid with a reading problem, and molded him into a young writer.
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The Census of Quirinius was a census of Judea taken by Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, Roman governor of Syria, upon the imposition of direct Roman rule in 6 CE. The Gospel of Luke uses it as the narrative means to establish the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1–5), but places it within the reign of Herod the Great, who died 9 years earlier. No satisfactory explanation of the contradiction seems possible on the basis of present knowledge, and most scholars think that the author of the gospel made a mistake.
The census [ edit ]
In 6 CE the Roman Empire deposed Herod Archelaus, who ruled the largest section of Judea as a Roman client king, and converted his territory into the Roman province of Judea. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, the newly-appointed Imperial Legate (governor) of the province of Roman Syria, was assigned to carry out a tax census of the new province. According to Josephus, a Jewish historian writing in the late first century CE, Jews reacted negatively to this census. Most were convinced to comply with it by the high priest, but some joined a rebellion led by Judas of Galilee.
Mention in the Gospel of Luke [ edit ]
The Gospel of Luke links the birth of Jesus to the census:
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. Luke 2:1–5
There are major difficulties in accepting Luke's account: the gospel links the birth of Jesus to the reign of Herod the Great (Luke 1:5: "In the days of King Herod of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah..."), but the census took place in 6 CE, nine years after Herod's death in 4 BCE; there was no single census of the entire empire under Augustus; no Roman census required people to travel from their own homes to those of distant ancestors; and the census of Judea would not have affected Joseph and his family, living in Galilee. Some conservative scholars have argued that Quirinius may have had an earlier and historically unattested term as governor of Syria, or that he previously held other senior positions which may have led him to be involved in the affairs of Judea during Herod's reign, or that the passage should be interpreted in some other fashion. Such arguments have been rejected on various grounds, including that there is no time in the known career of Quirinius when he could have served as governor of Syria before 6 CE, that the Romans did not directly tax client kingdoms, and that the hostile reaction of the Jews in 6 CE suggests direct taxation by Rome was new at the time. Ralph Martin Novak argues that these conservative interpretations spring from the assumption that the Bible is inerrant, and Géza Vermes called such arguments "exegetical acrobatics". Most scholars have concluded that the author of Luke's gospel made an error.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Citations [ edit ]
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Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainGOP lobbyists worry Trump lags in K Street fundraising Mark Kelly kicks off Senate bid: ‘A mission to lift up hardworking Arizonans’ Gabbard hits back at Meghan McCain after fight over Assad MORE (R-Ariz.) said Thursday that recently released emails related to the terrorist attack in Benghazi proved the “cover up and obfuscation” of the Obama administration.
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“[This email] is all about the presidential campaign. It’s not about trying to find out who committed this heinous crime,” McCain said, referring the release of new emails from White House adviser Ben Rhodes. “Not a single person who was responsible for the murder of these four brave Americans has been brought to justice.”
In those emails, sent in advance of TV appearances by then-United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, Rhodes said officials should make it a goal to show that the protests were based on an Internet video.
McCain vowed that he would “never give up on the issue until the truth is revealed” and reiterated his call for a select committee to investigate the matter.
“The time has now come for a select committee because these talking points raise more questions than are answered,” McCain said. “This is a cover up of a situation that was politically motivated … and the American people deserve to know the truth.”
On Sept. 11, 2012, terrorists killed four American at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Republicans have charged that the White House initially linked the attack to a protest because it wanted to play down the idea it was a terrorist attack before the presidential election. The administration eventually acknowledged the attack was an act of terrorism.
Lawmakers have also questioned why there wasn’t more security around the U.S. facility or a military extraction effort once the attack started.
Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamHouse to push back at Trump on border Trump pressures GOP senators ahead of emergency declaration vote: 'Be strong and smart' This week: Congress, Trump set for showdown on emergency declaration MORE (R-S.C.) said Thursday that the new emails were “the smoking gun” proving the administration was trying to keep the truth from the public.
“They did not want you to know about this email … because it is the smoking gun,” Graham said on the Senate floor. “That shows they were constantly trying to manipulate the evidence. … That to me is unacceptable.”
-- This report was updated at 4 p.m.
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Image copyright Reuters Image caption Are there any hopes for Republicans wanting to see the back of Trump?
For all Republicans out there longing to boot Donald Trump off the presidential ticket even at this late stage, there are four key words.
Death, declination, or otherwise.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) sets out in its Rule 9 the terms for "filling vacancies in nominations".
It reads: "The Republican National Committee is hereby authorized and empowered to fill any and all vacancies which may occur by reason of death, declination, or otherwise of the Republican candidate for President of the United States."
Death may be off the agenda, so what about the other scenarios?
Declination...
Mr Trump would voluntarily leave the race.
With "Rule 9" invoked, the RNC could then either reconvene the 2,472-delegate convention to vote again - a virtual impossibility at this stage - or the board of the RNC, with 160 members representing all states and territories, would select a replacement.
Each state and territory would have the same amount of voting power that it had at the convention. Mike Pence, the vice-presidential nominee, would not get an automatic promotion because the board could choose anyone to fill the vacancy.
Many Republican representatives and senators would welcome a new candidate as he or she could help them hold on to their seats.
Unfortunately for Trump opponents, the candidate has shown no intention of exiting the scene. His comments after the latest obscene remarks controversy - "See you at the debate on Sunday."
...or otherwise
The anti-Trumpers might take some comfort in the vagueness of the phrase.
Rule 9 has never actually been used before and so its boundaries have never been tested. The last time a candidate left the ticket late was in 1972. Democratic vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton was forced off after his bouts of depression were made public.
Image copyright AP Image caption Thomas Eagleton, left, was booted from the campaign of George McGovern in 1972
"Otherwise" is generally taken to cover the gap between death and declination, perhaps a coma or stroke or other illness that leaves the candidate alive but unable to signal withdrawal.
As such, it is about filling vacancies and not creating them.
But some have suggested a broader interpretation, taking "otherwise" into areas such as acts of criminality, treason or even adopting principles "fundamentally at variance with party principles", as commentator Thomas Balch puts it.
But Mr Trump could sue if the "otherwise" path were taken against him.
By the way, even if he did commit a criminal act, it would not bar him from running for the presidency. He could possibly pardon himself after winning.
Rewriting the rules
Time has run out, it would seem, even if there were the inclination.
Rule 9 can be amended by a majority vote of the RNC's Standing Committee on Rules, followed by a three-quarter majority in the RNC. But it would only take effect 30 days later.
The voting problem
Tens of thousands of Republicans have already cast their absentee votes, many of them in the key states of Florida and North Carolina. What happens to them?
Many state set deadlines locking the names on ballot papers so that electoral procedures can run smoothly. Those ballots now have Mr Trump's name on them, and the deadlines have passed. Anyone voting for a Republican candidate would probably have to select Mr Trump.
This happened in Florida in 2006, when representative Mark Foley resigned five weeks before polling day. The Republican Party failed to get replacement Joe Negron on the ballot. Its "punch Foley for Joe" campaign failed to retain what had been a safe Republican seat.
Vote for someone else
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Gary Johnson and Jill Stein: Will third party candidates decide US election?
Without Mr Trump leaving the race, a Republican replacement isn't possible under the rules.
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is a former Republican and served as the governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. He did pull in 1.275 million votes in 2012 and is on the ballot in all 50 states.
Evan McMullin, a former CIA agent and Republican Congressional staff member, is also running as an independent, but he entered the race too late to compete in every state.
The downside for conservatives is a third-party vote could aid a victory for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
The Green Party's Jill Stein probably won't attract many Republicans.
Denounce him and sit this one out
Image copyright AP Image caption Mitt Romney: "Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud"
"Better luck next time" isn't the most comforting election strategy, but some disaffected Republicans think their best option is to denounce him and wait. More and more are signing letters and writing columns denouncing Mr Trump.
Thirty former Republican lawmakers did that on 6 October, saying in a letter that Mr Trump lacked the "intelligence" and temperament to be president. They didn't propose any removal, just that voters reject him at the ballot box.
Hope he wins and pick up the pieces
Mr Trump has been underestimated before and eventually came out on top. Republicans have made it this far enduring Mr Trump's wild campaign, so what's another month?
The executive branch is a huge undertaking involving thousands of positions and there aren't enough Trump loyalists to fill them all. Republicans - even ones uneasy with Mr Trump - will be able to shape policy and deliver on issues important to their constituents for the next four years.
On the other hand, Mr Trump may have done lasting damage to the Republican Party's brand with Latino, black, Muslim and women voters.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Dalglish hopeful of Reds improvement
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish says he cannot remember a run of form as bad as the club's six defeats in their previous seven Premier League games.
"I do not know if I have experienced a run like this," the 61-year-old said. "I don't remember anything as a manager or a player - or even as a supporter.
Liverpool's Premier League pain 1 April: Newcastle 2-0 Liverpool
Newcastle 2-0 Liverpool 24 March: Liverpool 1-2 Wigan Athletic
Liverpool 1-2 Wigan Athletic 21 March: QPR 3-2 Liverpool
QPR 3-2 Liverpool 13 March: Liverpool 3-0 Everton
Liverpool 3-0 Everton 10 March: Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool
Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool 3 March: Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal 11 February: Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool
"Someone told me for the club it was the worst since 1953. I am not that old and so cannot remember that far back."
Sunday's 2-0 loss to Newcastle was the latest setback for the Anfield outfit.
The game at the Sports Direct Arena saw goalkeeper Pepe Reina sent off for violent conduct, while £35m striker Andy Carroll headed straight down the tunnel when substituted.
"Both were frustrated but that was dealt with and done and dusted on Sunday," said Dalglish.
"Anything that had to be done was done there and then so it doesn't fester for anyone.
"I don't know how other people [outside the club] have reacted but we have reacted properly, promptly and correctly."
Liverpool run-in 7 Apr Aston Villa (h) 10 Apr Blackburn (a) 22 Apr West Brom (h) 28 May Norwich (a) 1 May Fulham (h) 6 May Chelsea (a) 13 May Swansea (a) Football fixtures - day by day
Since the turn of the year, Liverpool have won only two games in the league and dropped behind neighbours Everton to eighth in the table despite one of those victories being recorded against them.
"Everyone is disappointed with the results and understands it is much more enjoyable when you win games," Dalglish added.
"I've been disappointed but I've never been down.
"Everyone needs picking up but the best way to pick yourself up is to put in a winning performance. We cannot go about feeling sorry for ourselves.
"For us we just have to work hard and have belief and confidence in our ability because there is bags of ability there."
Despite their league troubles, Liverpool have enjoyed domestic cup success under Dalglish this season, winning the Carling Cup and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
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Let me tell you a disturbing story: on a cold winter evening, a well-meaning working-class father, in a world where movies are loaded by projector into balloons and popped when it’s time for them to be screened, buys a balloon-movie for his eager little boy. Father and son return home, but dad receives a call just as they’re sitting down together to watch it. The man drives a plow for a living and he’s got to go out straight away to clear the evening snow. The balloon-movie will have to wait for another time.
Day after day, night after night, the gruelling demands of his job keep the father away from home. The balloon-movie, meanwhile, has begun to deflate from neglect – they deflate, apparently, and are utterly useless once flat. The weary father, dragging himself in after another brutal shift on the road, soon discovers his son asleep on the couch, still clutching this pathetic withered entertainment as though tonight might finally have been the night. Dad bears his son to his bedroom in his arms and sadly tucks him in. Then he spots something under the bed: a box of long-deflated balloons. The son has been forsaken. The father is ashamed.
Like this grim tale of disappointment and sorrow?
Permit me another. A young girl lonely for companionship wills a snowman to life. He is able, using light and shadow, to project movies by magic onto the brown picket fence in the girl’s backyard, and the two of them watch and laugh together joyously all winter long. But when spring arrives, and the snowman begins to melt, the girl must act drastically to save her frosty friend, so she moves him to a stand-up freezer in the back of the family garage. Winter returns once more the following year, but the girl, getting older, has forgotten all about her pal. She leaves the poor snowman confined to his glacial coffin for decades, without sparing him so much as a passing thought.
These macabre fables – like Grimms’ Fairy Tales, or Black Mirror episodes, or children’s stories by J.G. Ballard — were in fact devised for the Cineplex theatre chain by the Canadian advertising agency Zulu Alpha Kilo. “A Balloon for Ben,” as the first of the short films described above is called, has screened before every single movie in every single Cineplex-branded multiplex in the country since it was introduced in December, and it will continue to do so through the rest of the winter, just as “Lily & The Snowman,” the second of the shorts described above, did the year before.
Zulu Alpha Kilo’s shorts are not, as far as I can tell, meant to be harrowing enquiries into pain and human imperfection. They’re not intended to frighten or alarm the many millions of people who will see them at least once and, at most, dozens of times this season. They’re not horror movies by design. In a press release put out last month, a Cineplex representative describes the company’s latest traumatic drama as “heartwarming.” “We hope,” the rep explains, “that it encourages viewers to once again make time for what’s really important in their lives.”
Yes, well, it may do that – in much the same way that pictures of lung cancer dissuade people from smoking or the Old Testament encourages people not to sin.
I am at the movies often enough that by now I’d wager I’ve seen A Balloon for Ben in its tragic entirety at least a dozen times. And I have questions. Why does an infant child, glimpsed at the beginning of the short with a balloon in her hands, seem upset when the balloon pops, if popping is precisely what the balloon is supposed to do? If the movies become unwatchable after a few days without use, why store them on balloons in the first place?
And if the balloons are designed for home use, would they not more readily evoke video rentals rather than a trip to the local Cineplex, which is presumably what Cineplex itself, who paid tens of thousands of dollars for what is essentially an advertisement for its theatres, would want us to have in mind?
I’ve become fixated on what’s absent for most of the film: the boy’s mother. Why doesn’t she watch one of the balloon-movies with her son if the father is so busy he can hardly manage to make it home while the kid is even awake? Perhaps you’ll suggest that the boy’s parents are obviously divorced. Which is what I assumed, too – until I noticed, on the seventh or eighth viewing, that the mother steps out of the house to join her husband and son in the short’s final two seconds.
Does she work day and night too? Or does she have some irrational contempt for movies? And if neither parent is available for a bit of bonding in the evening, who’s watching after, let alone feeding or nurturing, this helpless little child? Maybe it isn’t balloon-movies these people ought to be making time for.
If all of this seems rather obsessive, Cineplex is to blame: they’re the ones who’ve forced this ghastly horror show upon me so often, leaving me to contemplate it with a fervour that increases every time it screens. Those of us who make time already for what Cineplex would like to promote – those of us who enjoy an evening among the figurative balloon-movies with loved ones and friends more than once a season – must endure this fright and its bullying didacticism relentlessly, wondering all the while over details the people who created it evidently didn’t think about at all.
Hearts are not warmed, assuredly. Fear strikes them. Ballard himself never unnerved or bewildered so thoroughly.
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Children's teenage years are supposed to be full of learning and laughter but one man has spoken of the unimaginable abuse he received at the hands of the person he trusted most - his mother.
'Hamish' who is now in his 50s, was 12 years old when his childhood innocence was taken away from him by his mum.
The woman who he described as 'mentally unwell' had sex with him one day when he was recovering from sickness.
An Australian man has told the horrifying tale about the sexual abuse he received at the hands of the one person he trusted most in the world - his mother (stock image)
'She had this big bedroom and if we were ever sick or anything like that we'd stay in her bed. One day she just initiated it, she just started touching me and it just went from there,' Hamish told news.com.au.
'She preyed on the fact I was coming into puberty and made me feel important and special.'
Hamish thought he had it all growing up, he lived in a wealthy suburb and went to a private school but all that meant nothing behind closed doors.
He suffered physical and mental abuse that has scarred him for life and was warned to not talk about the sexual abuse saying that he was told that 'people wouldn't understand'.
Hamish said that the abuse only stopped once his mother died when he was 15 but he has carried the scars of those awful three years for a lifetime.
The memories of his traumatic childhood were repressed and Hamish moved on and fell in love and got married in the early 90s.
'Hamish' who is now in his 50s, was 12 years old when his childhood innocence was taken away from him by his mum when she had sex with him (stock image)
Hamish suffered physical and mental abuse that has scarred him for life and was warned to not talk about the sexual abuse (stock image)
Hamish struggled with the abuse and kept it secret from his wife for 20 years until a story surfaced in the news that brought memories flooding back (stock image)
He struggled with the abuse and kept it secret from his wife for 20 years until a story surfaced in the news that brought memories flooding back.
'It's really hard to tell someone you love, "By the way, my mother abused me and I had sex with my mother",' he said.
Unfortunately for Hamish the secret took its toll on his relationship and he and his wife split three years ago after he had an affair.
Hamish wishes he had received some help for the mental scarring and regrets what it did to his relationship
For anyone who may have suffered at the hands of abuse help is available via Mensline 24/7 on 1300 78 99 78 or visit www.mensline.org.au or Lifeline on 131114.
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Pwnd By A REAL Gamer Girl
Alexa Ray Corriea September 20, 2011 1:30:00 PM EST
I’m a girl, and I like to play video games. I’d rather have friends over for a couple (hundred) rounds of Mario Kart or Catherine puzzles than go out partying. I carry my PSP everywhere — simultaneously balancing on an elliptical trainer and grinding in Valkyrie Profile is not as hard as you’d think. My ideal date is a Domino’s Supreme Hawaiian, a bottle of Charles Shaw shiraz and a marathon play-through of an old-school RPG (whip out Final Fantasy VI, and I’m yours forever). There’s nothing weird or rare about my love for gaming — female gamers are far from the elusive fantastical creatures the internet thinks they are. No, female gamers are everywhere. Some of us wear the tag loudly and proudly. Some of us prefer to demure.
