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In Israel, open discourse and dissent appear to be among the casualties of the monthlong war in Gaza, according to stalwarts of what is known as the Zionist left — Israelis who want the country to end its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and help create a sovereign Palestinian state. Israeli politics have been drifting rightward for years, and many see that trend sharpening and solidifying now. Several polls find that as many as nine out of 10 Israeli Jews back the prosecution of the war by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When that support slipped a bit last week, it seemed to be because more people wanted an even more aggressive assault on Hamas, the militant Islamist faction that dominates Gaza. Israelis who question the government or the military on Facebook, or who even share photographs of death and devastation in Gaza, find themselves defriended, often by people they thought were politically like-minded. “One of the victims of war is any nuance,” said Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman, who emigrated from New York in 1979. “The idea of having a nuanced position that recognizes the suffering on both sides and the complications is almost impossible to maintain.” Rabbi Weiman-Kelman is the founder of Kol Haneshama, one of Israel’s largest and best-known Reform congregations, where every service ends with an adaptation of a traditional Hebrew prayer for peace that includes a line in Arabic borrowed from a traditional Muslim prayer. (Disclosure: I have occasionally attended those services.) When Rabbi Weiman-Kelman recently circulated a petition condemning racist comments by a right-wing rabbi, a member of the synagogue’s board whose son was fighting in Gaza said the congregation should stay out of the matter and “focus on our boys,” he recalled. And during services Friday night, another leader of the congregation with lengthy leftist credentials stood up and said he no longer felt comfortable with a different prayer, which included a wish for “shalom” — peace — for “all who dwell on earth.” “The man said, ‘There really are bad people out there who I don’t wish shalom,’ ” the rabbi recounted. “It was a devastating moment.”

WASHINGTON — As commercial spaceflight company Blue Origin prepares for another suborbital test fight, company founder Jeff Bezos said he thinks the next administration should assign NASA a mix of large-scale prizes and technology development programs. Bezos, in an on-stage interview as part of the John H. Glenn Lecture in Space History at the National Air and Space Museum here, offered his views when asked what he would do if the next president called him and asked for space policy advice. "I think big prizes would be an interesting thing to do," he said. NASA has run a prize program, called Centennial Challenges, for a decade, offering prizes of up to several million dollars for aviation and space technology achievements. Bezos, though, believes NASA should go after something bigger, such as a prize for a Mars sample return mission. "One thing that the government could do is just offer a very large prize to whoever first brings back some Mars samples," he said. "It would be very interesting. That kind of horserace would create lots of attention. People would compete for it." Bezos didn't offer an estimate of how large the prize should be for a Mars sample return competition. NASA is currently working on the first element of its own sample return effort, the Mars 2020 rover, to collect samples. That mission has an estimated cost of $1.5 billion. Later missions are proposed to launch the samples into Martian orbit and return them to Earth, but NASA has not disclosed a schedule or cost for them. In conjunction with large prizes, Bezos suggested NASA also pursue ambitious technology development efforts. "I would also advise that NASA needs to go after gigantic, hard technology goals," he said, that would be too difficult for private industry to do on its own. Examples he gave were in-space nuclear reactors and hypersonic passenger aviation. "I think prizes and then really hard technology programs" are what NASA should pursue, he concluded. Bezos didn't weigh in on a particular destination for NASA human spaceflight efforts, but the other guest speaker at the lecture, Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, did. "To me, the focus should be on Mars," he said. Collins said his views contrasted with those held by the late Neil Armstrong, who had advocated for a return the moon prior to going to Mars. "I disagree with that. I think we ought to just go," he said. "I used to joke that NASA should be renamed NAMA — the National Aeronautics and Mars Administration — and I would still to some extent like to see that." Bezos didn't object to someone, be it NASA or a private venture, sending humans to Mars, although he thought it would be more for the achievement of doing so rather than any science crewed missions there might do. "I don't think you can justify sending men to Mars for science reasons. I think we have reached a state where robots can do that task, probably better than people can," he said. Instead, he said people should go because it's "cool." "I hope somebody goes to Mars because I want to watch it. I think it would be glorious,"he said. Bezos' near-term space focus is on Blue Origin, the company he founded to develop reusable launch vehicles that promise to reduce the cost of space access. Bezos announced on Twitter June 13 that the company would perform another test flight of its New Shepard suborbital launch vehicle on June 17, which, for the first time, will be webcast live on the company's website. Bezos said Blue Origin, which now has about 700 employees, is on track to begin commercial New Shepard flights, carrying people, in 2018. "We'll fly our first test astronauts in late 2017, hopefully, if the test program continues to go well," he said. The company has not yet started to sell tickets for those flights. "We don't know yet what exactly we're going to charge," he said, but suggested Blue Origin would charge a price similar to Virgin Galactic, which is offering seats on its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle for between $250,000 and $300,000 a person. "We're going to be in the same range, to start with, and then keep working over time to make it cheaper." Bezos has previously indicated he has invested at least $500 million of his own money into Blue Origin. At the event, Bezos said Blue Origin remains in "investment mode" and will eventually be profitable, but "it's going to take a long time." "It's for-profit," Bezos said of Blue Origin when asked if it was a for-profit or not-for-profit company, but stressed it is not yet profitable. "Well, it's not yet. That's an intention for the glorious future." Originally published on Space News.

Excellent accuracy! I got it from the FFL dealer 12/23/14 and when I got it home, measured the chamber with a Hornady C.O.A.L gauge. I reloaded 50 cartridges with IMR 7828 SSC, 80 gr. and seated the bullets so the length was 3.779" I mounted a Vortex Viper PST 6-24X50 with the MRAD reticle and 2 days later took it to the range. I started with 100 yards, and my 5th, 6th, and 7th shots were in a 1" bullseye, 2 going through the same hole. I switched to a 3" target at 100 yards and had a 3 shot group .5" just high and to the left, made the adjustments to center in the small bullseye and noticed the scope rings had loosened even using locktite, so I stopped. I've ordered Vortex's Precision Matched 30mm rings and am waiting to receive them. Once I remount the scope using the new rings, I'm going to zero it for 200 yards and post another review, but initially I'm VERY pleased! Oh, this is my 4th Savage rifle. I have a model 114 in 7mm magnum and can hit golf balls all day long at 100 yards. Dropped a large doe at 70 yards and she never even kicked because I shot the top of her heart off.

Time to stock up on the antidote for rattlesnake bites and boost blood supplies. More than 1 million visitors are expected to flood the state for the solar eclipse Aug. 21 and hospitals in its path are ramping up for the massive influx. For hospital systems from central Oregon to the coast, it will be all-hands on deck in the run-up and aftermath of the eclipse. Without a precedent, planners have turned for advice to their counterparts in Sturgis, a town in South Dakota that attracts about a half a million people for a yearly motorcycle rally in August. "One of the key things that we learned was that the need for acute care services oftentimes just mimics the increase in the population," said Dr. Jeff Absalon, executive vice president of St. Charles Health System in Bend. That means more patients with food poisoning, broken bones, strokes and heart attacks. It also means more emergency surgeries for traumatic injuries. Here's what's planned: CENTRAL OREGON St. Charles Health System, with hospitals and clinics in Bend, Redmond, Prineville and Madras, has an emergency plan for Aug. 16 to 23. It expects the local population to increase by 280,000, more than doubling. To meet the demand, the hospital system has canceled elective surgeries, such as hernia operations and joint replacements. It has limited time off and contracted to bring in nearly 60 traveling nurses. Administrators have also moved staff around, shifting doctors and nurses from nonclinical positions to the emergency room. The hospital system has stocked up on supplies, buying everything from extra gauze and saline solution to pharmaceuticals. It also received extra blood from the Red Cross in Portland, nearly doubling its supply. The Red Cross declined to provide any details about its contingency plans but said it would have the need for blood covered. St. Charles Health System also purchased extra antidote for rattlesnake bites. "It's a little tricky because it has a short shelf life, said Lisa Goodman, spokeswoman for the hospital system. Clinics in Bend, Redmond, Prineville and Madras will welcome walk-ins, with hours extended from 6 to 10 p.m. Madras, home to about 6,700 people, is expected to be ground zero. "It is largely considered to be the very best place in the country to watch the eclipse because of geography and weather patterns," Goodman said. Hospital staff expect a sixfold increase in patients in the Madras ER around the eclipse. The hospital will have five physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants on duty at the hospital instead of the usual three. But the hospital has only 25 beds. That means patients will have to be transported to other hospitals in the area or out of the region and the roads are expected to be clogged. Usually, two air ambulances serve the area. Two more will be added during the eclipse period, Absalon said. The Oregon Army National Guard also will make a Black Hawk helicopter available to transport patients. Administrators will open hospital parking lots to staff, allowing them to camp out in their recreational vehicles to be closer to work. Providers have urged pregnant women due around the eclipse to be prepared but the hospital isn't altering due dates by inducing labor or doing C-sections "There will be some instances where people may need to make alternate living arrangements," Absalon said. "We won't be delivering babies outside the standard time for delivery." SALEM AREA Salem Health administrators have been planning for a year for an expected 500,000 visitors to their vicinity. "We're expecting everything to be up by 25 percent," said Wayne McFarlin, emergency preparedness administrator for Salem Health, with hospitals in Salem and Dallas and clinics in Marion and Polk counties. The hospital system has increased supplies across-the-board, hired contract nurses, moved staff from nonclinical positions and shifted schedules to ensure that more physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses and technicians are available. "We've increased our emergency department and hospital staff," McFarlin said. "We've boosted nurses in every unit that has in-patients." In concrete terms, that means an extra 10 professionals in the ER, compared with 65 to 70 usually, to treat perhaps an extra 100 extra patients a day at Salem Hospital. Administrators will allow staff to sleep onsite if they choose. Salem Hospital has about 70 cots; half have been reserved so far. The hospital also has available floor space, if needed, for doctors and nurses to sleep over. Elective surgeries haven't been canceled but only about a third the usual number are booked because patients and providers have selected other dates, McFarlin said. On the Wednesday before the eclipse, Salem Hospital will set up three air-conditioned tents outside the ER to handle the demand. They will be used as triage centers and sobering stations. Patients will also be treated in the tents, as appropriate, and discharged. A command center will be set up in the hospital to track patients and to work with 11 other hospitals in the region. CORVALLIS TO THE COAST Samaritan Health Services has five hospitals -- in Corvallis, Newport, Albany, Lebanon and Lincoln City – and expects more patients at each. There could be 150,000 visitors on the coast and as many as 300,000 in the Willamette Valley. Administrators hope to shift demand to urgent care clinics when possible to save ERs for more complicated care. The hospital system is closing dozens of specialty clinics to move staff to 18 urgent and family care clinics from Sweet Home to Albany to Depoe Bay. From Friday through Monday, some of those clinics will have extended hours. Of the 18, 15 will be converted to walk-in clinics. Details are posted online. The hospital system has asked staff to work extra hours if possible. They'll be able to sleep overnight at the hospitals or camp in parking lots, provided there's space. Administrators are also hiring contract nurses. But with so many other hospitals in need of professionals, there's a limit to how many extra professionals they can hire on a temporary basis, said Joseph Hutchinson, director of emergency management, safety and security for Samaritan Health Services. "Would we like more? Absolutely," Hutchinson said. "Can we get more? No." Samaritan Health Services has canceled elective surgeries and bought more food, medications and other supplies. Like central Oregon, the area serving Samaritan Health facilities will have four air ambulances instead of the usual two and more medical transport vehicles on the ground. Providers have urged pregnant women to be prepared. But the hospital system has refused requests by women who want to deliver the day of the eclipse. "If a person is ready to deliver – they will deliver a baby," Hutchinson said. "We are not encouraging or accommodating anyone who wants to have a baby born on the eclipse." Emergency managers are stationing extra security guards at clinics and they're activating emergency communications, with satellite phones and a network of volunteer ham radio operators. Planners have tried to think of everything as if they were preparing for a major earthquake or disaster. "It's an invaluable exercise," Hutchinson said. "You can't get better training for emergency preparedness." -- Lynne Terry

Hugo Schwyzer explains why guys are so preoccupied with getting women’s sex stats—and why they should just let it go. Judging from what I read online and hear from my students, the question of the “number” is as compelling as ever. This month, Marie Claire ran an article, “What’s Your Number?” in which five women (whose numbers ranged from zero to 100) told their stories. The March issue of Cosmopolitan Australia features the same discussion, noting that 59 percent of readers surveyed thought knowing a partner’s exact number was important, and that 33 percent of those same readers had lied about their own pasts, claiming fewer sexual partners than they’d actually had. (A quick note: most people use “the number” to refer to the count of people with whom they’ve had heterosexual intercourse. Any kind of sex that doesn’t involve a penis inside a vagina usually “doesn’t count.” A lot of us are like Bill Clinton in that regard, not seeing oral sex as real sex. This is a very limited—and limiting—understanding of what sex really is. But that’s a topic for another day.) ♦◊♦ It’s understandable to be curious about the sexual lives of our peers. It makes sense to want to know what the averages are. (According to the experts at the Kinsey Institute, the average number of lifetime sexual partners for men aged 30 to 44 is around seven, while for women in that same age group, it’s four—both lower than you might think). Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free But the number has different meanings for men and women. The old double standard is still alive and well: a man with more sexual partners than his buddies may be teasingly called a “man whore,” but the epithet is a compliment, not an insult. Ask a woman who has dared reveal her number to someone who considers it too high, and she’ll surely tell you a story of being “slut-shamed.” It’s quite common for a guy to worry about a girlfriend’s sexual past. Too many men are still raised to see sex as crude competition, in which bedding a woman who has already had a lot of lovers counts less than scoring with a woman who is “hard to get.” But I think the average guy’s worry is simpler than that. The more men his girlfriend has slept with, the greater number of lovers to which she can compare his skills. It’s easier to win a contest against two than against 20, he figures. And even easier to rank first when he’s the only one to have ever played the game. No wonder so many men—in this country and around the world—are obsessed with finding a virgin. This is the real reason why so many men get so filled with rage at sexually experienced women. And of course, it’s the real reason so many women feel compelled to lie about their number. ♦◊♦ Too many women have told their boyfriends their real number, only to be nagged incessantly for explicit details. (One friend of mine recounted to me in horror how her current boyfriend stopped one day in the middle of giving her oral sex to ask how his technique compared.) Other women find that their boyfriends endlessly psychoanalyze the reasons for a number that they think is too high: “Did you sleep with so many men because your father left you when you were a child?” (If I had a dollar for every woman I know who’s been asked that question, I could buy everyone reading this a Slurpee. Seriously.) At this point, some men are probably protesting: “But I don’t slut-shame or endlessly analyze. For me, it’s not all about competing with other guys. Isn’t the number an important thing to know about someone you might be serious about? Isn’t it something I have a right to know?” That sounds reasonable. But again, why is it so important to know an exact number? What difference does it make? Knowing whether a potential girlfriend has ever been in love before is important; discovering (slowly and patiently) how her past experiences have impacted her view of men (for better or worse) is important. But really, what’s the difference whether she’s slept with four or 14 men? She isn’t defined by her number—and if there’s a chance you might change how you see her when you discover the truth (should she tell you), why ask? This has nothing to do, by the way, with asking about sexual health. It’s a great idea to talk about sexually transmitted infections; it’s a great idea for a new couple to get tested before having unprotected sex. We have a right to know if a potential partner has herpes. But the exact number itself is altogether different. ♦◊♦ I lost my virginity at 17 to my high-school girlfriend. She was a year younger but much more sexually experienced. She was my first for anything that went below the waist; I was the fifth guy she’d had sex with. I’d asked her number, of course, and then fought hard not to obsess about the four boys who had “been there” before me. But I saw the pain my questions caused her. And I came to realize that it didn’t matter. I don’t know my wife’s number. I’ve never asked her. She’s never asked for mine. I know enough from the stories she’s told to know that there was more than one guy before me; she knows enough about my past to figure out that she can’t count my lovers on her fingers. Beyond that, we—who have shared so much sexually and emotionally in our nine years as a couple, six years as spouses, and two years as parents together—don’t need to know more specifics. When we’re in a monogamous relationship, what we have a right to insist on is that no names get added to the list after our own. It doesn’t matter if I’m number five or 55. I’ll be crushed if my wife adds a number six or a 56 behind my back. Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free But the right to ask to be last is not the same as the right to know how far we are from the first. And for me, part of being a good man is knowing what I don’t need to know. ♦◊♦ Other Stories From the Good Men Project Magazine: ♦◊♦ ♦◊♦ ♦◊♦ ♦◊♦ ♦◊♦ ♦◊♦ ♦◊♦ Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free ♦◊♦ —Photo by eflon/Flickr Why Does It Matter How Many Partners She’s Had?

You drift towards a pastel island where everything sings as you pass. The sky begins to darken and something in the distance catches your eye… I’m Ed Key, one of the developers of Proteus along with composer David Kanaga. Proteus came out for the PC and Mac in January 2013 and had a fantastic reception from Edge, Eurogamer, IGN and many more. For something that started out as a weird experimental project between me and David, this was pretty mind-blowing, and it’s even crazier to now have the chance to bring it to PS3 and PS Vita with some brand new features that take advantage of Sony’s hardware. Proteus is something like a constantly-remixing ambient album in the form of an immersive island world. It’s all about a particular feeling of wandering through nature alone, taking it in and getting pleasantly lost. Maybe it’s a little bit about magic and mortality too. Don’t expect tasks and scores and checklists – perhaps Proteus lurks somewhere on the shady fringes of what it means to be a game. With the PS Vita and PS3 version we’ve been adding new ways to engage with – and remix – the world. Previously, all Proteus islands were purely random, but on PS Vita, you can now choose to generate an island based on your current geographical location and on both platforms you can generate an island for the current date. Both features have a chance of generating an especially “wild” island with various tweaks and twists. The island at my house, for example, has weird purple sea, green sky in the evening and some pleasant (but still very purple) inland lakes. We’ve also added a way for users to interact with the environment using the back touch screen, and we’ll be talking more about this closer to release. Curve Studios is doing a fantastic job bringing the game to PlayStation, adding a lot of love and polish along the way. Playing it hand-held on the Vita’s bright OLED screen is so nice, as is the experience of playing it a on big television through the PlayStation 3. We’ve had a very positive response to the PlayStation version from people I’ve shown it to, and I’m happy to quote a friend here and say that it’s the best version of Proteus there’s ever been!

5 TV Shows I Wish I Could Unsee Like everyone else, I’ve seen my share of television shows I disliked. Some simply weren’t my taste while others were objectively awful, and usually it’s not a big deal. No harm, no foul; I just move on to something else. Once in a while, though, a show hits me so wrong that it sticks with me, burrowing into my brain like an irritating bug until I want to scoop it out with a melon baller. Here are five such shows that I wish I could go back in time and unsee. [Warning: There are some spoilers in the following discussion] JOEY I loved Friends. I laughed (and occasionally cried) with them through ugly naked guy poking, the endless Ross-Rachel rollercoaster (I don’t care that you were on a break, Ross!) and God knows how many cups of coffee at Central Perk. When it was announced that Matt LeBlanc was spinning off Joey, I thought it had a chance since it had worked for Frasier when Cheers ended. Wishful thinking on my part; obviously, but I wasn’t quite ready to let go. A few episodes of Joey later, and I couldn’t run away fast enough. The show wasn’t funny and Joey was no longer loveable-just dumber, more deluded, and much more grating. I wished I hadn’t made the move to LA with him because it made me miss Friends even more. COUPLING (USA) As a fan of the original Coupling, I had to check out the American version despite, shall we say, less than stellar reviews. I ended up only watching two episodes, but that was more than enough (and it didn’t last much longer than that, anyway). Why were the jokes I had laughed at uproariously in the UK version suddenly so unfunny, and how is it possible that none of the actors had any chemistry? In an especially cruel trick, BBC America showed the UK version of the Coupling episode immediately after NBC aired its version. The difference in quality between the two was embarrassing and made me suspicious of any future American remakes. HOARDERS This one is my fault. I have clutter issues–I know this, and yet one night while flipping through the channels, I landed on a Hoarders marathon and couldn’t look away. This show is both disturbing and riveting on so many levels. While I squirmed at the disgusting “living” conditions with the piles upon piles of paper, trinkets, and garbage, the people destroyed me. This is a serious illness on display for everyone to gawk at as if it were a train wreck. I know I couldn’t look away. At least not until an episode involving animals came on and the sheer horror of that broke the spell. I had nightmares for a week, and I’ve never watched another episode, but I wish I could forget the ones I did see. VIVA LAUGHLIN I hadn’t seen Viva Blackpool, the British miniseries upon which Viva Laughlin was based, but Hugh Jackman in a musical murder mystery show? Come on! I thought it would be delicious. Instead it was bland, clichéd, almost incomprehensible, and flat-out terrible with some of the worst dialogue ever uttered. And don’t get me started on the not quite lip synching but not really singing, either. This show made Cop Rock look Emmy-worthy . PERSONS UNKNOWN Not only do I wish I could unsee Persons Unknown, I wish I could forget it ever existed. I originally thought it was a fascinating idea for a show-seven strangers wake up in a strange hotel in a deserted town with no idea how they got there. So many possibilities, and while the pilot was just okay, there was a tremendous amount of promise, so I created a season pass. Big mistake. Huge. It went steadily downhill after the pilot meandering down blind plot alleys and never quite settling on a tone with characters who became less interesting as the show wore on. I still stayed with it because I had to know how it would end, and NBC promised we would get answers. Ha! Persons Unknown spun its rusty wheels, looping back and forth and creating giant plot holes in the process, until the finale when we got–nothing. We still didn’t know what the “Program” was and the characters we had hoped would escape were once again stuck. Sure, some of them had made it to level two in the middle of the ocean, but I didn’t spend thirteen hours to find out the whole show was just a video game. Most maddening finale I have ever seen. Worse, I had to listen to my husband complain about “that God awful show you made me watch” for a month and he still brings it up if I suggest a new show. “It’s not going to be like that terrible Persons Unknown, is it?” Sigh. If I had Hermione’s time turner, those are the shows I would go back and unsee. What about you? Are there any shows that you wish you could erase from your memory? Let me know in the comments.