And some of us ruin it for everyone.
PwnedbyGirls.com has not officially opened, and I pray to whatever gods watch over poor gamers as they sleep at night (or day) that it never does. “MeowMistiDawn,” whose name references not one but TWO annoying Pokemon female heroines, and “Superpinkninja,” whose target demographic must be unabashedly self-proclaimed “weeabos,” look like they can’t play a game to save their lives. Button mashing with your nipple looks like it would be pretty hard… And what in the name of Jenova is that, a freaking Duck Hunt gun?
The Internet has painted the gamer girl as that of a lonely, overweight, ugly, and friendless creature who spends her days locked up in her room playing video games because she can’t gain acceptance in the real world. PwnedbyGirls.com does nothing but perpetuate this myth by stripping two “ideal” women who aren’t part of the “real world” down to their underwear and making them rub Xbox games all over their boobs. If male gamers tune into this, I’m pretty sure it’s not to watch these girls shoot and teabag each other in Halo, which is a good thing too – that is not how you hold a controller, you miseducated harlequin. You and your bleached hair and stupid tattoos and fake tits have ruined it for everyone.
For every girl who games seriously, there is a guy who assumes she is using her gaming as a tool to attract partners. Those of us that don’t use Xbox Live like Match.com will be subject to viewing through the same lens as these women who have paired gaming with sex. The addition of video games – sorry, video game paraphernalia — to what is already hardcore porn only cheapens the act of gaming – the site is flagrantly and disgustingly disrespectful to the female gaming community.
To the male gamers out there that are turned on by this: you should be ashamed of yourselves. Delete your gamertag, shut down your PSN account, and go sit on your hands in a corner and think about what you’ve done. By patronizing this site, this idea, and by drooling even one drop of your geeky saliva over these women, you’ve done a disservice to ever girl who picks up a controller in all seriousness with the intention of enjoying herself. You’ve hypersexualized them, discredited their skills, and lowered the bar significantly (and let’s be honest, these girls are trying to turn you on with a Duck Hunt remote) for all of us.
It’s sh*t like this, guys, that has birthed the dueling images of the gamer-girl-as-slut and gamer-girl-as-fat-and-ugly if she’s unwilling to peddle to your sick fantasies. I’ve been on the receiving end of sexual harassment and name calling because of my gaming, and it’s demoralizing and discouraging. Do you not want more girls in the gaming community? Do you not want the possibility that you may find true love on the other side of that screen? It’s the guys like you that perpetuate the cycle of disregard and objectification that has driven us into hiding or into the boots of gaming feminism.
I know I wouldn’t patronize a site where male porn stars used their 3DSs to take high-res images of their joysticks. I do not want that, it would ruin gaming for me entirely. I do not want to go to there. It’s a new low we’ve come to, putting the gamer girl on the pedestal of slutdom.
Any girl can take off their clothes and dry-hump consoles. I can do stupid shit with controllers, too.
NES controllers make terrible dildos, by the way.
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What if we had a culture of "do" instead of a culture of "know" in our schools? That was the question posed by sixth-grade language arts teacher Bill Ferriter and three other educators at last weekend’s EduCon, an education innovation conference held in Philadelphia.
Ferriter writes on his blog, The Tempered Radical, that the group came up with the question during a session designed to push educators to dream big and develop ambitious solutions for the problems facing schools. Although knowing academic content is foundational, he writes, students often complain about feeling disconnected from what they’re learning because they’re never given the chance to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. Models like service learning are proven to boost student engagement and reduce the dropout rate, yet the test-heavy school culture has created an environment where teachers simply cover the curriculum and students regurgitate facts onto a test.
Ferriter says his group realized they’d "have to work to take active steps to redefine almost everything about our schools," in order to create a culture of doing. Teachers would need to shift the philosophy of grading from its current focus "on content mastery" to a higher-order, "focus on demonstration of an ability to apply content in novel situations." The decision on whether to promote a student to the next grade would be based on "the use of artifacts to prove levels of mastery." Outside the classroom, school budget decisions would be less about textbooks and more about funding kids' "opportunities to interact with their worlds."
Each member of Ferriter's team pledged to take steps toward learning by doing in their own classrooms, like introducing "meaningful tasks" into the classroom experience. Ferriter acknowledges that many teachers fear falling behind the teaching schedule if they change their approach, but he says it's worth the risk if it means students might acquire a deeper love of learning because they’re actually applying their knowledge. If we're really going to innovate our way out of the recession, we're going to have to ensure students know how to do something with their education.
Photo via (cc) Flickr user Mark Gstohl
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Norwalk native nominated for Best Electronica Artist
Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Norwalk native nominated for Best Electronica Artist 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
NORWALK -- When Norwalk native Christopher Schreiner picked up his first guitar at age 9, it wasn't exactly love at first sight, but in what he called an amazing and circuitous journey, Schreiner has recently been nominated for Best Electronica Artist for his debut single "Amped," by the Los Angeles-based Artists In Music Awards.
"I got my first guitar in 1992 when I was nine," Schreiner, 30, said. "I didn't like it at all right away. It was difficult and fine arts came much more easily to me. When my father said I was a better fine artist than I was a guitarist, I took that as a challenge."
Schreiner persisted with his guitar playing, began writing music and in 2005 graduated from the Berklee College of Music.
"At the time I was playing guitar-centric rock, and rock-jazz blends," Schreiner said.
Schreiner, a finalist for Guitar Player Magazine's 2008 Superstar Competition, took a stylistic departure from his jazz/rock roots, which were showcased on his debut album, Only Human ('08), with his solo project drop.kick.pop, due to be released on Feb. 16, 2014.
Taking his music in a different direction from jazz and rock was partially inspired by advice from his music teacher Jim Hall.
"Jim Hall, who passed away yesterday by the way, always told me that you're an artist first and a musician second," Schreiner said. "The guitar is usually approached in a particular way, but I found myself deep in electronica and challenging the generally accepted rules of the guitar."
Schreiner has focused on exploring the range, dynamics and esthetics of the guitar to create sounds not ordinarily heard from the instrument.
"I'm creating sounds so that you wouldn't know it's a guitar until you see me play," Schreiner said. "I'm trying to change the perception of what's possible and cultivating my musical voice."
The Artists In Music Awards is a privately held organization established for music artists. On Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, 30 out of 150 nominees will be awarded the 2014 Artists in Music Awards trophy.
"I had submitted my single and a panel of judges and fans voted so I'm one of five finalists," he said.
The mission statement of the Artists in Music Awards is: "Our mission is to entertain and give recognition to the finest emerging music artists from around the world. We are committed to providing an engaging and rewarding environment through live entertainment events through Award Shows, Showcases, Red Carpet, and Press Events...Together these useful services provide a much needed exposure outlet for our award participants, resulting in a much needed entertainment platform to build and grow the artists fan base. Our award program is designed to achieve customer loyalty and satisfaction not only with the Artists In Music Awards brand, but more importantly to our award participants for years to come."
"I teach workshops and also privately and what I tell my students is that sometimes is when you depart from a clearly defined direction, you may surprise yourself," Schreiner said.
Schreiner will be hosting a clinic at 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 12 at Guitar Center, 50 Boston Post Road, Orange. Fans may vote until Jan. 1, at http://www.aimusicawards.com
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The "Little Mountain" fire, which threatened houses and shut down the 215 Freeway in San Bernardino earlier this month was caused by homeless people cooking at an illegal encampment, according to the city's manager.
City Manager Andrea M. Miller said one victim, a man, suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 17% of the upper half of his body. The other victim, a woman, suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 25% of her body.
She did not identify them by name, but said they are in a burn ward “and are expected to be there for some time."
Miller added that the city had “proactively” checked the are where the camp was between April and November because it's known to be full of homeless camps.
She said the city "cleaned up 60 encampments in the vicinity of the fire,” with the most recent cleanup happening on November 29th.
The "Little Mountain" fire burned 260 acres but only caused minor damage to a few garages. Firefighters were able to put it out by the next evening.
Click here for more at The San Bernardino Sun.
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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nikki Haley said the new sanctions cut oil and petrol imports
The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea in response to its recent ballistic missile tests.
The US-drafted resolution includes measures to reduce the nation's petrol imports by up to 90%.
China and Russia, North Korea's main trading partners, voted in favour of the resolution.
The country is already subject to a raft of sanctions from the US, the UN and the EU.
Washington has been imposing sanctions on Pyongyang since 2008, freezing the assets of individuals and companies linked to its nuclear programme and banning the export of goods and services to the country.
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the sanctions sent an "unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishments and isolation".
US President Donald Trump welcomed the resolution. He tweeted the world wanted "peace, not death".
Chinese envoy Wu Haitao said the vote "reflects the unanimous position of the international community" on the issue of North Korea's weapons programme.
The Chinese foreign ministry described the situation on the peninsula as "complex and sensitive" and called on all sides to "exercise restraint and make active efforts to ease tensions".
What are the new sanctions?
Tensions have risen this year over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, which it has pursued despite pressure from world powers to stop.
The Trump administration says it is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue, and drafted this new set of sanctions:
Deliveries of petrol products will be capped at 500,000 barrels a year, and crude oil at 4 million barrels a year
All North Korean nationals working abroad will have to return home within 24 months under the proposals, restricting a vital source of foreign currency
There will also be a ban on exports of North Korean goods, such as machinery and electrical equipment
Sanctions target a North Korean lifeline
Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York
This is the tenth Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea.
None yet has convinced Kim Jong-un to abandon his nuclear programme, but diplomats hope this resolution will bite hard enough to change the country's path, or at the very least, restrict its ability to carry out additional nuclear and missile tests.
These strong new sanctions, passed with China's support, show the growing concern of the international community to the threat posed by Kim Jong-un.
President Trump specifically asked President Xi to cut oil to North Korea, believing it would be a pivotal step.
According to the US, North Korea imported 4.5 million barrels of refined petroleum in 2016. This resolution now caps North Korea's supply to 500,000 barrels a year - a nearly 90% cut to a vital lifeline for Pyongyang.
What sanctions are already in place?
Last month, the US unveiled fresh sanctions against North Korea which it said were designed to limit the funding for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption North Korea said in November its latest missile was capable of reaching Washington DC
The measures targeted North Korean shipping operations and Chinese companies that trade with Pyongyang.
The UN also approved new sanctions following North Korea's nuclear test on 3 September.
These measures restricted oil imports and banned textile exports - an attempt to starve the North of fuel and income for its weapons programmes.
Have previous sanctions worked?
The US has been imposing sanctions on North Korea for more than a decade with little success.
In fact, North Korea has said fresh sanctions will only make it accelerate its nuclear programme. It has continued to test nuclear and ballistic missiles despite these recent examples of UN pressure:
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Last week, leakers claimed to have screenshots of the final character and stage rosters for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. games. Today, some rather convincing videos have popped up that appear to confirm the veracity of that leak, showing off some exciting unannounced characters from the highly-anticipated Nintendo fighter.
Warning: the following post contains potential spoilers for the upcoming Smash Bros. games.
On August 19, a poster on the anonymous message board 4chan published what he claimed were leaked screenshots from the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros., which is out on October 3. (The Wii U version will be out this holiday.)
One of those screenshots—compiled at NeoGAF—shows what could be the full roster of characters, some of whom have not been revealed yet:
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New characters in the alleged leak include Bowser Jr. (with clown car!), Shulk from Xenoblade, and the dog from Duck Hunt. The leak also features returning characters who have not yet been announced, like Ness and R.O.B.
At first, we weren't convinced enough of the veracity of this leak to feel comfortable publishing these screenshots on Kotaku, but today, some very convincing videos have popped up on YouTube, using that same name that's on the first character screen: ESRB0083.
[UPDATE (4:04pm): YouTube has removed the leaked videos, which showed various segments of characters like Bowser Jr. and Shulk fighting in Super Smash Bros. 3DS.]
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The name ESRB0083 seems to indicate that this build was designed for the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which judges and rates video games, but the ESRB does not typically play the games they rate, so it's likely that this purported leak came from someone at Nintendo.
The leaked roster is missing some characters from previous Smash games, including the Ice Climbers and Snake, but the 4chan poster has claimed those are coming in the future, as DLC. (This claim, of course, is not nearly as solid as the leaked pictures and videos.)
We've reached out to Nintendo for comment and will update should they have something to say.
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Here are all of the purported leaks that hit last week, as compiled by NeoGAF:
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When the Wu-Tang gods (or RZA) were handing down nicknames, it was no coincidence that Gary Grice was dubbed The Genius a.k.a GZA. And while it’s been 20 years since the rap collective from Staten Island released their groundbreaking debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Grice is still hard at work honing his craft to educate through rhyme.
The “spiritual” Clan member took his message to the University of Toronto recently, holding a lecture on ‘Consciousness, Creativity and Music’ during which he debuted a new, epic rap on the origin of the universe.
The track, which purports to be more-or-less factually accurate — after all, hanging with renowned astrophysicist and Ladies Man enthusiast Neil deGrasse Tyson ain’t nothing to fuck with — is set to appear on GZA’s 2014 album, Dark Matter.
The full lyrics can be found below:
Before space and time thought produced a spec of light
It was infinitely hot, so extremely bright
Within the centre of this great shining
there was massive energy and it was expanding in great timing
Within this fireball was all of space
Of every special place for information it encased
Literally a beginning this cosmic clock was ticking
And allowed space to flow while it was spinning
Everything we see around us
The sun, the moon, the stars, the millions of worlds that astound us
The universe inside is hard to fathom
It was composed in a region small as a single atom
Less than one short width the size of a point of a pen
Microscopic but on a macro level within
Unfurling this swirling cloud of light
A star city, a galaxy with all its might
Within the blinking of an eye, expanding beyond comprehension
Within the fraction of a second, a new dimension
At a marble size, very unstable
In time it will come with a periodic table
Space, was expanding faster than light speed
It moving at the rate only thought cannot see
A picosecond after the big bang
Music of the spheres
Before the ears
The universe is now sang
Small enough to fit in your hand a nanosecond later
It was the size of Mars and becoming greater
A fraction of a second later, 80 times the size of Earth
Fastest growing infant since the time of birth
Still expanding but it didn’t contain matter
Just pure energy that was mixing within the batter
But mass and energy interchangeable
Convert those particles, rearrangeable
Matter and anti-matter (the arch rival)
Met, obliterated each other for survival
A warzone, a battle to the death
But as long as there is life and breath there is one remaining left
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Secret documents reveal precise location of six polluting smokestacks in Sydney
Updated
Secret architectural designs, seen by the ABC and Fairfax, show the precise location of six polluting smokestacks planned for construction by the New South Wales Government.
The designs, marked "Cabinet-in-Confidence" include a previously undisclosed location for a controversial smokestack in Lilyfield Rd, Rozelle, at the southern end of the giant project.
The smokestacks, as tall as 35 metres, would pump out the exhaust fumes from a six-lane underground tollway, running from Rozelle to the Northern Beaches.
Shafts in inner-west, North Shore, Northern Beaches
The precise location of six smokestacks: Lilyfield Road, Rozelle
North Sydney Bowling Club
Serpentine Crescent, North Balgowlah
Judith Street, Seaforth
Parkes Road, Artarmon
Ernest Street, North Sydney
Diagrams outline the locations of large ventilation buildings, substations, water tanks, and the final layout of pipes leading to ventilation shafts.
Lilyfield Road is adjacent to Easton Park, and within 800 metres of Rozelle Public School as well as two childcare centres — Rosebud Cottage and Lilyfield Early Learning Centre.
The tollway project was announced by Premier Gladys Berejiklian last May, when she said she was "absolutely committed to building this piece of infrastructure".
The Government has said a detailed proposal is expected next year.
On Thursday Ms Berejiklian told the ABC that: "it is too early to confirm any design details about the project", and she will "expect a detailed proposal by the middle of next year".
Local community groups angered
The revelation of Rozelle's smokestack plans is likely to anger local community groups, already concerned about WestConnex.
Local resident and WestConnex opponent Catherine Gammell said locals already object to three smokestacks planned nearby for WestConnex.
She said the "cumulative impacts" of the fourth stack would "be devastating for people in this area".
Ms Gammell believes the Government has kept the community "in the dark" over its highly advanced designs.
"These look like the kind of diagrams you would see in an EIS document. It certainly looks more advanced than the concept design provided by Sydney Motorway Corporation for the M4/M5 link," she said.
Cabinet-in-confidence planning documents also seen by the ABC confirm complex planning to build an extensive "Rozelle Interchange" — where ramps and tunnels will connect the Western Harbour Tunnel tollways to WestConnex and City Westlink.
The documents state data about pollution dispersal around the Rozelle chimney is unknown, and recommend detailed explorations on traffic movements and air quality to model future emissions.
Do you know more about this story? Email [email protected]
Topics: government-and-politics, environment, environmental-management, environmental-impact, states-and-territories, sydney-2000
First posted
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“Sadly it is religion, that often breeds contempt for gays” -Bishop Robert Lynch
Robert Nugent Lynch, the current Bishop of St. Petersburg, Florida, last Monday (June 13th), a day after the Orlando massacre, through his blog, expressed his thoughts that he wanted to share with the world ever since he came to know about the shooting at the gay bar in Orlando that killed at least 49 people and injured 53. He begins the blog by stating that on the day of the tragedy, all he could muster was send a text message saying sorry to the Bishop of Orlando, Bishop John Noonan.
Bishop Lynch then talks about the gun laws in the United States. According to him, the founding fathers who crafted the Second Amendment had no idea about the assault rifles that would become available in the future. They crafted the gun laws for the self-protection of American people when only heavy shotguns and pistols were available in the market. It is high time that the gun laws be revised. The modern assault weapons which could be used for mass destruction should only be made available to the armed forces.
The Bishop then says that all the religions, including Christianity, plays a role in making the LGBT people a target for violence. The religious teachings often breed contempt for the LGBT people in the minds of many faithful, which could then turn to hatred, and then ultimately lead to violence.
Bishop Lynch, pointing to the Orlando tragedy, says that all the people who were killed during the massacre were made in the image and likeness of God. All religion, teaches, and believes that. All the religion should stand by that as well. As soon as he heard about the incident on Sunday, he knew that there would be a religious connection. Singling out people based on their nationality, sexual orientation, and religion, for victimization, is offensive to the Lord's ears. This has to stop.
Brave and big-hearted Catholic leadership during this difficult time. https://t.co/YZapnBr7MC — Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) June 14, 2016
The Bishop also says that banning the Muslims from entering the country is not a solution. The majority of the Muslims are good, God-fearing, and peace-loving people. The Devil and devilish intent escape no religious iteration.
Bishop Lynch closes the blog by praying for the souls of the people who died in the massacre, and wishing a complete recovery for the wounded.
The blog from the Bishop comes in the wake of a statement released by New Ways Ministry on Sunday, after the massacre, criticizing the Catholic leaders regarding their apparent silence about the incident. The New Ways Ministry is a national Catholic LGBT outreach ministry. Its executive director Frank DeBernardo said that it is high time that the Catholic leaders speak against the attacks on LGBT people.
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On Thursday, a Guardian Lonergan poll reported that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stands to lose his own seat of Griffith in a 10.5 per cent swing against Labor. If you haven't heard of Lonergan, it's because they are brand new; their accuracy is untested.
Robopolls have suggested PM Kevin Rudd is in danger of losing his seat of Griffith. Credit:Lyndon Mechielsen
But Lonergan is on a roll. Last week it stunned us by reporting that Labor's other big name in Queensland, Peter Beattie, would lose Forde in a swing of 8.5 per cent to the Coalition. And it told us Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury stands to lose his western Sydney seat of Lindsay in a swing of 11 per cent.
Uh-huh. Lonergan's own national poll reports only a 2 per cent swing against Labor. Yet in the three seats it polled individually, it found an average swing of 10 per cent. That's huge, far bigger than we have seen in any Federal election since 1943.
Its Rudd poll came out as The Australian's Newspoll reported a swing of 2 per cent to Labor in Queensland. Is there a swing to Labor in the other 28 seats in Queensland, but a landslide against it where Rudd and Beattie are standing? Maybe not.
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Thapar House stands magnificently in the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi. In such close proximity to Central Connaught Place, the business and commercial hub of New Delhi, Thapar house is surrounded by the iconic architecture of the British Raj as well as some of Delhi’s most famous historic monuments, including Muhammad Shar’s Jantar Mantar. An impressive structure of over 100,000 square feet, Thapar House combines the grandeur of colonial architecture with the elegance of contemporary finishes.
The building is equipped with modern amenities, high-end finishes and elegant aesthetics. The lobby and staircase areas have been built using Italian stone. There are glass door entrances to all the building’s offices. The staircase has brass railing, fluted stone wall cladding and cove lights. Use of granites, designer tiles and glass enhance the aesthetics of the building. There is a dedicated reception in each of the lobbies. The ground floor has a floor directory and there is tenant signage outside all the respective offices. The building has concealed services, planters and mid-planters in the lobbies. The exterior of the building is painted with superior quality external paint. On the steps and in the lobbies, foot lights and façade lights are installed. There is a constant power supply in the building with 100 per cent power back-up. There is firefighting equipment installed including fire alarm systems, a public address system and self-illuminated fire exit signage that conform to industry regulations. The building is under CCTV security surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Thapar House, New Delhi is a landmark structure and was built by Indian City Properties Ltd (ICP). ICP is the real estate arm of the KCT Group, one of India’s leading business conglomerates. Ayesha is Joint Managing Director; she joined ICP in 2008 and since then has concentrated on re-evaluating the strategic ambitions of the company, implementing an operational framework and establishing a culture of collaboration and transparency. With premium projects in Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi, ICP is poised to become one of India’s leading developers of high-end residential and commercial real estate.
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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Amid increasing concerns that shell companies are hiding stolen or ill-gotten funds in the United States’ luxury residential real estate market, the federal government is cracking down by requiring the buyer’s identity be revealed in all-cash luxury residential property sales, including those in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The new, albeit it temporary, regulations will cover five California counties in August, marking the second phase of a program launched by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
FinCEN, starting in March, has required U.S. title insurers to reveal the identities of individuals behind legal entities that complete all-cash real estate purchases in both the Borough of Manhattan in New York City and in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
“We are seeking to understand the risk that corrupt foreign officials, or transnational criminals, may be using premium U.S. real estate to secretly invest millions in dirty money,” FinCEN director Jennifer Shasky Calvery said when rolling out the program in Manhattan and Miami in January.
The landmark program marks the first time the federal government has required the identities of those behind all-cash real estate purchases be disclosed.
On Wednesday, FinCEN announced that their program had been so advantageous to their investigations that they are expanding it to cover six major metropolitan areas.
For six months, beginning August 28, 2016, the regulations will expand to cover any all-cash sale of $2 million or more in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, as well as Los Angeles County and San Diego County.
The program will also expand to cover all boroughs of New York City, Miami-Dade County as well as two counties immediately north, and Texas’ Bexar County, which includes San Antonio.
The expanded regulations come on the heels of a high-profile money laundering case, in which the FBI is seeking to seize over $1 billion in assets purchased with money allegedly stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a fund owned by the Malaysian government and intended to benefit the people of Malaysia.
The FBI announced last week that, “much of the money was diverted by high-ranking fund officials and their associates to purchase yachts, hotels, a $35 million jet, artwork by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, and to bankroll the popular 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.” The fund officials also purchased high-end real estate in New York, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, according to the FBI.
FBI officials said in the case of 1MDB, the diversion of billions of dollars from the fund was made possible though the use of shell companies that concealed the origin and ownership of the funds.
A statement released this week by FinCEN explains that the program was created and expanded in order to identify anonymous individuals “attempting to hide their assets and identity by purchasing residential properties through limited liability companies or other opaque structures.”
FinCEN acting director Jamal El-Hindi said the temporary program not only provides the government with a better understanding of money laundering risks in the real estate market, but will also help inform future, permanent regulations.
By Hannah Albarazi – Follow her on Twitter: @hannahalbarazi.
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This article first appeared July 8, 2014 and has been updated.
Friends, the following article is not about masturbation, oral sex, anal sex, or homosexuality so it may not be appropriate for children. Please use godly wisdom when deciding if your child is mature enough to consider this material. We are going to have a frank discussion about the Theory of Evolution. Why is this important? Because while sexual perversion is likely the number one reason people leave Jehovah’s organization, the Theory of Evolution runs a close second.
Some may accuse us of denying science, but JW.ORG explains, “Although Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in creation, we are not antiscience.” We are also not Creationists. The Society’s website goes on to list two reasons we are not Creationists:
Length of the six days of creation. Some creationists assert that the six days of creation were literal 24-hour days. But the word “day” in the Bible can refer to a considerable length of time.—Genesis 2:4; Psalm 90:4. Age of the earth. Some creationists teach that the earth is just a few thousand years old. However, according to the Bible, the earth and the universe existed before the six days of creation. (Genesis 1:1) For that reason, Jehovah’s Witnesses have no objection to credible scientific research that indicates the earth may be billions of years old.
Quote can be found at JW.org.
Unlike some in faithless Christendom who wish to keep their followers ignorant, Jehovah’s Witnesses understand that the Bible and science are completely compatible.
Yet, we may ask ourselves, why does the Theory of Evolution sometimes prove more seductive than fornication? For several reasons, and by the end of this article, the reader will understand how the Theory of Evolution and fornication are actually connected. The following paragraphs will analyze this connection.
Firstly, the evidence supports the Theory of Evolution. A righteous person knows that this is a very weak reason for accepting this lie, but those that are spiritually weak can find it appealing. The best protection against evidence is to stay spiritually strong. We need to pray to Jehovah when we feel tempted to accept well-tested, unfalsified, evidence. This should be our first and immediate reaction. When a faithful one hears evidence, we should pray loudly in our thoughts to crowd it out. We may even benefit from praying audibly, perhaps during science class for the young ones or when unbelieving family members are watching the ungodly television program Cosmos.
Our next defense is to fill our heads with Jehovah’s thoughts. We all want to have the mind of Christ so read Watchtower literature that debunks the evidence. Consider using the book, Life–How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or Creation? This publication is a powerful tool against evidence.
Lastly, we must remember our Christian identity. We do not walk by evidence but by faith. Associating only with those who also walk by faith alone will strengthen our resolve to stay loyal to Jehovah in the face of all evidence.
Another reason that some are attracted to the Theory of Evolution is that it frees a person from Jehovah’s scriptural laws. Yes Friends, this is at the core of those who are seduced by the Theory of Evolution. They are desperate to disprove the Bible so that they can follow the longings of their wicked hearts. If they can convince themselves that humans are genetically related to monkeys, this liberates them to throw feces at each other. Yes, Friends, feces. Satan knows our weaknesses, and he will draw them out. He will use wicked theories to do so. While the Theory of Evolution emboldens these wicked ones to throw feces at each other, it also encourages them to fornicate like bonobos. So we see that at the base of all desire is fornication. Like Harry Potter books and Smurfs, the Theory of Evolution is a slippery slope toward anal sex.
A third reason that the Theory of Evolution may prove alluring is because it works. Lifesaving medications are made possible because of scientific understanding of evolutionary biology. So would a true Christian reject lifesaving medication that is based on the Theory of Evolution? There is no need to be over-zealous. We are not unreasonable. A Christian’s conscience may allow him or her to accept the medication. However, we can guard our hearts by not dwelling on the science behind the medication but rather by focusing on our appreciation for the provision. Let us thank Jehovah that the medication is available and that he cares for us. It is not appropriate to credit imperfect humans with medical breakthroughs, especially those based on God dishonoring theories. Let us always be resolved to give credit for all good things to Jehovah
Finally, the Theory of Evolution stumbles many because it has predictive powers. Scientists can predict outcomes based on their understanding of the Theory of Evolution. This may make some Christians uncomfortable because predictions are
often practiced by those who engage in spiritism. There is no need for distress. Scientific predictions are not based on information from demons but are based on sound evidence. However, that does not make the Theory of Evolution true, not at all. In fact, these predictions are unreliable and don’t compare to the accuracy of Jehovah’s prophecies. When we are tempted to marvel at the predictions that science makes, we should marvel instead at Jehovah’s prophecies. Be amazed at those that have already come to pass, and yearn for future prophecies to be fulfilled.
The Theory of Evolution is full of flaws and weaknesses. Can it tell us how the universe started? No. Can it tell us what caused the spark of life? No. Scientists even struggle to buy into this theory. Richard Dawkins, arguably the most rabid defender of the Theory of Evolution, admits in his book, The Greatest Show On Earth: The Evidence For Evolution that “Genesis … must be said … to be … fact” (pages 29,30,59,82). Folks, if a wicked atheist accepts the Genesis account of Creation, should not that be a thousand times more true for those of us with faith?
In this wicked time of the end, we should expect that a thing like evidence would rear its ugly head to try and disprove God’s word, but we are people of faith. We understand that the only thing standing between us and feces-throwing are the Holy Scriptures. We honor our bodies and don’t wish to fornicate like bonobos. We are not impressed with a satanic theory’s predictive powers when we have prophecy. We wait in gleeful anticipation of the fulfillment of the final prophecies when seven billion men, women, children and babies will be slaughtered and their carcasses devoured by birds. Only then can we have true and everlasting happiness.
UPDATE: After this article first posted in July 2014, Richard Dawkins caught sight of it and tweeted for others to come and read. Jehovah’s spirit is working wonders Friends. imagine how many atheists were encouraged to come here and take of this life saving spiritual food for free. And we may have also touched Richard Dawkins’s misdirected heart! Praise Jah!
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The ongoing disaster that is the drought in the West is leaving wells dry across California - which account for up to 60% of water usage. As WSJ reports, as groundwater levels plunge (100 feet or more lower than norm), wells are being driven further and further into the earth (500 feet in some cases) forcing the state legislature is considering regulating underground water for the first time. "We can't continue to pump groundwater at the rates we are and expect it to continue in the future," warns one engineer, adding "What's scary is we're not fixing anything... It's a race to the bottom."
"Everybody was pumping to their heart's content, until they realized the basin isn't that big."
As WSJ reports, Groundwater was kind of out of sight, out of mind," said Lester Snow, executive director of the California Water Foundation, a nonprofit policy group in Sacramento, and former director of the state Department of Water Resources. But now...
With groundwater levels falling across the Golden State—causing dried-up wells, sinking roadbeds and crumbling infrastructure—the state legislature is considering regulating underground water for the first time.
Californians have long battled over rights to rivers, lakes and other surface-water supplies, but the drought is finally shifting the focus to groundwater, which accounts for about 40% of water used in normal years—and up to 60% in drought years, as other sources dry up.
Other states were forced to act earlier.
Arizona, for example, began regulating its major groundwater basins in 1980 after experiencing subsidence, or sinking soils from lack of water, and other problems from agriculture pumping, said Michael Lacey, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. "Had we done nothing, many of the areas would have no supplies left," Mr. Lacey said.
But in California...
Groundwater remains there for the taking—except in places such as Orange County with special management districts. The Department of Water Resources said earlier this year that groundwater tables in some parts of California have dropped 100 feet or more below historic averages. That has resulted in an estimated $1.3 billion in damage to infrastructure, such as cracked highways due to subsidence, Mr. Snow said.
And so the government is stepping in...
A bill pending in the Legislature would require that groundwater be managed sustainably at major aquifers throughout the state, such as by authorizing local agencies to impose pumping limits and conduct inspections.
Farmers are worried...
"There is no good time for hurried legislation, but during a critical drought year…is absolutely the wrong time," Danny Merkley, director of water resources for the California Farm Bureau Federation, wrote in a recent column for a trade publication.
But the problem is vast...
County Supervisor Frank Mecham said the near-doubling of the county's population to 275,000 since 1980 has put pressure on groundwater, particularly in rural areas where more vineyards also have sprung up. As a result, many rural homeowners have reported dramatic drops in their well water levels. Sue Luft, for instance, said she and her husband last year had to drill a second well to 540 feet after one 355 feet deep went dry. "What's scary is we're not fixing anything," said Ms. Luft, 57, a retired environmental engineer who leads a homeowners' group that recently teamed with the vintners to support the water district bill. "It's a race to the bottom."
* * *
Of course, none of this matters as stocks are at record highs...
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Guests: April Wolfe April Wolfe Guests: Heather Matarazzo Heather Matarazzo
This week, April sits down with actress, producer, and director Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Saved, The Princess Diaries). They talk about a movie directed by last week's guest Karyn Kusama, the 2015 film The Invitation. April and Heather discuss the effectiveness of the setting as well as the powerful performance of Tammy Blanchard. Heather also talks about what it's like navigating a corrupt Hollywood system as a woman, having her role recast two weeks before a production, and what interests her about violence committed by women in cinema.
If you haven't seen it yet, you must go watch The Invitation on Netflix now.
With April Wolfe and Heather Matarazzo
You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters at @SwitchbladePod on Twitter. Or email us at [email protected]
Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.
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HOUSTON -- Like quite a few stadiums, the Toyota Center plays Drake’s “0 to 100” to get the crowd hyped. The version of the song they blasted before Saturday’s Rockets-Warriors game had one subtle alteration, though. Drake’s mentions of Stephen Curry were blanked out like curse words.
The Rockets take individual awards quite seriously. Daryl Morey calls James Harden the MVP on Twitter and decries a voting system that might deprive him of a starting spot. Intense promos boom over the arena’s magnificent, massive Jumbotron, beseeching fans to support the cause. After dubbing Harden the MVP, the ad insists, “We need to get this guy on the world stage, as a starter at the All-Star Game.”
Harden has had a fantastic season, to be sure, but much as the Rockets try to push this story, he’s not quite having Curry’s impact. He trails slightly in advanced stats such as Real Plus-Minus, PER and win share rate. Harden’s total counting stats might look better, but he plays an extra three minutes per game. Why does Harden play more? Because Curry frequently rests near the end of overwhelming Warrior victories. Speaking of which, as of today, the Rockets have seven more losses than Golden State, a team that’s beaten them in three consecutive games. This current debate isn’t really a debate. Sure, things can change. Harden could have a great stretch and reclaim the status of having a better season. For now, though, Curry paces the MVP race.