About Scroll down to just below the last Stretch-Goals to PLAY The Selfie Board Game NOW! You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Play Replay with sound Play with sound 00:00 00:00 PRESS RELEASE (scroll down for additional languages) Press Release (Version 1): At 10am EST USA on 6th January 2016 (2am 7th January Australia), The Selfie Board Game will go live on Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) Launched by Aussie toy and game designer/manufacturer Ken Howard, this is your chance to catch the vision of this exciting new game and genre. People will be able to pledge support for the game, in return for STARRING IN THE GAME plus ordering first copies. The object of The Selfie Board Game, is simply, to describe someone's appearance JUST from the sound of their voice BEFORE their selfie is revealed. This is a game for the whole world, for every language, every culture and every race, so that The Selfie Board Game builds these bridges internationally. The game headquarters will be based in Philadelphia, USA. Kickstarter link: https://goo.gl/bMnwkG Or go to Kickstarter and search for The Selfie Board Game to pledge / order your copy or to preview the game. Our Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/SelfieBoardGame Our Web Page: www.TheSelfieBoardGame.com Press Release (Version 2): Australian Ken Howard, in partnership with American Mark Mercer, launched Ken’s Selfie Board Game on Kickstarter on the 6th January. The game aims to address issues of race and colour from an angle that has not been addressed before. Namely from our voices. Ken, who develops toys and games for clients all over the world, knows firsthand, the reaction to his Aussie accent in other countries. Having lived in Europe, Africa and the USA, he has come to appreciate his friends from all over the world. Ken says he sees ‘features’ not colour. In fact, Ken’s mission is to do away with the ‘colour’ word altogether. He argues that if you went to a paint store after something BLUISH for your bedroom, you’d go to the blue swatch which ranges from dark and royal blue down to pale, almost, white blue. He contends it is the same with human skin. We humans are in the brown range and therefore TONE should be used as a reference instead of colour. He jokes being Australian that he is in fact pink, getting burnt easily from the sunny weather down under. He addresses these issues in his new game, called The Selfie Board Game, where the object is to describe someone’s appearance, just from the sound of their voice, before their selfie is revealed. Using only your voice, which will be uploaded into an App, this VOICIE, as he calls it, tells a lot about you and who you are. From your gender to the language that you speak, to your accent, which can even lead you to guessing someone’s eye colour. Howard makes some valid arguments in his thesis-like presentation where he has an Essay on Heritage as well as going into the linguistics of language. He certainly has done a lot of research and gone into great detail for the game. He says he is using Crowd Funding as a means to quickly ‘get’ the voicies and selfies he needs for the game. In short, it is a unique take on ‘Guess Who’ and with the inclusion of an App. He hopes this social media board game will evolve into its own product range including music, a toy hover car and even a TV game show. His experience in developing thousands of toys and games over the years, certainly puts this Aussie in the can-do bracket. We wish him all the best. Just search for The Selfie Board Game on Kickstarter.com is you wish to secure an EARLY copy of the game. Press Release (Version 3): Do you ever listen to the radio and wonder just what does that person look like? We all do it and make mental images of the person on the other end of the microphone. Australian Toy and Game Manufacturer Ken Howard, in partnership with Mark Mercer of Philadelphia USA, are launching Ken’s new Selfie Board Game on Kickstarter, a game which addresses this exact issue. Ken says that in his travels all over the world, he was always fascinated meeting new clients he has only spoken to on the phone. He said that, in listening more, he honed in on what he thought the person would look like when he met them in person. He said being a designer, he has always noticed features and sounds first. and has taken this to a level not thought of before in his new game. Mary Couzin, owner of Discovery Games and the Chicago Toy and Game Fair commented: “Wow you wrote a thesis”, referring to his Kickstarter page after being shown a preview. In fact, former Vice President of Hasbro, Mike Hirtle, even lent Ken his “voicie” and “selfie” for the game which you can actually play within the Kickstarter web site. I am sure you will be surprised what you can learn about someone’s voice. I certainly was, in reading Ken’s Essay on the subject of linguistics on the site. It honestly looks like a hit with his new social media board game. Check it out on Kickstarter, search for The Selfie Board Game. Press Release Um 10 Uhr EST USA am 6. Januar 2016 wird die Selfie Brettspiel live auf Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) gehen Durch Aussie Spielzeug und Spieldesigner Ken Howard ins Leben gerufen , ist dies Ihre Chance, die Vision von diesem aufregenden neuen Spiel und Genre zu fangen. Die Menschen werden in der Lage, Unterstützung für das Spiel für immer erste und frühe Kopien verpflichten , im Gegenzug . Die Aufgabe der Selfie Brettspiel, ist einfach , um jemandes Aussehen gerade aus dem Klang ihrer Stimme zu beschreiben , BEVOR ihre selfie wird enthüllt. Dies ist ein Spiel für die ganze Welt , für jede Sprache , jeder Kultur und jeder Rasse , so dass die Selfie Brettspiel baut Brücken international . Die Spiel Hauptsitz in Philadelphia, USA basieren. Gehen Sie zu Kickstarter und die Suche nach der Selfie Brettspiel zu verpfänden / bestellen Sie Ihre Kopie oder , um das Spiel Comunicato Stampa Alle ore 10 EST USA il 6 gennaio 2016, il Selfie Gioco di società andrà in diretta su Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) Lanciato da giocattolo Aussie e game designer Ken Howard , questa è la tua possibilità di prendere visione di questo nuovo ed entusiasmante gioco e il genere . Le persone saranno in grado di impegnarsi il supporto per il gioco , in cambio di ottenere prime e prime copie . L'oggetto del Selfie Gioco di società, è semplicemente , per descrivere l'aspetto di qualcuno solo dal suono della loro voce prima che i loro selfie è rivelato. Questo è un gioco per tutto il mondo , per ogni lingua , ogni cultura e ogni razza , in modo che il Selfie Board Game costruisce ponti a livello internazionale . La sede di gioco sarà basato a Filadelfia , Stati Uniti d'America . Vai a Kickstarter e cercare Il Selfie Board Game di pegno / ordinare la propria copia o per visualizzare in anteprima il Communiqué de presse À 10h HNE USA le 6 Janvier 2016, Le Jeu de société Selfie ira en direct sur Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) Lancé par jouet Aussie et game designer Ken Howard , ceci est votre chance d'attraper la vision de ce nouveau jeu passionnant et le genre. Les gens vont être en mesure d' engager à soutenir le jeu , en échange de l'obtention premières et au début des copies . L'objet de la planche de jeu Selfie , est tout simplement , pour décrire l'apparence de quelqu'un seulement du son de leur voix avant leur selfie est révélé. Ceci est un jeu pour le monde entier , pour chaque langue , chaque culture et chaque course , de sorte que le plateau de jeu Selfie construit des ponts à l'échelle internationale . Le siège social de jeu sera basé à Philadelphie , USA . Aller à Kickstarter et de recherche pour Le Jeu de société Selfie à gage / commander votre copie ou de prévisualiser le jeu . שעת 10 בבוקר EST ארה"ב ב -6 בינואר 2016,על הדיוקנים העצמיים לוח המשחק ילך בשידור חי ב Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) הושקה על ידי צעצוע אוסיומעצב משחק קן הווארד , זו ההזדמנות שלך כדי לתפוס את החזון של המשחק הזה מרגש החדשוז'אנר . אנשים יוכלו לשעבד תמיכה במשחק , בתמורה לקבלת עותקים הראשוניםומוקדמים . האובייקט שלהדיוקנים העצמיים לוח המשחק , הוא פשוט , כדי לתאר את ההופעה של מישהו רקמהקול שלהםלפני שהדיוקנים העצמיים שלהם מתגלים . זהו משחק לכל העולם ,לכל שפה , בכל תרבות ובכל גזע , כךשעל הדיוקנים העצמיים לוח המשחק בונה גשרים בינלאומיים . המטה המשחק יהיה מבוסס בפילדלפיה , ארה"ב . עבור לKickstarterולחפש אתהדיוקן העצמי לוח המשחק לשעבד / להזמין העותק שלך או לצפות בתצוגה מקדימה של המשחק . في 10:00 EST الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية في يناير 6th عام 2016، فإن لعبة Selfie المجلس يذهب ويعيش على Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) التي أطلقتها لعبة الاسترالي و مصمم لعبة كين هوارد ، هذه هي فرصتك للقبض على رؤية هذه اللعبة الجديدة والمثيرة والنوع . والناس سوف تكون قادرة على التعهد بتقديم الدعم للعبة، في مقابل الحصول على نسخ الأولى و المبكرة. والهدف من اللعبة Selfie المجلس ، هو ببساطة ، لوصف مظهر شخص ما فقط من صوت صوتهم قبل كشف selfie بهم. هذه هي لعبة للعالم كله، و لكل لغة ، كل ثقافة وكل عرق ، بحيث لعبة Selfie مجلس يبني الجسور دوليا . سيتم بناء مقر لعبة في فيلادلفيا ، الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية . الذهاب إلى كيك ستارتر والبحث عن لعبة Selfie المجلس نتعهد / طلب نسختك أو لمعاينة اللعبة. Press Release: Sa 10:00 EST USA sa Enero 6, 2016 , Board Game Ang Selfie ay magiging live sa Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) Inilunsad sa pamamagitan ng Aussie laruan at laro designer Ken Howard, ito ay ang iyong pagkakataon upang mahuli ang paningin ng kapana-panabik na bagong laro at genre. Ang mga tao ay maaaring makapag upang nangako ng suporta para sa mga laro, sa bumalik para sa pagkuha ng una at unang bahagi ng kopya. Ang object ng Board Game Ang Selfie , ay lamang, upang ilarawan ang hitsura ng isang tao JUST mula sa tunog ng kanilang mga boses BAGO kanilang selfie ay mahayag. Ito ay isang laro para sa buong mundo , para sa bawat wika, ang bawat kultura at sa bawat lahi, kaya na ang gagawa ng Board Game Ang Selfie tulay internationally. Ang punong-himpilan ng laro ay batay sa Philadelphia, USA. Pumunta sa Kickstarter at paghahanap para sa Board Game Ang Selfie upang isangla / order ang iyong kopya o para Tisková zpráva: V 10 hodin EST USA dne 6. ledna 2016 , bude Selfie Board Game jít žít na Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) Zahájena Aussie hračky a herní designér Ken Howard , to je vaše šance chytit vizi této vzrušující nové hry a žánru. Lidé se budou moci přislíbit podporu pro hru , na oplátku pro získání první a časné kopie. Předmětem Selfie Board Game , je prostě , popsat něčí vzhled JUST od zvuku jejich hlasu před jejich selfie je odhaleno . To je hra pro celý svět , pro každý jazyk , každé kultuře a každém závodě , tak, aby se Selfie Board Game staví mosty v mezinárodním měřítku. Hra ústředí budou založeny ve Philadelphii , USA. Přejděte na Kickstarter a hledat Selfie Board Game do zástavy / objednejte si kopii , nebo zobrazit náhled hru. Пресс-релиз: В 10 утра EST США на 6 января 2016 г. Selfie Настольная игра пойдет в прямом эфире на Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) Начатая австралийского игрушки и игровой дизайнер Кен Ховард , это ваш шанс , чтобы поймать видение этой захватывающей новой игры и жанра. Люди смогут закладывать поддержку для игры , в обмен на получение первого и ранние копии . Объект Selfie Настольная игра , это просто , чтобы описать чью-то внешность только от звука их голоса до их selfie раскрывается . Это игра для всего мира , для каждого языка , каждой культуре и каждой гонке , так что Selfie Настольная игра строит мосты на международном уровне. Игра штаб-квартира будет находиться в Филадельфии , США . Перейти к Kickstarter и поиск Selfie Настольная игра в залог / заказать копию или превью на игру . Op 10:00 EST VSA op 6 Januarie 2016 , sal die Selfie Board Game gaan woon op www.Kickstarter.com . Van stapel gestuur deur Aussie speelgoed en spel ontwerper Ken Howard , is dit jou kans om die visie van hierdie opwindende nuwe spel en genre te vang. Mense sal in staat wees om ondersteuning belowe vir die spel, in ruil vir die kry van die eerste en vroeë kopieë. Die doel van die Selfie Board Game , is eenvoudig , om iemand se voorkoms te beskryf net uit die klank van hul stem voor hul selfie geopenbaar word. Dit is 'n spel vir die hele wêreld , vir elke taal, elke kultuur en elke ras, sodat die Selfie Board Game bou brûe internasionaal. Die spel hoofkwartier sal gebaseer word in Philadelphia , VSA. Gaan na Kickstarter en soek vir die Selfie Board Game pand / bestel jou kopie of om 'n voorbeeld van die spel. Na na 10am Est USA on 6 January 2016, The selfie Board Game ga-aga -ebi ndụ na Kickstarter (https://goo.gl/bMnwkG) Agbam onya site Aussie ji egwuri egwu na egwuregwu mmebe Ken Howard , nke a bụ gị ohere enwetaghị ọhụụ nke a na-akpali akpali ọhụrụ egwuregwu na genre . Ndị mmadụ ga-enwe ike nkwa nkwado maka egwuregwu, na nloghachi n'ihi na mbụ na n'oge mbipụta. Ihe The selfie Board Game, bụ nanị, na-akọwa onye eketie naanị ụda nke olu-ha TUPU ha selfie na-ekpughe. Nke a bụ egwuregwu maka nke ụwa dum , nke ọ bụla asụsụ , ọ bụla omenala na agbụrụ nile , nke mere na The selfie Board Game ewuli àkwà mmiri mba. Egwuregwu n'isi ụlọ ọrụ ga-dabere na Philadelphia, USA. Gaa Kickstarter ma chọọ The selfie Board Game ka nkwa / ịtụ gị Detuo ma ọ bụ ka ịhụchalụ egwuregwu.

A U.S. Navy sailor arrested on a charge of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa has admitted to the crime, investigative sources said Wednesday. They said he reversed an earlier denial. Justin Castellanos, 24, who is based at the U.S. Marines’ Camp Schwab in northern Okinawa, was arrested on March 13 on suspicion of raping the woman in her 40s at a hotel in Naha early that morning. Police allege Castellanos took the woman, a tourist from Fukuoka Prefecture, into his room after finding her asleep in a hotel corridor and raped her. The suspect and the woman were both staying at the hotel but were not acquainted, the police said. The alleged incident resulted in protests by thousands of people in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.

The US is playing catch up to Australia when it comes to regulating trans fatty acid, but that doesn't mean our food is trans-fat free, some of the country's peak nutritional experts say. The Obama Administration on Tuesday ordered ordered food companies to phase out artificial trans fats over the next three years, calling them a threat to public health. Trans fats are more likely to be found in processed foods including pastries, doughnuts and cakes at the cheaper end of the market. Credit:M. Spencer Green Trans fats are a particularly nasty fat that increases LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol levels and decreases 'good' HDL cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. Trans-fatty acids are created by treating vegetable oils with hydrogen, which causes the liquid oil to hold its solid form at room temperature, which helps food products like doughnuts, biscuits and cakes hold their shape and extends their shelf life.

Every student dreams of reading these words: "Congratulations on your acceptance!" But Elsik High School senior Amina Mabizari read them 15 times. She applied to 16 universities, including eight Ivy League institutions. "I didn't think I'd get accepted to any of them. By casting a wide net I thought someone would take the bait and take me," Mabizari said. But when every letter had been opened this spring, seven of those Ivy League universities wanted her. "I can't even put into words how big of a moment that was for me," Mabizari said. The proud daughter of Algerian immigrants is about to graduate from Alief ISD. Mabizari's road to success wasn't an easy one. As a young student, she was last in her class in ready, even suffered with a speech impediment. "To go from there to here being accepted to all these schools, it's incredible," Mabizari said. Mabizari said she couldn't have done it without her parents. "At that moment, I almost cried. It was just an unbelievable moment for me," said Mabizari's father, Bachir Mabizari. And if you thought applying to 16 schools was tough, deciding which one to go to was even harder. But this fall, Amina Mabizari's heading to Yale. "I never imagined any of this would happen," she said. Amina Mabizari is as humble as they come. A proud, hard-working Muslim-American who now hopes her success story in Alief sends a loud message across the country. "We represent a large community of people, the majority, the mass majority of which are positive and want to change the world," Amina Mabizari said. This year, the Ivy League schools had an acceptance rate anywhere from 5 to 12 percent. Amina Mabizari plans to study political science and then go on to law school. She said she may also one day run for public office.

"Anybody not reading [Tim Carney] regularly doesn't understand what's truly going on in DC or in the GOP," tweeted Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action. Since Heritage Action is driving quite a bit of what goes on in the Republican Party these days that's a strong endorsement. Carney, a columnist at the Washington Examiner and author of "The Big Ripoff" and "Obamanomics," is the foremost chronicler of the idea that Republicans should become a populist party at war with favor-seeking business interests in Washington. And he's argued that that's part of what's going on in this shutdown fight. We spoke on Thursday, and a lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows. What's that pig thinking? (Flickr/CC) Ezra Klein: You’ve been developing this theme that what’s happening in the Republican Party is a battle between the Tea Party and K Street, which is shorthand for business interests that work in Washington and often support the Republican Party. Expand on this a bit. Tim Carney: I think, historically, K Street has been the most powerful pull in the Republican Party. It’s also powerful in the Democratic Party. But Republicans don’t have unions as a counterpull. K Street is really the only place for Republicans to go for funding. So if something came up where the free market position was different than the pro-business position Republicans would often side with business. This was the case with TARP and Medicare Part D and big spending in the Bush era. Now there’s this ideological money coming into Heritage Action and the Senate Conservatives Fund and Club for Growth. They’re donating because of what they believe. And so now there are these elected Republicans who don’t care what K Street has to say about them. The business community says we need to end this government shutdown and stop flirting with the debt ceiling and a lot of Republicans can say they don’t care. EK: But the money in the Tea Party isn’t exclusively small-donor. The Koch brothers, to use the most high-profile example, are key Tea Party donors and also sit atop a vast empire of business interests that depend, in various ways, on government decisions. So, how do you know you’re not just exchanging one set of business interests for another? TC: Anytime money is coming from a few sources, it’s problematic. Ideally any movement in any party has a vast variety of sources and money because otherwise they’re afraid of upsetting their funders. If Republicans ended up in a position where they were completely dependent on Koch money that would be very bad for Republicans. Heritage Action gets Koch money. But if you look at Freedom Works, for instance, they’re definitely not getting Koch money. They were created as a splinter off the Koch world. Club for Growth gets a lot of rich conservative investors. They’re not Obama’s 20-year-old small donors, but they’re a different source of money. And I’ll say this: I think ideological money is better than money coming in to support the corporate bottom line. EK: This is an interesting question. The business money is transactional. It wants a change in law, a tax break, a regulation. But business also has a general interest in stability, in growth. The ideological money is also transactional. It wants something, too. But it often has an interest in conflict, in extreme tactics. The people who donate it are not representative of the average voter. They want something much different than the average voter. So, how do you decide which is better? TC: I don’t agree. I think ideological money is more likely to be more representative than business money. Business money will have certain things in common. It’s coming from businesses big enough to hire lobbyists, as opposed to just people interested enough to give money. Now, for individuals, it’s so much easier to give money. The Senate Conservatives Fund was just a Web site when it started. EK: Let me rephrase that. Put aside who’s more representative. What the ideological money wants is very different than what most voters want. Over the period of time that you kind of identify as seeing the rise of this money, Congress in general -- and Republicans in Congress, in particular -- have become less popular than at any time in history. So whatever that money is buying doesn’t represent what most people want. TC: I do think it’s possible that the rise of the Tea Party groups and similar groups on the left can lead to a lot of instability because the more ideological you are the less open you are to compromise. Democrats handled that by [Rep.] Nancy Pelosi saying she’d work to end the Iraq War, and then she really didn’t. The pragmatists won in the end there. I think that a lot of the way [Sen.] Ted Cruz and the Tea Party groups have handled the current shutdown fight has been bad politics; they’ve at times mistaken tactics for principles. Cruz has burned bridges he didn’t need to burn. There hasn’t been enough experience among the people planning tactics. So the question I’m curious about is: Can you use this inside-outside game where the Beltway groups sends messages to the grass-roots and the grass-roots applies pressure to lawmakers -- can you use that in a way that’s less combative and more prudent than the groups have been using it in the last months? EK: You’ve noted that this was a shutdown that began with Tea Party arguments over Obamacare but that the Republican Party’s leaders are now trying to end with more traditional concessions, like repeal of the medical-device tax or budget negotiations. Expand on that a bit. TC: That’s the standard Republican playbook. Something happens. Conservatives get excited. And K Street walks out with the victory. Now Heritage Action is onto that. They’re saying [that] if all we get out of this is medical device tax repeal then how detached is the Republican Party from the base? I think the medical device tax is bad policy but just doing that would really sow dissatisfaction in the Republican base. EK: But isn’t a lot of this that these Tea Party groups and politicians basically told the base something that was false? I mean, I’ve been spending a lot of time in conservative Twitter and on Red State and it’s just this weird, bizarro-world march of shutdown triumphs, where the shutdown is going great, Democrats are terrified, Republicans are ascendant. I don’t know if they buy it or if it’s cynical, but they’re setting their people up for fights they can’t win. TC: When I’m in a hopeful mood, I see this as a pendulum swinging from one extreme to another and coming towards the middle. The old extreme was the Bush way of doing things. Republican leaders told the base they were doing something conservative, and then they’d do something like prescription drugs and sell it to the base as a tactical move to get reelected. That was basically a lie the Republican leadership told the base. So now, if you try to tell involved conservatives that this is just a difference in tactics, even if you’re right, people are skeptical. [Sens.] Tom Coburn and Mike Lee don’t have seriously different principles; they disagree on tactics. But the Republican base has been burned too may times to believe it even when it’s true. I’m hoping things can swing back to the middle and the methods of guys like Cruz and Mike Needham can move in more tactically intelligent ways then they’re being used right now. EK: When I came to Washington in the mid-2000s the conventional wisdom was that Republicans had this follow-the-leader approach to politics and Democrats, in the old Will Rogers line, weren’t even an organized party. Now it seems to have flipped. Democrats are comfortable following their leaders, and Republicans seem not just disorganized, but actively suspicious of anything their leaders come up with. It seems sometimes that the way the Tea Party shows it hasn’t sold out is to almost reflexively oppose what [House Majority Leader John] Boehner comes up with. TC: I think a lot of the base, having gone through the Bush era, has come out with an innate distrust of the establishment. One of the symptoms of this was Christine O’Donnell winning the Republican Party primary in Delaware in 2010. She wasn’t particularly conservative. But she could rail against the establishment. When you saw Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann and these people rise up, it wasn’t about ideology. It was about being anti-establishment. The Republican Party needs to abandon some of these identity politics. So I hope guys like Cruz who can really talk to the base can build up a sense of both what the goals are ... and of here’s what’s possible, and move away from the knee-jerk, anti-establishment instincts in the base right now. EK: So, what do you think their endgame is here? TC: I think the goal has always been to try and win the shutdown in one way or another. That’s not happening now. The question is can something change so Republicans start winning the shutdown? When you see Boehner talk about punting on the debt limit, remember, he previously wanted to fight on the debt limit. That reflects conservatives believing that maybe if the shutdown keeps going we can win. How that happens is not clear to me. But the necessary condition is that the shutdown somehow needs to be hurting Obama more than it’s hurting Republicans. The reason I’m skeptical of that is Republicans will never get the kind of fair or positive media treatment they’d need for that to be the case. EK: So, Republicans are trying to split the debt ceiling and the shutdown, as you say. But what comes out of that, exactly? Democrats aren’t going to defund Obamacare. TC: I think it’s possible then that you see something like an actual strategy or potential path towards victory coming out of this. If it’s not going to be Obamacare, I hope the Republican ask will be something like eliminating a corporate welfare subsidy Obama likes -- something like the sugar subsidy or the subsidies for Boeing. That would show a very new side of the Republican Party, it would weaken Democrats, and it would give something conservatives could bring home to their base.

TORONTO — Social media posts encouraging people to visit southern Ontario's wineries by bicycle has prompted a regional public transit service to apologize for the "misunderstanding." In May 10 Facebook and Twitter postings, GO Transit said "Niagara's wineries are best enjoyed responsibly and on two wheels." The posting encouraged people to take their bicycle on the GO for "a cycling weekend adventure in Ontario's wine country" in a promotion for its seasonal service to Niagara Region. That prompted numerous replies on social media that suggested Go Transit was endorsing mixing cycling and drinking. One poster said she "wouldn't encourage biking while under the influence of alcohol. That's an accident waiting to happen." GO responded on Wednesday with a Facebook post saying it's sorry if the message suggested anything but responsible enjoyment, adding it does not "encourage biking when intoxicated or impaired." "Unfortunately some thought this post was intended to encourage biking and drinking. That was not our intention at all; quite the opposite," Anne Marie Aikins, a spokesperson for GO Transit parent organization Metrolinx, said in an email. "We apologize if the post on Facebook caused any misunderstanding. We should have clarified it sooner," Aikins said. There are many interesting things to see and do on winery bike tours, but Metrolinx's position is that customers who wish to drink should plan ahead and take one of the winery buses, she said.

Three days after Ambassador Chris Stevens was assassinated, Jay Carney told the White House press corps it had been the work of a flash mob inflamed by an insulting video about the Prophet Muhammad. As the killers had arrived with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, this story seemed noncredible on its face. Yet two days later, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice doubled down. Appearing on five Sunday talk shows, she called the massacre the result of a “spontaneous” riot that was neither “preplanned” nor “premeditated.” Advertisement Carney and Rice deceived us. But were they deceived? It is impossible to believe that Carney would characterize the Benghazi, Libya, massacre as the result of a protest that careened out of control unless he had been told to do so by the national security adviser, the White House chief of staff or President Barack Obama himself. Who told Carney to say what he did? Who arranged for Rice to appear on five shows to push this line? Throwing a rope to Rice and Carney, the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, said last week that only recently had his team concluded that Benghazi was the work of terrorists. Yet intelligence insiders were leaking to the press the day after Stevens was murdered that it was terrorism. Now that the cover story–that the murder of Stevens and the other Americans was the result of a spontaneous outburst the Obama administration could not have foreseen or prevented–has collapsed, the truth is tumbling out. And the truth is more alarming. For it calls into question the credibility and competence of Obama’s security team and the judgment of the president himself. What do we now know? Stevens believed he was on an al-Qaida hit list and so wrote in his diary. He was concerned about a rise in Islamic extremism in the city. “Days before the ambassador arrived from the embassy in Tripoli,” The Washington Post reported Sunday, “Westerners had fled the city, and the British had closed their consulate.” Rice insisted that the act of barbarism arose out of a protest, but there may not even have been a protest, just a military assault with RPGs, machine guns and mortars that hit a safe house a mile from the consulate, killing two former Navy SEALs, while other U.S. agents fled to the airport. So dangerous is Benghazi, The New York Times reported Friday, FBI agents investigating the ambassador’s assassination have yet to venture into the city. Was U.S. intelligence oblivious to how dangerous Benghazi was when Stevens went in? Was not Benghazi’s reputation as a haven for Islamic jihadi known to us all before we “liberated” Libya? This is the city U.S. air power saved when Moammar Gadhafi’s forces were closing in. It now appears to be an al-Qaidaville where U.S. diplomats and agents dare not tread. Late last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conceded that the Benghazi murders were acts of terror perpetrated by extremists associated with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. She alluded to Mali, where an al-Qaida affiliate, the Ansar Dine, has taken over half the country. How grave is that threat? On Thursday, The Associated Press reported that Gen. Carter Ham, head of the U.S. Africa command, met with Mauretania’s president to discuss “a possible military intervention … in north Mali against al-Qaida-linked group members and their allies.” Yet Vice President Joe Biden still campaigns through the Rust Belt bellowing, “General Motors is alive, and Osama bin Laden is dead,” and Obama still recites his mantra, “al-Qaida is on the path to defeat.” The reality. Al-Qaida affiliates have taken over a region of Mali the size of France. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb may have been in on the Benghazi massacre. Al-Qaida is in Syria fighting for a cause, the overthrow of Bashar Assad, Obama supports. Al-Qaida has helped reignite sectarian war in Iraq. Al-Qaida remains in Pakistan. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is in Yemen. We failed to cut out or kill the cancer at Tora Bora in 2001, and it has since metastasized and spread across North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. As for the Arab Spring Obama embraced, that has given us the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo and jihadi in Sinai. Our departure from Iraq paved the way to a new sectarian war. The surge troops are out of Afghanistan, and the remaining U.S. troops no longer partner with the Afghan soldiers who are to take over the war. Any doubt about the outcome there when we’re gone? Within the past month, anti-American riots, flag burnings and the raising of Islamist banners atop U.S. embassy facilities have occurred in too many countries and capitals to recite. If this is the fruit of a successful engagement with the Islamic world, what would a debacle look like? Rep. Paul Ryan said Sunday, “The Obama foreign policy is unraveling literally before our eyes on our TV screens.” Is he wrong? Patrick J. Buchanan is a founding editor of TAC and the author of “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?” Copyright 2012 Creators.com.

Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world A US study suggests that LGBT people are more concerned about the environment than their straight counterparts. According to a poll by Harris, 55 per cent of LGBT adults say they “personally care a great deal about the current state and future of the environment,” compared with 33 per cent of heterosexuals,. Furthermore, the survey found that 40 per cent of LGBT adults say they “encourage others to be more environmentally friendly”, compared with 24 per cent of straight people. In other results, it was found that LGBT people were more likely in 2010 to say they were “environmentally conscious” than the year before. The opposite was seen in straight respondents. Forty-seven per cent of LGBT adults described themselves as “environmentally conscious” in the 2010 survey, up from 38 per cent in the 2009 one. Twenty-eight per cent of straight people described themselves as such in 2010, down from 30 per cent in 2009. The poll surveyed 2,352 adults in December, 347 of whom described themselves as LGBT.