Stephen Curry is more than just a 3-point threat, as evidenced by his performance in the win over Houston. Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
Saturday night’s thrashing of the Rockets was another reminder of Curry’s unique offensive impact, juxtaposed against an uncommonly bad Harden performance. Curry missed his first five shots beyond the arc, but that opening didn’t curb his influence on the outcome. That’s because the 3-pointer doesn’t define his game so much as it fuels it. The constant deep threat is leveraged into offense for everyone. Like a notorious bank robber who can pull off heists with a toy gun, Curry can pillage a fearful defense without using his famous weapon. This process was exemplified in the third quarter, when he scored 17 points without even attempting a three and Golden State turned a close game into a blowout.
As Golden State’s point guard summarized, “The second half, I was able to split a couple pick-and-rolls because they were up so high, and I got some pump fake fly-bys and getting in some midrange jumpers and getting in the paint. That's just an adjustment. They try to take the 3-point shot away, and you can't force them up at that point. You got to find a different avenue to either get the ball out of your hands or get into the paint."
Get into the paint he did. Curry gashed the Rockets with repeated drives that ended in an array of soft floaters and pool-pro-perfect bank shots.
In contrast, Harden was taken out of the game after struggling to drive against Klay Thompson and eventually stopping altogether. Thompson refused to take a lot of credit for Harden’s 12-point, four-assist performance and cited other times when the same kind of defense was greeted with monster nights from Houston’s shooting guard. Golden State’s effort on Harden was a collective one. They forced him right and kept swarming the moment Harden crossed to his dominant, left hand.
Speaking of impressive defensive performances, David Lee supplemented 18 points in 25 minutes with a flying fourth-quarter swat of Kostas Papanikolaou. It was the kind of play you just didn’t see the past season and the kind of play you’re seeing increasingly often this season. Lee’s averaging 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes to last season’s 0.4 per 36. He’s one of a few players whose defense has improved under the new regime. After the game, Lee explained his defensive progression by saying, “I’m trying to challenge more shots at the rim this year, doing a better job of that. I just know to put a huge amount of emphasis on it as far as coaches that work with me. Ron Adams has done a great job of watching a lot of film.”
Lee was great, but he was far from alone. Marreese Speights paced the Warriors in the first half. Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green’s combined rim protection keyed the third-quarter transition assault. Thompson continues to make me feel like an idiot for endorsing the Kevin Love trade. Andre Iguodala gave Golden State the exact kind of game they needed off the bench. In totality, this could've been the best Warriors game of the year.
It’s hard to envision it all going so smoothly without the current MVP, though. With Curry on the floor, the Warriors have outscored opponents by 486 points this season. That’s after only 38 games. For comparison’s sake, in the 81 games of Derrick Rose’s MVP season, the Bulls outscored opponents by 498 with him on the floor.
Perhaps the least intimidating NBA player in appearance scares the points out of teams. Give him any space, and he’ll rain 3s off the dribble. Send two guys at him, and he’s coating the paint with the defense’s sweat. He’s a problem that refuses solution, a presence that inspires fear and frustration. No wonder the Rockets treat his name like a curse.
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If you live in the US or the UK, it's been hard to avoid the advertising blitz for DIY website tools such as Squarespace, Wix website builder, Weebly and others.
Jeffrey Zeldman tweeted:
“With @Squarespace commercials on TV, YouTube, and every taxicab in NYC, has web design become a commodity?”
Christopher Butler, who quoted that tweet, added his own prediction:
"Five years from now, the majority of websites will be powered by Squarespace or something like it"
They aren't alone. Matt Mullenweg caused a stir recently when he claimed that DIY website tools were becoming the true competitors to WordPress:
"Naked WordPress (without plugins) is not competitive to Wix, Weebly, Squarespace"
So, I wondered, how popular are Squarespace, Wix and Weebly? How much market share have they won?
How Popular is Wix.com?
First things first, don't believe any numbers that Wix uses in its advertising. Back in late 2013 they claimed 37 million users and in 2014 they claimed 50 million users. Those figures are nonsense and probably include anyone who has ever registered on their site.
How many people actually have active websites on Wix? It's a publicly-traded company, so the real numbers weren't hard to find. Here are their official 2014 subscriber numbers:
In short, Wix is overstating it's userbase by a factor of at least 50. That's disappointing and disingenuous. Wix has over 1.23 million subscribers and is growing fast - that's a great achievement and doesn't need false exaggeration.
How Popular is Squarespace.com?
Squarespace is a private company, so numbers are harder to come by. This Quora post has a very wide range of estimates:
45,000 to 50,000
1.4 million
1.8 million
We can ignore those guesses, but there is some clear evidence that Squarespace is smaller than Wix:
Going by those numbers, its fair to assume that Squarespace is well short of the 1.23 million subscribers enjoyed by Wix.
How Popular is Weebly.com?
Weebly is another that plays fast-and-loose with numbers. They claim over 20 million sites which is again is almost certainly counting everyone who has ever registered with them. Weebly is so secretive, they don't even have the cost of their service on their site.
Even more so than Squarespace, there are no solid numbers to go on. In 2013, Weebly had 80 employees although that number is now climbing. It's likely that Weebly is the smaller than Wix and possibly Squarespace - certainly it doesn't seem to have the ammunition to blast back as Wix and Squarespace cover the US with their advertisements.
What do W3Techs and BuiltWith Say?
One thing we came to believe after looking at the stats is that at least one of most popular website statistic sources, W3Techs, is vastly underestimating Wix.
We really only have 2 number that we can state with confidence.
We estimated there are about 1 million Drupal websites.
We know that at least 1.23 million Wix sites.
However, W3Techs shows Drupal with 2.0% of all sites and Wix with 0.1%.
On the other hand, BuiltWith produces much more accurate results, showing Drupal with 763,005 sites and Wix with 1,048,173 sites.
How Does this Compare to Other Platforms?
Last year we estimated there are a million Drupal websites. That is the most accurate number we've been able to find for any platform.
According to W3Techs, Joomla runs about 50% more sites than Drupal and WordPress runs at least ten times more, so we can make reasonable guesses from there. We can estimate Joomla has around 1.5 million sites and WordPress has at least 10 million.
I have one popular statistic claiming 72 million for WordPress sites, but that seems absurdly high and I couldn't find a reliable source. BuiltWith puts WordPress at a more realistic 14 million.
But, it's possible to create an approximate ranking showing the size of each platform. I've added the BuiltWith estimates for each platform:
WordPress (14,700,000 sites) Joomla (2,800,000 sites) Wix (1,040,000 sites) Drupal (760,000 sites) Weebly (680,000 sites) Squarespace (450,000 sites)
Remember that this ranking is a best guess and accurate numbers are hard to come by. The only thing we can say for certain is that WordPress is way out in the lead.
Summary
Are Wix, Squarespace and Weebly very strong rivals to the biggest open source platforms?
Yes, if you can spend $40 million on advertising in just one year and employ famous actors (Jeff Bridges) or sport stars (Brett Favre) as pitchmen, then you absolutely have to be taken seriously as a competitor. And where numbers are available, you can see these companies are enjoying strong growth.
If you're in the web business, you need to think about how these DIY tools might impact your strategy over the next few years.
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The administrators of the Auschwitz museum have been left helpless by a wave of theft and vandalism at the site of Nazi Germany’s most notorious death camp.
Visitors have scratched messages onto bunks where prisoners once slept, and people are increasingly removing “souvenirs” from the camp that claimed the lives of more than a million people during the Second World War.
In some cases vandals have etched their name with the tag “was here” onto walls and furniture, while one wrote “I had a smoke here”. Others have stolen items such as bits of barbed wire and spikes from railway line that transported people to the infamous camp that operated in German occupied Poland during the war.
“It’s not always young people,” said Piotr Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz museum. “Sometimes even teachers and foreign tourists take things.”
Antoni Dudek, a leading Polish historian and a board member of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance, a body charged with investigating wartime crimes, vented his outrage over the crimes.
“This is shocking,” he said. “This isn’t really vandalism because vandalism is something you do to a bus stop. This is barbarism.”
The museum’s operators say the size of the camp makes stopping crime difficult. Auschwitz-Birkenau covers over 200 hectares and contains a 150 buildings, and Mr Cywinski said despite the best efforts of staff it is impossible to “monitor the entire camp” and eradicate all theft and vandalism.
Poland’s culture ministry, which is responsible for the museum, said it opposed the installation of CCTV systems given the specific environment of the camp.
“How would you feel if you visited Asuchwitz-Birkenau barracks and noticed that there were two cameras monitoring every item,” asked Malogorzata Omilanowska, deputy culture minister. “How would we be able to maintain the authenticity of the camp?”
Mr Cywinski said the only long-term solution was education, but others have called for harsher legal punishments for anybody caught vandalising or stealing from the camp.
But Bogdan Bartnikowski, a former Auschwitz prisoner, said if people really knew what the camp was like, they would think twice about vandalism.
“If they had been there and feared they would be leaving the next day via the chimney, then they would not be so eager to scratch their name onto a bunk,” he said.
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The Scottish Government has today put in place a moratorium on underground coal gasification (UCG) in Scotland.
This is separate to the existing moratorium on onshore unconventional oil and gas, including hydraulic fracturing – and comes as ministers have also informed Parliament that the Government will carry out a thorough and wide-ranging research process into the potential impacts of such onshore techniques.
The moratorium on onshore unconventional oil and gas was announced by the Energy Minster Fergus Ewing in January, when he set out plans for a full public consultation and outlined a programme of research work including:
a full public health impact assessment
further work to strengthen planning guidance
further tightening of environmental regulation.
Since then the Government has undertaken a series of meetings with the key stakeholder groups including environmental NGOs, industry, local government and community organisations. Those meetings have helped inform the government’s decision to extend the planned work which will also now also include:
transport impacts research,
seismic monitoring research,
consideration of decommissioning and aftercare,
climate change impacts research,
and economic impacts research.
This work comes further to an independent Scientific Panel report on unconventional oil and gas which has already been undertaken.
Ministers published the planned research and public consultation timetable today and confirmed that the public consultation will begin once the research process has been finalised and the results published. This will give the public a chance to study the research reports before taking part in the public consultation. The detailed evidence-gathering phase will take place between now and next summer, with the consultation phase, covering engagement, public consultation and analysis, due to conclude in spring 2017.
In line with the cautious, evidence-based approach adopted by the Scottish Government, a separate moratorium on Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) will allow the necessary time for full and careful consideration of the potential impacts of this new technology. Ministers have been clear that these are two separate technologies, subject to different licensing regimes, and hence will be considered separately. The Scottish Government has appointed Professor Campbell Gemmell, former CEO of SEPA, to lead an independent examination of the issues and evidence surrounding UCG. This will include working closely with communities and stakeholders to understand the issues of most concern to them.
Mr Ewing said:
“The studies announced today constitute an extremely thorough and wide-ranging examination of the potential impacts of unconventional oil and gas and underlines the Scottish Government policy of taking a precautionary, robust and evidence-based approach to this technology in stark contrast to the gung-ho approach of the UK Government.
“Ministers have held meetings with representatives of environmental non-governmental organisations, community groups, industry bodies and local government. Those meetings have helped us to prepare for the research and public consultation processes. As a result, we have planned a robust and thorough research process and a wide-ranging and participative consultation process.
“The public will understandably wish to study the outcome of the research process and thus the public consultation will not begin until the findings of the research process have been published.
“Scotland’s moratorium into onshore unconventional oil and gas extraction was welcomed by both environmental campaigners and industry representatives. It will remain in place as the research and public consultation is undertaken.
"We should never close our minds to the potential opportunities for Scotland from new energy technologies – but we must also ensure that community, environmental and health concerns are all fully taken account of. The research we propose in this timetable will give all interested stakeholders important information to allow a more informed debate during the public consultation.
“In line with our evidence-led approach we are today also putting in place a moratorium on the onshore planning of underground coal gasification developments to allow time for full and careful consideration of the potential impacts of this technology for Scotland.”
In line with the Government’s evidence-led approach, boreholes relating to unconventional oil & gas will only be permitted when research and geoscience is the key driver and where they are delivered in collaboration with an independent research body, such as the British Geological Survey, or academic institution, and for the purposes of furthering the evidence base on unconventional oil and gas. Any proposed boreholes would also have to gain planning permission, environmental and health and safety consents before they are allowed.
TIMETABLE FOR RESEARCH PROCESS AND CONSULTATION ON ONSHORE UNCONVENTIONAL OIL AND GAS
Summary of work and timetable Task Date Evidence-gathering Public Health Impact Assessment (Health Protection Scotland) Autumn 2015 – Summer 2016 - Stakeholder workshops Autumn/Winter 2015 - Peer review Spring/Summer 2016 - Publish Final Report Summer 2016 Research project 1 - Transport impacts Autumn 2015 – Summer 2016 - Open and competitive tender Autumn/Winter 2015 - Appoint contractor Winter 2015/16 - Stakeholder workshops Winter 2015/16 - Publish Final Report Summer 2016 Research project 2 - Decommissioning and aftercare Autumn 2015 – Summer 2016 - Open and competitive tender Autumn/Winter 2015 - Appoint contractor Winter 2015/16 - Stakeholder workshops Winter 2015/16 - Publish Final Report Summer 2016 Research project 3 - Seismic activity and monitoring Autumn 2015 – Summer 2016 - Open and competitive tender Autumn/Winter 2015 - Appoint contractor Winter 2015/16 - Stakeholder workshops Winter 2015/16 - Publish Final Report Summer 2016 Research project 4 - Economic Impacts Winter 2015/16 – Summer 2016 Research Project 5 - Climate Change Impacts Winter 2015/16 – Summer 2016 Regulation and Planning Workshops and Engagement Winter 2015/16 – Summer 2016 Report on Findings Autumn 2016 Consultation Pre-consultation engagement (including stakeholder forums, and public engagement) Winter 2015/16 – Autumn 2016 4 month Public Consultation Winter 2016/17 Consultation Analysis Spring 2017
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The board must make clear why India's Test series in South Africa has been curtailed, or everyone will be justified in assuming it was all done for one cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar v Dale Steyn in Cape Town in 2011 was one that will go down as a classic, but the upcoming series has been crippled before it has started © Associated Press
Some might think it is the by-product of games played on another field, some might believe that he is the primary reason, but at the end of it all, Sachin Tendulkar will play his 200th Test in India, most likely at the Wankhede Stadium, where he scored a first-class century on debut.
You'll never know the real reason, the BCCI won't say anything, and Tendulkar, well, he tends to keep his cards close to his chest, doesn't he?
If indeed the upheaval in itineraries is to allow Tendulkar to play that 200th at home, then I'm afraid it is wrong. It is an astonishing landmark, even for a staggering cricketer, and let's be honest, we don't know if he asked for it, but if everyone began moving schedules around to accommodate people, there would be more variables than in a political scenario. But if this is to allow him to play his last game at the Wankhede Stadium (and again, Tendulkar hasn't even indicated thus), I think we can look at it differently. Yes, the argument against moving schedules for one person is still valid, but we are an emotional people and to that extent our sporting ethos is a bit different, and we are talking of someone who has given more joy to Indians than almost anyone else. A farewell before the fans is not wrong. It is, in fact, quite a nice thing to do. And it would give all those who benefit from the Tendulkar industry one last opportunity as well.
But there is, in fact, a more valid, more commercial, reason for playing a series at home. The BCCI has very lucrative television and sponsorship deals, and anyone who invests a large amount has a commercial interest too. Marketing and promotion plans are created around sponsorship, income forecasts are made, profit and loss statements can be affected. You cannot tell people who are heavily invested that there will be no activity this year. But you also cannot tell that to the South Africans, because they will argue it should have been thought of earlier. After all everyone is committed to the Future Tours Programme and other countries are entitled to make their plans, have their marketing tie-ups and protect their profit and loss statements too. So if India need to play a series at home it shouldn't come at the cost of another.
It seems fairly clear, though, that there is a third reason why South Africa will only face India for a very short tour. Two countries that were fairly close allies - South Africa helped India take the IPL there within three weeks in 2009 - have now drifted so far apart that I suspect neither is picking up the phone and speaking to the other. Clearly, the BCCI is not in love with Haroon Lorgat, who now heads Cricket South Africa, and whispers of unfair and unreasonable actions during the 2011 World Cup (when he was head of the ICC) have been around for a while now. So there is a suggestion that this is indeed a personal tit-for-tat.
I don't know how true that is but the fact remains that the issues are coming in the way of a marquee series. Test cricket is in peril, there are more romantics than realists in its corner, and more words than cheques come its way. For Test cricket to survive and hopefully to flourish, it needs as many contests among the best teams as possible. South Africa v India is World No. 1 v World No. 3. The last time these two teams played in South Africa they produced some brilliant cricket, and Tendulkar v Steyn in Cape Town will always be among the game's more lasting memories. It isn't just contests like these but the build-up too that draws people in. A two-Test series is like settling down after starters only to be presented with the bill.
It is imperative that personal differences do not come in the way of cricket. If the BCCI has a valid reason, it is important that the fans know of it, because if it doesn't, everyone in Indian cricket has to stand up to the outrage. There have been times in the past, like with the DRS, when the BCCI has taken an unpopular stand that has been proven to be largely right. But by not coming out with its argument in time the board let the world assume that the objection came from the captain and Tendulkar alone.
Solutions can sometimes be found if you put the non-negotiables first and try working around them. On this matter, three Test matches in South Africa should be the non-negotiable. And hopefully that 200th is not the reason for all this change.
Harsha Bhogle is a television presenter, writer, and a commentator on IPL and other cricket. His Twitter feed is here
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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When you’re a kid, it doesn’t take much to determine your favorite time of year. For me, it was December. And since I’m still just a big kid, it still is. There’s Christmas, of course, but there’s also my birthday. It was also the end of the Chilean school year.
The only downside: report cards.
I dreaded it. I wasn’t a bad student, but when your sister gets straight A’s, it’s hard not to look bad. Even though I haven’t been in any kind of school for a few years, I still can’t help but feel like December is report card time. I look back on the year and think about what I accomplished. If I didn’t meet a goal—and this is perhaps most important to me—I try to figure out why.
My life goals have changed quite a bit since I was young. I’m not trying out for sports teams or hiding not-that-bad-really-mom-give-me-a-break grades from my parents these days. I’m trying to build a business to support my family. I’m trying to be a good husband and a good son. And I’m training my ass off whenever I can.
I’ve talked about jiu-jitsu goals before (you can catch up here if you missed it). Report card time has helped me to keep my training on track. From the day I started, winning a Grappler’s Quest was a big goal. Soon those goals became more training-specific and also started to include how I could help my own students achieve their goals. That’s not to say I’ve gotten straight A’s on my jiu-jitsu report card. I’ve come up short a few times. Based on my experience and the experiences of the people I train with, I’ve found that a failed goal stems from one of five culprits.
1. Did you train enough?
This is a big one, and while it may be obvious to some, you will be surprised at how many times people fail to realize how sporadic they can become in their training. Consistency is key. I’ve seen the pattern many times: a student gets on a great run of regular training only to get derailed and disappear for weeks at a time, making the bare minimum of appearances at the dojo. Jiu-jitsu is a long-term game, and missed training sessions can add up in a big way.
2. Were you doing what you were supposed to be doing during training?
Many times I see people that may go to practice, but they are really not there to push themselves. They might skip warm-ups. They might slack during drills. And they might avoid challenging rolls. Drifting into these behaviors is not unusual, but we have to occasionally check-in with ourselves to get back on track and to avoid having these missteps become habits.
3. Were you specific enough when you set your goal?
If your goal is not specific, you can’t track it. Saying that your goal is to “get better at jiu-jitsu” or “improve my armbars” are far too vague for you to measure it in any meaningful way. Your goal needs to be tied to a specific outcome, and you need a plan for getting there and evaluating your progress. “Improve armbars” might be better stated as “complete 50 reps of armbar drills every class" or "go for an armbar every roll.” This helps you move forward and keeps you on task.
4. Was your goal high enough?
Michelangelo once said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Aim high. It’s not bad that you didn’t achieve a certain goal this year. The more important part is that you tried and that you keep trying. For me personally, I set goals for years before I achieve them. And after years of trying they were much sweeter to make a reality.
5. Did you follow through?
How many times have you set a goal in January and never looked at it again? Write them down, put them somewhere you can see them, tell people about them, talk to your friends about their goals, and hold each other accountable. Remember that report cards come out more than once a year, so remind yourself frequently what you are trying to accomplish and review the plan you’ve made to get there. This will give you a much better chance to achieve your goals.
I hope that helps you achieve your jiu-jitsu goals in 2016. What are your goals? How will you achieve them? I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
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City Butcher and Barbecue opened in November on South Campbell Avenue, after owners Jeremy Smith and Cody Smith built up a fan base for their meats at the Farmers Market of the Ozarks. (Photo: File photo)
What's more fun than being listed in a book called "The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America?" Being ranked in the top 5.
Springfleld's City Butcher and Barbecue is included in a new book by Johnny Fugitt, an author who grew up in Branson. To create his list, Fugitt said he visited 365 barbecue restaurants across 48 states.
Fugitt loved the restaurant's burnt ends so much, he ranked them in his top 5. He also placed the sausages in the top 10, and the brisket is named one of the best — outside of Texas.
Cody Smith, co-owner of City Butcher and Barbecue, says that they have no secrets or special techniques.
"We are always doing the very best we can and serving meat as fresh as possible," said Smith. "We have customers that know the quality of food we serve and they really seek it out. They can taste the difference."
Smith also said that their beef brisket is by far their most popular item, accounting for over one third of sales.
Smith said they are looking into some options for expansion, including expanding their current space at 3650 S. Campbell Ave.
The lunch crowds are typically so busy that owners Cody Smith and Jeremy Smith (no, they're not brothers) recommend stopping by early. City Butcher often sells out of barbecue. However, the shop is always open until 7 p.m.
Read or Share this story: http://sgfnow.co/1SiUALD
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Animal welfare groups have stepped up a campaign to stamp out the illegal dog meat trade in South East Asia after harrowing pictures emerged of dogs being smuggled across the Thai border to Vietnam.
The images, filmed undercover by an Australian reporter, show the dogs and puppies crammed up against the bars of giant cages with so little room to move that many of them suffocate during the journey.
It’s estimated as many as 200,000 live dogs are trafficked each year from northeast Thailand across the Mekong River to Laos and then on to Vietnam where dog meat is a prized delicacy.
Health officials warn the illicit industry is contributing to the spread of diseases in the region. The World Health Organization has linked dog meat to outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera, and rabies in Vietnam and Indonesia.
“This problem is rampant across South East Asia,” says Betsy Miranda, Asia coordinator for the Global Alliance for Rabies Control. “The risk that the animals are in poor health and not vaccinated is very high. If they move across borders they risk carrying the disease across large distances.”
In May, several high-profile animal welfare groups came together to form the Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA), in an attempt to better monitor the illicit dog meat industry and lobby governments to crack down on the trade. The ACPA said they will work with authorities in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam to improve enforcement of regulations already in place and help raise awareness of the potential health risks.
Dog has been eaten for centuries across Asia; however, the meat, once eaten by poor families in rural areas, has become increasingly popular among diners in big cities including Hanoi and Saigon where a dog-meat dish can fetch as much as $60 dollars a portion.
As many as 5 million dogs are slaughtered for human consumption a year in Vietnam – almost double the number of stray cats and dogs euthanized each year in US animal shelters.
Multi-million dollar industry
Supplying dogs to feed growing demand in Vietnam has become a multimillion-dollar illegal trafficking industry.
In Thailand, where selling dogs for human consumption is illegal, canine meat smuggling syndicates round up stray and pet animals from the streets, trafficking as many as 1,000 dogs across the border in one night.
Activists accuse authorities in Thailand of doing little to stop the trade, which is often passed off as an unofficial way to deal with the growing number of stray dogs in the country. There’s an estimated 300,000 strays in the capital, Bangkok, alone. Programs to euthanize them in the past have met with strong opposition from members of the public who say killing the animals is cruel.
However, members of the ACPA say mounting evidence of the extreme levels of violence and suffering endured by dogs being smuggled for the meat trade is evidence that it’s a much worse solution for strays.
Disturbing images from the Australian documentary and other films made in recent years show footage of dogs being brutally bludgeoned with sticks before they are killed. Activists claim some meat traders encourage the practice because it’s rumored to make the meat taste better if the dog has suffered before it died.
"Some of the footage we receive is so horrific it's too strong even for the media to run,” says John Daley, from the Soi Dog Foundation in Bangkok, one of the organizations within the ACPA.
He’s lobbying to get the Thai authorities to push through a new animal cruelty bill, currently moving through Parliament. At the moment, those who are caught are prosecuted under animal transit laws, designed to ensure quarantine regulations are followed. The maximum sentence is six months or a small fine.
“[The smugglers] know they are getting away with it,” says Mr. Daley. “The people caught are the drivers or the traders but never the kingpins.”
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Breakthrough for animal rights?
In Vietnam, the Ministry of Health has agreed to host a conference in August with the ACPA to bring regional governments together to discuss ways to end the dog meat trade. The meeting is being billed as a breakthrough for animal rights in Vietnam, which has a reputation for animal cruelty especially when it comes to dog meat production.
Dog meat traders in the country have argued against an outright ban, saying better regulation is all that’s needed. However, activists are pushing for the practice to be stopped completely. They claim dogs are much more intelligent than traditional meat sources like cow, sheep, and chicken, which means they suffer cruelty more acutely.
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Just shy of one-third of IBM's global workforce is now based in India and Bangladesh, a leaked internal blog has indicated.
World+dog was aware that Big Blue has spent years offshoring roles. El Reg previously revealed the firm planned to employ eight in ten services personnel in lower-cost locations by the end of 2017.
IBM has always refused to provide a breakdown of country-specific staffing numbers, but TJ Shembekar, IBM CIO director for Global HR, released the exact figures this week for one geography.
He wrote to staff in a piece entitled "Travel@IBM is flying high this month" to inform them that more heads had switched to Concur, an expenses management and travel booking system.
"This morning we went live in India and Bangladesh, our largest wave deployment to date! Travel@IBM is now supporting an additional 122,000 IBMers, bringing the total number to over 285,000, across 48 countries," Shembekar stated.
IBM has a little less than 380,000 employees globally, so roughly 32 per cent are based in just two countries. The company has been careful in the past to keep such things under wraps from staff.
"[This] is the number that they [IBM] have not wanted to give out and have been attempting to hide, that India is by far the largest IBM employer in the world by a factor of almost two," an insider told us.
"And of course, the WASP IBM exec board reflects that diversity doesn't it. LOL," our contact added.
So far this year, IBM has introduced wave after wave of redundancies in the UK, and this week kicked off one in the US.
A crackdown on remote workers Stateside was also perceived by some to be a way to reduce staffing numbers: IBM gave workers 30 days to relocate to one of six major hubs across the US or quit.
IBM wanted workers to work "shoulder to shoulder", but continues to promote the benefits of teleworking to customers.
IBM hasn't grown sales for 20 quarters.
An IBM spokeswoman said: "We don't break out employee numbers by country." ®
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On Wednesday, French police shut down three mosques as part of anti-terror operations
Police in France also arrested the owner of a revolver found during Wednesday's raid, France's Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.
Security officials found jihadist documents at the mosque where yesterday's raids took place.
They have placed nine people under house arrest. Another 22 have been banned from leaving the country Mr Cazeneuve said.
France has been under a state of emergency since 130 people were killed in a series of terror attacks in Paris on November 13. Since then, some 2,235 homes and buildings have been raided, 232 people taken into custody, and 334 weapons confiscated.
Cazeneuve said the number of weapons apprehended so far is staggering.
He said: "In 15 days we have seized one-third of the quantity of war-grade weapons that are normally seized in a year."
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Sipping on a cup of coffee (of course!) I was chatting with my friends about my intended plans. From Salt Lake City, the original plan was to head straight to Denver, probably wander a little bit along the way, but I didn’t have any intended stops. My friends suggested I go to Arches National Park. Not being well traveled, I didn’t really know what that was. After a quick Google and Instagram scan I knew I had to stop there. This place looked beautiful and it was only three hours out of the way. That kind of sounds like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, what was three more hours added to forty-seven?
I packed my things and I was on my way. On the way there I booked a motel about two hours away from Arches National Park in the direction of Denver, so that I didn’t have to drive all night. I set out for my first adventure alone. This was the first travelling that was truly all by myself, all by myself in the car and all by myself on my next stop. It felt freeing. I could do what ever I wanted whenever I wanted, so I blasted my country music and sang like nobody’s business.
It was late afternoon and I was out in the middle of nowhere. The desert was beautiful and I stopped a couple of times just to sit and look upon what surrounded me. There were almost no cars and the occasional train would chug on by. And then I would be on my way. Of course about an hour out from Arches I took a wrong turn. My GPS was lagging a bit and didn’t suggest turning until after I had already passed the highway I needed. As I started to drive in the wrong direction I was patiently looking for a place to turn around. There was nowhere. I literally was stuck going in the same direction for who-knows-how long. At this point I was frustrated. I was wasting time and I didn’t have much daylight left. Before long I came across one of those service roads but flew past it because it wasn’t well marked. But not knowing the next time I would see ANYTHING I slammed on my brakes, threw my car in reverse, and took what seemed like my only option.
I was back on track, but having left later than I had hoped and since I had just wasted so much time, I wasn’t sure how much time I would have to explore. But I was almost there. As you drive up to Arches you go from flat desert land to these huge rock formations that at first are only in the distance. The closer you get, the smaller you feel. I couldn’t believe how big these sandstone rocks were. As I entered the park, I pulled over to take some pictures, but soon realized that I had to find the trailhead quickly because there wasn’t much sun left. I started to drive into the park. The roads seemed to go on forever, and I had no idea how much farther I had to go. I had a map, but everything seemed so small on my little piece of paper. After stopping to ask for directions twice, I had finally found the trailhead — but I only had about 20 minutes left of daylight for an hour long hike.
I sat there with World War 2 going on in my head. Should I just go? Should I come back in the morning and add four more hours on to my trip? Or should I just walk away….
Honestly, looking back on this and having gained knowledge and courage throughout my trip, I might have just gone, but at that moment I walked away. I was so mad. I couldn’t believe I was this close to the Arches and wasn’t able to actually go hiking there. The saddest part is I had no idea when I would get another chance like this, but I didn’t think that I should drive all the way back from my motel that was two hours away.
But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was laying in my hotel room about to go to sleep, pouting and fiddling with my computer, and I scrolled past a beautiful mountain and lake. I follow many nature Instagrams and see things from all around the world. But this beautiful picture was taken in Colorado. Along my way? I then Googled Maroon Bells and it just so happened to be on my way to Denver and it wouldn’t have been if I had not gone to Arches. And if I had not been so upset from missing my shot to go hiking at Arches, I would not have found this beautiful spot.
I woke up excited. I had a new adventure planned and it looked as though it was going to be beautiful, but I really had no idea what was in store for me.
Upon arrival at Maroon Bells, my jaw dropped. The colors were the most amazing I had ever seen. The whole mountain was painted with color. The water glowed bluish-green. The aspens (which I learned is a type of tree) were sparkling yellow and no matter how many pictures I took, they only tell half the story. Being able to look around me and have these colors surround me in every direction was something I will never forget.
Not to mention because I had gone south in Utah and gone through Aspen… I had now conveniently put myself on one of the most beautiful drives in America. The stretch from Aspen, past Mt. Elbert, past the Twin Lakes, and through Leadville is absolutely amazing. I had no cell reception, no radio, and I really didn’t care because I had the world around me to enjoy.
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Most media discourse surrounding overweight and obesity tends to focus exclusively on human health and healthcare costs (Thompson et al. 1999, 2001; Dixon 2010). However, there is a growing recognition that dietary behaviors associated with overweight and obesity have environmental effects in addition to health implications. As a sign of this growing recognition, the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) has recommended for the first time that sustainability should be an integral part of developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Merrigan et al. 2015), which are published by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and US Department of Health and Human Services every 5 years. In light of this development and mounting evidence that diet and sustainability are intertwined, our study analyzes the environmental implications that food consumption patterns contributing to extra body weight and diet-related diseases have on energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the US food supply system. Furthermore, while Heller and Keoleian (2014) have evaluated the GHG emissions impact of adopting the USDA recommended diet, our analysis is the first to examine the multiple effects that shifting to the USDA dietary recommendations has on energy use, blue water footprint, and GHG emissions. The blue water footprint refers to the volume of freshwater taken from the surface or ground to create a product, and which has then evaporated, been incorporated into the product, or been returned to a separate catchment from which it was originally withdrawn (Hoekstra et al. 2011).
Heller and Keoleian (2014) determined that shifting from our current average diet to the USDA recommended diet (for a population engaged in moderate physical activity) could reduce GHG emissions within the food supply chain by 1 %. However, they also find that shifting food mix alone without accounting for decreased Caloric intake could increase diet-related GHG emissions by 12 %. While our study also examines the impact on emissions of shifting to the USDA dietary recommendations, we assume different Caloric intake levels and include only adults in our analysis. Further explanation is provided in subsequent sections. In another study similar to ours, Meier and Christen (2013) determine that, in Germany, switching from current dietary patterns to the German Nutrition Society dietary recommendations could reduce energy use by 7 %, blue water use by 26 %, GHG emissions by 11 %, and land use by 15 %. Meanwhile, Vanham et al. (2013a) find that adopting these same dietary guidelines in the entire European Union (EU) and Croatia would reduce their diet-related water footprint by 23 %.
Additionally, a number of studies investigate the impacts of various other diets on the environment. Vanham et al. (2013a), for example, find that the EU and Croatia as a whole could reduce their total diet-related water footprint by 30 % if they reduced their meat consumption by half or by 38 % if they adopted a vegetarian diet. In another similar study, Vanham et al. (2013b) evaluate the water footprint for three diets—current, healthy (based on regional Food-Based Dietary Guidelines), and vegetarian—in four regions of the EU and determine that transitioning to either the healthy diet or a vegetarian diet substantially reduces the total water footprint in all regions. Meanwhile, Vanham and Bidoglio (2014) examine the impact of these same diets on the water footprint of agricultural products in 365 European river basins and determine that shifting to the healthy or vegetarian diet would reduce the water footprint in most of the basins. Marlow et al. (2009) find that in California, a non-vegetarian diet requires 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more primary energy, 13 times more fertilizer, and 1.4 times more pesticides than a vegetarian diet. Meanwhile, Renault and Wallender (2000) assess several diets, also within the context of food production in California, and determine that the vegetarian diet yields the greatest results—adopting a vegetarian diet cuts diet-related water consumption by over half.