For the similarly-named personality trait distinct from the disorder, see Sensory processing sensitivity Sensory processing disorder Synonyms Sensory integration dysfunction Specialty Psychiatry Sensory processing disorder (SPD; also known as sensory integration dysfunction) is a condition where multisensory integration is not adequately processed in order to provide appropriate responses to the demands of the environment. Sensory integration was defined by occupational therapist Anna Jean Ayres in 1972 as "the neurological process that organizes sensation from one's own body and from the environment and makes it possible to use the body effectively within the environment".[1][2] Sensory processing disorder has been characterized as the source of significant problems in organizing sensation coming from the body and the environment and is manifested by difficulties in the performance in one or more of the main areas of life: productivity, leisure and play[3] or activities of daily living.[4] Sources debate whether SPD is an independent disorder or represents the observed symptoms of various other, more well-established, disorders.[5][6][7][8] SPD is not recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association[9][10], and the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that pediatricians not use SPD as a diagnosis.[9] Signs and symptoms [ edit ] Symptoms may vary according to the disorder's type and subtype present. SPD can affect one sense or multiple senses. While many people can present one or two symptoms, sensory processing disorder has to have a clear functional impact on the person's life: Signs of over-responsivity,[11] including, for example, dislike of textures such as those found in fabrics, foods, grooming products or other materials found in daily living, to which most people would not react, and serious discomfort, sickness or threat induced by normal sounds, lights, movements, smells, tastes, or even inner sensations such as heartbeat. Signs of under-responsivity, including sluggishness and lack of responsiveness; and Sensory cravings,[12] including, for example, fidgeting, impulsiveness, and/or seeking or making loud, disturbing noises; Sensorimotor-based problems, including slow and uncoordinated movements or poor handwriting. Sensory discrimination problems, that might manifest themselves in behaviors such as things constantly dropped. Critics have noted that what proponents claim are symptoms of SPD are both broad and, in some cases, represent very common, and not necessarily abnormal or atypical, childhood characteristics. The checklist of symptoms on the website of the SPD Foundation, for example, includes such warning signs as "My infant/toddler has problems eating," "My child has difficulty being toilet trained," "My child is in constant motion," and "My child gets in everyone else's space and/or touches everything around him." -- "symptoms" which read much like the day-to-day complaints of an average parent.[13] Relationship to other disorders [ edit ] Sensory processing issues represent a feature of a number of disorders, including anxiety problems, ADHD,[14] food intolerances, behavioral disorders, and particularly, autism spectrum disorders.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] This pattern of comorbidities poses a significant challenge to those who claim that SPD is a identifiably specific disorder, rather than simply a term given to a set of symptoms common to other disorders.[22] Dr. Catherine Lord, a leading autism expert and the director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, argues that sensory issues are an important concern, but not a diagnosis in themselves. "I do think there's a value in attending to how a child is perceiving sensations, thinking about whether he could be uncomfortable. Where I get concerned is labeling that as a separate disorder."[23] Two studies have provided preliminary evidence suggesting that there may be measurable neurological differences between children diagnosed with SPD and control children classified as neurotypical[24] or children diagnosed with autism.[25] Despite this evidence, the fact that SPD researchers have yet to agree on a proven, standardized diagnostic tool undermines researchers' ability to define the boundaries of the disease and makes correlational studies, like the ones about structural brain abnormalities, less convincing.[13] Causes [ edit ] The exact cause of SPD is not known.[26] However, it is known that the mid-brain and brain stem regions of the central nervous system are early centers in the processing pathway for multisensory integration; these brain regions are involved in processes including coordination, attention, arousal, and autonomic function.[27] After sensory information passes through these centers, it is then routed to brain regions responsible for emotions, memory, and higher level cognitive functions. Damage in any part of the brain involved in multisensory processing can cause difficulties in adequately processing stimuli in a functional way. Sensory processing is viewed as a spectrum and how individuals process stimuli varies from person to person. Individuals with SPD tend to fall on the extreme ends of the sensory spectrum[28], either hyposensitive or hypersensitive. Research [ edit ] Current research in sensory processing is focused on finding the genetic and neurological causes of SPD. EEG[29] and measuring event-related potential (ERP) are traditionally used to explore the causes behind the behaviors observed in SPD. Some of the proposed underlying causes by current research are: EEG recording Differences in tactile and auditory over responsivity show moderate genetic influences, with tactile over responsivity demonstrating greater heritability. Bivariate genetic analysis suggested different genetic factors for individual differences in auditory and tactile SOR. [30] People with Sensory Processing Deficits have less sensory gating (electrophysiology) than typical subjects. [31] [32] People with sensory over-responsivity might have increased D2 receptor in the striatum, related to aversion to tactile stimuli and reduced habituation. In animal models, prenatal stress significantly increased tactile avoidance. [33] Studies using event-related potentials (ERPs) in children with the sensory over responsivity subtype found atypical neural integration of sensory input. Different neural generators could be activated at an earlier stage of sensory information processing in people with SOR than in typically developing individuals. The automatic association of causally related sensory inputs that occurs at this early sensory-perceptual stage may not function properly in children with SOR. One hypothesis is that multisensory stimulation may activate a higher-level system in frontal cortex that involves attention and cognitive processing, rather than the automatic integration of multisensory stimuli observed in typically developing adults in auditory cortex. [34] Recent research found an abnormal white matter microstructure in children with SPD, compared with typical children and those with other developmental disorders such as autism and ADHD.[35][36] Diagnosis [ edit ] Although sensory processing disorder is accepted in the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood (DC:0-3R), it is not recognized as a mental disorder in medical manuals such as the ICD-10[37] or the DSM-5.[38] Diagnosis is primarily arrived at by the use of standardized tests, standardized questionnaires, expert observational scales, and free play observation at an occupational therapy gym. Observation of functional activities might be carried at school and home as well. Depending on the country, diagnosis is made by different professionals, such as occupational therapists, psychologists, learning specialists, physiotherapists and/or speech and language therapists.[39] In some countries it is recommended to have a full psychological and neurological evaluation if symptoms are too severe. Standardized tests Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) DeGangi-Berk Test of Sensory Integration (TSI) Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI)[40] Standardized questionnaires Sensory Profile, (SP) [41] Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile [40] Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile Sensory Profile School Companion Indicators of Developmental Risk Signals (INDIPCD-R) [42] Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) [43] Sensory Processing Measure Preeschool (SPM-P)[44] Other tests The large number of different forms and tools of assessment listed here reflects what critics have argued is a fundamental problem with the diagnosis process: SPD researchers have yet to agree on a proven, standardized diagnostic tool, a problem that undermines the ability of researchers to define the boundaries of the disorder.[13][23] Classification [ edit ] Sensory processing disorders have been classified by proponents into three categories: sensory modulation disorder, sensory-based motor disorders and sensory discrimination disorders [50] (as defined in the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders in Infancy and Early Childhood).[51][52] Sensory modulation disorder (SMD) Sensory modulation refers to a complex central nervous system process[50][53] by which neural messages that convey information about the intensity, frequency, duration, complexity, and novelty of sensory stimuli are adjusted.[54] SMD consists of three subtypes: Sensory over-responsivity. Sensory under-responsivity Sensory craving/seeking. Sensory-based motor disorder (SBMD) According to proponents, sensory-based motor disorder shows motor output that is disorganized as a result of incorrect processing of sensory information affecting postural control challenges, resulting in postural disorder, or developmental coordination disorder.[50][55] The SBMD subtypes are: Dyspraxia Postural disorder Sensory discrimination disorder (SDD) Sensory discrimination disorder involves the incorrect processing of sensory information.[50] The SDD subtypes are:[56] 1. Visual 2. Auditory 3. Tactile 4. Gustatory (taste) 5. Olfactory (smell) 6. Vestibular (balance) 7. Proprioceptive (feeling of where parts of the body are located in space) Treatment [ edit ] Sensory integration therapy [ edit ] Vestibular system is stimulated through hanging equipment such as tire swings The main form of sensory integration therapy is a type of occupational therapy that places a child in a room specifically designed to stimulate and challenge all of the senses.[57] During the session, the therapist works closely with the child to provide a level of sensory stimulation that the child can cope with, and encourage movement within the room. Sensory integration therapy is driven by four main principles: Just right challenge (the child must be able to successfully meet the challenges that are presented through playful activities) Adaptive response (the child adapts his behavior with new and useful strategies in response to the challenges presented) Active engagement (the child will want to participate because the activities are fun) Child directed (the child's preferences are used to initiate therapeutic experiences within the session) Sensory processing therapy [ edit ] This therapy retains all of the above-mentioned four principles and adds:[58] Intensity (person attends therapy daily for a prolonged period of time) Developmental approach (therapist adapts to the developmental age of the person, against actual age) Test-retest systematic evaluation (all clients are evaluated before and after) Process driven vs. activity driven (therapist focuses on the "Just right" emotional connection and the process that reinforces the relationship) Parent education (parent education sessions are scheduled into the therapy process) "joie de vivre" (happiness of life is therapy's main goal, attained through social participation, self-regulation, and self-esteem) Combination of best practice interventions (is often accompanied by integrated listening system therapy, floor time, and electronic media such as Xbox Kinect, Nintendo Wii, Makoto II machine training and others) The treatments themselves may involve a variety of activities and interventions (for example, prism lenses). Children with hypo-reactivity may be exposed to strong sensations such as stroking with a brush, vibrations or rubbing. Play may involve a range of materials to stimulate the senses such as play dough or finger painting. Children with hyper-reactivity, on the other hand, may be exposed to peaceful activities including quiet music and gentle rocking in a softly lit room. Treats and rewards may be used to encourage children to tolerate activities they would normally avoid. While occupational therapists using a sensory integration frame of reference work on increasing a child's ability to adequately process sensory input, other OTs may focus on environmental accommodations that parents and school staff can use to enhance the child's function at home, school, and in the community.[59][60] These may include selecting soft, tag-free clothing, avoiding fluorescent lighting, and providing ear plugs for "emergency" use (such as for fire drills). Evaluation of treatment effectiveness [ edit ] Some of these treatments (for example, sensorimotor handling) have a questionable rationale and no empirical evidence. Other treatments (for example, prism lenses, physical exercise, and auditory integration training) have had studies with small positive outcomes, but few conclusions can be made about them due to methodological problems with the studies.[61] [62] [63] In its overall review of the treatment effectiveness literature, AETNA concluded that "The effectiveness of these therapies is unproven.",[64] while the American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that "parents should be informed that the amount of research regarding the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy is limited and inconclusive."[65] A 2015 review concluded that SIT techniques exist "outside the bounds of established evidence-based practice" and that SIT is "quite possibly a misuse of limited resources."[66] Epidemiology [ edit ] It has been estimated by proponents that up to 16.5% of elementary school aged children present elevated SOR behaviors in the tactile or auditory modalities.[67] This figure is larger than what previous studies with smaller samples had shown: an estimate of 5–13% of elementary school aged children.[68] Critics have noted that such a high incidence for just one of the subtypes of SPD raises questions about the degree to which SPD is a specific and clearly identifiable disorder.[13] Proponents have also claimed that adults may also show signs of sensory processing difficulties and would benefit for sensory processing therapies,[69] although this work has yet to distinguish between those with SPD symptoms alone vs adults whose processing abnormalities are associated with other disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.[70] Controversy [ edit ] There are concerns regarding the validity of the diagnosis. SPD is not included in the DSM-5 or ICD-10, the most widely used diagnostic sources in healthcare. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that there is no universally accepted framework for diagnosis and recommends caution against using any "sensory" type therapies unless as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan. In fact, in a 2012 statement, the AAP states that "Because there is no universally accepted framework for diagnosis, sensory processing disorder generally should not be diagnosed." When an occupational therapist does recommend sensory integration therapy, the AAP instructs that the therapist is aware that, "parents should be informed that the amount of research regarding the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy is limited and inconclusive." As such, most health insurance considers sensory integration therapy to be "investigational" and will not cover it. In the United States and UK, sensory processing disorder is not likely to qualify an individual for disability benefits, so the supporters of sensory processing disorder recommend having a child diagnosed for a related disorder that will qualify them for disability insurance. As was noted above, a 2015 review of research on Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) concluded that SIT is "ineffective and that its theoretical underpinnings and assessment practices are unvalidated", that SIT techniques exist "outside the bounds of established evidence-based practice", and that SIT is "quite possibly a misuse of limited resources".[66] Manuals [ edit ] SPD is in Stanley Greenspan's Diagnostic Manual for Infancy and Early Childhood and as Regulation Disorders of Sensory Processing part of The Zero to Three's Diagnostic Classification. but is not recognized in the manuals ICD-10 or in the recently updated DSM-5. However, unusual reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects is included as a possible but not necessary criterion for the diagnosis of autism. Misdiagnosis [ edit ] Some state that sensory processing disorder is a distinct diagnosis, while others argue that differences in sensory responsiveness are features of other diagnoses and it is not a standalone diagnosis. The neuroscientist David Eagleman has proposed that SPD may be a form of synesthesia, a perceptual condition in which the senses are blended.Specifically, Eagleman suggests that instead of a sensory input "connecting to [a person's] color area [in the brain], it's connecting to an area involving pain or aversion or nausea". Researchers have described a treatable inherited sensory overstimulation disorder that meets diagnostic criteria for both attention deficit disorder and sensory integration dysfunction. Society [ edit ] The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) supports the use of a variety of methods of sensory integration for those with sensory processing disorder. The organization has supported the need for further research to increase insurance coverage for related therapies. They have also made efforts to educate the public about sensory integration therapy. The AOTA's practice guidelines currently support the use of sensory integration therapy and interprofessional education and collaboration in order to optimize treatment for those with sensory processing disorder. The AOTA provides several resources pertaining to sensory integration therapy, some of which includes a fact sheet, new research, and continuing education opportunities.[71] History [ edit ] Sensory processing disorder as a specific form of atypical functioning was first described by occupational therapist Anna Jean Ayres (1920–1989).[72] Original model Ayres's theoretical framework for what she called Sensory Integration Dysfunction was developed after six factor analytic studies of populations of children with learning disabilities, perceptual motor disabilities and normal developing children.[73] Ayres created the following nosology based on the patterns that appeared on her factor analysis: Dyspraxia: poor motor planning (more related to the vestibular system and proprioception) Poor bilateral integration: inadequate use of both sides of the body simultaneously Tactile defensiveness: negative reaction to tactile stimuli Visual perceptual deficits: poor form and space perception and visual motor functions Somatodyspraxia: poor motor planning (related to poor information coming from the tactile and proprioceptive systems) Auditory-language problems Both visual perceptual and auditory language deficits were thought to possess a strong cognitive component and a weak relationship to underlying sensory processing deficits, so they are not considered central deficits in many models of sensory processing. In 1998, Mulligan found a similar pattern of deficits in a confirmatory factor analytic study.[74][75] Quadrant model Dunn's nosology uses two criteria:[76] response type (passive vs active) and sensory threshold to the stimuli (low or high) creating 4 subtypes or quadrants:[77] High neurological thresholds Low registration: high threshold with passive response. Individuals who do not pick up on sensations and therefore partake in passive behavior.[78] Sensation seeking: high threshold and active response. Those who actively seek out a rich sensory filled environment.[78] Low neurological threshold Sensitivity to stimuli: low threshold with passive response. Individuals who become distracted and uncomfortable when exposed to sensation but do not actively limit or avoid exposure to the sensation.[78] Sensation avoiding: low threshold and active response. Individuals actively limit their exposure to sensations and are therefore high self regulators.[78] Sensory processing model In Miller's nosology "sensory integration dysfunction" was renamed into "Sensory processing disorder" to facilitate coordinated research work with other fields such as neurology since "the use of the term sensory integration often applies to a neurophysiologic cellular process rather than a behavioral response to sensory input as connoted by Ayres."[50] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]

University, vocational training debts to skyrocket costing budget billions, documents show Updated The Federal Government is preparing to write off billions of dollars of higher education loans as the number of bad debts soar. Key points: Government forecasting losses of more than $13.5 billion on four years worth of loans Education Minister this week recommitted to university funding cuts and fee deregulation Universities Australia open to changes for loans, but only if HECS-HELP scheme remains fundamentally intact An ABC Freedom of Information (FOI) investigation has revealed the Government is forecasting losses of more than $13.5 billion on just four years' worth of loans. The figures come after the Government recommitted to university funding cuts and fee deregulation. The Coalition is also considering changes to the scandal-plagued vocational education sector, which is helping fuel the bleak fiscal predictions. "The costs to taxpayers of higher education have, over recent years, grown dramatically," Education Minister Simon Birmingham said. The HELP loan system, including for university courses and vocational training, allows students to defer course payments and subsidises the interest rate on debt. The amount never to be repaid on loans issued in 2018-19 is predicted to exceed $4.4 billion — a budget hit nearly four times higher than expected from loans issued last financial year. "Funding of university students has essentially grown at twice the rate of the economy," Senator Birmingham said. "I welcome all ideas from the sector, experts and students on how to make university funding sustainable as I continue to consult widely on higher education reform." Rising student numbers drive 'doubtful debt' Losses include people not reaching the $54,000 a year income threshold and the Government subsidising the interest on the debt. The amount owed on student loans rises in line with inflation — not the rate of interest paid by the Government. Predicted losses on debt issued each financial year: 2014-15: $1.29 billion 2015-16: $2.59 billion 2016-17: $2.99 billion 2017-18: $3.78 billion 2018-19: $4.44 billion Total = $15.1 billion A recent Government budget update showed more than 20 per cent of debt issued in 2018-19 was not expected to be repaid, with the average amount of debt tipped to be $22,500. "This is principally driven by what we call doubtful debt, that is student debt we don't expect to get back," Grattan Institute higher education director Andrew Norton said. "Driven by expanding student numbers in the higher education system and the extension of HELP loans to students doing vocational education diplomas, which has been very much in the news for lots of malpractice in that industry." Higher education student numbers continue to rise, in part due to the removal of caps on university places in 2009 to create the current "demand-driven" system. "But also there are trends in the labour market which mean that students are less likely to reach the $54,000, such as increased part-time work and simply because diploma graduates don't earn as much as bachelor degree graduates," Mr Norton said. Student loan scheme a 'central feature' of higher education Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson is open to changes for university loans, but only if the HECS-HELP scheme remains fundamentally intact. "To ensure that those with the ability to study at university are not impeded and not deterred from doing so," she said. "It's really important to understand the value of the student loan scheme that we have in Australia. "It has been an absolutely central feature of the success of higher education policy in Australia for many, many years." The total cost to the Federal Government of higher education is tipped to be nearly $20 billion in two years time — nearly double the 2008 cost. Students currently pay just over 40 per cent of university course fees — often through HECS-HELP loans — with the Government paying the rest. The ABC obtained Senator Birmingham's incoming ministerial brief, with the probe also revealing: Commonwealth-supported university places will have jumped by 50 per cent over the 10 years to 2018 to 712,200 The uncapping of university places under the former Labor government has cost the Commonwealth at least $3.8 billion since being introduced The demand-driven system is expected to cost more than $10 billion over a decade, compared to the previous regime Focus should be on cleaning up vocational training: Opposition Senator Birmingham earlier this week confirmed the Government was sticking with its plan to cut university funding. He also confirmed the Government would implement its deregulation plan from next year, after delaying the controversial 2014 budget measure. The Senate previously rejected the bid, which Labor claimed would see degrees cost $100,000 or more. The Opposition's higher education spokesman Kim Carr said the focus should be on cleaning up vocational training. "Personal trainers, and people that are undertaking diplomas of digital interactive gaming, those types of courses are being used running up big debts with no capacity to graduate and no real prospect of repaying," Senator Carr said. "We can't allow these phoney training colleges to be able to inflict this sort of suffering on so many students." Topics: university-and-further-education, federal-government, money-and-monetary-policy, australia First posted

April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month. How prepared are you for an emergency situation with your pet? What if you can’t get your little buddy to the vet quick enough? Do you know what to do in some of the most common emergencies? Pet first aid is important for any pet owner to know, it can help save your pets life if you are unable to seek professional care. This time of year is starting to get warmer outside. That means longer walks, traveling to the beach, mountain climbing and more. Heat exhaustion can be dangerous, even fatal, for dogs. It is important to be able to act quickly and be able to recognize symptoms of heatstroke/exhaustion. Dogs suffering from heat stroke will normally exhibit some or all of the following symptoms: Restlessness • Panting • Increased respiratory rate • Increased heart rate • Excess salivation • Vomiting • Diarrhea Heatstroke- Excessive panting and bright red gums or tongue are two major signs of overheating, as well as any temperature above 104 degrees. The normal body temperature for your pet should be between 99-102.5 degrees. As the symptoms progress and the dog’s temperature rises, signs become more serious. Weakness • Staggering • Gasping • Gum color may become brick red, then purple or blue (cyanosis) • Seizures • Coma • Death This can be devastating for uninformed or unsuspecting pet owners. Having the proper knowledge and skills to react to these situations will help alleviate much of the panic and stress pet owners often experience. Fortunately, there are some simple things that you can do to protect your dog from the dangers of heat exhaustion. The very first thing you need to do, is remove your pet from the heat and place them in a cool area. Check their temperature. Use a hose to spray your pet with cool water, or place your pet in a cool bath. While doing this, re-check their temperature to see if it’s going down. You can also try placing water soaked towels on their head, neck, feet, and/or abdomen area. Provide cool drinking water for your pet. Keep this up until your pets temperate is back to normal and seek immediate veterinary care afterwards. Warm weather is here and remember to never leave your pets in a parked car, and watch for signs of overexertion. Being well equipped for the heat when you have your pet with you is also important. The H-Duo travel cup made by Dexus makes that a breeze. This bottle is split in half, one side is for you, and one side is for your pet. Attached is a removable, and collapsible companion cup to ensure your pet stays hydrated on those warm days. Another item that is important to keep handy this summer is the Chillz Cooling Wrapz. This washable, durable cloth will stay cool for hours once it’s been wet with cool water. Make sure you’re prepared for the heat we’re sure to endure this summer. Be sure to stop by the store if you need any of these items. Or throw them in your shopping cart right now. Look for next weeks blog. We will give you tips on wound care.

Palestinian activist Issa Amro Issa Amro is committed to peaceful resistance to the Israeli occupation in his native West Bank city of Hebron, despite frequent arrests, attacks by settlers and other unrelenting efforts to sabotage his work. “Nonviolence is the best tool because it strengthens civil society and it gives a role to each person: the kids, the women, the elders and the youth. With nonviolent activities you get more international support and you neutralize the violence of the oppressor,” he explained. Issa Amro speaks at a press conference marking the beginning of the annual Open Shuhada Street campaign in Hebron. In Hebron, several hundred hostile settlers, many of them armed, live within close quarters of Palestinians under the guard of the Israeli army. Soldiers severely restrict Palestinians’ movement and do little to prevent settler violence against Palestinians and their property. Amro, 36, founded the direct action group Youth Against Settlements. “We go to universities, we go to schools and we organize activities within our community to teach the youth how to resist the occupation using nonviolence,” he said. Israeli soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades at Palestinian boys throwing stones. Every year, Youth Against Settlements organizes a week of activities as part of the Open Shuhada Street campaign, calling for the reopening of one of Hebron’s former main commercial thoroughfares, which the Israeli army has shuttered and closed to Palestinians since 1994. Access to the street for Palestinians was restricted after the massacre of 29 worshippers inside the Ibrahimi mosque by American Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein that same year. Students paint a canvas outside the Shuhada Street checkpoint. This year’s Open Shuhada Street campaign included an art event in front of an Israeli checkpoint involving students from the nearby Palestine Polytechnic University. “Through art, we send a message to the occupiers and tell them that they cannot occupy our imagination and dreams of freedom and justice. Art can reach out to more people,” Amro said. The event was violently dispersed by Israeli soldiers who fired stun grenades at the students after a few boys threw stones towards the checkpoint. Issa Amro speaks with an Israeli soldier while Ofer Yohanna, a settler, records the exchange on his phone. Responding to an order from Yohanna, the soldier stopped Amro and a delegation from Breaking the Silence from passing through. Amro gives regular tours of Hebron to delegations from around the world, showing the reality of life under military occupation. The tours are often targeted by settlers seeking to intimidate both Amro and the visitors. Jewish settler Ofer Ohana frequently interrupts tours conducted by Amro. He is an ambulance driver in Hebron and has been known to delay or even deny the provision of medical attention to Palestinians. “There is no law enforcement on the Israeli settlers or soldiers. As a Palestinian I am under Israeli military law and my Israeli settler neighbors are under Israeli civilian law. We are under different laws even though we are living in the same neighborhood,” Amro explained. Palestinians in Hebron commemorate the anniversary of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre. As part of this year’s Open Shuhada Street campaign, Youth Against Settlements members and volunteers were invited to join residents of Hebron in an evening of commemoration for the victims of the 1994 Ibrahimi mosque massacre. Israeli soldiers detain four Palestinians, including a child, on their way home after a vigil commemorating the Ibrahimi mosque massacre. As people started to make their way home after the evening’s commemorative activities, Israeli soldiers detained Amro together with three other Palestinians, including a 10-year-old girl. Anat Cohen, a settler living in Hebron, drives her car into a group of Palestinians. While Amro was detained, one of the settlers approached him. “He told me that each dog has his own day to be killed, meant to intimidate me and to describe me as a dog,” Amro recalled. As people gathered, waiting for Amro and the other Palestinians to be released, the infamously violent settler Anat Cohen drove her car directly into the crowd. A Palestinian man talks to an Israeli soldier who refused to intervene when a settler drove her car into a crowd. Several military units were called to the scene but none made any attempt to restrain Cohen. Yet in recent months soldiers have shot dead numerous Palestinians who Israel said used their cars as weapons against Israelis. “As Palestinians we are under the military law; we don’t have any rights and they don’t take our testimonies and our words into consideration. Soldiers are believed to always say the truth; they don’t need to show evidence. We, on the other hand, need to show evidence that we are not guilty,” Amro said. A Palestinian man collapses after a settler attacked a crowd that had gathered to commemorate the Ibrahimi mosque massacre. A Palestinian man collapsed during the incident. Many Israeli soldiers stood around, making no effort to provide assistance. An ambulance was called but its arrival was delayed. Two days later, during a demonstration marking the end of the week’s Open Shuhada Street campaign, Israeli soldiers broke up the crowd and arrested a human rights lawyer and a journalist. Approximately 50 people were injured when soldiers fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets at the crowd. Issa Amro speaks to a group of young Israelis during a Breaking the Silence tour. At the end of his conversation with the group, Israeli soldiers appeared and arrested Amro. Amro was arrested a few days later at the end of a meeting with a delegation from Breaking the Silence, a group which publishes anonymous testimonies by former Israeli soldiers to expose the army’s rights abuses. He was charged with incitement, organizing an illegal demonstration and evading arrest – allegations which he rejects. “It is a kind of intimidation to stop the nonviolent activities and to stop any person from speaking out against the occupation and human rights violations,” Amro, who was released one day later, said. The constant harassment doesn’t deter Amro. “I will continue fighting them until they leave Hebron and they end their human rights violations,” he added. Claire Thomas is a freelance photographer from the UK whose work focuses on social, political and humanitarian issues in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

PARIS -- Pepe is set to become Paris Saint-Germain's first summer signing once his Real Madrid contract comes to an end, a source close to the French capital outfit told ESPN FC. The Portugal international is still on Confederations Cup duty and will be until the third-placed playoff on Sunday, just two days before PSG coach Unai Emery and his non-international players report to Camp des Loges for preseason training, but the 34-year-old is close to signing a contract. According to the source, Pepe has been in talks with Les Parisiens for some time over a potential move to Parc des Princes -- before and after compatriot Antero Henrique's arrival as sporting director. However, it is mainly because of the former Porto man that this deal has been pushed to the brink of completion after the Portuguese transfer guru and Emery agreed the squad require greater experience and a stronger winning mentality. The source said Pepe is set to sign a one-year contract with PSG, which includes an option for a second, and that the Ligue 1 giants' medical staff have already examined the Brazil-born Portugal star's troublesome knee. Although he will go on holiday post-Confederations Cup, the former Maritimo and Porto man -- who has won the Champions League three times as well as the 2016 European Championship among other titles -- is almost certain to be Henrique's first signing since he joined PSG at the start of June. Pepe is expected to sign with PSG after he's finished with Portugal this summer. Another boost for the sporting director and the recently deposed former French champions is the news that Thiago Motta is set to extend his stay by one more campaign. The source claimed that although there are still a few details left to be taken care of in terms of how the 34-year-old transitions into a staff role at the end of his proposed new deal -- and which position he will occupy -- the Brazil-born Italy international will prolong his playing career by one more term. Motta's contract extension should be taken care of by the end of the week, and along with Pepe, he will be the main source of experience in the dressing room. Once Pepe and Motta are sorted, PSG's next objective will be to lure Fabinho from French rivals and current champions Monaco to the capital. The Brazil international is currently attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United but the source says the 23-year-old -- who was has been a revelation with Les Monegasques under Leonardo Jardim since switching from right back to defensive midfield -- has given his word to Henrique that he will hold out for a move to PSG. Assuming Fabinho gets his wish, he will take over the deep-lying midfield role Motta has made vital to the team's now trademark possession-based 4-3-3 formation, enabling Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot to occupy the more advanced berths with Blaise Matuidi likely to be moved on this summer. Jonathan Johnson covers PSG and the French national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @Jon_LeGossip.