Tilman and Clark (2014) find that current global dietary shifts toward Calorie-dense foods have not only led to enhanced levels of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases around the world, but have also increased agricultural land use and clearing and increased global GHG emissions. They also estimate that by the year 2050, food production emissions will increase 80 % if current dietary trends continue. Conversely, large-scale shifts toward Mediterranean, pescetarian, and vegetarian diets could potentially reduce global agricultural emissions and land clearing by 2050. Eshel and Martin (2006) determine that an omnivorous diet produces approximately 1500 kg CO 2 -eq more than a vegetarian diet incorporating the same number of Calories. Likewise, Weber and Matthews (2008) find that replacing less than 1 day’s worth of red meat and dairy Calories per week with chicken, fish, eggs, or vegetables is more effective in reducing GHG emissions than buying all food that is locally produced for 1 week.
Our study contributes to the existing literature by providing further insight and analysis to the environmental costs that various dietary choices have on the food supply system in the USA. While there are many environmental impacts associated with food consumption and dietary patterns, we chose to focus on energy use, the blue water footprint, and GHG emissions in light of their accessibility, both in terms of data availability of these impacts for a wide range of food products as well as their relative significance to researchers, policymakers, and the general public. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, this article is the first to measure the changes in energy use, blue water footprint, and GHG emissions associated with shifting from current consumption patterns to three dietary scenarios, which are based, in part, on the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines. The three dietary scenarios include (1) reducing Caloric intake levels to achieve “normal” weight without shifting food mix, (2) shifting food mix to food patterns recommended by the USDA Dietary Guidelines, without reducing Caloric intake, and (3) reducing Caloric intake levels and shifting food mix to meet USDA Dietary Guidelines in order to achieve and maintain healthy weight.
Our analysis uses a bottom-up approach based on a meta-analysis of the existing academic literature and scientific reports to quantify the cumulative energy use, blue water footprint, and GHG emissions throughout the food supply chain associated with the three aforementioned dietary scenarios. The next sections present the methods and data used followed by a summary of the results and a discussion of the results.
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Murder charge filed in gunning down of teen on Oakland street
A memorial sits at the spot where Davon Ellis, 14, was shot and killed in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. A memorial sits at the spot where Davon Ellis, 14, was shot and killed in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. Photo: Henry K. Lee Photo: Henry K. Lee Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Murder charge filed in gunning down of teen on Oakland street 1 / 25 Back to Gallery
A convicted felon was charged Tuesday with murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy in Oakland’s Fruitvale District, which prosecutors said happened only hours before the suspect went on a mini-shooting spree in Hayward, first firing on a car and then shooting it out with police officers.
Donald Higgins, 28, of San Leandro shot and killed Davon Ellis as the boy walked with friends on the 3300 block of Brookdale Avenue shortly before 8 p.m. on Feb. 28, authorities said.
Davon’s slaying shocked city leaders, police officials and residents. A freshman at Oakland Technical High School, he was a gifted football player whom relatives described as an easy-going kid.
His mother, Marquita Brown, said Tuesday that she was relieved that Higgins was behind bars.
“I’m happy he’s caught,” Brown said. “He won’t be on the streets anymore and won’t terrorize again. He will never see the light of day.”
None of that, however, could ever erase the agony of loss, she said. Higgins’ arrest “still doesn’t bring my son back. It doesn’t change anything,” Brown said.
She added that if she had the chance to talk to Higgins, she would ask him what was going through his mind when he allegedly opened fire on Davon and two of his friends. “I just want to know why,” she said.
The three teens were walking together when a man drove up to them and asked if anyone was named Tim, Brown said.
They said, “We don’t know a Tim,” she said. “He got out of the car, said, 'Something, something, Tim.’ They said, 'We don’t know you, bruh,’ and then he shot my son in the chest.”
Brown said Higgins “has no remorse. He has no soul. He’s totally empty.”
After fleeing the scene, Higgins turned up that same evening in Hayward, where he fired shots at an occupied car at Mission Boulevard and Harder Road about 9:30 p.m., later claiming to officers that the occupants were “trying to pull something out on him,” police said.
About 2 a.m. on March 1 — hours later — a Hayward police officer stopped a 2004 Infiniti FX35 near Winton Avenue and Soto Road, believing it matched the description from the earlier shooting in that city.
That’s when Higgins got out of the car, opened fire at the officer and ran away, authorities said. The officer returned fire, they said. Higgins also fired at a second officer who spotted him coming out of a yard, police said. Higgins later stated that he returned fire only after the officer shot at him.
No one was hurt in the shootout, and Higgins was arrested 12 hours later after a search of the neighborhood and a standoff at what turned out to to be his brother’s house on the 300 block of D Street. A loaded, stolen Glock 9mm handgun was recovered, police said.
Alameda County prosecutors charged Higgins with murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, and numerous counts of attempted murder, attempted murder of a police officer, assault on a police officer, weapons enhancements and being a felon in possession of a gun.
Higgins has prior convictions for shooting at an occupied vehicle and robbery, court records show. He is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @henryklee
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As this country inches farther away from the democracy it once pretended to be, the level of propaganda and indoctrination that the average American must wade through in order to get the smallest amount of Truth is staggering. We have reached a point in which Americans are so overwhelmed with the current battle taking place between the Alternative News community and mainstream media, and its barrage of contradicting “Facts,” that most have simply chosen to completely remove themselves from any critical thinking. Even when the government itself reveals an age-old lie to be true, most are so indoctrinated with the idea of the “conspiracy” that they convince themselves that the revelation is just another trick of those deceptive “conspiracy theorists.” This has been seen many times in recent years. A perfect example of this is weather modification.
Weather modification, geoengineering, chemtrails; these are all topics that if brought up in most circles today, would garner the speaker the telltale look that most Truthers have become all too familiar with. It is a look that has been ingrained into all who have opted to cast aside their critical thinking for their comforting daily lie. There is a herd mentality that has been established that causes even those on the fence or those interested in “outside the box” ideas, to fall in line while surrounded by the docile mass. So when the Pasadena Star recently released a government “Notice of Intent” on page 11 of the Classifieds, announcing their plan to begin weather modification in Los Angels County, it became clear that those blank stares should be turned inward, for some much-needed self-reflection and reevaluation.
Obviously the appropriate area of the paper to release such a controversial topic is the classifieds, where it will no doubt be noticed by all. Sarcasm aside, it is clear they did not want anyone to take notice of this declaration of weather manipulation that has been fervently denied up until last year. Many were also unaware that in 2014 the Navy publicly confirmed previous conjecture in regards to weather modification and the HAARP facility.
“…we’re moving on to other ways of managing the ionosphere, which the HAARP was really designed to do, was to inject energy into the ionosphere, to be able to actually control it.”
Even after this statement, which was no doubt rationalized away by those unwilling to accept the reality currently slapping them across the face, the internet continued to be awash with “conspiracy theorist” slander and ridicule when discussing weather modification. Some have spoken out claiming that the statement released in the Pasadena Star newspaper, is only a notice to commence “cloud-seeding,” and that cloud-seeding is something that the government has been “open” about for a long time. First of all, open is not the word anyone would use to describe the US government, and second, of course it is cloud-seeding, but most will adamantly deny that even cloud-seeding exists; laughing it off as yet another crazy conspiracy. Twenty years ago, those very same people would have arguing that cloud-seeding itself was a crazy conspiracy. The notice of intent in the Star read further:
“Ground-based equipment will be used to disperse silver iodine particles into suitable storm clouds. Criteria have been developed for both initiating and suspending weather modification activities.”
The sad truth is that even following a blatant “Notice of Intent” to modify the weather, many are so well trained to ignore anything that goes against the mainstream narrative that they will justify and rationalize in whatever way they need, in order to make this fall in line, even with the statement coming from a small mainstream source. This is no doubt why it was released on page 11 of the Classifieds, so that those looking for a reason to discount its legitimacy will assume that, “if the government wanted to admit something like this they would have done it on the front page.”
Ultimately, the spraying of silver iodine into the atmosphere should not be okay with anyone, despite the name or label one wants to give this process in order to satisfy their fragile reality. According to the County of Santa Barbara’s Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS), silver iodine has the following Hazardous Identification:
Potential Acute Health Effects: Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation.
Under Accidental Release Measures is states:
Be careful that the product is not present at a concentration level above TLV(threshold limit value). Check TLV on the MSDS and with local authorities.
And finally under Precautions:
Do not ingest. Do not breathe dust. Wear suitable protective clothing. In case of insufficient ventilation, wear suitable respiratory equipment. If ingested, seek medical advice immediately and show the container or the label. Avoid contact with skin and eyes.
When an idea has been thrown out that contradicts one’s carefully constructed reality, their lifelong inculcation of specific ideas and beliefs that support the mainstream narrative has taught them to shut down completely. Not a moments thought is given to the possibility that the idea might have some merit or factual representation, because if the idea was given its proper consideration and found to be correct, even slightly possible, their entire world is suspect. This scares the life out of the average mainstream believer.
While many here would insert the appropriate Orwellian reference, Aldous Huxley had a slightly different yet equally scary perception of the future. In his book Brave New World he suggested a future where citizens would be flooded with so much information that the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. It is not hard to see the logic in that thought process when one looks at the overwhelming amount of information, misinformation and outright lies perpetually circulating on the Internet. It becomes hard to know one’s own opinion when over saturated with constantly conflicting narratives. This produces a public that is no longer interested in activism or advocacy because it would appear to be ineffectual at best.
The sad but unfortunate truth is that the United States government has become the very thing this nation was founded to prevent. Despite the fact that the country wasn’t able to make it through five presidents before we began to see the cronyism and unilateral decisions that are rampant today, it is easy to see the virtue and justness within the founding ideals of the United States. History has shown us time and time again that human nature will always play its part in any position of power; man is inherently capable of both extreme good and evil. This was exactly the logic behind the second amendment, regardless of how many have attempted to dilute or distort its meaning with modern association. The American people have a right to defend their inalienable and self-evident rights against what the founding fathers saw as an inevitable eventuality: a tyrannical government. They knew that even men in that very room, had the potential to steer the nation in the direction we now face today.
What this nation is in dire need of is not a violent revolution, but a revolution of the mind. Americans need to begin to see the danger of current circumstances and the inevitability of history coming full circle. The history of the world if rife with leaders turning corrupt, people rising up to establish order, and repeat. This is due to the inherent qualities of any human being; we are all subject to greed, desire and ambition. All have skeletons in their closet; simply being elected to office does not somehow strip one of their human characteristics. Yet the people tend to cast these public officials is a light of morality by default, when our own nation’s history strongly shows otherwise.
The American people can no longer refuse to see the dangers at its feet that are quickly becoming perilous. To ignore the very real dangers of manipulating the ionosphere, and injecting it with potentially harmful materials, or to disregard that this type of government experimentation is happening at all, is very naive and irresponsible at best. But to ignore the fact that up until recently the entire subject was denied, and has now been nonchalantly admitted as if it was commonplace all along, is just reckless. What is important to the future of this country is that each individual personally decides to give equal consideration to all possibilities, despite any pre-conceived misconceptions that have been subtly cast out into American culture for decades.
Sources: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/, http://cosb.countyofsb.org/uploadedFiles/pwd/Water/msds.pdf, https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxmx-9RIk8c, https://npinopunintended.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/the-worst-thing-every-president-has-done/
Help Us Be The Change We Wish To See In The World.
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WASHINGTON — Top advisers to then-candidate Donald Trump privately reassured Canadian officials that, if elected, Trump would work with other countries, despite some of his campaign rhetoric, and hinted that he could change his “more controversial positions” on national security and foreign policy, documents show.
Members of Trump’s team also “acknowledged the (at times) mercurial nature of his thinking” in conversations with Canadian officials, blaming his temperamental demeanor on Twitter and his lack of political experience.
The conversations between Canadian officials and Trump's advisers took place at “meetings on the margins” of the Republican National Convention in July, according to an internal report to Canada’s Global Affairs department headquarters from its embassy in Washington.
The report, along with hundreds of pages of other communications regarding the 2016 presidential election, was originally requested by the National Post and obtained by BuzzFeed News using Canada's freedom of information laws.
Officials from the Canadian consulates in Washington and Detroit “attended various events on the margins of the convention, several of which included key advisors to Mr. Trump and his campaign," according to the report emailed to David Morrison — assistant deputy minister to the Americas — in late July.
"While many of those advisors espoused Mr. Trump’s traditional positions, particularly on trade agreements, the expansion of energy development and the need for regulatory reform," the email says, "there were several key figures who appeared to indicate a certain flexibility to or evolution of Mr. Trump's more controversial positions, particularly those related to foreign policy and national security."
The documents also say Trump's advisers attributed his unpredictability "to the instantaneousness of the medium (e.g. [T]witter) or his background not as a politician but as a businessman focussed on getting the best deal."
"They were nevertheless sincere in their reassurance that a Trump presidency would be willing to engage with the international community, albeit in less traditional ways,” the report added.
In another batch of election-related communications obtained by BuzzFeed News, Canadian officials in Washington warned that Trump's foreign policy was both “isolationist” and “unpredictable.”
Both sets of documents express a general tone of concern over the future of trade agreements between the US and Canada. "The protectionist sentiment that has emerged this election may not only endanger the future of trade deals like the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership], but could also impact deals concluded years ago like NAFTA," reads a May 2016 comparison of Trump and Hillary Clinton's platforms.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order pulling the US out of the TPP, or Trans-Pacific Partnership. And as officials note in the documents, Trump has called the North American Free Trade Agreement a "disaster" and vowed to renegotiate it or tear it up.
In another email, dated Sept. 19, an official at the Canadian embassy in Washington cites a Peterson Institute report that warns of "trade wars" if Trump withdraws from NAFTA.
"The paper is very thorough and comprehensive," writes economic minister Gilles Gauthier. "The conclusion is that a President Trump has domestic legal authority to terminate NAFTA and other free trade agreements. However, in order to impose 35% tariffs on Mexico and/or China, a Trump administration would either need to invoke 'national security exemption', or withdrawing [SIC] from the WTO [World Trade Organization]."
"In both instances, this could lead to trade wars," Gauthier writes. "Approximately 4.8 million US jobs would lost in a trade war scenario. Even if a full blown trade war is averted, job losses exceed one million."
Since the election, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's top advisers have met with Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon in Washington to try to "to avert a costly trade war," the Globe and Mail reported.
Last weekend, Trudeau reportedly "noted the depth of the Canada U.S. economic relationship" in his first phone call with Trump since his inauguration.
Elsewhere in the documents, Canadian officials appeared to reference Trump's past comments on NATO — of which Canada is a member and has been criticized for not meeting the organization's defense spending target.
"Also up for debate is the future of the U.S.' role in the world," the email reads. "Whether led by the more hawkish Hillary Clinton who could seek to expand alliances, or the more isolationist Donald Trump calling on allies to 'pay their fair share', there may be increased calls for burden-sharing from allies."
The Trump Administration did not return a request for comment.
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An Afghan-born teenager accused of sexually assaulting eight young females in surf at a Gold Coast beach claims he is 16, not 18, and should be tried as a child.
The Victorian-based teenager, facing 13 charges, including multiple attempted rape and sexual assault offences, allegedly committed the attacks at Surfers Paradise about midday on January 12.
A teenager has been accused of sexually assaulting eight young women in the water at Surfers Paradise. Credit:Glenn Hunt
His lawyer told the Southport Magistrates Court during a brief mention of the case on Thursday that his client says he is 16, not 18, and shouldn't be tried as an adult.
The teen and his family claim the accused arrived into Australia as a boy without official documents and was given an older age than he actually was by immigration officials.
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Occlusion (also referred to as interposition) happens when near surfaces overlap far surfaces. If one object partially blocks the view of another object, humans perceive it as closer.
BOOM!
There's a name for these GIF images:The image tricks the brain into seeing depth. The, which give the illusion of depth perception. You see, your brain expects that the image would remain confined within the white bars. However, when an object in the GIF breaks through these white bars (reference frame), it creates a popping-out illusion, which your brain perceives as 3D. In a sense, it is forced perspective ().Another way to understand this is that the white bars[1]the object in these animations. Therefore, to your brain, the white bars are in front of the object. Now, when the object moves and is no longer blocked by the white bars, your brain perceives that it has movedthe bars and towards you. This generates a 3D illusion. The effect is even more pronounced when the background is out of focus, as with Harry's GIF you posted.Source:
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Super Bowl 50 is now in the books, so naturally, we're already looking toward next season.
Will the champion Broncos be a force once again? Is there any hope for the Browns and other 2015 bottom-feeders?
Editor's Picks Tuley: Best early Super Bowl LI value bets With Super Bowl 50 in the books, Chalk's Dave Tuley gives his early value bets for Super Bowl LI, including Atlanta at 40-1.
Yes, it's difficult to project anything before free agency and the draft, but our smaller-than-usual panel of experts (21 voters) gave it a whirl. Five teams -- Carolina, New England, Seattle, Green Bay and Denver -- received at least one first-place vote.
Below is our way-too-early 2016 hierarchy.
Click here to see the final regular-season rankings of 2015
2015 record: 15-1
Voting results: 653 points
Why they're here: Including Super Bowl 50, the Panthers have won 20 of their past 23 games, return both their offensive and defensive coordinators, the core of a young defense, get big-bodied Kelvin Benjamin back in the offense, and their franchise QB isn't just coming into his own as a passer, he won't even turn 27 until May. Did we mention they finally have cap space?
What could change: Winning is expensive, and returning to a Super Bowl is tough. Josh Norman is going to need about $14 million per year, and they need secondary help beyond him. And the Super Bowl didn't make the tackles look good.
2015 record: 12-4
Voting results: 641 points
Why they're here: They haven't won fewer than 12 regular-season games in seven years, kept both offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in the fold, and will also get Tom Brady's blindside protector Nate Solder back. New England doesn't even have a big free agent to lose, as LeGarrette Blount is probably the biggest name who could depart.
What could change: Brady turns 39 before New England's first preseason game, and while he's coming off another brilliant season, dramatic QB declines at this age aren't uncommon. The Patriots lack a first-round pick and need to stabilize the O-line. Did we mention Brady has another court date this offseason?
2015 record: 10-6
Voting results: 623 points
Why they're here: A quarter of the voting panel had Seattle at No. 1, and that's not hard to imagine given the Seahawks will return nearly every piece of the NFL's top scoring defense, and have a 27-year-old QB coming off a breakthrough passing season. No Beastmode? Well, Thomas Rawls will be back. And don't overlook that Pete Carroll didn't have his top two coordinators poached.
What could change: An offensive line that never quite jelled in 2015 could be down two more starters if Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy move on, and Marshawn Lynch is retiring. Seattle also has a tough decision to make on Jimmy Graham. And will Kam Chancellor be trade bait?
2015 record: 13-3
Voting results: 580 points
Why they're here: Despite a disappointing crash in the NFC Championship, the Cardinals will return in 2016 with one of the NFL's deepest rosters. They'll also see the return of Tyrann Mathieu. Bruce Arians hasn't won fewer than 10 games since he arrived three years ago, and despite his shaky postseason the team is 19-3 when Carson Palmer starts over the past two seasons.
What could change: Palmer is 36, lacks mobility and the Cardinals always appear an injury at QB away from disaster. Larry Fitzgerald turns 33 in August and Calais Campbell turns 30 days later. Age is an issue with linchpin players. One other big question: Can cornerback Jerraud Powers and safety Rashad Johnson be retained?
2015 record: 12-4
Voting results: 574 points
Why they're here: John Elway has proved to be a master of roster assembly, and Denver will return the core of one of the NFL's most dominant defense in 2015, assuming Von Miller is retained. Brock Osweiler got help from the defense, but was 5-2 as a starter and completed 62 percent of his throws. Denver's O-line should be even better in year two of Gary Kubiak's offensive makeover.
What could change: Osweiler's seven-start run looks good in the win-loss column, but that was with the NFL's best defense. His QBR was good for 24th, so there will be growing pains. And signing Miller and Osweiler could mean Denver can't afford the emerging Malik Jackson, which would be a big blow. That said, the Broncos also have young defensive talent on the rise.
2015 record: 10-6
Voting results: 569 points
Why they're here: It's hard to bet low when Mike Tomlin is entering his 10th season and has finished under .500 zero times. The Steelers had one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2015 ... without Le'Veon Bell. He'll be back, the ridiculous corps of wide receivers will be too, and Big Ben will be healthy. A defense that has transitioned young is improving and will return Senquez Golson.
What could change: The Steelers face a major cap crunch, among the worst in the NFL. In short order, they could lose up to six starters in free agency, including a pair of starting offensive linemen, in front of a QB that is too often playing hurt. They might need to be creative just to keep Heath Miller. No Heeeeaaatth would be a gut punch.
2015 record: 10-6
Voting results: 556 points
Why they're here: Though they sit at No. 7, the Packers actually got a No. 1 ranking from one of our panelists. It's not a stretch. Dom Capers' defense improved in 2015, and Green Bay will get Jordy Nelson back on the other side of the ball. It's just not easy to lower expectations on a franchise that consistently replenishes the roster, has talented young players, and hasn't missed the playoffs in seven years.
What could change: That improved defense? Well, Mike Neal, Casey Hayward, B.J. Raji and Nick Perry are unrestricted free agents, Julius Peppers could be a cap casualty, and it's hard to say what the future holds in the backfield after Mike McCarthy called out Eddie Lacy for his conditioning issues. And while Nelson is back, will GM Ted Thompson be willing to spend in free agency to add another weapon? That's (famously) not his style.
2015 record: 12-4
Voting results: 547 points
Why they're here: The Bengals have great stability on the offensive side of the ball, one of the deepest rosters in the NFL -- with emerging depth along the offensive lines -- and a will have a healthy Andy Dalton returning with an arsenal of weapons after a breakthrough season. They've been to the postseason in five consecutive seasons and should have won a playoff game even with a backup at QB.
What could change: What had been a deep secondary could be a lot thinner with Leon Hall, Adam Jones, George Iloka, and Reggie Nelson all headed to free agency. The wide receiving corps could also be facing departures. Unless Dalton takes another step forward, are the Bengals better or merely running in place?
2015 record: 11-5
Voting results: 500 points
Why they're here: How much lower can you project an Andy Reid-coached team -- he has 31 wins in three seasons here -- with young stars on both sides of the ball and steady if unspectacular play from quarterback Alex Smith, who is coming off his most efficient season and appears revitalized with actual weapons in the offense?
What could change: Not only could the Chiefs be forced to replace roughly half the starters from a great 2015 defense, they have a cap decision to make on Jamaal Charles, who is coming back from a major injury in his ninth (feel old yet?) NFL season. Even as a young star like Marcus Peters emerges, there exists the question of whether 33-year-old Derrick Johnson will defy age.
2015 record: 11-5
Voting results: 487 points
Why they're here: Rick Spielman's exceptional work in the draft makes the Vikings not only a good team, but one capable of moving up this ranking as good young players turn into really good veteran players ... on both sides of the ball. Teddy Bridgewater won't even be 24 until the midway point of the 2016 season -- where he'll be throwing indoors at home -- and Adrian Peterson isn't showing his age just yet despite a rough playoff performance. This is a sneaky-loaded roster.
What could change: The Vikes could be replacing both their left tackle and right tackle, which clouds any certainty that Bridgewater is about to become an upper-echelon QB. Mike Wallace could also be gone, which is good for the cap and also another reason to question whether this offense will ever get past a dink-and-dunk approach.
2015 record: 8-8
Voting results: 433 points
Why they're here: It's pretty simple: Andrew Luck has played four seasons, and in the three he's played 16 games the Colts have reached the playoffs each year, winning 11 games in each. Even with roster deficiencies on both sides of the ball, the Colts are viewed as a playoff team if Luck is on the field. And even after a disappointing season, head coach Chuck Pagano has a 41-23 record in four years. He appears to have a clue. Also: remind us again who is running away from Indy in this division.
What could change: The offensive line has a chance to get better based both on continuity and because it can't get much worse (it was 27th in both run-blocking and sack rate in 2015), and the team could get younger at running back (by necessity) and at wide receiver if Phillip Dorsett emerges.
2015 record: 10-6
Voting results: 394 points
Why they're here: The panel sees the Jets as a good team coming off a 10-6 season, but this ranking reflects the question of whether they can take another step forward with Ryan Fitzpatrick likely back at quarterback, and the possibility of at least a couple noticeable departures on both sides of the ball.
What could change: No team had a better offseason before the 2015 season that the Jets, who did well in free agency and also hit home runs in the draft. Now they face tough cap decisions on Muhammad Wilkerson and Damon Harrison, could lose Chris Ivory, and have three starters over 30 along the O-line. There's also been a question of whether Sheldon Richardson could be trade bait. Busy months ahead...
2015 record: 4-12
Voting results: 388 points
Why they're here: That's right -- the last-place team from the NFC East coming off a 4-12 record and outscored by almost a touchdown a game is considered the division's front-runner going into 2016. Call it the Romo Effect. A healthy Tony Romo behind arguably the NFL's best offensive line makes for a sunny forecast. That said, Dallas was considered a Super Bowl contender going into 2015, so don't say they haven't taken a hit in perception.
What could change: Greg Hardy could be gone, which just makes a total overhaul in the secondary even scarier. Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr could be headed elsewhere, and Orlando Scandrick is coming back from a knee injury. As much as some want the Cowboys to draft the QB of the future at No. 4, can they afford to pass on a player who could help in 2016?
2015 record: 9-7
Voting results: 383 points
Why they're here: A good roster with a good coach and a big question at quarterback puts the Texans at No. 14 as the quintessential middle-of-the-pack team. The defense started to click, and J.J. Watt is J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins is a superstar ... and as the playoffs showed, the QB situation is a complete mystery.
What could change: The draft promises to be focused around the question of whether the Texans will finally target a quarterback early, and whether that could be Bill O'Brien's former pupil Christian Hackenberg. Can the Texans really convince fans (and themselves) that Brian Hoyer as the Week 1 starter makes them repeat favorites in the AFC South? Is there a trade or free agent to be found? They'll be looking.
2015 record: 9-7
Voting results: 371 points
Why they're here: A mid-pack ranking for a playoff team is essentially a three-word response to the 2015 season: OK, prove it. As in, prove the growth was real and the playoffs were more a result of Washington's rise than Tony Romo being hurt, a collapse in Philly and the end of the personnel-plagued Tom Coughlin era in New York.
What could change: Kirk Cousins is about to go from a player making under $1 million per season to making roughly that total per week. Does he improve as his bank account grows? Hell-ooo expectations. RG III will be gone, the D-line needs to get younger even with Junior Galette returning, and both Chris Culliver and Dashon Goldson could depart. Scot McCloughan will be shopping for defense.
2015 record: 5-11
Voting results: 351 points
Why they're here: Voters didn't completely forget that Baltimore won just five games, but they also didn't forget that this is a John Harbaugh-coached team that was simply decimated by injuries in 2015 and will have Joe Flacco back for training camp.
What could change: Ozzie Newsome could be shopping (and drafting) secondary help after the Ravens picked off just six passes in 2015, a shockingly low figure even in an era when INTs are down. Not only is Flacco back, the wide receiving corps could look much different than the way they did in Week 17, as 2015 first-round pick Breshad Perriman will finally debut and Steve Smith, Sr. has vowed to be back as well, though he'll be coming back from an Achilles tear at age 37.
2015 record: 8-8
Voting results: 294 points
Why they're here: Even with a franchise QB, an all-world wide receiver, a stud running back and emerging talent on defense, the Falcons have both promise and also the potential to take a step back. They went 1-5 in division games in 2015 and where will it get easier, with Carolina stacked, Tampa rising and New Orleans still home to Drew Brees and Sean Payton?
What could change: Even if Roddy White is back, the Falcons need to find another true weapon in the passing game to take pressure off Julio Jones. They also need a fix at center and more pass-rush help after Vic Beasley only flashed potential as a rookie. What might not change is Matt Ryan becoming a better decision-maker. His INT rate in 2015 just wasn't really off his career averages.
2015 record: 8-8
Voting results: 288 points
Why they're here: A talent-laded mystery, the Bills are a top-12 team if Rex Ryan rediscovers his magic touch on the defensive side of the ball -- the Bills were one of the NFL's top defenses in 2014 and fell off a cliff in 2015 -- and while nearly every indicator says Tyrod Taylor was the real thing in 2015, a bigger sample size is needed. (The Bills were 8-8 but 8-6 in games he started.)
What could change: Mario Williams will be gone, and the offensive line could change dramatically if Buffalo can't figure out how to get Richie Incognito and Cordy Glenn back without busting the salary cap. And even with all the joking about whether Rob Ryan is an addition or a sign of the coming defensive apocalypse, nothing about Rex's many past successes on defense would indicate the unit will get worse.
2015 record: 7-9
Voting results: 275 points
Why they're here: A great young core of talent could make some wonder if the Raiders are being sold short, but the reality is Oakland went 3-6 over their final nine games and still have a lot of work to do on the personnel side of things. Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper are good, but they're three of 22 on both sides of the ball. There's work to do.
What could change: For one, not the location. Elsewhere, Reggie McKenzie had to weather years of salary-cap hell, but the Raiders enter the 2015 offseason with the chance to spend. They'll have over $70 million in cap space and you could see wholesale changes in the secondary.
2015 record: 7-9
Voting results: 257 points
Why they're here: A true mystery team going into 2016, the Eagles have in some ways returned to the Andy Reid era by hiring Doug Pederson as the head coach. But so much could look different in 2016.
What could change: New head coach. New offensive philosophy. A new defensive philosophy. A new QB if Sam Bradford doesn't re-sign. A sign of optimism? Start on defense: In 2014 the Jim Schwartz-coached Bills defense was arguably the best in the NFL. Last year it fell off a cliff under Rex Ryan's direction. Now Schwartz gets to work with a talented Eagles core. Don't be surprised if they spike.
2015 record: 6-10
Voting results: 249 points
Why they're here: The Saints stole some of the defensive futility headlines, but it was actually the Giants who finished dead last in total defense in 2015, allowing a whopping 420 yards per game. In that regard, being ranked No. 21 is actually a show of respect. When you have Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr., it's hard not to at least remain hopeful.
What could change: Wholesale changes will hit the defense, with the problem being Jason Pierre-Paul and Prince Amukamara are possible departures, which just makes things even dicier on that side of the ball. The Giants do have roughly $50 million in cap space and a top-10 draft pick, but they need help at all three levels on defense. Fans will need to buy a program to start 2016.
2015 record: 7-9
Voting results: 236 points
Why they're here: Similar to the Giants, when you consider some of the problems New Orleans does have, No. 22 ain't much of a slap in the face. The problem is New Orleans has to get better without spending, as it will have a number of cap casualties this offseason just to be cap compliant headed into 2016. The good news? Sean Payton is back, and it's not really possible for the defense to go backward. We think.
What could change: Marques Colston. Jairus Byrd. Zach Strief. David Hawthorne. C.J. Spiller. The list goes on and on, and it contains names of guys who could be cut to get the cap back in order. Drew Brees will likely have to be extended to keep a $30 million cap hit off the books for 2016, as well. Expect plenty of new names in New Orleans.
2015 record: 7-9
Voting results: 213 points
Why they're here: The Lions went 6-2 over their final eight, but the voting panel also had Calvin Johnson's likely retirement on their minds as they cast votes last week. The simple reality is that nobody knows which Detroit team will show up to start 2016, the one we saw in the first half of 2015, or the one we saw in the second half. And when it comes to Detroit, history says when in doubt, vote with caution.
What could change: The one reason it's not sacrilege to suggest the Lions could improve in 2016 without Megatron is his retirement would create a whopper of a void on the 2016 books. Detroit needs to look for more help on the D-line, and another tackle as well. Matthew Stafford was battered early and often in 2016. Fortunately, what appeared to be a successful transition to Jim Bob Cooter at offensive coordinator will get another year.
2015 record: 6-10
Voting results: 212 points
Why they're here: The fact that Miami already needs to consider a major restructuring of Ndamukong Suh's contract this offseason after making him the big free agency buy of 2015 is a microcosm for how bad things went over the past year. Everyone is hopeful that Adam Gase can get Ryan Tannehill's career back on track after a two-steps-back 2015, but don't expect any splashy additions this offseason.
What could change: Hopefully Tannehill, and for the better. Gase will take a shot after getting the job largely based on getting Jay Cutler to play well, if not smile. A personnel problem could arise if the team can't perform the cap acrobatics required to keep Olivier Vernon around.
2015 record: 7-9
Voting results: 192 points
Why they're here: The Rams haven't finished inside the top 20 in offensive DVOA since 2006, an incredible run of offensive incompetence that won't change in 2016 unless the team finds something new at quarterback, where Case Keenum will likely be back but needs competition. The Rams will be able to draft a QB at No. 15, but could also look at the likes of, yes, RG III. There is some all-world talent on the roster, but the QB question clouds everything, even in sunny L.A.
What could change: Hopefully the quarterback. And the Rams will have Todd Gurley in Week 1 this year. But even a strong defense faces some tough changes, as William Hayes, Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, and Mark Barron are all unrestricted free agents.
2015 record: 6-10
Voting results: 177 points
Why they're here: The Bears got better in 2015, but there is concern among panelists that Jay Cutler could regress in 2016 without Adam Gase guiding him, and the defense is a combination of young and in need of even more work, which doesn't make voters bullish.
What could change: Chicago has money to spend. They need to lock up Alshon Jeffery, but have over $50 million in cap space to find upgrades elsewhere (linebacker would be a wise place to look). And don't forget No. 7 overall pick Kevin White will return, so the Bears will have money and essentially two first-round picks. In 14 seasons as a head coach, John Fox has never had a losing record in two consecutive seasons.
2015 record: 4-12
Voting results: 168 points
Why they're here: The Chargers were decimated by injuries in 2015, but voters don't give them the benefit of the doubt to bounce back in 2016 because a team that can't seem to block people (or stay healthy on the offensive line) for several years running is a bad fit in a division with Justin Houston, Khalil Mack, Von Miller and others. Nobody disagrees that Philip Rivers is special, but he needs help.
What could change: The Chargers will be healthier, the offensive line could be in better position to succeed because of that and with the addition of a new center, and it's possible the relocation soap opera will be settled. On the downside, will Eric Weddle and Antonio Gates both be back? The guess is probably only one of the two stays.
2015 record: 6-10
Voting results: 158 points
Why they're here: The Bucs improved in 2015 with a rookie quarterback running the show -- Jameis Winston posted the third-highest passing total for any rookie since the merger -- but then fired the head coach, which isn't the surest way to get the Power Rankings committee excited. There are also questions about whether Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin will return in 2016.