2009 film based on Alice Sebold's 2002 novel The Lovely Bones is a 2009 supernatural drama film directed by Peter Jackson, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, and Saoirse Ronan. The screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson was based on Alice Sebold’s award-winning and bestselling 2002 novel of the same name. It follows a girl who is murdered and watches over her family from the in-between, and is torn between seeking vengeance on her killer and allowing her family to heal. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand,[2] the film was produced by Carolynne Cunningham, Walsh, Jackson, and Aimee Peyronnet, with Steven Spielberg, Tessa Ross, Ken Kamins, and James Wilson as executive producers. Principal photography began in October 2007 in New Zealand and Pennsylvania, United States. The film's score was composed by Brian Eno. The Lovely Bones was first released on December 26, 2009, in New Zealand, and then internationally in January 2010. The film's North American release date was changed multiple times, with a limited release on December 11, 2009, and a wider release on January 15, 2010.[3] It was released to mainly mixed reviews from critics; the story and its message were generally criticized, with praise mainly aimed at the visual effects, Peter Jackson's direction, and the performances of Ronan and Tucci. In the film's opening weekend, in limited release, it grossed $116,616, despite only having been screened in three theaters, placing it at 30th place on the box office chart.[3] The Lovely Bones grossed over $44 million in North America.[4] The film also received numerous accolades, including Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations. Plot [ edit ] In 1973, 14-year-old high school freshman Susie Salmon dreams about becoming a photographer. One day, Ray, a boy she has a crush on, approaches her at school and asks her out. As Susie walks home through a cornfield, she runs into her neighbor, George Harvey, who coaxes her into his underground den. Inside, Susie becomes uncomfortable and attempts to leave; when he grabs her, the scene fades until she is seen rushing past classmate Ruth Connors, apparently fleeing Harvey's den. The Salmons become worried when Susie fails to return home from school. Her father, Jack, searches for her, while her mother, Abigail, waits for the police. In town, Susie sees Jack, but he does not respond to her when she calls. Susie runs home to find Harvey soaking in a bathtub. After seeing her bracelet hanging on the sink faucet near a bloody shaving razor, Susie realizes she never escaped the den and was murdered by Harvey. Screaming, she is pulled into the "In-Between", that is neither Heaven nor Earth. From there, Susie watches over her loved ones, unable to let go despite the urging of her new afterlife friend, Holly. Investigating Susie's disappearance with Detective Fenerman, Jack thinks Susie was murdered by someone she knew. He researches neighbors and comes to think Harvey is the killer. Fenerman is unable to find any evidence pinpointing Harvey as a suspect, as Harvey cleaned up. Susie's sister, Lindsey, agrees with Jack's suspicions, but their casework takes a toll on Abigail, and Jack invites Abigail's alcoholic mother, Lynn, to move in with them. Feeling alienated from her husband, Abigail leaves for California. Susie, in her afterlife, learns that Harvey, who has now targeted Lindsey as his next victim, has murdered six other girls, including Holly, and that he stuffed Susie's body into a safe in his basement. One night, Jack, carrying a bat, trails Harvey into the cornfield. However, Jack accidentally stumbles across Susie's friend, Clarissa. Her boyfriend, who mistakenly thinks his girlfriend is being assaulted, nearly bludgeons Jack to death as Harvey watches from a hiding spot. As Jack recuperates, Lindsey breaks into Harvey's house looking for evidence that he killed Susie. Upstairs, she finds a notebook containing a sketch of the den, a lock of Susie's hair, and news articles about Susie's disappearance. Harvey returns home and almost catches Lindsey in his house, but she escapes and rushes home to discover that her mother has returned. Not wishing to spoil her parents' reunion, she gives the book to her grandmother, who contacts the police. Harvey has already fled, having seen Lindsey running from his home – he takes the safe containing Susie's remains with him. Susie's afterlife begins expanding into a larger heaven, and she is greeted by Harvey's other victims—now showing nine, including Susie. She resists Holly's urging to enter Heaven along with the others, claiming she has one final thing to do. Meanwhile, Susie's classmates Ruth and Ray are present when Harvey drives up to dispose of the safe at a sinkhole dump site. Susie returns to Earth and enters Ruth's body, causing Ruth to faint. Ray rushes to Ruth's aid only to realize she has become Susie. They kiss, completing Susie's last wish, and she returns to Heaven. Meanwhile Harvey dumps the safe in a sinkhole, leaving it to disappear in the muddy water as he drives away. Sometime later, Harvey meets a young woman outside a diner and offers her a ride, but she rejects him and leaves. A large icicle falls from an overhead branch, hitting Harvey on the shoulder. He loses his balance on the ice and falls backward over a cliff to his death. Time passes, and Susie sees that her family is healing, which Susie refers to as "the lovely bones" that grew around her absence. As the film concludes, Susie finally enters Heaven, telling the audience: "My name is Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was 14 years old when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. I was here for a moment and then I was gone. I wish you all a long and happy life." Cast [ edit ] Production [ edit ] In May 2000, Film4 Productions acquired feature film rights to Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones,[25] when it was a half-written manuscript. Producer Aimee Peyronnet had sought to attract studio interest to the manuscript, and an insider informed Film4's deputy head of production, Jim Wilson, of the project.[26] The company attached Luc Besson and Peyronnet's production company Seaside to the project, two years before the novel's release.[25] By February 2001, Lynne Ramsay was hired to direct and write the film adaptation of the novel.[27] In July 2002, Channel 4 shut down Film4, causing Hollywood studios and producers to pursue acquisition of feature film rights to The Lovely Bones, which had spent multiple weeks at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. The film adaptation, which had been estimated at a budget of $15 million, remained with Channel 4 under its newly developed inhouse film unit, with Ramsay still contracted to write and direct. By October 2002, Ramsay was writing the script with fellow screenwriter Liana Dognini, with filming planned for summer 2003.[26] Author Sebold was invited by the producers to provide input on the project.[28] Ramsay, who had read the novel in manuscript prior to publication, said in 2012 that her adaptation departed from it significantly. The scenes with Susie in heaven would have been depicted purely as her father's imagination. He would have become friends with Mr. Harvey, never suspecting him of having killed his daughter. "I really didn't like the My Little Pony, she's-in-heaven, everything's-O.K. aspect", she told The New York Times in 2012.[29] In July 2003, the studio DreamWorks negotiated a first look deal with producer Peyronnet,[30] after DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg expressed interest in the project.[31] DreamWorks did not acquire the rights to the novel, and Ramsay was eventually detached from the project as, she says, FilmFour wanted a version more faithful to the novel.[29] In April 2004, producers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens entered negotiations to develop the project.[32] Jackson described the book as "a wonderfully emotional and powerful story. Like all the best fantasy, it has a solid grounding in the real world."[33] By January 2005, Jackson and Walsh planned to independently purchase film rights and to seek studio financing after a script had been developed. The producers sought to begin adapting a spec script for The Lovely Bones in January 2006, with the goal of script completion and budget estimation by the following May.[34] Jackson explained he enjoyed the novel because he found it "curiously optimistic" and uplifting because of the narrator's sense of humor, adding there was a difference between its tone and subject matter. He felt very few films dealt with the loss of a loved one.[35] Jackson foresaw the most challenging element in the novel to adapt was the portrayal of Susie, the protagonist, in her heaven, and making it "ethereal and emotional but not hokey."[33] Saoirse Ronan explained Jackson chose to depict the afterlife as depending on Susie's emotions. "Whenever Susie feels happy, Heaven is sunny and there's birds and everything. Whenever it’s not so great, it's raining or she’s in the middle of an ocean."[36] Jackson described the book's description of "heaven" as being an "In-Between" rather than a true heaven and said he was not trying to paint a definitive picture of Heaven itself.[35] "[W]hen Jackson created Susie's heaven, in a 1973 world, he went through the Partridge Family television show archives as a reference."[37] "[I] basically [added] more violence and suffering, [the audience] wanted far more violence [...] They just weren't satisfied [...] We got a lot of people telling us that they were disappointed with this death scene, as they wanted to see [the character] in agony and suffer a lot more, we had to create a whole suffering death scene just to give people the satisfaction they needed." —Jackson to Reuters on re-shooting Harvey's death scene, November 2009[38] A 120-page draft of the script was written by September 2006.[39] In April 2007, the script was completed by Jackson, Walsh and Boyens; Jackson intended to direct. The three producers began seeking a studio partner to finance the film adaptation. Besides the major studios, smaller companies including United Artists were also contacted. New Line Cinema was excluded from negotiations because of Jackson's legal dispute with the studio over royalties from his The Lord of the Rings trilogy.[40] Jackson sought a beginning $65 million budget for The Lovely Bones, also requesting from studios what kind of promotional commitments and suggestions they would make for the film adaptation.[41] By May, four studios remained interested in the project: DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Sony, and Universal.[42] The Lovely Bones was sold to DreamWorks for $70 million.[43] Paramount Pictures received the rights to distribute the film worldwide. Production began in October 2007 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and New Zealand.[5][44] Shooting in parts of Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties, including Hatfield,[45] Ridley Township, Phoenixville, Royersford, Malvern and East Fallowfield,[46] lasted a few weeks, and most of the studio shooting was done in New Zealand.[39] In December 2008, Brian Eno signed on to compose the film's score. Fran Walsh, a big fan of his work, suggested him to Jackson.[47] Jackson had called Eno to request use of two of his early tracks to evoke atmosphere for the 1970s scenes in the film. When Eno asked if he could compose the whole score, Jackson was surprised, since he had heard Eno did not like working on films. For the film's ending, Eno uncovered a demo he had done in 1973 and reunited with the vocalist to create a proper version for the film, commenting: "That song from 1973 was finally finished in 2008!"[48] In November 2009, Jackson stated that he re-shot new footage of Harvey's death scene after test audiences said it was not violent enough and wanted to "see more of Harvey in pain."[13][38] Jackson said it was important to him that the movie receive a PG-13 rating so that the film could appeal to the widest possible audience, despite the necessarily violent nature of some scenes.[13] Release [ edit ] Strategy [ edit ] The Lovely Bones and screened a clip from it. Jackson at 2009 Comic-Con film festival . At the festival Jackson discussedand screened a clip from it. The Lovely Bones was originally scheduled for release on March 13, 2009, but it was delayed to December 11, 2009, as the studio became interested in releasing the film for "awards season," which gave Jackson an opportunity to make some effects shots larger in scope.[49] The film then received a limited theater release on December 11, 2009, in the United States.[50] The film was originally set to have a wider United States theater release on December 25, 2009 (Christmas Day), as part of a campaign to build its momentum into January 2010.[52] In early December it was confirmed that the United States release date had been pushed back by three weeks to January 15, 2010.[53] Paramount and DreamWorks did not give a reason for the change of the release date. The film premiered in New Zealand on December 26, 2009, and was released in the United Kingdom on January 29 and in other countries in January 2010. According to the Los Angeles Times, Paramount invested $70 million in production and an additional $85 million in worldwide marketing and distribution.[53] In December 2009, the Los Angeles Times described the marketing and promotion of The Lovely Bones as having been a "heavy advertising campaign."[52] In late July 2009, as part of the promotion, Jackson talked about the film and screened a 4​1⁄ 2 minute clip at the San Diego Comic-Con International film festival.[37] As part of marketing for the film, in August 2009, people were allowed to enter a contest to win a trip to Wellington, for the film's New Zealand premiere on December 14, 2009.[54] The offer included, if the winner lived outside of Wellington, one night’s accommodation and a voucher for flight or petrol to Wellington.[54] A teaser trailer was released in August 2009, days before the film's official trailer.[55] The official trailer debuted on the television series Entertainment Tonight and was released online shortly afterwards.[37][56] In August 2009, Jackson offered a "behind-the-scenes look" at the film and discussed elements (mainly violence) in the film's plot line.[57] The Los Angeles Times reported that Paramount had originally expected the film to appeal to a "sophisticated, adult audience," but after poor revenue and average reviews, the studio decided to redirect the film to an audience in another age group.[52] Surveys showed that the film was favored more by females aged 13–20 than by any other demographic. Paramount began to screen the movie "aggressively for high school- and college-age girls" during its three-screen limited release.[52] Box office [ edit ] On December 11, 2009, the film was released on three screens in Los Angeles and New York. As of January 4, 2010, the film had grossed over $389,000 in the US.[3] Claudia Eller and Ben Fritz of the Los Angeles Times felt that it did poorly at the box office in the first few weeks of its release because of average reviews and negative word-of-mouth.[52] During its opening-weekend release on three screens, it earned over $116,616, an average of estimated $38,872 per-theater revenue.[3] The film's revenue placed it at thirtieth place on the box office chart.[3] In the film's second and third weeks of release, the film saw a decrease; in the fourth week, it had a 54.3-percent increase.[58] When put into wide release on January 15, 2010,[18] it grossed $17,005,133 that weekend, ranking number three at the domestic box office. By the end of its run, The Lovely Bones had made $44,114,232 domestically, and $49,507,108 overseas, for a worldwide total of $93,621,340. Home media [ edit ] The film was released in the US on DVD and two-disc Blu-ray April 20, 2010 and in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2010.[59] Reception [ edit ] Critical reception [ edit ] Although Ronan and Tucci were praised for their performances, The Lovely Bones received mixed reviews from critics.[60] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 32%, based on 238 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's stuffed full of Peter Jackson's typically dazzling imagery, but The Lovely Bones suffers from abrupt shifts between horrific violence and cloying sentimentality."[61] Metacritic gave the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[62] It is Peter Jackson's lowest rated film to date.[citation needed] Ian Freer of Empire gave the film 4/5 stars.[63] Freer emphasized the "bold, daring original filmmaking, with arguably more emotional and intellectual meat to chew on than either the Rings trilogy or Kong."[63] Freer noted that, like The Lord of the Rings, the film "does a fantastic job with revered, complex source material" and that, since it is "as terrific on terra firma as it is audacious in its astral plane", it is "doubtful" that there would be a "more imaginative" and "courageous film" in 2010.[63] Richard Corliss of Time wrote that "through [Peter] Jackson's art" and Ronan's "magic" the "obscenity of child murder has been invested with immense gravity and grace" and "like the story of Susie's life after death, that's a miracle."[64] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone felt that the film was "conveyed" in a "remarkable performance" by Ronan and described Tucci as being "magnificent as a man of uncontrollable impulses" to "help Jackson cut a path to a humanity that supersedes life and death."[65] Travers praised Jackson for building "jolting suspense." Despite praising the film, however, Travers noted that while the book "never flinched," the film does, and while the "business is being transacted" by Jackson with a "Lord of the Rings fantasy" the film "attunes himself to a family tragedy."[65] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film 2/4 stars, remarking that while "[Peter] Jackson gets the thriller scenes right", the "conceit of Susie trapped in a DayGlo world between the one she left and her final resting place, imparting lessons on coping with death, feels preachy."[66] Puig also described the film as having "clashing tones" that veer from "lightheartedness to heavy-handedness."[66] Puig also criticized the film's computer-generated imagery, describing it as being "cheesy" and felt that it broke "no ground."[66] Kirt Honeycutt, of the Hollywood Reporter, described the film as telling "a fundamentally different story" which is "one that is not without its tension, humor and compelling details", but that "it's also a simpler, more button-pushing tale that misses the joy and heartbreak of the original."[67] Honeycutt also described Jackson as having transformed Sebold's "startling, unique novel about the aftermath of a terrible murder" into a story that's more "focused on crime and punishment."[67] "[Alice] Sebold's book would've had a tough leap to the multiplex no matter who guided it. But [Peter] Jackson is too enamored with the idea of mixing heaven and the heebie-jeebies, so he's made the skeevy equivalent of a Mitch Albom book with some pulp fiction pressed between its covers." Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News[68] Stephanie Zacharek, of Salon.com, viewed the film as being "an expensive-looking mess that fails to capture the mood, and the poetry, of its source material" because "good actors fighting a poorly conceived script, under the guidance of a director who can no longer make the distinction between imaginativeness and computer-generated effects."[69] Todd McCarthy, of Variety, felt that Jackson had undermined the "solid work from a good cast" with "show-offy celestial evocations" that "severely disrupt the emotional connections with the characters."[70] McCarthy stated that he felt that the film, overall, was a "significant artistic disappointment."[70] Joe Neumaier, of New York Daily News, described Jackson as having "siphoned out all the soulfulness" that made the author's "combination thriller/afterlife fantasy a best-seller" and that the film was "a gumball-colored potboiler that's more squalid than truly mournful."[68] Neumaier also wrote that the film and Jackson "wasted" a "good cast."[68] Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4, calling it "deplorable", and criticizing the apparent message that Susie's murder eventually made her happier. He was also critical of the film's portrayal of Heaven, which he compared to "a happy gathering of new Facebook friends". However, he praised the acting, stating that "this whole film is Jackson's fault".[71] According to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the rating given to The Lovely Bones received 24 objections, more than any other movie in 2010. The BBFC report states, "Many found the film to be a shocking and upsetting experience. The scene in which young Susie is entrapped by the killer, and the subsequent sequence in which the killer soaks in a bath after the murder, were compared by some complainants to scenes in ‘18’ rated horror films." The BBFC rated the movie a 12A, and many complained that the movie was upsetting for a younger audience. Nevertheless, the BBFC defended its rating: "The Lovely Bones lacked any explicit detail of the murder and any sexual elements were downplayed. The audience’s sympathies remain entirely with the family and the film had many positive messages about life."[72][73][74][75][76] Accolades [ edit ] See also [ edit ]

There are still fences up all over the Splash Park and Issak Kendal Ker Plaza on Princes Island this weekend. These Fences make it impossible for me to do my job. On the busiest weekend of the year celebrating 150 years of Canadain History one tradition was forgotten and several Magicians, Jugglers, Acrobats and Clowns are unable to work. Ever since the park was built there has been street performance in that plaza. In it’s height there were dozens of entertainers emigrating to Calgary so they could perform on that beautiful amphitheater. For generations there has always been some kind of performance there every weekend. People who saw a one-man band there as a child, bring their kids back to watch the new generation of magicians and jugglers. Especially on Canada Day. Not this year. The fences wont allow the passing people to step off the path, out of traffic and enter the theatre to sit on the grass or the stones or the 3 tiers of steps for seating. When people walk past and see someone performing on the stage they don’t have the option to stop and watch. On Canada Day we moved our shows to Stephen Ave because there were all kinds of events and fun things bringing people to the core. The next day we went back to the amphitheater, THE FENCES ARE STILL UP!?! Our permits are very clear about where we are allowed perform. Because we gather crowds and perform full shows we are restricted to ONLY work in side that amphitheater. As soon as we gather a crowd anywhere else Bylaw or the Police shut us down. Is this just a negative result of bureaucracy? Or is Calgary Parks trying to get rid of us. Because right now they are acting like a partner who wants to break up me but would rather manipulate me into doing it for them.

Prabhat Kumar Jha Rautahat, August 6 Police today arrested contractor Prahlad Sah of Durga Construction Service after four girls of a family drowned in a ditch that was dug by Sah’s men to expand the Ring Road in Garuda Municipality, Rautahat. Ram Ekwal Sah’s daughters — Sangita Kumari, 12, and Sunita Kumari, 9, his brother Jogendra Sah’s daughter Sunaina Kumari, 9, and his other brother Prem Sah’s daughter Susmita Kumari, 9, of Ramjanaki Temple Tole of Garuda Municipality died in the tragic incident yesterday. Police arrested Prahlad after the victims’ family demonstrated against the incident. The locals protested with the bodies at Methur Chowk for four hours after relatives of the minors received the bodies from district hospital after the post-mortem today. They demanded stern action against the staffers at Road Division Office, Chandrapur, and the contractor. Police assured the victims’ kin that action would be taken against the guilty. SP Yagya Binod Pokhrel of Rautahat District Police Office said an immediate relief amount of Rs 25,000 was offered to families of each girl for their final rites. Rautahat Chief District Officer Uddab Bahadur Thapa has sought documents related to road construction from Road Division Office Chief Yogesh Suman. Suman said he was unaware of ditches being dug on the road. “We called a tender for road construction, giving all responsibilities to the contractor,” he added. He said the contractor should be held responsible for the incident. The road division office had called the tender for expanding the road. Sah signed the contract for Rs 1.4 million, which was one-third of the tender price. Locals accused the contractor of using soil dug out from sides of the road for construction of the road. A local, Manoj Chaudhary, said ditches were dug on both sides of the road using dozer. He said minors fell into a ditch filled with rainwater as they were oblivious of the ditches. Ram Ekwal has sought action against staffers of the road construction company who had left the ditches unattended. A version of this article appears in print on August 07, 2017 of The Himalayan Times. Follow The Himalayan Times on Twitter and Facebook

The Association of American Universities released the results of its 27-school “climate survey” on campus sexual assault on Monday, and officials explained on a conference call with reporters why this one is the gold standard. Unlike earlier surveys, the AAU survey included both a large number of campuses and a large sample size at each participating school, said Bonnie Fisher, a consultant for survey design firm Westat and professor at the University of Cincinnati. Prior surveys were “plagued” by differences in definitions and methods, how they were administered and how they were designed, Fisher said. The AAU survey precisely measured how many students said they were sexually violated by clearly defined methods of contact (penetration and touching) and “tactics” (physical force, drugs and alcohol, coercion, absence of affirmative consent). You would think with this careful design spread across more than two dozen large research universities, the AAU survey results would differ notably from previous surveys that suffered from vague definitions, small samples and “selection bias,” meaning an overrepresentation of people with strong views on the subject in the survey pool – all of which contributed to implausibly high levels of reported assault. Nope. This survey found slightly more sexual violence than the well-known but questionable statistic that 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted in college: The incidence of sexual assault and sexual misconduct due to physical force, threats of physical force, or incapacitation among female undergraduate student respondents was 23.1 percent, including 10.8 percent who experienced penetration. This result made no sense to me, so I flipped to the section of the report that defines “incapacitation” (page viii of the executive summary), a concept that is so poorly explained on the average campus that it’s practically meaningless: “….unable to consent or stop what was happening because you were passed out, asleep or incapacitated due to drugs or alcohol” You’ll notice that is not a definition of incapacitation – it’s a tautology (incapacitation means being incapacitated) – and it’s not meaningfully different from how other surveys have treated incapacitation, as something you just know when it’s happening (to yourself or your partner). Indeed, students are now repeatedly warned at many campuses that they or their partners can’t consent if they are “incapacitated,” “intoxicated” or just “drunk” (we’re looking at you, Coastal Carolina), and judging whether an accuser was in a state of mind to be able to consent to sex (and whether the accused should have known) is one of the central tasks of campus adjudications. RELATED: If you don’t have the best sex of your life at Coastal Carolina University, it’s rape Since everyone agrees that alcohol (at the least) is involved in a significant number of campus sexual experiences, if not most of them, you’d think that telling students the precise conditions for incapacitation would be indispensable for getting accurate answers. When I asked officials on the call why the definition was so loose, and how it could lead students to think they were incapacitated when they were drunk but still cognizant of their actions, they basically shrugged. “That’s a fairly standard phrase that’s used on a number of other surveys” and it was taken from the White House’s task force on sexual violence, Westat Vice President David Cantor said. “We actually modified that statement a bit to make it more strict,” and “it’s not just talking about being drunk.” End of story. No one seemed to appreciate the irony that the AAU and Westat were bragging about designing a survey that avoided the pitfalls of all its predecessors, and yet it made the same giant honking mistake as every survey before it: treating incapacitation as something self-evident. There’s every reason to suspect that students who were already uneasy about prior sexual encounters – perhaps because they were drinking at the time – would identify in retrospect as “incapacitated,” if prompted, unless they were told in detail that it’s more than just acting stupid when you’re drunk. Brett Sokolow of the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management, which advises schools how to design sexual-misconduct policies and proceedings, gave a thorough definition of incapacitation 10 years ago that could have been useful to AAU and Westat: One becomes under the influence of alcohol as soon as one has anything to drink. Impairment begins as soon as alcohol enters the bloodstream, and increases with consumption. Intoxication and inebriation are synonyms, as is drunkenness, and corresponds to a .08 blood alcohol concentration. Incapacitation is a state beyond drunkenness or intoxication. What is confusing about incapacity is that it has nothing to do with an amount of alcohol or a specific blood alcohol concentration. In fact, some drunk people will be incapacitated, and some will not. Incapacity can be defined with respect to how the alcohol consumed impacts on someone’s decision-making capacity, awareness of consequences, and ability to make fully-informed judgments. Though his discussion goes on to give colleges far too much leeway to judge that what appeared consensual, to both parties, at the time of sex, was actually not consensual in retrospect, at least those conditions put some intelligible limits on the concept of incapacitation. I’ll have more thoughts on this report, and a review of other skeptical reactions, in a future post. Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter IMAGE: RogaMuffin/Flickr

Subtle changes are made all the time in college football, but it's the wholesale changes that really help separate the men from the boys. Sometimes you have to revolutionize your approach in order to improve your product. See: recruiting, the expansion craze, offensive philosophies, offseason schedules, rejuvenation tactics away from the field and satellite camps. You simply can't fight change. Doing so is foolish. That's one reason the SEC has been so successful during the past decade. Those eight national championships in 10 years didn't just materialize overnight. Careful planning and excellent business sense from league officials, universities and coaches have helped the SEC rise above the rest in college football. Thanks to the skillful mind of former SEC commissioner Mike Slive, the SEC has stayed ahead of the curve for most of the 2000's. New commissioner Greg Sankey is in the infancy of his reign as league commissioner, but if he wants to give the SEC another leg up on the competition, he could take a radical step into future planning. Petition the NCAA to get rid of divisions in college football ... even though the SEC created them in 1992. Honestly, what's the point? They are outdated, and hurt the conference more than help it. But, Edward, what about traditional division rivalries? Why do you hate the fact that Missouri is on the western side of the conference, but plays in the Eastern Division? For starters, yes, it makes no sense to have Missouri in the East. Secondly, this is a great way to make sure that traditional rivalries are preserved and respected. I love traditional division rivalries so much that I think the league is bleeding real conference rivalries dry with its silly format. Nine conference games aside, the 6-1-1 conference scheduling model (one permanent and one rotating opponent in the opposite division) does no one any favors. It's bad for the players, bad for the fans and really leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to league play. Obviously, people above my pay grade would have to dissect this more thoroughly, but if the SEC pushes the NCAA to get rid of divisions, conferences can keep their rivalries and even invest in older ones. Example: Florida and Auburn began play in 1912 and played for 58 consecutive years (1945-2002). The additions of Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012 further extinguished this rivalry by eliminating another cross-divisional opponent. Florida and Auburn aren't slated to play until 2019 in Gainesville, and at Auburn in 2024. Without divisions, Florida could keep Georgia, Tennessee and LSU (the current permanent West opponent) on its schedule, and add Auburn. The Tigers could keep Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, and add Florida. Protect all the key in-conference rivalries for schools and set four or five permanent opponents for each team. Rotate the others with a home-and-home series, mix and match, whatever. If you have four permanent opponents and four different rotators or five permanent opponents and three rotators, players would see each SEC team in three years. Doing home-and-homes would push that to five years in either format. Of course, time between rotators decreases with nine conference games. Players would see every school in four years and you're keeping the most important games each season. Two wins right there. And disproportionate permanent crossovers would be gone. You're welcome, LSU. Elimination of divisions would also ensure that the two best teams would play in Atlanta every year. The West has won seven straight conference titles, six by 14 points or more. Florida (2008) is the last East team to win the conference. Let's not act like there hasn't been an imbalance of power in the SEC, thanks to divisions. There is an obvious disparity, creating more worry for teams and their true playoff hopes. The SEC title game has mostly gotten the pairings right by overall record, but there have been instances in the past where a ho-hum title game would have been replaced by a more deserving matchup, like Alabama and LSU in 2011 and Auburn-Arkansas in 2010. Nothing wrong with getting the most competitive game possible in your most important game every year by guaranteeing No. 1 vs. No. 2, which -- wait for it -- increases playoff hopes even more! On the outside, this looks simple. With the sport evolving more and more, you might as well make sure you can get the best product on the field more and more. This is a step in that direction, and it serves the league, its teams and its fans well.