What could change: If those two aren't back, it ain't because the Bucs can't afford it. They go into the offseason with over $50 million in cap space, and at least have the option to keep whom they want and also do some shopping. Would Olivier Vernon be an option? As for other changes, don't expect Winston to go backward given he'll have complete continuity with Dirk Koetter still around, and two rookie offensive lineman should get better as well.
2015 record: 5-11
Voting results: 123 points
Why they're here: 5. 2. 3. 4. 5. Those are the last five seasons of win totals in Jacksonville. With that kind of a track record, selling "On the cusp" is becoming more and more difficult. The Jags saw their young QB grow by leaps and bounds in 2015, and have legit star power at wide receiver, but the offense's step forward was mirrored by a defense that got worse in 2015, and that's in a division where they faced a rookie QB twice, Andrew Luck got hurt, and the Texans had, well, the Texans' QBs.
What could change: First-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. would have helped the defense at least to the extent you count on rookies, and will be back in 2016. The Jags can also shop all they want, with a whopping $70-plus million in cap space. What really needs to change is young players need to keep improving on both sides of the ball, and the defense becomes competitive again.
2015 record: 5-11
Voting results: 98 points
Why they're here: The presence of Chip Kelly wasn't met with a shrug, but Kelly had more talent to work with in Philadelphia and faces the challenge of reviving Colin Kaepernick's career without many weapons on offense. Few doubt Kelly can coach, but he enters a division with three of the NFL's best defenses.
What could change: The 49ers have a ton of cap room to do some shopping, and the offensive line could be addressed. They also have the No. 7 pick in the draft. And while there's some gloom around, they also get a coach who took over a 4-12 team and won 26 games over the next three seasons without a single above-average QB.
2015 record: 3-13
Voting results: 59 points
Why they're here: Marcus Mariota's raw totals look pretty good on paper, but the reality is Tennessee had the NFL's least-efficient offense in 2015 and opted to retain interim head coach Mike Mularkey. The Titans have the No. 1 pick in the draft, but in a year where there isn't a transcendent, franchise-changing talent sitting there. The good news is the Titans believe they have their QB of the future. The bad news is that didn't mean more wins in 2015.
What could change: They have a new general manager, and a chance to upgrade the offensive line via the draft. And in reality, Mariota was ahead of schedule in 2015 and is a good bet to make strides if he can stay healthy in 2016. There's nobody running away in the AFC South.
2015 record: 3-13
Voting results: 40 points
Why they're here: No voter placed the Browns higher than No. 31. That's what happens when you lose 10 of 11 to finish the season, fire the head coach, make major front-office changes, and move on from your recent first-round pick quarterback. And Cleveland could lose a pair of its top offensive linemen this offseason.
What could change: Start with the culture, with Hue Jackson in town and Johnny Manziel soon to be out. Jackson was a coveted interview and the Browns got him, a major positive for the organization after the Chip Kelly drama of a few years ago. There's also this: Exactly 15 months ago, the Browns were 7-6 and one game out of a playoff spot, switched to Manziel and have gone 3-16 since. No, the losing wasn't all Manziel. But there are at least embers of winning still on the roster, Josh Gordon could return, and an exciting new face is leading the charge.
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Dick Stottler is the 47-year old founder of a California software company specializing in artificial intelligence. The Air Force wants him to teach its drones to anticipate the movements of human pilots. Which raises an obvious question: is he preparing the robots to rebel against their human masters?
"No, I am not," Stottler promises. He doesn't look forward to the robot apocalypse, "other than the fact that such things are not technologically possible." A robot sympathizer would want us to think that, of course. But let's drop it for now.
The Air Force recently gave Stottler Henke Associates $100,000 to deliver a software package that can keep drones from colliding into human-piloted planes as they take off and land. Stottler's proposal, called the Intelligent Pilot Intent Analysis System, models pilots' behavior in manifested and predicted scenarios: how they take off, how they land, how they maneuver in between. It also incorporates information from Air Traffic Control and guidance for specific runways. All that will tell the drone how to react when a plane veers close or the trajectory of the two planes might portend a crash.
Put simply, it's analogous to getting a drone to think like a pilot, getting into his head. And it's a big step for drone autonomy. "We're encoding that knowledge that human pilots have, what they're going to do," Stottler says.
The model can't do everything, Stottler concedes. It has limited ability to deal with anomalous or erratic pilot behavior. There's an allowance for a damaged plane and the software's algorithms incorporate procedures from Air Traffic Control for an aircraft in trouble. Still, "if a pilot were to do something unusual unexpected we have nothing to say about that," Stottler says.
A Michigan-based company also designing an algorithm for drones to anticipate pilot behavior, Soar Technology, declined a request for an interview.
For all the effort to increase a drone's autonomy, the project Stottler's working on is limited to how the drones behave when taking off and landing. While Stottler wrote in his proposal that his algorithms are "directly applicable to finding terrorists and smugglers," its application on the current project won't be.
In short: it won't teach a drone to fire its missiles on its own. Which from the perspective of humanity is auspicious, considering the expansion of the military's reliance on drone war, as demonstrated by Thursday's announcement that Predators will stalk Libya.
"The military is pretty conservative, old school," he says. When it comes to firing weapons, "they always want to have a man in the loop."
Stottler estimates that even if his software convinces the Air Force to choose his company for the second phase of the contract, it won't get situated aboard a drone for another three and a half years. That suits him fine. "I've always been interested in autonomous aircraft," he says. "It's a cool intersection of two things for me: aircraft and robotics." Hmm – and just when it seemed like he wasn't a Cylon agent...
Photo: U.S. Air Force
See Also:- Coming Soon From the Air Force: Mind-Reading Drones
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L-R: Ewan McGregor in Fargo and Trainspotting 2.
Ewan McGregor played a guy and his clone in The Island, and Jesus and Satan in Last Days in the Desert. But taking on the dual roles of the Stussy brothers in the upcoming third season of Fargo, premiering April 19 on FX, is presenting unprecedented challenges.
For one, Ray Stussy, the younger brother, is heavier than his older sibling, Emmit, which could have been easily addressed with a fat suit and prosthetics. But creator and showrunner Noah Hawley had other designs. “You need to put on weight,” McGregor recalls Hawley saying to him at a restaurant in Los Angeles last October, three months before production began. At the time, McGregor was 45, and at his fittest. He had just finished filming Trainspotting 2 in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he and cast member Jonny Lee Miller regularly exercised, running around and up an imposing mountain called Arthur’s Seat.
But McGregor didn’t protest. “I ordered a massive dessert and started putting on weight from that second onward,” he said during a press conference call Thursday. “From October until January, when we started filming, I just started eating whatever I wanted. I made sure that I had carbs with everything and French fries with everything. I didn’t have any technique other than eating a lot. I think if you spoke to a dietician, I probably did it all wrong.”
He never weighed himself, but he did have to buy new Levi’s that were three inches larger in the waist. “It’s quite nice when you’re ordering — you can order whatever you like,” he says. “But the truth is I would go to bed every night not feeling very great. I’m a small guy. I’m not really used to carrying weight. It doesn’t make you feel great. I like to feel fit and healthy. But it was effective. It worked.”
When McGregor read the first script, he understood why it was important that he put on some pounds. Ray and his girlfriend Nikki (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) have a bathtub scene, and Ray has to get out of the bath. “You see my naked body. Although I wear some padding for Ray to make him heavier, this scene had to justify that padding,” he explains. “It wouldn’t make sense for me to wear padding and not be fat when I got out of the bath. So when I got out of the bath, I was properly overweight for me.” (It takes him two-and-a-half hours to transform into Ray — padding, prosthetics, wig, cowboy boots, and all.)
But what about Emmit, who is meant to be a leaner man? To play the rich elder brother, McGregor had to sport Spanx. “It’s a really unbelievably effective compressing T-shirt that I have help getting into and help getting out of, and it makes Emmit less heavy-looking,” he says. “The Spanx makes me hold my body in a different way because it’s tight and keeps me more upright, I suppose.”
As production has progressed — it ends May 5 — McGregor has lost some of the weight. “Because of the story line, and the nature of wearing padding for Ray, I’ve been able to lose that weight and it’s been quite helpful for the story with Emmit,” he adds. “That’s come about by chance, but the fact that he gets more gaunt-looking in his face has been quite useful for the story. It’s worked out quite nicely.”
Perhaps the trickiest part of playing both roles roles, McGregor says, has been nailing the specific Fargo accent and giving it enough nuance for both characters. Many times during production, he’s had to play both men in a single day. “It’s probably difficult for an American, too, but for a British person, there are sounds that sound Scottish and that can lead me to think I’m getting it wrong. Some of it sounds Irish. I sometimes feel I’m doing a bad Irish accent. Even though they’re similar because they’re brothers, hopefully they sound like two different people.”
McGregor says he enjoys playing both the “soulless” Emmit, who made a fortune as “the parking lot king of Minnesota,” as much as more “lovable” Ray, a parole officer. But the crew has a clear favorite: “The crew prefers Ray,” he says. “They really like it when Ray is on set, probably more so than when Emmit is.”
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(CNN) President Donald Trump on Saturday again attacked a federal judge whose decision he disliked, blasting Judge James Robart, a George W. Bush appointee who temporarily stopped his controversial travel ban Friday night.
Trump's increasingly heated responses quickly drew objections from Democrats, who said he was improperly attacking an independent judiciary. By Saturday afternoon, Trump had stepped up his criticism: "Because the ban was lifted by a judge, many very bad and dangerous people may be pouring into our country. A terrible decision."
Shortly after 8 a.m. ET, the President tweeted, "The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned."
The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!
That tweet was one of several Trump issued Saturday morning in which he defended his executive order on immigration, which bars citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for 90 days, all refugees for 120 days and indefinitely halts refugees from Syria.
"When a country is no longer able to say who can, and who cannot , come in & out, especially for reasons of safety &.security - big trouble," Trump next tweeted.
When a country is no longer able to say who can, and who cannot , come in & out, especially for reasons of safety &.security - big trouble! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017
"Interesting that certain Middle-Eastern countries agree with the ban. They know if certain people are allowed in it's death & destruction," he added, though he didn't name any countries.
Interesting that certain Middle-Eastern countries agree with the ban. They know if certain people are allowed in it's death & destruction! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017
Saturday afternoon, Trump resumed his criticism, tweeting: "What is our country coming to when a judge can halt a Homeland Security travel ban and anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?"
What is our country coming to when a judge can halt a Homeland Security travel ban and anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017
He followed up with, "Because the ban was lifted by a judge, many very bad and dangerous people may be pouring into our country. A terrible decision."
Because the ban was lifted by a judge, many very bad and dangerous people may be pouring into our country. A terrible decision — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017
And he was still tweeting about it early Saturday evening: "Why aren't the lawyers looking at and using the Federal Court decision in Boston, which is at conflict with ridiculous lift ban decision?"
Why aren't the lawyers looking at and using the Federal Court decision in Boston, which is at conflict with ridiculous lift ban decision? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017
Trump was referring to a decision by a federal judge in Boston earlier Friday, a more limited ruling that declined to renew a temporary restraining order in Massachusetts. It would have prohibited the detention or removal of foreign travelers legally authorized to come to the Boston area, and the decision represented the Trump administration's first court victory regarding the order.
Unusual criticism
It is highly unusual for a President to publicly criticize a federal judge, but during the campaign, Trump memorably railed against Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was overseeing a lawsuit against Trump University. Trump said Curiel, who was born in Indiana, was unable to fairly preside over the lawsuit because of his "Mexican heritage." Trump had introduced plans to build a wall along the Mexican border and take a hard stance on immigration.
Vice President Mike Pence later defended Trump in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.
"Is it right for the President to say 'so-called' judge'? Doesn't that undermine the separation of powers in the Constitution?" Stephanopoulos asked Pence on "This Week" in a clip released Saturday afternoon.
"I don't think it does," Pence replied. "I think the American people are very accustomed to this president speaking his mind and speaking very straight with them."
But Democrats pounced on Trump's criticism of Robart, with Democratic senators flatly saying the President's comments will factor into the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.
"Attack on federal judge from POTUS is beneath the dignity of that office. That attitude can lead America to calamity," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted Saturday.
Attack on federal judge from POTUS is beneath the dignity of that office. That attitude can lead America to calamity. — Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) February 4, 2017
"The President's attack on Judge James Robart, a Bush appointee who passed with 99 votes, shows a disdain for an independent judiciary that doesn't always bend to his wishes and a continued lack of respect for the Constitution, making it more important that the Supreme Court serve as an independent check on the administration," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
"With each action testing the Constitution, and each personal attack on a judge, President Trump raises the bar even higher for Judge Gorsuch's nomination to serve on the Supreme Court. His ability to be an independent check will be front and center throughout the confirmation process."
Vermont. Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, said Trump's "hostility toward the rule of law is not just embarrassing, it is dangerous."
"We need a nominee for the Supreme Court willing to demonstrate he or she will not cower to an overreaching executive. This makes it even more important that Judge Gorsuch, and every other judge this president may nominate, demonstrates the ability to be an independent check and balance on an administration that shamefully and harmfully seems to reject the very concept."
Robart's order on Friday was a significant setback to Trump's ban and set up the nation for a second straight weekend of confusion about the policy's legality.
The White House said Friday the Department of Justice will challenge the decision. In a statement, White House press secretary Sean Spicer initially called Robart's order "outrageous" before quickly issuing another statement that dropped that word.
Robart has presided in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington state since 2004. He assumed senior status in 2016.
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In a previous post, I focused on the growing danger of extreme income inequality in the world today. A complicating factor is that as more people are unemployed, this inequality can only increase.
In this post we examine the prospects of future full employment and of a higher minimum wage as means of reducing this huge disparity.
The current debate in the Western world reveals that we live in two parallel intellectual universes, as far as the causes of unemployment are concerned. In universe one, mainly populated by political leaders in electoral mode and many commentators, the assumption is that unemployment is a temporary accident which will be resolved when growth returns. To achieve this, the left favors more government action and the right, freer markets. But the underlying view, in both cases, is that more growth means more jobs. For this reason, unemployment compensation is seen as an insurance policy good for a fixed period until normal times return. What if this assumption were wrong and that unemployment, far from being the exception, could become the new normal?
In universe two, inhabited by innovators, computer scientists and entrepreneurs, the goal is to look for labor-saving devices, replace humans by machines and cut payroll to a minimum for better profits. This second universe is less vocal but works silently to introduce new technologies, whose purpose is definitely not to create jobs but to reduce them via automation. Which of the two universes is supported by the facts?
First, there has been a steady growth of long-term unemployment, in many countries, to about a third of the total. Jobless recoveries are now commonplace: more profits are now accompanied by fewer jobs. Second, many of the new jobs are part-time and poorly paid. The era of the 40-hour week, 48 weeks a year is coming to a close. We no longer need all these workers, full time. Part time will do, even though the salaries are obviously insufficient for full time living expenses.
Overall the economy as a whole is experiencing what happened to agriculture with mechanization which used to employ 80 percent of the labor force. Today it employs less than 3 percent and no amount of government or free market effort is likely to increase this number -- unless of course we were to drop the tractors and go back to shovels. Who really wants that? For good or for ill, humans are managing to subcontract more and more production to machines. The evidence is unmistakable.
Have we heard this before ? Yes we have. It was false then and it is true now. When the Luddites attacked steam engines, during the First Industrial Revolution, they were misguided. Humans were never very efficient energy machines and could easily be supplanted. Today's machines are replacing humans in intelligence-intensive tasks. That is a sea change.
A much-quoted recent Oxford University study has claimed that up to 47 percent of U.S. jobs could be replaced by automation as soon as 2030. Present and future jobs, previously threatened solely by outsourcing are now challenged by what some have called "robo-sourcing." A robot has no vacation, no sick leave, will not strike and needs no job satisfaction at all.
The net result of all this, if true, is that full employment, as we know it may soon become an unattainable goal.
What to do? Lament? Not necessarily. If the fruits of automation are well-distributed, this could be a victory, not a defeat for Homo Sapiens as long we devise better distribution systems without killing entrepreneurship. Raising the minimum wage is a good idea for now, but, if the above analysis is correct it may not be a long-term solution, unless applied worldwide. The more sustainable one seems to be a GMI, a guaranteed minimum income.
The GMI explicitly recognizes, instead of ignoring, the now broken link between economic growth and jobs. If the link is indeed broken, or at least weakened, why not replace unemployment compensation with a guaranteed minimum income for all citizens, no questions asked? This GMI should be high enough to be above the poverty line yet low enough not to discourage entrepreneurs and innovators. The latter must be adequately remunerated but the displaced workers should not be forgotten either.
The most interesting aspect of a GMI is that it is one of the few policies which have been proposed by both the extreme left and the extreme right. The left has endorsed it on equity grounds, and the right (among others by Milton Friedman) on efficiency grounds. Interestingly, an unconditional guaranteed minimum income is likely to be less costly to administer than the myriad of social entitlement programs now present in many Western countries. These programs by the way, end up doing very little to alleviate unemployment, witness France with a very generous unemployment compensation and very high unemployment actually fed by this generosity.
For those who consider the idea too outlandish, consider that Switzerland, hardly a communist country, is envisioning a guaranteed minimum income of $2,800 a month for every adult citizen. The proposal will be submitted by referendum to the Swiss people in 2014.
Instituting a sustainable GMI should not be done lightly and may, initially have to be introduced in a closed socio-economic space. A worldwide introduction is not likely to be workable at the present time. The fine tuning will be complex but doable.
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