In October, the US Intelligence Community, which includes 16 American intelligence agencies, announced that they were “confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations.” Controversy broke out last week over the disputed conclusion that the Russians were attempting to push Donald Trump to victory, as opposed to attempting to undermine the electoral system generally – but there’s been little controversy about whether Russia was behind the WikiLeaks hacks. Except on the right. There, many commentators have insisted that there’s no evidence whatsoever that Vladimir Putin and the Russian government were behind the hacks. Sean Hannity, who used to believe that Julian Assange should go to jail, hosted Assange (whom, Hannity assured his audience, had “done us a favor” by hacking the Democratic National Committee) and kvelled as Assange said that the Russians had nothing to do with the hacks. Trump mouthpiece Bill Mitchell dutifully tweeted Putin’s challenge to the United States, and that tweet received nearly two thousand likes and well over a thousand retweets from sympathetic Trump fans. Here’s the actual story, from CNN: The United States must either stop accusing Russia of meddling in its elections or prove it, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "indecent" of the United States to "groundlessly" accuse Russia of intervention in the US election campaign, Russian state news agency Tass reported. "They should either stop talking about that or produce some proof at last. Otherwise it all begins to look unseemly," Peskov reportedly said about the latest accusations that Russia was responsible for hacker attacks. The celebratory glee from Trump advocates – see, Putin’s denying it, so it must all be a Democratic plot in coordination with the CIA! – is odd, considering that Putin has a long record of lying blatantly about his nefarious activities. In 2012, Russia denied that a spy ring allegedly working for Russia was working for Russia. In May 2015, for example, as Russian troops motored into Ukraine, the government denied that its troops were in Ukraine at all – even as the Russian government issued an order covering up all deaths of Russian troops in the country. In October 2015, the Russian government denied that it or pro-Russian separatists had anything to do with the shooting down of MH17 – and Trump naturally bought Putin’s explanation, stating, “Putin and Russia say they didn’t do it, the other side said they did, no one really knows who did it, probably Putin knows who did it, possibly it was Russia but they are totally denying it.” Last month, Russia denied reports of an air offensive in Aleppo – even though human rights groups reported the airstrikes. Russia, in other words, lies all the time. It’s a dictatorship run by a former KGB operative. Yet Republicans seem to parrot Putin’s line as the truth, so long as that truth benefits Donald Trump. Kellyanne Conway’s ridiculous line that questions about Russian hacking should end if President Obama loved “the country enough” are a shoddy way of shutting down a discussion about the hacking itself. That’s pretty disgusting. But it makes sense from a utilitarian perspective, if not a moral one – many Trump supporters are happy to praise one of the planet’s worst human beings so long as he helps their agenda, and top members of the Trump administration think of Russia as part of the anti-jihadist team, and have some admiration for Putin’s nationalist ambitions (see Bannon, Steve). It’s sad to watch the party of Reagan mimic the Putin party line. But partisanship now trumps decency and truth, obviously.

Share Yesterday, Twitter took the lid off its recent acquisition Vine. It’s a social app that allows you to make six-second, looped, GIF-like videos. It has an interface very reminiscent of Instagram, primarily because for the time being it’s mobile-only (although its deal with Twitter means its content is embeddable in Twitter cards, so Vines are showing up there plenty). Vine is fun, creative, simple, social, and as it turns out, something news outlets are busy experimenting with. It isn’t anything revolutionary, however. It’s not a threat to all that many apps or platforms out there – but Facebook shut it off anyway. Yes, within a day of Vine’s launch, Facebook pulled the ability for Vine users to find Facebook friends who were also using the new app. When asked for comment, a Facebook rep pointed me to this just-posted blog entry: “For the vast majority of developers building social apps and games, keep doing what you’re doing. Our goal is to provide a platform that gives people an easy way to login to your apps, create personalized and social experiences, and easily share what they’re doing in your apps with people on Facebook. This is how our platform has been used by the most popular categories of apps, such as games, music, fitness, news and general lifestyle apps. For a much smaller number of apps that are using Facebook to either replicate our functionality or bootstrap their growth in a way that creates little value for people on Facebook, such as not providing users an easy way to share back to Facebook, we’ve had policies against this that we are further clarifying today (see I.10).” Vine isn’t the only app to feel Facebook’s cold shoulder: Mobile text and voice messaging app Voxer also lost Facebook access recently, because after its update to Messenger, Facebook now sees it as a competitor. Voxer says that while Facebook isn’t where it’s getting user growth from, it is a disappointing development. “We are sorry that a channel for engagement is being shut down by Facebook to the detriment of our community. But we aren’t alone, and it is both a lesson and a warning for other companies to be careful about counting on third party services that can be easily taken away.” Russian search giant Yandex’s Wonder app – essentially a mobile, voice-activated version of Graph Search – is yet another product that found itself on the outs with Facebook. What is the deal? What’s maybe most upsetting about this series of events is that it’s not even surprising anymore. For the last year, social-networking platforms have been cutting off varying levels of access to one another. A quick recap of all the most unfriendly moments in social networking that have been going on: It didn’t use to be like this. I fully realize how “I remember when a gallon of gas used to cost a nickel” that sounds, but it’s true. In their infancy, social-networking platforms had a share-and-share-alike attitude, where you could cross-post and import contacts and find friends and use apps that were pulling mass amounts of useful data from outside APIs. It was a beautiful, brief moment in time. Of course, these platforms weren’t what they are now. They were more basic, features were limited, content wasn’t embedded as richly, there was less to interact with. As they’ve grown, so too have their databases of social information, and thus their worth. Twitter has a tight grip on the interest graph, Facebook on the social graph, Google on the information graph. They want bits and pieces of what the others have. But instead of trading, and sharing, the walls have gone up and silos have been erected. Power grabs are being made. And we lose. Every time, we lose. These moves are perfectly within the rights of the companies making them, but that doesn’t mean it’s right, or that we have to like it. These outlets can’t call themselves Open Platforms anymore; they can’t just reinterpret that phrase to mean that they invite developers to work with them, under their rules, on their terms – and that if you’re an app with a major competitor, it’s game over. It’s also a bit confounding, because it’s not as if Vine is going to challenge Facebook for social network dominance, or Instagram is going to be the new Twitter. The slippery slope here is bigger than just losing contact-finding abilities. Cross-posting could get killed off; developers will become warier about working with a platform, and the goal will be to get acquired, a la Instagram and Vine, to assure compatibility. There’s also fear that if you do happen upon something that really connects and inspires users, the dominant networks are simply going to clone it (although, that largely hasn’t worked out well). With great power comes great responsibility, and a handful of social networks are finding themselves in this position right now. But instead of doing what Spider-Man would do and creating an open, thriving, connected social Web, they are building walls and cutting off ways for us to create and share various types of content. Social networking won’t work if platforms and apps exist as their own solitary islands of wonderful, unshareable, unfindable content. There are hints of very monopolistic behavior. But what can we do? Right now, we’re just watching the big platforms get bigger. We’ll be left wondering what could have become of the small startups that never had a chance to grow. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect the beliefs of Digital Trends.

As a professor of literature, rhetoric, and writing at the University of California at Irvine, I’ve discovered that one of the biggest lies about American culture (propagated even by college students) is that Americans don’t read. The truth is that most of us read continuously in a perpetual stream of incestuous words, but instead of reading novels, book reviews, or newspapers like we used to in the ancien régime, we now read text messages, social media, and bite-sized entries about our protean cultural history on Wikipedia. In the great epistemic galaxy of words, we have become both reading junkies and also professional text skimmers. Reading has become a clumsy science, which is why we keep fudging the lab results. But in diagnosing our own textual attention deficit disorder (ADD), who can blame us for skimming? We’re inundated by so much opinion posing as information, much of it the same material with permutating and exponential commentary. Skimming is practically a defense mechanism against the avalanche of info-opinion that has collectively hijacked narrative, reportage, and good analysis. We now skim everything it seems to find evidence for our own belief system. We read to comment on reality (Read: to prove our own belief system). Reading has become a relentless exercise in self-validation, which is why we get impatient when writers don’t come out and simply tell us what they’re arguing. Which reminds me: What the hell am I arguing? With the advent of microblogging platforms, Twitter activism, self-publishing companies, professional trolling, everyone has a microphone now and yet no one actually listens to each other any more. And this is literally because we’re too busy reading. And when we leave comments on an online article, it’s usually an argument we already agree with or one we completely reject before we’ve read the first paragraph. In the age of hyper-information, it’s practically impossible not to be blinded by our own confirmation bias. It’s hard not to be infatuated with Twitter shitstorms either, especially when we’re not the target practice. E-novels, once the theater of the mind for experimental writers, are now mainstream things that look like long-winded websites. Their chapters bleed into the same cultural space on our screen as grocery lists, weather forecasts, calendar reminders, and email messages. What’s the real difference between reading a blog post online by an eloquent blowhard and reading one chapter of a Jonathan Franzen novel? We can literally swipe from one text to another on our Kindle without realizing we changed platforms. What’s the real difference between skimming an informed political critique on a political junkie Tumblr account and reading a focused tirade on the Washington Post’s blog written by putative experts? What’s the real difference between skimming an informed political critique on a political junkie Tumblr account and reading a focused tirade on the Washington Post’s blog written by putative experts? That same blog post will get reposted on other news sites and the same news article will get reposted on other blogs interchangeably. Content—whether thought-provoking, regurgitated, or analytically superficial, impeccably researched, politically doctrinaire, or grammatically atrocious—now occupies the same cultural space, the same screen space, and the same mental space in the public imagination. After awhile, we just stop keeping track of what’s legitimately good because it takes too much energy to separate the crème from the foam. As NPR digitizes itself in the 21st century, buries the “R” in its name, and translates its obsolete podcasts into online news features, every one of its articles now bleeds with its comment section, much of it written by posters who haven’t even read the article in question—essentially erasing the dividing lines between expert, echo chamber, and dilettante, journalist, hack, and self-promoter, reportage, character assassination, and mob frenzy. One silver lining is that the technological democratization of social media has effectively deconstructed the one-sided power of the Big Bad Media in general and influential writing in particular, which in theory makes this era freer and more decentralized than ever. One downside to technological democratization is that it hasn’t lead to a thriving marketplace of ideas, but a greater retreat into the Platonic cave of self-identification with the shadow world. We have never needed a safer and quieter place to collect our thoughts from the collective din of couch quarterbacking than we do now, which is why it’s so easy to preemptively categorize the articles we read before we actually read them to save ourselves the heartache and the controversy. The abundance of texts in this zeitgeist creates a tunnel effect of amnesia. We now have access to so much information that we actually forget the specific nuances of what we read, where we read them, and who wrote them. We forget what’s available all the time because we live in an age of hyperabundant textuality. Now, when we’re lost, we’re just one click away from the answer. Even the line separating what we know and what we don’t know is blurry. We now have access to so much information that we actually forget the specific nuances of what we read, where we read them, and who wrote them. It is precisely because we now consume writing from the moment we wake until the moment we crash—most of it mundane, redundant, speculative, badly researched, partisan, and emojian—that we no longer have the same appetite (or time) for literary fiction, serious think pieces, or top-shelf journalism anymore, even though they’re all readily available. If an article on the Daily Dot shows up on page 3 of a Google search, it might as well not exist at all. The New York Times article we half-read on our iPhone while standing up in the Los Angeles Metro ends up blurring with the 500 modified retweets about that same article on Twitter. Authors aren’t privileged anymore because everyone writes commentary somewhere and everyone’s commentary shows up some place. Only the platform and the means of production have changed. Someday, the Centers for Disease Control will create a whole new branch of research dedicated to studying the infectious disease of cultural memes. Our continuous consumption of text is intricately linked to our continuous forgetting, our continuous reinfection, and our continuous thumbs up/thumbs down approach to reality, which is why we keep reading late into the night, looking for the next place to leave a comment someone has already made somewhere. Whether we like it or not, we’re all victims and perpetrators of this commentary fractal. There seems to be no way out except deeper inside the sinkhole or to go cold turkey from the sound of our own voices. Jackson Bliss is a hapa fiction writer and a lecturer in the English department at the University of California, Irvine. He has a BA in comp lit from Oberlin College , a MFA in fiction from the University of Notre Dame, and a MA in English and a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from USC. His short stories and essays have appeared in many publications. Photo via Raysonho/Wikimedia Commons

Print Article First-year student Carson Huey-You wants to become a quantum physicist. He scored a 1770 on the SAT, and he was co-valedictorian of his senior class. This semester he is taking 14 hours. His class load, which includes calculus and physics, has him moving between Beasley, Bass and Winton-Scott Halls. His mother, Claretta Huey-You, is never far away. That’s because Carson is 11 years old. He was admitted to TCU when he was 10. Dean of Admission Ray Brown said he cannot recall ever having an applicant so young. Carson couldn’t even apply online because the software is not set to accept someone born in 2002, Brown said. During his admission interview, Carson’s many talents were impressive. Brown said Carson spoke Mandarin Chinese, and played piano in the Admissions Center. Prior to Carson, Brown said the youngest student to enroll at the university during his tenure was Sam Hong, who graduated in 2011 at age 17. Carson’s parents expect him to graduate in four to five years, when he is 15 or 16. Brown said he is pleased to have Carson at the university. “[Carson] is at a place that will genuinely care about him as a person,” Brown said. “A strong ability to focus” Carson’s mother said the first sign that Carson might be gifted came when he was three months old. She said she brought him with her to an eye appointment and the doctor was impressed with Carson’s ability to focus. In fact, Carson was reading chapter books at the age of two, before being potty-trained. He started a Kumon math and reading learning program before he was three. His mother said he could add, subtract, multiply and divide by age three. He was working at an eighth grade level by the age of five. It was at this time Carson’s mother and father began searching for a school for Carson. His young age and advanced intellect made finding a school for Carson challenging, she said. He was rejected several times before enrolling at Accommodated Learning Academy in Grapevine, Texas. ALA principal and teacher Melissa McGowan said the school caters to all students no matter what learning style they prefer. The school has 16 teachers and 55 students, and 30 to 40 percent of the students end up graduating early, McGowan said. Carson graduated from ALA with a 4.0 GPA. He said his cumulative SAT score was 1770 (critical reading: 580, math: 620, writing: 570). When asked about Carson in the classroom, McGowan said, “[Carson] was empathetic for others, and was the kind to help others in a humble way.” McGowan said the high school students adored him. A young Horned Frog Carson and his parents were keen on selecting a college that was a perfect fit for him. He visited the university last fall and met with Dr. Magnus Rittby, the senior dean for the College of Science and Engineering. The purpose of the meeting was to see if he was prepared for college. By the time Carson left, Rittby said he considered him to be “extremely gifted” and ready for college. Carson’s parents said they are supportive of his decision to attend the university. When asked if they were concerned about their son attending the university at such a young age, there was little to be said. Carson’s father, Andre Huey-You, a former pilot, said he is “not pushing [Carson], but trying to hold on to his son, so he doesn’t get too far beyond him.” His mother Claretta is a stay-at-home mother but plans to return to school and enroll in a nursing program. Carson is not the family’s only over-achiever, too. His brother, Cannan, 7, is studying at the eighth grade level. His parents expect him to graduate from high school by age 13. Carson’s mother and father describe their childrens’ intelligence as a blessing. Carson doesn’t want to limit his experiences at the university to the classroom. He is interested in science clubs or foreign language clubs since he is close to mastering Mandarin Chinese. He said he taught himself to play the piano using online videos, books and any resources he could find. Now, he has a teacher to help him develop his musical skills. The teacher made a deal with Carson, saying that she would teach him to play the piano if he would teach her son Mandarin Chinese. He is learning “Für Elise” by Beethoven. Life outside the classroom Like other children his age, Carson hangs out with friends, plays video games and enjoys being active. He and Cannan enjoy playing MineCraft, an online video game. They are also Star Wars fans and have watched every movie. Carson said Star Wars Three, Five and Six are his favorite. His favorite Jedi is Master Windu, and his favorite Sith is Darth Maul. He said his favorite television show is “Myth Busters.” He said he enjoys the physics aspect of the show and “when they blow stuff up.” Carson, who is still learning to swim, enjoys throwing the football, playing basketball and roughhousing with his brother. Rittby said Carson joked that he wanted to join the TCU basketball team. Carson said he is “still trying to find his groove” as he settles into college. He said when he arrives home from classes, he grabs a snack and then begins his homework. When he is finished, he helps his brother with his homework. In every class, Carson managed to find a seat in the front. When asked how his first week went, Carson said, “It was overwhelming but exciting and fun.” If he graduates in four years, he will have a diploma in his hands before he even has a driver’s license.

Kuno Wittmer will take part in the new Pirelli World Challenge SprintX Series, with the Canadian driver having been confirmed at Mills Racing. He’ll join team owner/driver Michael Mills at the wheel of the team’s BMW Z4 GT3 in the three-round championship, which kicks off at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park next month. “I am really looking forward to the inaugural SprintX race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.” Wittmer said. “Racing in my home country is always as nice thing, especially in front of family, friends, and representing the BMW brand.” Wittmer, a BMW of North America factory driver, is a former IMSA GT Le Mans class champion, and will bring a wealth of experience to the upstart team, which made its debut at Circuit of The Americas last month. The Texas-based team, with the support BMW of North America, has shifted its focus entirely to SprintX for the remainder of the year. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to participate with Kuno for this new series,” Mills said. “It’s a dream come true to be included in the BMW family, and we are excited to pursue a championship with Kuno and BMW behind us.” BMW of North America Motorsports Manager Victor Leleu added: “Michael had a very successful weekend at COTA in the GTA class, showing great pace and quick adaptation to the BMW Z4 GT3. “The car is fast and reliable, and Michael and Kuno will form a very strong and complementary pair.” The inaugural SprintX weekend takes place at CTMP on May 20-22, with the championship also including stops at Utah Motorsports Campus and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

After sticking to their “never-say-die” attitude on and off the field, the San Francisco Giants have broken the mold for the archetypal play-off team on the club’s way to capturing the greatest victory a team can win for each other and its city, the World Series title. And it’s not the first time in less than a decade we’ve seen this club take it all. Just two seasons ago, the 2010 incarnation of the team shocked the world and showed everyone without a doubt, that pitching beats good hitting. But even with the two extraordinary post-season runs the club has now pulled off twice in the last three years, should the Giants be welcomed into the fold of team’s that many would consider a “dynasty” ? Well, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the Bay Area who wouldn’t say yes without hesitation, myself included. But when bringing the term dynasty to the plate, one must stop and consider what a dynasty actually is. In baseball’s colorful, storied history, many teams have come together and pulled off amazing feats to capture championship after championship. From the Oakland Athletics (who won the World Series from 1972-1974), to the St. Louis Cardinals and Stan Musial, who, in his twenty-two year career with the club, helped the team win three of St. Louis’ eleven titles in 1942, ’44, and ’46. And then of course, there’s the New York Yankees, who sit at the top of the title class with a ridiculous twenty-seven championships. In fact, during Mickey Mantle’s seventeen seasons with New York, the team won seven titles. And if you count the year he was drafted (1949), they won nine titles while he was part of the team. They also hold the MLB record for most World Series championships won in a row, winning consecutively from 1949-1953 (they actually almost did it a first time when they were champions from 1936-1939). And it doesn’t hurt that besides the 1980’s, they are the only team in the MLB to win a title in every decade since the 1920’s, where New York won it all for the first time in 1923. So what determines a dynasty? A dynasty is commonly referred to when speaking of monarchs, handing down the torch of crown from heir to heir. Fathers and sons belonging to the same college fraternity, or even a political family that spans generations. Well, it’s kind of the same thing in baseball, only the difference is that things are changing all the time. Players rarely stay with the same team for more than a few years, often making it impossible to classify many winning teams as dynasties due to the many moving pieces, and how different one championship team of the same franchise could look different from another even the next year. This was half the case for the San Francisco Giants this time around. In 2010, the team featured a lights-out pitching staff, bullpen included. The one through five rotation was as such: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner. Position players such as: Aubrey Huff, Freddy Sanchez, Edgar Renteria, Juan Uribe, Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz, and Andres Torres headed the team’s offense, which didn’t turn any heads. But as most are aware, the clutch and timely hitting of these players proved to be just enough to go all the way. And then 2011 came along, a season full of high expectations for San Francisco. Unfortunately, despite keeping most of the team in tact (bye bye Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria), the offense took a turn for the worse during most of the season. Players like Aubrey Huff, Miguel Tejada, Eli Whiteside, Cody Ross, and Andres Torres just weren’t getting it done. So what did the team do? They brought up a couple of minor leaguers, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford, a first base-man and short-stop, respectively. In addition, they also gave a former organizational pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong, a second chance to pitch with the club, something he hadn’t done since the 2001 season. This helped the team stay afloat despite a lack of offense, and the Giants pitching was still as dominant as ever. But with Buster Posey out with season ending injuries, and the heroes of the previous year not stepping up, the teams playoff hopes quickly vanished and finished eight games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. Fast forward to 2012. With Ryan Vogelsong joining the team for a second consecutive year and replacing Jonathan Sanchez, the revamped rotation looked poised to dominate yet again. During the off-season, the team cleaned house, getting rid of the likes of Aaron Rowand, Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Carlos Beltran, Miguel Tejada, Jeff Keppinger, and Orlando Cabrera. This enabled the club to bring back rookies Belt and Crawford, as well as bring in the highly-anticipated switch-hitting outfielder Melky Cabrera, and speedy center-fielder Angel Pagan. Also joining the squad was outfielder Gregor Blanco and infielder Joaquin Arias, with Hector Sanchez re-joining the club to back-up a healed Buster Posey behind the plate. And it didn’t stop there. Brian Sabean surprised the critics and fans alike when at the July trade deadline, he traded Nate Schierholtz to the Philadelphia Phillies for fellow outfielder Hunter Pence, finally tossing his aging-vet recruitment philosophy to the side. What did this teach us? It shows that the team might be headed in a different, more promising direction, as bringing in talented, young, fast players with high ceilings is definitely a turn-around from what we’ve seen of this clubs players during the last decade or so. Not everyone on the team is a youngster, and shouldn’t be, as having veteran leadership on a club is always important. And the club absolutely had it this year. One of the best, possibly THE best, pickups of the season, saw second base-man Marco Scutaro join the ranks of the Giants, a move most thought nothing more than a typical acquisition for Sabean. How wrong they were. They also brought in veteran Ryan Theriot, who had just won the World Series with St. Louis the previous season. In 2012, the Giants looked very different when comparing them to their 2010 incarnation. Most of the pitching looked exactly the same, with some tweaks here and there, but it was their offense that had changed drastically, and for the better. Instead of holding on to aging vets, the team opted to go for youth and speed. This didn’t mean they got rid of everyone, of course. Returning at third base to prove himself once again, Pablo Sandoval manned the corner in-field position with stunning range, despite his size. Buster Posey put together one of the most impressive seasons a young player has ever had. And of course, you had pitchers Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner, all of whom (besides Sandoval in 2010) played key roles in the teams 2010 and 2012 post-season runs. These five players (but not limited too) are this teams cornerstones, and when you add in a budding super-star first-baseman (Brandon Belt) with the potential to be a perennial home-run king, along with the short-stop of the Giants future in Brandon Crawford, the word dynasty definitely starts sounding more and more realistic. So maybe you don’t have to have the same players on the team year in and year out to be considered a dynasty. What the Giants are doing – I think, supports the idea of what a “dynasty” should be in baseball. It’s not about buying the biggest, baddest, most expensive free agents, or having the biggest payroll in all the land. It’s about developing young players. Playing as a team. Doing your research, and not always going along with what everyone else is doing. It helps when your city is also one with a rich history in the game, and featured many of the greats like Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds, and Gaylord Perry. San Francisco’s style is anything but traditional, and has proven they can get things done. Two World Series championships in a span of three years is pretty good, and both under manager of the year finalist Bruce Bochy, who has been a integral part to this teams recent success. But when you add in the fact that the franchise had not seen a title since 1954, it makes things a little clearer when realizing just what this team is doing. Besides, they are tied for the fourth most World Series titles in major league history (7), and that sounds pretty good to me.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate and former secretary of state, will deliver a major speech on economic policy on Monday, laying out in more detail her diagnosis of went wrong with the economy and, in broad strokes, how she will approach fixing it, the campaign says. She will make clear, according to a campaign official, that she doesn't believe wage stagnation and growing inequality are simply facts that we have to live with, caused by trends outside our control. Rather, she will say that the U.S. has the power to change these patterns if we make the right policy choices. Here are seven ways to understand why Clinton is making the case. (1) Clinton's top goal is raising median incomes According to a campaign official, Clinton will make clear she believes that raising incomes for average Americans is the top priority. To understand why that's become a big issue for politicians of all stripes, one doesn't need to look farther than this chart of real median income over the past 40 years. Wages have been going through a prolonged period of stagnation and decline. A related phenomenon to stagnating wages has been growing inequality. The two trends are not the same--in the 1990s, the gap between the rich and poor widened even as average workers saw pay rise. (2) She believes policy can help raise worker pay and reduce inequality The two biggest reasons usually cited for wage stagnation and growing inequality are technology, which makes lower-skill work (like working on a factory floor or clerical duties) less valuable, and globalization, which can boost corporate bottom lines but provide less opportunity for many American workers. No doubt, these are powerful factors. But another way to look at wage stagnation and inequality is through the prism of the financial return to work itself -- as opposed to the return on investments like stocks and bonds. And it has been declining. So shareholders and top executives, compensated in stock, may be more likely to enjoy the fruits of economic activity than average workers. Left-leaning economists like to point out, however, that this phenomenon largely reflects not just global patterns but also national choices, such as wage and labor standards and tax policies -- a view Clinton will endorse. (3) In particular, she is looking to boost women's pay Clinton is going to talk about how we need to do better to help women and families in the economy. Many women take time away from the workplace to raise their children, or they stop working entirely. As a result, they lose opportunities to develop their skills and professional connections. That could be one reason that while younger men and women earn similar amounts, women in middle age and older earn substantially less. (4) And Clinton is looking to make sure more women are in the workforce Clinton will call for paid leave policies to help women work while raising families. That might help raising the number of women in the labor force, which has flatlined after years of growth. How much such a policy will to close pay disparities between men and women isn't as clear. Countries with more generous parental leave polices tend to have even larger pay gaps. (5) Clinton believes the federal minimum wage should be lifted Clinton will call for raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour. The chart below shows how the the minimum has changed over time, taking into account increases in prices. It's important to note that many states have already raised the minimum wage over the past few years, without federal action. A White House report showed the declining value of the minimum wage after adjusting for inflation. (6) And she believes tax policy changes that favor the wealthy are misguided Clinton is expected to chide Republican presidential candidates for continuing to espouse a GOP philosophy of tax cuts that benefit the wealthy under the theory that that will trickle down to the middle class. Effective tax rates have fallen across all income groups since the 1990s, but especially for the wealthiest Americans. Tax hikes at the end of 2013 and as part of the Affordable Care Act pushed rates back up, though not nearly close to their historic highs. (7) She also wants to make corporations, particularly on Wall Street, more focused on long-term returns The former New York senator is expected to say that our economy is too often driven by hope of a quick profit rather than more enduring and sustainable growth at benefits more people -- and she'll say this is especially a problem on Wall Street. She'll also underscore the need for more investment in things like infrastructure and research and development. As this chart from Robin Greenwood and David Scharfstein of Harvard Business School shows, Wall Street and other financial components of the economy have dramatically grown as a percentage of total economic output. This partly reflects how the stock market has changed. It was once a place where companies regularly went when they wanted to take on some project in order to get new money from banks and investors. Now, it's become a place where firms distribute their earnings to their owners, instead of taking money in, as the economist J.W. Mason has shown.

For a video that was created to fail, “What does the Fox say?” has been incredibly successful, totaling more than 120 million views … but that wasn’t Ylvis’ intent. They swear. Brothers Vegard and Bård Ylvisåker are hosts of Tonight with Ylvis, a late-night talk show in Norway. And when it came time to prepare a promo for their new season, they called on a favor they had with some guys over at Stargate, a Norwegian production company that has produced hits such as Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” After Ylvis helped one of the guys at Stargate prepare a birthday gift, the company had promised to produce something for the comedy duo in return, and now the guys were ready to cash in their I.O.U. “As comedians, it wouldn’t be a good thing if we went to pursue a hit in the States because they could potentially make something that became big, so we thought it would be more fun from a comedian perspective to come home to the talk show and say, ‘Listen we had the chance, we could’ve made it big, but the only idea we got for the song was this old idea about what the fox says so we’re sorry. We screwed up.’ That was the plan,” Bård said. “That would’ve been funny to say on the talk show.” “We had started writing the scripts for the show and we even had the introduction to this video, we wrote that as this ‘We’re sorry, we screwed up, this was all we could do,'” Vegard added. So what happened when the video took off and actually became the brothers’ biggest hit? “We had to rewrite the whole thing.” So let’s back up: When the brothers were brainstorming ideas for possible promos, what made them think about the sounds a fox makes? “It all comes out of a genuine wonder about what kind of sounds it makes,” Vegard said. “For all other known or normal animal species, you have this defined word that they say that is their sound like woof or meow or squeak. The first verse is telling this to the world in a very pretentious way: ‘The mouse goes squeak and the cow goes moo.'” “It started with us making sounds – we had other mammals as well – but we ended up thinking ‘it would be fun with a fox,'” Bård added. So after two days in the vocal studio and a bit of a mishap with the costumes — the brothers joke about wearing a bear and a squirrel costume in the video — they had created the video that would eventually land them on U.S. talk shows and in The New York Times. If only the duo had gone with their original idea … “First we had an idea about why every weekend there’s three billion guys in the entire world that dread the fact that they have to go to a club and they have to dance and no one can actually dance. There’s not one move. There used to be like cha cha cha and now it’s just chaos. That was their original idea and that felt [like it was] searching for a hit,” Bård said. “But [Stargate was] pitched this idea, so that’s why they gave us the songs. And I called one of the guys. I said, ‘The whole thing changed a bit and now we want to make a song about what sound the fox makes.’ I explained that it will be funny for us if we go over and misuse your talent – that will be funny for our show.” Luckily, Stargate was in. It’s also worth mentioning that this wasn’t Ylvis’ first music video. In fact, musical comedy is something they consider to be very near to their hearts. The brothers, who grew up in Africa, found their love of music and comedy at a young age. “We grew up with the Life of Brian from Monty Python. We grew up in Africa and we didn’t bring enough videos, so we only had that. We had two. We had that and a Norwegian variety guy. So we developed humor that was a mix between those two,” Vegard said. Although they have no vocal training between them, singing is something they’ve been doing for years. “Our parents were always really fond of music and they encouraged us to do whatever we wanted to do. We went to choir and stuff when we were kids,” Bård said. “We sang continuously. We made small music things in our room. But it was always with a comic context. We always hide behind that. We’re too much of cowards to actually mean something,” Vegard said. Other things you might not know about the comedians: Vegard is a commercial pilot, or he could be if anyone hired him, and Bard enjoys having no education whatsoever and gardening. They’re also big Tenacious D fans. But most importantly, the success of this video does not mean that fame is now their priority. “We’re not chasing the next hit. We’re just making stuff that we think is funny. Some will get like 100,000 views and some obviously got 100 million, but it’s the same recipe,” Bård said. “It’s supposed to be three minutes for a Norwegian talk show and this one traveled. Maybe we’ll make another song with them maybe not. It’s just a month old, this song.” “We’ll see when it reaches a billion,” Vegard joked. Watch one of the guys’ improvised bits, “The Intelevator,” below: And here’s another one of their music videos, about Stonehenge no less: Will you continue to follow Ylvis’ comedy, PopWatchers?

Hannah Bonser, who stabbed a 13-year-old to death in Doncaster, is reportedly living as a man named Adam at HMP Low Newton A female child killer is living as a man at a women's prison, where the murderer has been boasting about an upcoming sex-change operation on the NHS. Hannah Bonser, who stabbed 13-year-old Casey Kearney to death, has changed her name to Adam while serving time at HMP Low Newton in County Durham. Sources say the 31-year-old's gender switch has angered fellow inmates on the high-security F Wing. Guards now address the wing's prisoners as 'ladies and gentleman' instead of just 'ladies', according to a former inmate who said: 'It's put an end to the call of, "Cells, ladies, please". 'Hannah now insists they use "ladies and gentleman". 'Hannah's not physically a man yet, but is on her way. She has asked to be called Adam and changed her name with officials. She says she is going the whole hog.' The move has led to accusations of preferential treatment at the prison, where serial killer Rose West and Baby P's mother, Tracey Connelly, are also serving time. Casey Kearney was stabbed to death when she was aged just 13 by Hannah Bonser, who is reportedly living as a man in prison Bonser was locked up in 2012 after stabbing her teenage victim as she made her way to a sleepover on Valentine's Day. She was jailed for life and will serve a minimum of 22 years after her victim died from a single stab wound after the attack in Elmfield Park, Doncaster. The teenager managed to call 999 before she died. Bonser, who had a history of mental health problems, had repeatedly informed medics that she thought herself to be dangerous. Bonser is serving a 22-year sentence after she murdered a 13-year-old child by stabbing her to death while she was walking to a sleepover Just one month before she murdered Casey, Bonser told professionals that she was worried she would kill and said her fear caused her to stay away from people on the street. Bonser first became known to social services when she was just nine years old after the death of her morbidly obese Mormon mother. She was then referred to 16 psychiatrists and 20 mental health workers. The future killer was hearing voices and speaking to rocks by the time she was 17, developing an obsession with druids and a belief birds were people coming to get her. A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on individuals.'

Some of Donald Trump’s most passionate GOP detractors — including Sens. Lindsey Graham, left, and Ben Sasse — are now taking a more optimistic tone. (Charles Ommanney/The Washington Post; Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP) Ten months ago, Doug Heye was one of the Beltway Republicans doing their best to warn the party against getting into bed with Donald Trump — a man, he wrote in an op-ed, who would “cause greater instability throughout the world at a time when the world looks to America for leadership.” “The emperor doesn’t have any clothes,” the veteran Capitol Hill spokesman later declared on MSNBC. “There’s no part of a Trump candidacy that I don’t see as being a disaster for Republicans.” And now? “Well, there actually have been a number of positive signs,” Heye said in a phone interview just days after Trump’s surprise victory. There was that gracious acceptance speech, Heye noted. Plus, that seemingly stable meeting with President Obama. And “the fact that they took down the Muslim ban from the website was heartening to me,” he added. Uh, Doug. You know, the Trump team put that proposal right back up on its site hours later. “Oh, I didn’t realize that,” Heye said. “But the fact that it even got deleted is heartening to me.” If establishment Republicans are going through the stages of grief, it appears they’ve reached the bargaining stage. All over town, erstwhile critics — who once described Trump as a betrayer of conservative values and an agent of chaos — are now, at least publicly, grasping for signs that maybe he won’t be so bad after all. Perhaps, they say, conservatives will finally get some quality judges on the Supreme Court? Maybe Trump will focus more on unraveling Obamacare than on deporting 11 million people living in this country illegally or registering Muslims into a database? Maybe now that he’s president, they say, Trump will finally pivot to acting presidential? So many tea leaves floating around this week. You can just pick and choose the ones you like. [Obama in state of denial as Democrats work through the stages of grief] That seems to be the new approach of Sen. Lindsey Graham — one of Trump’s fiercest Republican critics during the campaign. When Trump announced Sunday that Steve Bannon, the former chief executive of the website Breitbart — a favorite periodical of white supremacists, known for taking aim at blacks, women, Muslims and Jews — would serve as his chief White House strategist, the senator from South Carolina responded only to the other half of the day’s news: “Congrats to @realDonaldTrump for outstanding choice of @Reince [Priebus] to be Chief of Staff,” tweeted Graham, about the appointment of the Republican National Committee chair. “This shows me he is serious about governing.” Wishful thinking has become our new national pastime, and because no one really knows what a Trump presidency will look like, it’s possible for everyone to hold out hope. Elected Democrats are looking to the possibility of an infrastructure bill as a silver lining, while liberal commentators such as Nicholas Kristof ask readers to “give President-elect Trump a chance.” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), the capital’s most enduring GOP Never Trumper, is crossing his fingers that the president might work at “ending cronyism.” Super-lobbyist Trent Lott, the former Senate majority leader, has offered up his swamp-draining services. [As GOP’s anti-Trump, Sasse picked a big fight. What would it mean to win?] “This past week has reinforced that a President-elect Trump has the capacity to rise above the campaign mudslinging,” said Lott’s former spokesman, Ron Bonjean, now a PR strategist who does not count himself as a “skeptical” Republican. “I’ve always believed that if he can bring in a team around him of solid people and get away from the late-night Twitter accounts, this could be okay.” As it happened, Bonjean uttered these optimistic thoughts to a reporter after Trump issued a tweet blaming post-election demonstrations on “professional protesters” supposedly incited by the media but before his most recent Twitter rant about how the New York Times is supposedly failing. (It’s doing quite well, actually.) Erick Erickson, a conservative pundit who served as an outspoken critic of Trump from the right, is pushing back against what he sees as a lot of “crying wolf” about the president-elect. So he says he’s giving Trump the benefit of the doubt. Even about controversial decisions such as hiring Bannon. “If Obama got [Valerie] Jarrett, Trump can have Bannon,” he wrote for the Resurgent. “And when the alt-right goes marching through Washington or people start trying to round up Jews because of it, then we can raise the issue and provide shelter to those in need. But there is no guarantee that will happen.” (“No guarantee.” Whew.) Heye maintained that he doesn’t see his role or his stance changing all that much from before the election: If Trump does something good, he’ll compliment him for it, he said. If Trump reverts to his campaign behavior, he’ll call him out. “I never really called myself a Never Trump person,” he said. “I just said I’m not voting for the guy.” Somehow, though, amid the rubble, a dwindling number of unwavering Trump skeptics on the right still live and breathe. “Winning the election doesn’t change my opinion about him,” said Ben Howe, an editor at the conservative website RedState. “I’ve said from the beginning that he is a sociopath, that he is unstable and dangerous, that his views on nuclear proliferation are dangerous and that he will put people in positions to influence him that are dangerous. So far, he hasn’t done anything to convince me otherwise.” Howe said he’s not surprised that so many people have traded in their skepticism for optimism. He realizes that some people believe it is their patriotic duty to show their support for the president and that others are just so tired of the chaos of the campaign that they are desperate to make things seem normal again. And he understands that some critics believe they owe the unpredictable businessman the benefit of the doubt. He just doesn’t see it that way. “It’s a lot of pretending like this is an innocent-until-proven-guilty type of situation,” Howe said. “The problem is, the campaign was the trial. I’ve seen the evidence, and I’ve made a decision based on that.” There is, however, one possibility that Howe won’t rule out. “The only thing I’m open to now is that I could be wrong,” he said. “I’m fine being wrong. Being wrong would be great.”

BAFTA Awards to Feature Plant-Based Menu Like us on Facebook: The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi Vegan celebrities and filmmakers can rejoice; at least those attending this year’s BAFTA awards in London. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced that their annual star-studded event will feature a plant-based menu for those opting out of meat and dairy. While dessert options have yet to be disclosed, entrees include “quinoa salad with radishes, broad beans, asparagus, peas and a lemon and olive oil dressing,” as well as a “roasted butternut squash and sun-blushed tomato lasagne with wilted spinach, roasted pepper and sage”. PETA quickly lauded the decision. Director Mimi Bekhechi said in a statement, “interest in vegan eating is skyrocketing in the UK and beyond. With some of the world’s best chefs, including Jamie Oliver and Wolfgang Puck, getting creative with cruelty-free cooking, we’re sure that guests attending the BAFTAs are in for a treat.” Of course, the lavish event is not exclusively plant-based. The dinner, which began preparations back in September with a team of 25 chefs, includes roughly one tonne of beef (it’s a trio-of-beef main course)and variety of seafood. It also features some 2000 bottles of wine and 8,220 glasses of champagne for the nearly 2,000 guest. There are also a pair of vegetarian course, though they contain dairy. The starter is smoked cheese arancini, celeriac and Granny Smith apple salad, port wine glaze, walnut oil dressing; while the main features roast sweet potato, red onion and Taleggio tart, smoked garlic and chive butter sauce, gratin Dauphinoise, green beans and baby carrots. Still, serving plant-based options is a step in the right direction. Your move, Oscars. The BAFTAs take place February 8 at Grovesnor House Hotel in London. Via The Daily Mail, Marie Claire UK

...about a year ago I noticed what would be a lump in my teet, and I have been just thinking of course that it's nothing ... a week or two ago I went in [to the doctor] to get my first mammogram. I'm 41, I guess I should have started last year. So I went in and got the mammogram and the results were abnormal ... go in for a follow-up, and I was told the follow-up would take 30 or 45 minutes at most, and yesterday I spent the entire day in the hospital while they ran numerous tests ... the doctor came in and she was clearly a highly intelligent, kind but very concerned person ... and when I was going through the tests all day yesterday ... part of me thought ... there was a misunderstanding... based on already being hospitalized with a deadly illness and my mother dying, there was just no way they were going to come in and tell me anything but, "Ok, everything looks great!" ... And the doctor came in and her tone was very scary ... she said "Ok, so, we have found something in both breasts," ... after all the explanation I said, "Wait a minute, are you telling me that I possibly have cancer," and she said, "Well, we have to get biopsies done but from what I can see with all the testing we've done today it is very probable that you do in both breasts, yes."

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: In one of his first acts as president last week, Barack Obama signed an executive order setting new rules on the role former lobbyists can play in his administration. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: As of today, lobbyists will be subject to stricter limits than under any other administration in history. If you are a lobbyist entering my administration, you will not be able to work on matters you lobbied on or in the agencies you lobbied during the previous two years. When you leave government, you will not be able to lobby my administration for as long as I am president. AMY GOODMAN: Despite President Obama’s pledge, several former lobbyists are set to play key roles in the new administration. Obama has nominated Raytheon’s former top lobbyist, William Lynn, to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense. Lynn was a registered lobbyist for the defense contractor until July. Several watchdog groups, including Public Citizen and Project on Government and Oversight, have urged the Senate Committee on Armed Services to reject Lynn’s nomination because of his ties to Raytheon. President Obama has granted a waiver to Lynn, as well as to William Corr, who has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Until recently, Corr was a registered lobbyist for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. At the Treasury Department, Secretary Timothy Geithner has hired former Goldman Sachs lobbyist Mark Patterson to be his chief of staff. Patterson was a registered lobbyist until April. The National Journal is reporting fourteen of the 112 White House staffers that Obama has named had been registered as lobbyists at some point since 2005. The list includes Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod and Homeland Security adviser John Brennan. We’re joined now in Washington by Bara Vaida. She is a reporter covering the lobbying industry for National Journal. Her article, “Former Lobbyists Join Obama,” appears in this week’s issue. Lay it out for us, Bara Vaida. BARA VAIDA: Hi, Amy. Thanks for having me. As Obama said, these are the most sweeping restrictions on lobbying behavior that’s ever been implemented by a president, so it’s important to remember that. I think what this shows is that there are — the lobbying industry is just a very big part of the culture of Washington and that there are a lot of people who have worked on policy that end up lobbying from time to time. And there’s such a mix between lobbying and policy that it shows how difficult it is to draw a very bright line between lobbying and policy. Lobbyists, you have to remember, do have a lot of expertise. They have a lot of information. They do play an important role in how policy is developed. So that’s, you know, an important sort of thing to remember when we talk about lobbying. Obama did campaign on a pledge that he would limit the role of lobbyists in his White House. And as I noted, there are fourteen — or thirteen people, actually, who have had lobbying in their background who are now White House staff, and there’s probably more at this point. But there’s hundreds of positions already that he has named. So he is — he can say that he’s limited so far the role of lobbyists. But it’s important to pay attention to how many of these folks have had lobbying in their background and keep track of it to make sure he keeps with his pledge, you know, not to have lobbyists dominating his White House, as opposed to what we saw with the previous administration. AMY GOODMAN: What about Raytheon’s former top lobbyist, William Lynn, serving as Deputy Secretary of Defense? BARA VAIDA: Yes, I mean, that has certainly caused a lot of heartburn in the watchdog community. They’re very concerned about that. They don’t see how it’s any way possible that Mr. Lynn can do his job without doing something that’s going to have some kind of impact on the bottom line at Raytheon. And that’s what they’re greatly concerned about. And that was what happened in the Bush administration. You have to remember, a lot of these rules that Obama has implemented are a reaction to what happened during the Bush years. What we saw happen in the Interior Department, Steven Griles got embroiled in something with a former lobbyist named Jack Abramoff, who’s now in jail, and that he had gotten people in the Interior Department to, you know, trade on favors for him, for his clients. And that’s what this is aimed at. Mr. Lynn has sent a letter, apparently, to the Hill this week, trying to lay out that whatever he does that may have some effect on Raytheon, he will run it by the general counsel’s office before he does anything. And McCain and some — I think Senator Grassley, as well, have both said, “You know, that’s just too vague. We want somebody more specific.” AMY GOODMAN: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was questioned Wednesday about the role lobbyists will have in the new administration. REPORTER: Is the President bothered at all that Secretary Geithner has picked as his chief of staff a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs, who has obviously — that company has benefited from government bailouts. Doesn’t that punch a hole in what the President signed just last week in terms of preventing lobbyists like that from serving in his administration? ROBERT GIBBS: No, the President — well, again, let’s step back and talk about the broader issue of ethics and transparency in this administration. As I said from this podium, and as you all read in papers throughout the country, that the ethics and transparency executive orders that the President signed the first day institute a policy that covers this administration, unlike any policy we’ve seen in any previous administration in the history of our country. REPORTER: But if it’s a strong — even if it’s a strong policy, does it mean anything if people are getting waivers to go around it? ROBERT GIBBS: Those very same people that labeled that policy the strongest of any administration in history also said they thought it made sense for a limited number of waivers to ensure that people can continue to serve the public. AMY GOODMAN: And that was Robert Gibbs, the new press secretary. Bara Vaida, what about Treasury Department Secretary Tim Geithner hiring former Goldman Sachs lobbyist Mark Patterson to be his chief of staff? Patterson, a registered lobbyist until April. BARA VAIDA: Again, I mean, it’s a good question. I mean, Patterson was lobbying up until about March of 2008, and there is definitely a question: how can he do his job without doing something that may have an impact on Goldman Sachs? It’s almost impossible. So I think it’s totally fair to raise these questions. And I think the administration is going to keep getting hit with these questions until they explain how they’re deciding how they’re implementing these waivers. They haven’t explained that, what their standard is. I have asked them that. They don’t want to answer it. You heard the response. That’s the response we tend to get, which is, “We’ve said we’ll do a few waivers in the cases where we think there’s unique experience of this person and that a waiver should be granted.” I guess, you know, people will be watching this very carefully, and people will have to decide: are the exceptions OK or not? I think the administration really needs to explain what standard they’re using, and that is not clear. AMY GOODMAN: Bara Vaida, I want to thank you very much for being with us, reporter covering the lobbying industry for National Journal.

Vincent Kessler/Reuters French apiarist Andre Frieh holds a sample of normal honey (right) besides a blue colored one (left) at his home in Ribeauville near Colmar, Eastern France, October 5, 2012. Mars Incorporated has proclaimed that “Chocolate is better in color” with its M&Ms. But French beekeepers may beg to differ on that. Since August, beekeepers near the town of Ribeauville, in the northeastern region of Alsace, have been reporting their bees are producing blue and green honey, according to Reuters. And they’ve traced the cause back to a biogas plant that processes waste from an M&Ms factory. (PHOTOS: Bee Beard Contest in China) Bees are apparently picking up vibrantly colored, sugary waste from the plant, operated by the company Agrivalor some 2.5 miles away from their apiaries. A statement from Agrivalor that appeared in the French newspaper Le Monde said the company would clean its containers and store waste in airtight containers to prevent bees from reaching it. “We quickly put in place a procedure to stop it,” Philippe Meinrad, co-manager of Agrivalor, told Reuters. France generates 18,330 tons of honey per year, making it one of the largest honey producers in the European Union. In Alsace alone, about 2,400 beekeepers manage 35,000 colonies, which produce about 1,000 tons of the stuff per year. However, France hasn’t been spared by the largely unexplained decrease in the world bee population in recent years, Reuters reported. Gill Maclean, a spokesperson for the British Beekeepers’ Association, told the BBC that the harsh winter of 2011-2012 may have affected bees’ ability to forage. This could be a reason why the bees sought out the alternate sugar. “Bees are clever enough to know where the best sources of sugar are, if there are no others available,” Maclean told the BBC. Rest assured: Consumers won’t see blue honey on store shelves anytime soon. Alain Frieh, president of the apiculturists’ union, told Reuters the only similarity between regular honey and their bees’ M&M-tainted byproducts might be taste. “For me, it’s not honey,” Frieh told Reuters. “It’s not sellable.” WATCH: Do City Bees Make Healthier Honey? SEE ALSO: The Big Surprise of Martin Luther King’s Speech

Scatec Solar ASA, an integrated independent solar power producer, has entered into financing agreements totalling USD 157 million for construction of a 104 MW(dc) Red Hills solar power plant in Utah. When complete, the Red Hills solar project will be Scatec Solar’s largest developed and constructed project in North America. Total investment for the plant is estimated at USD 188 million—with Google providing tax equity, Prudential Capital Group providing debt financing, and Scatec Solar providing sponsor equity. The power plant will be wholly-owned by a partnership jointly owned by Google and Scatec Solar, which structured and executed the financing for the project. Scatec Solar will manage and operate the plant when it goes into operation. Google has signed agreements to fund over $1.5 billion in renewable energy investments across three continents with a total planned capacity of more than 2.5 GW (gigawatts).This agreement represents the 18th renewable energy investment project for Google and supports its continued push towards a clean, low carbon energy future. Prudential Capital Group, a Prudential Financial asset management business, provided term financing for the project. The Utah Red Hills Renewable Energy Park, set to be built on a site with excellent solar irradiation, will generate around 210 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, which will be fed into the grid under a twenty-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with PacifiCorp’s Rocky Mountain Power, according to the utility’s obligation under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. When operational by the end of 2015, the plant will be Utah’s largest solar energy generation facility, generating enough energy to power approximately 18,500 homes annually. Based on US Environmental Protection Agency estimates, it will produce enough renewable power to prevent nearly 145 thousand tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually—the equivalent to not burning 156 million pounds of coal each year. The ground-mounted photovoltaic solar facility is being developed on approximately 650 acres of privately-owned land in Parowan, Utah, will deploy approximately 325,000 PV modules on a single-axis tracking system and will interconnect to an existing transmission line. Scatec Solar is an integrated independent power producer, aiming to make solar a sustainable and affordable source of energy worldwide. Scatec Solar develops, builds, owns and operates solar power plants, and will in 2014 deliver power from 220 MW in the Czech Republic, South Africa and Rwanda. The company is in strong growth and has a solid pipeline of projects under development in Africa, US, Asia, Middle East and Europe. Scatec Solar is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ‘SSO’.

One year since the military coup in Egypt 5 July 2014 This week marks the first anniversary of the US-backed military coup that brought the junta of now president and de facto dictator General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to power. In launching the coup, the army sought to pre-empt a mass movement that had developed against Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Mursi. The class struggle exploded in the first half of 2013, as workers mounted over 5,544 strikes and social protests against Mursi’s government. When protests were called in late June, tens of millions of workers went onto the streets to express their anger at Mursi’s free-market policies and his support for Israel’s assault on Gaza and the US-led proxy war in Syria. While the protests showed the immense power of the working class, their outcome revealed the essential problem of the Egyptian revolution: the chasm between the elemental anger of the Egyptian population and the absence of political leadership. In the absence of a revolutionary party fighting to rally the working class in a struggle to take power on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program, the forces that emerged in control of the movement, primarily the Tamarod (“Rebel”) movement, worked to channel popular opposition behind the army. When al-Sisi launched a coup and deposed Mursi in close coordination with the American military and the Obama administration, liberal youth activists and pseudo-left political forces operating in and around Tamarod hailed it as a “second revolution.” Sameh Naguib, a leader of the pseudo-left Revolutionary Socialists (RS), enthused: “This is not the end of democracy, nor a simple military coup ... People feel empowered and entitled by the events of the last few days.” In contrast, the day after the coup, the World Socialist Web Site warned the working class of the reactionary role the military would play. We wrote, “The army will seek to enforce the policies demanded by finance capital. In the final analysis, the conflict between the military on the one hand and the ousted Muslim Brotherhood on the other is a fight between conflicted factions of the ruling class. The main target of the repression that the military is preparing will be the working class. The stage has been set for the denunciation of further protest actions by the working class as harmful to the ‘national interest’ and illegitimate.” This warning has been dramatically confirmed over the past year. After taking power, the al-Sisi junta unleashed a reign of terror against its political opponents, seeking to restore the military-police state as it existed under Hosni Mubarak, before the Egyptian revolution began in 2011. The military government violently dispersed protests and strikes, shooting thousands in cold blood in the streets of Egypt’s cities. It banned Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood and sentenced over 2,000 of its members and supporters to death. According to recent figures from the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, 41,163 people were jailed between the coup and May 15 of this year. The year following the coup was without question a major setback for the Egyptian revolution. Yet it is not over. From the beginning, the Egyptian revolution has been driven by deep objective processes: the impoverishment and exploitation of the working class internationally, and the escalating crisis of imperialism in the Middle East. A new stage of the revolution will begin, and the key task is to draw the necessary political lessons to prepare for it. The al-Sisi coup was the culmination of three-and-a-half years of bitter revolutionary struggles that have confirmed Trotsky’s Theory of Permanent Revolution. None of Egypt’s bourgeois factions—the army, the Muslim Brotherhood, or the petty-bourgeois pseudo-left groups that oscillated between them—had any progressive perspective to solve the democratic and social demands of the masses. The task of building a truly democratic society freed from poverty and imperialist oppression, the Theory of Permanent Revolution explains, falls to the working class in a struggle for world socialist revolution. It was on the basis of this perspective that the WSWS opposed the al-Sisi coup. The WSWS consistently defended this position from the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, explaining on the day before the working class toppled Mubarak: “The revolutionary Marxists must counsel workers against all illusions that their democratic aspirations can be achieved under the aegis of bourgeois parties. They must expose ruthlessly the false promises of the political representatives of the capitalist class. They must encourage the creation of independent organs of workers’ power which can become, as the class struggle intensifies, the basis for the transfer of power to the working class. They must explain that the realization of workers’ essential democratic demands is inseparable from the implementation of socialist policies ... “Above all, revolutionary Marxists must raise the political horizons of Egyptian workers beyond the borders of their own country. They must explain that the struggles that are now unfolding in Egypt are inextricably linked to an emerging global process of world socialist revolution, and that the victory of the revolution in Egypt requires not a national, but an international perspective.” In Egypt, all the necessary prerequisites for a revolution were present save one: a revolutionary party fighting for this perspective. The central question posed in Egypt, and internationally, is the construction of such a party, a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, fighting to rekindle the struggles of the revolution, bring down the al-Sisi government, and take up the fight for socialism. Johannes Stern Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

Until now, we mostly talked about how to create simple components in Angular, like a zippy or a tabs component, and we also covered some isolated parts of the framework like the new dependency injection. In this article we are going to discuss another essential part when it comes to building components: Styling. A component in Angular is basically a controller class with a template. But as all of us know, a component also needs it’s own styles, especially when it comes to sharing reusable components across applications, which is what we want to achieve in the modern web anyways, right? We can always write our CSS code in a way, that it is modular and easily extensible at the same time. However, if we don’t rely on technologies like Web Components, our styles all end up concatenated and minified in the head of our HTML document, without our components actually knowing that they exist. This is actually good when we think in separation of concerns, on the other hand, if we build a component and want to share it, it should come packaged with all the needed styles, scoped to that component. Angular components are designed with exactly that in mind. A component comes with HTML, JavaScript but also has it’s own styles that belong to it. All we need to do is to define the styles in our component, or at least declare, where to get those from. In fact, there are three ways to associate CSS styles to a component in Angular: Component inline styles, style urls and template inline styles. Let’s explore them one by one. Component inline styles The easiest way to add styles to a component is taking advantage of the @Component decorators that allow us to define component inline styles. All we need to do is to add a styles property to the decorator and define the styles. To see what that looks like, here’s a snippet of our zippy component that we’ve built a while ago. @ Component ({ moduleId : module . id , selector : 'my-zippy' , templateUrl : 'my-zippy.component.html' , styles : [ ` . zippy { background : green ; } ` ] }) class ZippyComponent { @ Input () title : string ; } This is pretty straight forward. You might wonder though, why the value of that property is a list and not just a (multi-line) string. Well, I wonder too. That’s why I asked the question right away. Okay, so defining styles on the component is pretty clear, but where did those end up in the DOM? If we run this code in our browser, we see that there’s something very interesting happening. It turns out that Angular takes the defined styles, and writes them into the head of the HTML document. Here’s what that looks like: <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <style> .zippy { background : green ; } </style> </head> <body> ... </body> </html> What’s going on there? The reason why Angular takes our styles and puts them up there, is because of the View Encapsulation that we are using. Since Angular 2.x, it comes with three different view encapsulation types in order to support both, browsers that don’t support Shadow DOM, and also the ones that do support it. The view encapsulations will be explored in another article are covered in this article, but we have to touch on this though in order to understand why this is happening. Angular currently uses the Emulated View Encapsulation by default. Which basically means, there’s no usage of any Shadow DOM at all. One of the nice features of Shadow DOM is style encapsulation. It allows us to scope styles to a specific component without affecting the outer world. To take advantage of style encapsulation, styles have to be put into the shadowRoot of a component. Due to the Shadow DOM strategy that is used, there is no shadowRoot to put our styles into. That’s why Angular writes them into the head. But as mentioned, there’s another article that explains all three view encapsulations. Let’s take a look at another way of adding styles to our component. Styles urls In an ideal world, we don’t have to mix our styles with our application code. That’s why we have the <link> tag, that allows us to fetch and embed a stylesheet from a server. Angular components allow us to define styleUrls , so that styles don’t have to be written into the component. Pretty straight forward, here’s an example: @ Component ({ moduleId : module . id , selector : 'my-zippy' , templateUrl : 'my-zippy.component.html' , styleUrls : [ 'my-zippy.component.css' ] }) class ZippyComponent { @ Input () title : string ; } Where do those end up in the DOM? Well, for the same reason as explained earlier, they are written into the head of the document. But not only that, when Angular fetches the style resources, it takes the text response, inlines and appends them after all component inline styles. So if we would have a configuration like this: @ Component ({ moduleId : module . id , selector : 'my-zippy' , templateUrl : 'my-zippy.component.html' , styles : [ '.zippy { background: green; }' ], styleUrls : [ 'my-zippy.component.css' ] }) class ZippyComponent { @ Input () title : string ; } And the my-zippy.component.css content would look like this: . zippy { background : blue ; } We will end up with a document head that looks something like this: <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <style> .zippy { background : green ; } </ style > < style > .zippy { background : blue ; } </style> </head> <body> ... </body> </html> This also brings us to the next conclusion that styles defined in style urls will always be appended and therefore override styles defined in the component, unless the inline styles don’t have a higher specificity. Last but not least, we have template inline styles. Template inline styles We can for sure always write our styles directly into the DOM, nobody can prevent us from doing that. In fact, when thinking in Web Components it’s quite common to put styles directly into the template of a component, since they will be encapsulated when Shadow DOM is used. Translating the styles used above to template inline styles would look something like this (in case of our zippy component): <style> .zippy { background : red ; } </style> <div class= "zippy" > <div ( click )=" toggle ()" class= "zippy__title" > {{ visible ? ' ▾ ' : ' ▸ ' }} {{title}} </div> <div [ hidden ]="! visible " class= "zippy__content" > <content></content> </div> </div> Guess what, also those will be appended in the head of our document, after the ones defined in the component or as style urls. Template inline styles always have the highest priority, which sounds pretty straight forward to me.

rbutr Puts Climate Information In Front of Those Who Need It Most Posted on 6 May 2012 by Shane Greenup Guest post by Shane Greenup. It is an unfortunate fact that most people will tend to only see information which confirms their current beliefs. Thanks to choosing friends with similar beliefs, choosing news programs which report things in a way which we find agreeable, and now thanks to the filter bubble concept, even Google and Facebook are selectively giving us more of what we have previously indicated we liked and clicked on. This is a real problem for those of us who are interested in genuinely finding the truth in this sea of opinions. How do we inform ourselves completely when everywhere we look (whether by design or by accident) we only see more self-confirming bias? Perhaps more importantly, how do we reach everyone else who is trapped in their own bubble of self-confirmation, and don’t even realise it? In an attempt to help with this problem we have recently launched an application which provides a surprisingly simple way out of this self-confirmation bubble for anyone who cares to look. It is called rbutr, and it simply allows people to connect one webpage which makes a claim, to another webpage which rebuts that claim. In doing so, any future visitors to the original claim webpage are then able to see that that page has been rebutted, and can easily click through to read the rebuttal. Take for example a recent Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal: No Need to Panic About Global Warming. Within our system we already have 8 rebuttals listed for this page. Following one of them to Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy blog we get a thorough debunking of the op ed, including use of Skeptical Science’s Escalator animation. Interestingly, there is also a rebuttal posted to Phil Plait’s rebuttal, taking you to an article which argues against the escalator graphic. Looking at that article though, you are then able to click through to another rebuttal on SkS itself, defending the graphic, which has also provided links to a few other articles which argue against W.M.Briggs’ article criticising the escalator. Using rbutr you are able to immediately step outside the single perspective presented on any one of these websites, and see the greater internet-wide discussion which is taking place. One point which is particularly worth noting about rbutr, which separates it from other apps designed to inform people about particular subjects, is that rbutr is neither subject specific, nor agenda driven. This is important, because the way that people are trapped within their own confirmation-bubble means that the people who most need to install an application like Skeptical Science’s climate change myth debunking tool, won’t even know it exists! However, if the tool is genuinely neutral and the subject matter presented by the tool is entirely up to the contributors, then hopefully it is just as likely to be used by creationists as it is to be used by evolutionists, by anti-vaccinationists as by vaccine supporters, and of course, by all people on all perspectives of the climate change debate. Because really, preaching to the converted is not much help to anyone… What Do We Hope To Achieve? We do hope to have a significant impact on the way information is accessed online. Since launching our beta just over a month ago, rbutr has had press coverage in The Australian, a great review by Tim Farley of SkepTools, and made it in to the final 52 of the 1078 applications for the Knight Media News Challenge - we're waiting to see if we've made it in to the top 15, and then one of the winners who will receive a large grant to fund ongoing development costs of our application. Our current goal is to build a large, vibrant and active community who are all interested in improving the quality of online discourse and information in general. Providing a way for people to readily inform themselves with quality information. We are also looking at ways rbutr can be used to provide a platform on which an online crowdsourced debates can be conducted - allowing opposing sides to present their arguments and counter arguments to the best of their ability (as a global community), rather than relying on fallible individuals, or moderators to control the exchanges. The exact details are still being sorted out, but if you register with rbutr we will be sure to keep you informed, and if you are interested in participating or helping out, please feel free to contact us. In the end, we just hope that for every new article which pops up repeating an already debunked myth, it will be fast and simple to add a rbutr link to an already existing rebuttal, immediately quashing any new-resurgence of the old myth for all rbutr users, who will then hopefully spread that rebuttal to other non-rbutr users, helping to keep the mole-whackers one step ahead of the nonsense-spreaders... Head over to http://rbutr.com, register, install the plugin (chrome only at the moment – we are still in beta testing), and let us know what you think! We’re eager for as much feedback and thoughts as we can get during these early stages.

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed defenseman Julius Honka to a three-year entry-level contract. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Honka, 18, played his first season of North American hockey in 2013-14. In 62 regular-season games for Swift Current of the Western Hockey League, he posted 56 points (16-40=56), which paced all team defensemen. Honka was also tied for third on the team with two goals (2-0=2) in six postseason contests as well. A native of Jyvaskyla, Finland, he won a gold medal for his country at the 2014 World Jr. Championship, recording one assist (0-1=1) in seven games. Honka also won a bronze medal for Finland at the 2013 Under-18 World Junior Championship, earning four points (1-3=4) in seven games. "We are happy to have signed Julius quickly so that the young defenseman can continue the process of developing his game," said Nill. "He's highly skilled, moves the puck extremely well and is very competent at running a power play. We are really excited about his potential and think he has the tools to grow into an NHL defenseman in the near future." The 5-foot-11, 180-pound defenseman was originally selected by Dallas with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Drones set for commercial take-off Updated Hundreds of small commercially operated drones could soon take to Australian skies under a radical new set of rules proposed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Melbourne this week. Under a new weight class system, prospective drone entrepreneurs with craft weighing 2 kilograms or less could take off after completing nothing more than an online application form. CASA officials say they want to encourage use of this emerging technology, but the drone plan will be forced to dodge flak from opponents who have raised serious concerns over safety and privacy. Warne vs the FoxKopter In the practise nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a taut Shane Warne confronted an expressionless drone. Robocop in cricket whites? Almost. The legendary spin bowler was appearing in a Fox Sports promotion for the Twenty20 Big Bash League. But the real star of the promo was FoxKopter, a small camera-drone deployed over several games this season. Flying 30 metres clear of the spectators, FoxKopter provided TV audiences with an up close and personal view of the match play. After a successful summer, the drone has already been deployed for the National Rugby League. From sport to news gathering to lifesaving patrols, there are dozens of potential civilian applications of drone technology. Currently there are just 33 CASA-approved commercial drones operators in Australia, mainly deployed on scientific research, surveying and aerial photography. The approvals process can take months and costs thousands of dollars, with applicants required to complete about 90 per cent of a conventional private pilot's course. That will abruptly change if CASA introduces the new rules on small 'Unmanned Aerial Systems' (UAS), more commonly called drones, operating commercially in Australian skies. But CASA is also responding to the rapid, uncontrolled spread of high performance drone technology in Australia. Director of aviation safety John McCormick concedes he has no way of effectively enforcing regulations on those who don't want to fly by the rules. This week in Melbourne he told a conference organised by industry lobby group The Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems Australia that there could already be up to 100 drones operating illegally. "We think that for every one we know of there are two or three that we do not," he said. Better, faster, cheaper The problem for CASA is that small drone technology is now proliferating at an extraordinary rate, with capability and performance doubling every 18 months, while the price and size of the craft continues to plummet. Currently $2,000 typically buys you a small, high performance multi-rotor the size of a wheelie bin lid, equipped with HD live stream video cameras, GPS, autopilot, top speed of 70 kilometres per hour, with a range of two to three kilometres and a 15-20 minute flight time. Most of these craft are legally flown by hobbyists who are required to stay below 400 feet, and operate only in daylight, well away from airports and areas of high population density. These recreational flyers are not required to undertake training or register their craft. There are no accurate records on the numbers of small drones now in Australia, as they are often assembled locally from components ordered online from overseas. Hobbyists and retailers speculate that about 100 new multi-rotors and fixed wing drones are now taking to Australian skies each week. The cat's out of the bag, long ago, long ago. Director of Aviation Safety John McCormick For CASA's John McCormick, it's a regulatory nightmare. "The cat’s out of the bag, long ago, long ago," he says. "The way you manage this is you manage it through Customs, you say you can't bring one in, just like they did with laser pointers, yes? You can't bring them in. "But that's not my decision, I've got to work with what I've got. "That's a decision for Government, that's a decision for other people to use or implement, be they Customs or Federal Police or somebody. But from our point of view, once it's out there, I can't pass a law I know I can't enforce." One size doesn't fit all John McCormick's skies are being further darkened by growing swarms of smaller craft, marketed as toys. Weighing in at just 700 grams, the $350 Parrot AR Drone 2.0. boasts HD cameras and a more modest range of 50 metres. Optional extras now include a plug in GPS, and tests on new control systems have pushed the range out to one kilometre, batteries permitting. The Parrot Company refuses to reveal sales figures, but leading industry website sUAS News claims 500,000 have been sold worldwide since it was first launched in 2010. "The very lightweight thing you can buy in Harvey Norman or any toyshop somewhere, am I going to go out and tell that guy or woman to get an operators certificate? I can't write a regulation I know I can't enforce – I can. But it's bad law," John McComick says. So CASA is writing some rules it can control. Pending consultation with industry, the Authority will re-categorise all commercial drones in four weight classes, to be flown under the same rules as hobbyists until they receive specific exemptions. Operators of the smallest Group A, weighing 2kg or less, will simply be able to fill out an online authorisation form, receive electronic approval, and start flying. Senior CASA officer Jim Coyne says the safety risk posed by this group is negligible, comparable to being hit by a cricket ball. "A cricket ball weights about 160 grams, but at 100 kilometres per hour, [with a] kinetic energy of about 62 joules….there's been no recorded incident of anyone being killed by a cricket ball in the stand," he says. "The potential for harm and the consequence is very low. "We talk about a harmless UAS, causing minimal harm to a person. If it hits them on the head it will give them a headache. If it hits them in the back it will give them a bit of a bruise, but it is not going to kill you." The bigger the drone, the more stringent the controls. The 2-7 kilogram class will require a risk assessment, and CASA will provide a half-dozen-page rule book. "Potential for harm goes up, still it's not going to do a lot of damage ... that's seven kilograms, about the weight of a six-month-old baby, at 14 knots, or 26 kilometres per hour," Jim Coyne says. He says operators proposing to launch the biggest drones in Group D will face greater scrutiny. "For example, the Scan Eagle weighs about 20kg, it can fly at about 15,000 feet, it can be on station for 20-plus hours, and flies about 120kph. It can fly to New Zealand, it can fly internationally ... that person will be licensed, that person will have a full risk assessment, and it will be treated like a real aircraft." Globally, civilian drones are set to become big business, eventually eclipsing the military market. US aviation analysts the Teal Group forecasts $US89 billion will be spent in the combined military/civil sector over the next decade. Despite growing industry and community pressure, CASA's John McCormick insists there will be no compromises. "Safety is the number one priority, that’s the only reason CASA exists," he says. 'Flying lawnmower' CASA can expect some heavy flak from sections of the piloted aviation community, which points out that drones carry no effective systems to avoid collisions. Last year a commercial helicopter pilot, who requested he not be named, told the ABC he had already had one near miss with an unidentified drone. What the FAA says about drones: Federal agencies are planning to increase their use of UASs. State and local governments envision using UASs to aid in law enforcement and firefighting. Potential commercial uses are also possible, for example, in real estate photography or pipeline inspection. UASs could perform some manned aircraft missions with less noise and fewer emissions. Federal Aviation Authority (US) Forecast Fiscal Years 2010-2030 And in November 2011, a Royal Australian Navy target-towing jet encountered an unidentified drone while flying at 3,000 feet, 65 nautical miles east of Jervis Bay in NSW. The mystery drone was not operated by the Australian or US military, nor any of the certified civilian operators. While most operators do fly responsibly, drones will crash, and the small-drone-disaster is becoming a popular YouTube genre. One recent clip from Brazil no doubt sent shudders through the Fox TV/Foxkopter camp: A phone camera recorded the worst-case sports scenario, as a small drone tracked across a football stadium before veering off course and into the crowded terraces. No-one appeared to be injured, but 5kg of carbon fibre and alloy, propelled at 40kph by several spinning rotors, still generates a lot of what aviation engineers call "kinetic energy". In lay terms this translates as being hit by a flying lawn mower. Who watches the watchers? But perhaps the biggest challenge to CASA's drone future is privacy. In 2012 the US Congress ordered the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to integrate drones in domestic airspace by 2015. The FAA estimated 15,000 civil and commercial drones could be flying by 2020, and as many as 30,000 by 2030. The ACLU's view Rules must be put in place to ensure that we can enjoy the benefits of this new technology without bringing us closer to a "surveillance society" in which our every move is monitored, tracked, recorded, and scrutinised by the government. Drone manufacturers are also considering offering police the option of arming these remote-controlled aircraft with (nonlethal for now) weapons like rubber bullets, Tasers, and tear gas. The ACLU's Domestic Drones blog Now this ambitious timetable is stalling. The pro-drone lobby is locked in an epic struggle with growing numbers of US privacy advocates, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is concerned by the mass surveillance capabilities of this technology and its potential misuse by police. US state and regional governments have also begun banning civilian drone operations in their locales before the concept has even taken off. Australia has yet to have its drone debate. Given the implications of CASA's proposed reforms, Government sources tell the ABC it is unlikely any changes could be implemented before the federal election in September. Last year Federal Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim told the ABC he was concerned by the patchwork of federal and state laws that may or may not cover various civilian drone activities, and the ability of police to operate drones without a warrant. He requested that Commonwealth, state and New Zealand attorneys general meet to formulate a coherent overall strategy for this emerging technology. That hasn't happened yet. In stark contrast to the United States, public opinion in Australia remains finely balanced by disinterest. If a drone is used to assist in the rescue of the drowning swimmer, perhaps widespread acceptance will follow. But if a multi-rotor gets sucked into the engine of an Airbus on take-off from Mascot, we may well see drone control right up there alongside gun control. What to read next Drone journalism takes off : As the media starts to deploy small toy-like drones to cover stories, what ethical and safety issues are arising? As the media starts to deploy small toy-like drones to cover stories, what ethical and safety issues are arising? The kill chain: Behind the scenes of Australia's drone war. Behind the scenes of Australia's drone war. Rise of the machines: How civilian drones are already being put to use in the US. - Mark Corcoran has been a reporter/producer with Foreign Correspondent for 15 years. He is currently a Visiting Fellow and research student at the University of Technology, Sydney, examining potential news-gathering applications of drone technology. Topics: science-and-technology, australia First posted

Assassin's Creed Unity's next major update (Patch 4) has begun rolling out on Xbox One and PS4, so forget about the delay we wrote about earlier. Detailing the new update, Ubisoft says the patch is "mainly focused on alleviated performance issues and improving the overall experience." Part of that is an improved frame rate which Ubisoft says involved replacing and updating portions of the Paris city map. Of course, there's a number of other improvements as well — all of which are detailed in the patch notes below: Stability, Performance and Save Game Fixed numerous random crashes both on Campaign and Coop Implemented multiple optimizations and fixes to improve overall performance Fixed save issue caused by the companion app on the main menu (loss of data) Fixed save issue caused by contacts list (crash occurring). Users should now have access to save Gameplay (navigation, fight, stealth) Fixed various navigation issues Fixed issues with lock picking chests Fixed additional haystack issues Character, AI and Crowd Fixed various character, crowd station and NPC issues Online, Matchmaking, Connectivity and Replication Fixed various matchmaking and connection issues both in matches and when starting a match. Fixed various issues with voice chat Fixed join-in-progress issues Fixed various replication issues between host and clients Fixed issues with player rank and COOP/heist rewards Fixed issues with Helix credits Fixed issues with the My Club feature Menus and HUD Fixed HUD icon issues and issues with map information Fixed various Initiates issues Fixed additional issues with notifications Mission tweaks (campaign, coop and side content) Fixed various low occurrence walkthrough breaks in both Campaign and COOP Fixed various NPC issues Fixed issue with the quest log disappearing for specific side missions World and 3D Fixed various collision and mesh issues Fixed additional issues where player would fall through the world Fixed specific areas where textures were missing PC-Specific Fixed crash on "Quit to Windows" in free roam mode Fixed crash on accepting multiple "Join the club" requests Fixed issues with TXAA Fixed issues with PCSS Fixed issues with textures on NPCs Fixed black texture issues on MSAA-4x, MSAA-8x and TXAA Right Control now can be assigned as a hotkey Minor UI fixes Because portions of the map had to be replaced, today's title update checks in at 6.7 GB; however, since a large portion of the patch replaces existing files the net increased to the game's overall size is actually less than 6.7 GB. Patch 4 is rolling out to Xbox One and PS4 players today and will be available on PC later in the week.

Today’s post comes from Alan Walker, archivist at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. In my reflective moments, I think about what has kept me here at the National Archives for all this time. It couldn’t be the bone-wearying monotony of shuffling heavy cartons of records from here to there, or the tedium of changing out old information systems and learning the vagaries of new ones. No, there’s something else that gets me in the door every morning. Fasteners. You wouldn’t think that something so trivial would hold my attention for any length of time. And yet, paper fasteners play such a vital role in our daily lives here. Consider: when researchers open boxes of records, they will see the telltale signs—the double round holes centered at the tops of the documents, the pinprick perforations in the corners. And many fasteners are still doing their duty among the records now. It is a canon of archival preservation that fasteners are the devil’s work; capable of doing lasting and disfiguring damage to their host’s integrity, they must be removed, and forthwith. And so they are. Textual processing staff at all National Archives facilities do this every day. Perhaps gazillions of the little buggers get the boot each year; here are some Acco fasteners awaiting their fate. My fellow staff like to collect the unusual ones. Clips, pins, staples, nails (!), tabs, and types whose names I couldn’t begin to fathom—we have come across an astounding variety among the records. Customer Service Division chief Diane Dimkoff told me that she once found an inch-and-a-half-long thorn holding papers together! They were Army records from the field during World War II; you had to make do with what you had. Just among the humble paper clip, the range of artistry is astounding! Twisted into an amazing variety of shapes, angles, and patterns, there is a touching industrial beauty about them. And the range of raw materials from which these fasteners were produced—steel, aluminum, copper, plastic, string, even compressed paper! —offers a history lesson in itself; how industry introduced new materials and methods of production in the search for more efficiencies of cost, while ever mindful of how they could stylishly set themselves apart from the competition. The fasteners themselves generate conversation. Archivist Pam Anderson at Lee’s Summit tells of how court records from Puerto Rico were, for lack of folders, simply pierced through the center with extra-large staples. Not a bit of fun for the National Archives staff who have to remove them. Folks who work in processing the records will tell you that part of what they love about their work is the excitement of opening a box to see what’s inside. And sometimes, while the records themselves may not seem interesting, what’s attached to them can be fasten-ating. Share this: Twitter Facebook

The Pacific Ocean is growing more acidic at a much faster rate than anticipated, scientists say, putting everything from corals to mussels in jeopardy. Researchers say carbon dioxide from the atmosphere forms carbonic acid in the ocean, changing the seawater enough that it can dissolve the shells of coral and shellfish. The water off the west coast of Vancouver Island is changing at an unprecedented rate, meaning vulnerable life forms in the ocean's food chain must adapt or die. UBC PhD student Kathryn Anderson says sea urchins are one of the many species extremely sensitive to the changes now underway. "It'll hit the larval stage, it'll hit the fertilization stage, it'll hit the adult stage," she said. "Urchins are going to be hit from many different angles … this is stuff that we do know. Urchins will be highly negatively impacted." Tidal pools along the coast are home to a complex web of life, with dozens of species dependent on each other. "All the species we look at interact pretty tightly with each other," Anderson said. "A single species may be affected less directly by ocean acidification, but because another species that it consumes or consumes it is highly affected by ocean acidification, that can cascade down the food web, through connections of competition and affect the entire community structure. "People are only just starting to even consider these concepts." 'A spectacular environment' As ocean acidification continues, some species will die off and others will grow faster, creating an imbalance in the food chain. Pisaster, or starfish, grow faster and eat more in response to ocean acidification, while its main food source, mussels, grow slower. (CBC) "Our top predator, the pisaster [a starfish], is pretty interesting," she said. "It has calcium carbonate in it but mostly in the form of spicules, and the research from our lab actually found that pisaster grow faster in response to ocean acidification and consume more. "And this is an interesting problem because their main food source are mussels, which grow slower in response to ocean acidification. So they're becoming more voracious carnivores, while their food source is having a harder time calcifying and growing." Near the Bamfield Marine Research Station on Vancouver Island, 60 artificial tide pools that Anderson constructed each form their own little ecosystem. She's pumping in different levels of carbon dioxide in order to determine how different species will react. "What I am trying to do is in one-third of my tide pools, trying to get a picture for what a tide pool is going to look like in 2100, and what tide pool our grandkids will look at," she said. "It's a spectacular environment, and the truth is we don't know if it is going to look like that. We will lose a lot of stuff. I don't think the urchins will be there at all." Lessons from a scallop farm For some, that future has already arrived. Aquaculture is big business in B.C., supplying a steadily increasing percentage of the food supply. At Island Scallops near Qualicum Beach, scallops are raised from microscopic larvae. Two years ago, something all but wiped out a billion of them — nearly the entire year's crop. "In 2010, we couldn't grow anything, everything died," said Island Scallops owner Rob Saunders. "Every batch we put through the hatchery either died at day 10 or by the end of its larval life, which is about day 20, they were all dead. " Similar problems were popping up all along the Pacific Coast. Some blamed a mysterious disease, and those in the industry scrambled to test water temperature and salinity, but nobody considered pH. "I was trained at UBC, and we were trained that the ocean never changes," Saunders said. "It's the mother Earth, it's always stable and it hardly fluctuates, nobody was looking at pH." With creditors calling and his multimillion-dollar business on the line, Saunders came across a study detailing the effects of pH levels on fish. He altered the pH of the water and put some larvae under the microscope. "After we removed the CO2, I came in early in the morning, and I'm looking at the microscope ... and sure enough they were swimming around like mad, and then we knew we had it, and we haven't looked back since then." Mass extinction feared In Port Moody, UBC marine biologist Chris Harley and a student are conducting experiments to examine the effect of ocean pH on invasive species. UBC marine biologist Chris Harley says it is 'highly likely' we are in a period of mass extinction. (CBC) "We're pretty that sure mussels are going to not do well, because they have to grow shells, which is hard to do when the water is acidic," Harley said. "The barnacles, every study seems to show the barnacles are almost immune to this, so they might be all right." Harley has students working up and down the West Coast this summer, doing some basic research. He believes the changes he's seeing are directly related to climate change — the CO2 long accumulated in the oceans is now making its way toward shore. "You have a power plant ... when it needs to be turned on, to generate extra electricity, it's burning natural gas, which is putting carbon dioxide into the air," Harley said. "That carbon dioxide ends up in the ocean ... where it changes the pH of the water — and that's where it starts to create trouble for the plants and animals that live there." There is debate about the role humans play in ocean acidification, but there's no doubt acidification is happening. Adjusting pH in the controlled setting of a scallop farm is relatively easy, but changing it for the entire Pacific Ocean is next to impossible. Harley says the science suggests we're in a period of mass extinction. "It's highly likely we are in that scenario now. It's not just ocean acidification," he said. "It's also overfishing combined with warming, combined with acidification, combined with lots of other things, and all of these changes happening so quickly and happening all at the same time is pushing these species past where they can rebound when their populations get knocked down. "So over the next 50 years, we should probably see a lot of species go extinct in the sea." Scientists are seeing changes in their own lifetime that in the past would have taken thousands of years. Researchers are struggling to catch up — monitoring changes, trying to determine just how bad it will get and finding out which species will be the first to go.

A pro-Police group has accused CNN of deceptively editing the Charlotte shooting video, where police shot Keith Scott. Hat tip to our friends at The Daily Wire. Yes, as shocking as it sounds to accuse CNN of doing such a thing (see CAUGHT: CNN Forced to Apologize For Doctoring Violent Milwaukee Video), let’s take a look. First, what CNN aired… Second, the unedited footage… Looks like a deceptive edit to me. CNN removed the clips where the police constantly yelled for Scott to “DROP THE GUN!” “The editing was clearly intended to give viewers the impression that Scott wasn’t armed. By intentionally excluding information to promote the false narrative that the officer-involved shooting of Keith Scott was unjustified, CNN directly contributed towards inciting violence and destruction in the Charlotte riots. Innocent citizens were hurt during the Charlotte riots, but editing like this also incites violence against police officers long after the riots are over.” This is what conservatives and anyone who cares about facts are up against (see RED-HANDED: Katie Couric Caught Editing Video to Push Anti-Gun Lies… and CENSORED: White House Edits Video of French President Saying ‘Islamist Terrorism’). The media will never let facts get in the way of their narrative unless they get called out. To recap: To the average person who works and raises a family and doesn’t have the time to fact check the media (because they assume it’s the media’s job to fact check themselves), they just hear “cops shoot black man holding book.” Liberals know this. They run with it. They reap the consequences of their actions with ratings as cities like Charlotte burn. Media like CNN, with this editing trick, helped Black Lives Matter push the false narrative that cops are shooting unarmed black men. But no. Not so much, as this video shows. And this is why we fight back. NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST? FIX THAT! IT’S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH ITUNES HERE AND SOUNDCLOUD HERE.

(UPDATED) The former first lady is accused of creating private foundations in Switzerland from 1978 to 1984 when she was governor of Metro Manila Published 1:05 PM, January 17, 2017 MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED)– Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative Imelda Marcos did not attend her last day of trial for a 25-year-old graft case before the Sandiganbayan, which has now been postponed to February 16. The 5th Division on Tuesday, January 17, reset the trial because the defense failed to present their last evidence, which includes a testimony from deceased former judge Cesario del Rosario. The 10 counts of graft filed in 1991 against Marcos stemmed from allegations that she created private foundations in Switzerland from 1978 to 1984 while she was governor of Metro Manila. The former first lady also allegedly held financial interests in several private enterprises, a violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Assistant Special Prosecutor Rey Quilala told reporters that the evidence from the defense team consist of documents dating back to the 1990s. One is a copy of Del Rosario's testimony when the case was still with the Manila Regional Trial Court. Another is an internal memorandum between Del Rosario, then assistant solicitor general, and Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, then the chief presidential legal counsel of president Fidel Ramos. The memo is said to be Del Rosario's briefer to Carpio, as the latter, after being appointed by Ramos in 1992, asked the former for an update on cases against the Marcoses. Neither the former first lady nor her lawyers attended the hearing. Quilala told reporters they will seek a formal order so the case could proceed for judgment. The prosecution had rested its case in 2015. The private foundations that Marcos allegedly formed are considered among her and her family's hidden assets in Switzerland. The government has since been able to identify $658 million worth of Marcos Swiss deposits. Documents which were used by the government to track down these deposits are used in related cases, such as this 1991 graft case. The Sandiganbayan Special 1st Division is also handling another corruption claim against the former first lady, stemming from appeals from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to declare $24 million worth of art collections "unlawfully acquired." (READ: Recovering Marcos' ill-gotten wealth: After 30 years, what?) – Rappler.com

Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., has reopened after being on lockdown for nearly six hours due to an “online threat made against the university,” officials said. All students and staff were asked to stay away from the campus as police investigated. Classes and meetings were also cancelled. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 11:30 a.m. Threat contained “similar verbiage” to posts about Oregon shooting The nature of the threat is not immediately clear, but Waterloo police superintendent Pat Dietrich said it contained “similar verbiage” to online threats on the same website ahead of the shooting at the Umpqua Community College in Oregon that killed 9 on earlier this month. “It was something we understand was previously used on a school-related…incident in the State and that elevated concerns,” Dietrich said. “It was the shooting in Oregon.” The threat “was picked up by a variety of police forces and passed on to the Waterloo Regional Police,” Crowley said. The university’s Special Constable received a tip about the threat from Waterloo police at approximately 3 a.m. on Friday. The university was placed on lockdown at 6 a.m. Crowley said the threat was centred at the Science Building at University and Bricker Avenues. The building was empty when the university was placed on lockdown and no injuries have been reported, Crowley said. Suspect may not be a local Dietrich also said the person who posted the threat online may not be in the Waterloo area, or even in the country. As a result, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the RCMP are also involved in the investigation, Dietrich said. “These are very complicated investigations, locating IP addresses and the ways you can mask them is something that is very complex,” Dietrich told reporters. The suspect, he said, could face public mischief charges. The university is in its reading week and campus is not as crowded as usual. All students, faculty and staff were notified about the lockdown by email and on social media, Crowley said. Representatives from the university will provide updated information via legacy.wlu.ca as it becomes available. The nearby University of Waterloo remained open during the lockdown, but officials said they were monitoring the situation at Wilfrid Laurier University closely. With files from CTV Kitchener

The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up during the Second World War and headquartered at White Waltham Airfield that ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, maintenance units (MUs), scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields, but not to naval aircraft carriers. It also flew service personnel on urgent duty from one place to another and performed some air ambulance work. Notably, some of its pilots were women, and from 1943 they received equal pay to their male co-workers, a first for the British government. Mission [ edit ] The initial plan was that the ATA would carry personnel, mail and medical supplies, but the pilots were immediately needed to work with the Royal Air Force (RAF) ferry pools transporting aircraft.[1] By 1 May 1940 the ATA had taken over transporting all military aircraft from factories to maintenance units to have guns and accessories installed. On 1 August 1941 the ATA took over all ferrying jobs.[2] This freed the much-needed combat pilots for combat duty. At one time there were fourteen ATA ferry pools as far apart as Hamble, between Southampton and Portsmouth, and Lossiemouth near Inverness in Scotland. A special ATA Air Pageant was held at White Waltham on 29 September 1945 to raise money for the ATA Benevolent Fund, supported by the aircraft companies that had been served by the ATA. It included comprehensive static displays of Allied and German aircraft, including a V1, aero engines, and even an AA gun and searchlight complete with crew. Pilots taking part included Alex Henshaw in a Supermarine Seafire. Lord Beaverbrook, a World War II Minister of Aircraft Production, gave an appropriate tribute at the closing ceremony disbanding the ATA at White Waltham on 30 November 1945:[3] “ Without the ATA the days and nights of the Battle of Britain would have been conducted under conditions quite different from the actual events. They carried out the delivery of aircraft from the factories to the RAF, thus relieving countless numbers of RAF pilots for duty in the battle. Just as the Battle of Britain is the accomplishment and achievement of the RAF, likewise it can be declared that the ATA sustained and supported them in the battle. They were soldiers fighting in the struggle just as completely as if they had been engaged on the battlefront. ” Accomplishment [ edit ] During the war the ATA flew 415,000 hours and delivered more than 309,000[4] aircraft of 147 types, including Spitfires, Hawker Hurricanes, Mosquitoes, Mustangs, Lancasters, Halifaxes, Fairey Swordfish, Fairey Barracudas and Fortresses. The average aircraft strength of the ATA training schools was 78. A total of 133,247 hours were flown by school aircraft and 6,013 conversion courses were put through. The total flying hours of the Air Movement Flight were 17,059, of which 8,570 were on domestic flights and 8,489 on overseas flights. About 883 tons of freight were carried and 3,430 passengers were transported without any casualties; but a total of 174 pilots, women as well as men, were killed flying for the ATA in the wartime years.[5] Total taxi hours amounted to 179,325, excluding Air Movements.[6] Initially, to comply with the Geneva Convention, as many of the ferry pilots were nominally civilians and/or women, aircraft were ferried with guns or other armament unloaded. However, after encounters with German aircraft in which the ferried aircraft were unable to fight back, RAF aircraft were ferried with guns fully armed. Administration [ edit ] The administration of the ATA fell to Gerard d'Erlanger, a director of British Airways Ltd, which was merged into the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1940. He had suggested a similar organisation in a letter dated 24 May 1938. In late August 1939 the ATA was placed under British Airways Ltd for initial administration and finance,[1] but on 10 October 1939 Air Member for Supply and Organisation (AMSO) took over. The first pilots were assigned to RAF Reserve Command and attached to RAF flights to ferry trainers, fighters and bombers from factory and storage to Royal Air Force stations.[7] The ATA's Central Ferry Control, which allocated the required flights to all Ferry Pools, was based at RAF Andover. Late in 1939 it was decided that a third and entirely civilian ferry pool should be set up at White Waltham, near Maidenhead in Berkshire. The operations of this pool began on 15 February 1940. On 16 May 1940 RAF Maintenance Command took control through its No. 41 Group. Then, on 22 July 1941, the ATA was placed under the control of Lord Beaverbrook's Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP). Although control shifted between organisations, administration was always carried out by staff led by Commander Gerard d’Erlanger CBE, first at British Airways Ltd, then, after the merger in 1940, at BOAC.[2] Pilots [ edit ] The ATA recruited pilots who were considered to be unsuitable for either the Royal Air Force or the Fleet Air Arm by reason of age, fitness or gender. A unique feature of the ATA was that physical handicaps were ignored if the pilot could do the job, thus there were one-armed, one-legged, short-sighted and one-eyed pilots, humorously referred to as "Ancient and Tattered Airmen". The ATA also took pilots from neutral countries. Representatives of 28 countries flew with the ATA.[8] Most notably, the ATA allowed women pilots to ferry aircraft. The female pilots (nicknamed "Attagirls")[9] had a high profile in the press. On 14 November 1939 Commander Pauline Gower MBE was given the task of organising the women's section of the ATA.[10] The first eight women pilots were accepted into service on 1 January 1940, initially only cleared to fly Tiger Moths from their base in Hatfield.[11] They were: Joan Hughes, Margaret Cunnison, Mona Friedlander, Rosemary Rees, Marion Wilberforce, Margaret Fairweather, Gabrielle Patterson, and Winifred Crossley Fair. Overall during World War II there were 166 women pilots, one in eight of all ATA pilots, and they volunteered from Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, the Netherlands and Poland. From Argentina and Chile came Maureen Dunlop and Margot Duhalde.[12] Fifteen of these women lost their lives in the air, including the British pioneer aviator Amy Johnson. Two of the women pilots received commendations; one was Helen Kerly.[13] A notable American member of the ATA was legendary aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran who returned to the United States and started a similar all female organization known as the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). These women pilots were initially restricted to non-combat types of aircraft (trainers and transports), but they were eventually permitted to fly virtually every type flown by the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm, including the four-engined heavy bombers, but excluding the largest flying boats. Hurricanes were first flown by women pilots on 19 July 1941, and Spitfires in August 1941.[11] One of the many notable achievements of these women is that they received the same pay as men of equal rank in the ATA, starting in 1943. This was the first time that the British government gave its blessing to equal pay for equal work within an organisation under its control.[14] At the same time American women flying with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were receiving as little as 65 per cent of the pay given to their male colleagues.[15] Training [ edit ] The first ATA pilots were introduced to military aircraft at the RAF’s Central Flying School (CFS), but the ATA soon developed its own training programme. Pilots progressed from light single-engined aircraft to more powerful and complicated aircraft in stages. They first qualified on one “class” of aircraft, then gained experience on that class by doing ferrying work with any and all aircraft in that class, before returning to training to qualify on the next class of aircraft. As a result, pilots made progress on the basis of their own capabilities rather than according to a rigid timetable. This ensured not only that as many pilots as possible advanced, but that those who could not were still gainfully employed flying the aircraft types on which they had qualified. Once cleared to fly one class of aircraft, pilots could be asked to ferry any plane in that class even if they had never seen that type of aircraft before. To do so they had Ferry Pilot Notes, a two-ring book of small cards with the critical statistics and notations necessary to ferry each aircraft. A pilot cleared on more than one class could be asked to fly an aircraft in any of the categories on which he or she was qualified. Thus, even a pilot cleared to fly four-engined bombers could be assigned to fly a single-engined trainer if scheduling made this the most efficient way to get the aircraft to its destination. The ATA trained its pilots only to ferry planes, rather than to achieve perfection on every type. For example, aerobatics and blind flying were not taught, and pilots were explicitly forbidden to do either, even if they were capable of doing so. The objective of the ATA was to deliver aircraft safely and that meant taking no unnecessary risks.[16] Ranks [ edit ] Units [ edit ] The following units were active in the ATA: No. 1 Ferry Pool ATA White Waltham, Maidenhead Previously: No. 1 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA <- 'A' Section of No. 3 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 2 Ferry Pool ATA Whitchurch, Bristol Previously: No. 2 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA <- 'B' Section of No. 3 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 3 Ferry Pool ATA Harwarden, Chester Previously: No. 3 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA <- 'C' Section of No. 3 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 4 Ferry Pool ATA Prestwick, Ayrshire Previously: No. 4 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 5 Ferry Pool ATA Thame, Oxfordshire (Training Unit) Previously: No. 5 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA <- 'D' Section of No. 3 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA <- Women's Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 6 Ferry Pool ATA Radcliffe, Leicester Previously: No. 6 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 7 Ferry Pool ATA Sherburn-in-Elmet, Leeds Previously: No. 7 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 8 Ferry Pool ATA Sydenham, Belfast Previously: No. 8 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 9 Ferry Pool ATA Aston Down, Gloucestershire Previously: No. 9 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 10 Ferry Pool ATA Lossiemouth, Moray Previously: No. 10 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA <- No. 4 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 12 Ferry Pool ATA Cosford, Staffordshire Previously: No. 12 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 15 Ferry Pool ATA Hamble, Southampton Previously: No. 15 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 16 Ferry Pool ATA Kirkbride, Carlisle Previously: No. 16 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA <- No. 4 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 14 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA Ringway, Manchester Previously: No. 14 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA No. 5 (T) Ferry Pool ATA Previously: (Training) Ferry Pool ATA Initial Flying Training School ATA Previously: Elementary Flying Training School ATA <- ATA School Air Movements Flight ATA (1942–45) Advanced Flying Training School ATA (1942–45) Previously: ATA School See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Citations [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ] Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6. Books [ edit ] Air Transport Auxiliary, Air Transport Auxiliary . (Handbook) White Waltham: Reminder Book, 1945. . (Handbook) White Waltham: Reminder Book, 1945. Barnato Walker, Diana. Spreading My Wings . Patrick Stephens, 1994 ISBN 1-85260-473-5 . Patrick Stephens, 1994 ISBN 1-85260-473-5 Bergel, Hugh. Fly and Deliver: A Ferry Pilot's Log Book . Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 1982. . Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 1982. Cheesman, E. C. Brief Glory: The Story of A.T.A. . Leicester: Harborough Publishing, 1946. . Leicester: Harborough Publishing, 1946. Curtis, Lettice. Lettice Curtis: Her Autobiography . Walton on Thames: Red Kite, 2004. . Walton on Thames: Red Kite, 2004. Curtis, Lettice. The Forgotten Pilots: A Story of the Air Transport Auxiliary, 1939-45 . Olney, Bucks: Nelson & Saunders, 1985 ISBN 0-947750-02-9 . Olney, Bucks: Nelson & Saunders, 1985 ISBN 0-947750-02-9 De Bunsen, Mary. Mount Up with Wings . London: Hutchinson, 1960. . London: Hutchinson, 1960. Du Cros, Rosemary. ATA Girl: Memoirs of a Wartime Ferry Pilot . London: Muller, 1983. . London: Muller, 1983. Ellis, Mary. A Spitfire Girl . Barnsley: Frontline Books, 2016. . Barnsley: Frontline Books, 2016. Fahie, Michael. A Harvest of Memories: The Life of Pauline Gower M.B.E. . Peterborough: GMS Enterprises, 1995. . Peterborough: GMS Enterprises, 1995. Genovese, J. Gen. We Flew Without Guns . Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1945. . Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1945. Great Britain, and Hugh Bergel. Flying Wartime Aircraft; ATA Ferry Pilots' *Handling Notes for Seven World War II Aircraft . Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1972. . Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1972. Hathaway, Warren. Pursuit of a Dream: The Story of Pilot Vera (Strodl) Dowling . Edmonton, Canada: PageMaster Publishing, 2012. . Edmonton, Canada: PageMaster Publishing, 2012. Hawkins, Regina Trice. Hazel Jane Raines, Pioneer Lady of Flight . Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1996. . Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1996. Hyams, Jacky. The Female Few: Spitfire Heroines of the Air Transport Auxiliary . Gloucester: History Press, 2012. . Gloucester: History Press, 2012. King, Alison. Golden Wings . London: C. Arthur Pearson Ltd, 1956. . London: C. Arthur Pearson Ltd, 1956. Lucas, Y. M. WAAF with Wings . Peterborough: GMS Enterprises, 1992. . Peterborough: GMS Enterprises, 1992. Miller Livingston Stratford, Nancy. Contact! Britain! . Createspace, 2011. . Createspace, 2011. Moggridge, Dolores Theresa. Woman Pilot . London: Michael Joseph, 1957. Republished as: Moggridge, Jackie. Spitfire Girl. My Life in the Sky . London: Head of Zeus, 2014. . London: Michael Joseph, 1957. Republished as: Moggridge, Jackie. . London: Head of Zeus, 2014. Narracott, Arthur Henson. Unsung Heroes of the Air . London: F. Muller, 1943. . London: F. Muller, 1943. Phelps, Anthony. "I Couldn't Care Less." . Leicester: Harborough Pub. Co.; sole distributors to the trade: H. Marshall, 1945. . Leicester: Harborough Pub. Co.; sole distributors to the trade: H. Marshall, 1945. Schrader, Helena. Sisters in Arms . Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2006. . Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2006. Taylor, Leonard. Airwomen's Work . London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1943. . London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1943. Thomas, Nick. Naomi the Aviatrix . Createspace, 2011. . Createspace, 2011. Volkersz, Veronica. The Sky and I . London: W.H. Allen, 1956. . London: W.H. Allen, 1956. Walters, Anthony Jack. Air Transport Auxiliary (The Lost Child) . Wallingford: Aries Publications, 2006. . Wallingford: Aries Publications, 2006. Welch, Ann Courtenay Edmonds. Happy to Fly: An Autobiography . London: John Murray, 1983. . London: John Murray, 1983. Wheeler, Jo. The Hurricane Girls: The Inspirational True Story of the Women who Dared to Fly . London: Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN 978-0-241-35463-6 . London: Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN 978-0-241-35463-6 Whittell, Giles. Spitfire Women of World War II. London: Harper Press, 2007. Fiction [ edit ] Dewar, Isla. Izzy's War . Ebury Press, 2010. . Ebury Press, 2010. Gould, Carol. Spitfire Girls: A Tale of the Lives and Loves Achievements and Heroism of the Women ATA Pilots in World War II . Forfar: Black Ace Books, 1998. . Forfar: Black Ace Books, 1998. Lord Brown, Kate The Beauty Chorus . London: Corvus Atlantic, 2011 . London: Corvus Atlantic, 2011 Matthews, Beryl. A Flight of Golden Wings . Sutton: Severn House, 2007. . Sutton: Severn House, 2007. Morrison, Margaret and Pamela Tulk-Hart, Paid to Be Safe . London: Hutchinson, 1948. . London: Hutchinson, 1948. Ryan, Garry, Blackbirds (2012) and Two Blackbirds (2014). Calgary, AB: NeWest Press. (2012) and (2014). Calgary, AB: NeWest Press. Schrader, Helena. The Lady in the Spitfire . Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, Inc, 2006. . Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, Inc, 2006. Singer, E. M. Mother Flies Hurricanes . Bend, OR: Avidia Cascade Press, 1999. . Bend, OR: Avidia Cascade Press, 1999. Terrell, George. I'll Never Leave You . San Jose: Writer's Showcase, 2001. . San Jose: Writer's Showcase, 2001. Wein, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity (Electric Monkey, 2012) and Rose Under Fire (2013) Other books that mention the ATA's women pilots [ edit ] Bell, Elizabeth S. Sisters of the Wind: Voices of Early Women Aviators . Pasadena, CA: Trilogy Books, 1994. . Pasadena, CA: Trilogy Books, 1994. Jaros, Dean. Heroes Without Legacy: American Airwomen, 1912-1944 . Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1993. . Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1993. Keil, Sally Van Wagenen. Those Wonderful Women in Their Flying Machines: The Unknown Heroines of World War II . New York: Rawson, Wade Publishers, 1979. . New York: Rawson, Wade Publishers, 1979. Lomax, Judy. Women of the Air. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1987.

About This Game Man O' War: Corsair. Engage in epic naval combat and explore the oceans of the Warhammer world. Man O' War: Corsair is a video game of high adventure, naval combat and exploration based on the Games Workshop classic Man O' War table top game. Your Quest Sail the seas plundering enemy ships, visiting ports, and trading. Dominate everything in your path with a fleet of ships at your back and watch people flee at the mere sight of you, leaving legends of your deeds in the history books and steel through the hearts of your enemies. Explore and Fight Captain a wide variety of unique sailing vessels, explore and trade whilst combating enemy ships in frantic naval action. Boarding Actions As well as sea battles, engaging in boarding actions with enemy vessels sees you walking the deck, weapon in hand, attacking enemy crew. Loot the vessels or sink them, the choice is yours. Enemies and Allies Buy a variety of unique and deadly ships. Command allies from different races and fight many deadly enemies. Fierce storms, deadly fleets and terrible foes will block your path to ultimate glory. Custom Battles Build your own fleet from any faction in game, and battle it against any foe you choose. The Old World A captain in Man O' War: Corsair can sail the coast of a huge continent in the Warhammer world. Visiting over 50 ports from Erengrad to Sartosa, the sea is yours to explore. A heroic adventurer does not only have enemy ships to contend with. The deep and unexplored oceans hold terrifying creatures that few see and live to tell the tale. These deadly creatures emerging from the deep sea will chill blood and drop jaws in equal measure. The wise would attempt to flee but those brave enough to tackle such creatures will be famed throughout the world. Here there be monsters....

You're probably thinking: "Big deal, so someone tied a big old balloon to a hot dog and a video camera and sent them into space. That's been done before except with sushi." The difference here? The guys from San Francisco's Zog's Dogs managed to retrieve their hot dog when it fell back down to earth and then they ate it. To celebrate the achievement of having sent "the first hot dog into outer space," Zog's Dogs is, uh, launching a Space Dog Combo for $5. It is, of course, a Zog Dog with Astronaut Ice Cream for dessert. Are space dogs okay to eat? Anybody? Video: The First Hot Dog in Outer Space · The First Hot Dog in Outer Space [YouTube via HuffPo] · All Hot Dog Coverage on Eater [-E-] · All Space Food Coverage on Eater [-E-]

Getty Images Count Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman as one NFL player who hasn’t changed his opinion about the game he plays as he’s learned more about the risks of concussions. Sherman told GQ that he hasn’t changed his approach and would love to see his son play football if he wants to. “It doesn’t change the way I play,” Sherman said. “I’ve always tried to tackle with the best form, and not try to always get people down on the ground without using my head. But it doesn’t change the way I think about the game or how I feel about my kids playing the game. I feel like this game has given me a lot more than its taken. It obviously takes a toll on your body and you understand the risks going into it, but you also have to understand that it’s taught me discipline, hard work, teamwork, being dependable, being available, how to be a leader, how to work past adversity. Just so many things that you use in your everyday life. And you can’t take that for granted. So maybe my son doesn’t end up being a professional athlete, maybe he never even plays a sport, but I wouldn’t hold him back from something that’s been so great to me.” At a time when some players are retiring early and citing concussions as the reason, Sherman’s view still seems to be the majority opinion about NFL players: There are risks associated with playing football, but the risks are outweighed by the rewards.

Police arrest 2 Arabs, hunt 3rd, after they were documented committing horrific rape of mentally disabled girl while shouting racist slurs. Two Arab residents of Judea and Samaria as well as an Arab citizen of Israel are suspected of raping a 20-year-old mentally disabled Jewish girl two weeks ago for "nationalistic" motives, as was revealed on Wednesday when a media gag order on the case was lifted. All three were documented in footage they filmed two weeks ago raping the mentally handicapped girl in a motel in southern Tel Aviv, humiliating her and spitting on her while shouting racist slurs and threatening to harm her family. Police hid the case from the public for ten days out of concerns it would spark clashes between Jews and Arabs. "Nationalistic motives" is a term used in describing terror attacks, as opposed to criminal motives. The gag order came despite the fact that police arrested two of the perpetrators a full nine days ago, and are currently hunting down the third rapist whose identity is known to the police. One of the three attackers is a minor from Jaffa (Yafo), and he was arrested. Another arrested suspect, Amad Al-Din Daragmeh from the Judea-Samaria region, apparently filmed the vile gang-rape with the goal of spreading the video. He was brought to the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Wednesday morning for an extension of his arrest, where the judge emphasized the severity of the case and the condition of the victim. The traumatic incident has left the victim in a difficult psychological state and she requires treatment.

A Class VI textbook of science taught in some of the schools under the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has kicked up a controversy with one of its chapters using a Mosque-like image in pictorials to explain the sources of sound pollution. The issue first came to the light after someone reportedly circulated a message on Whatsapp about the pictorial used in the textbook titled, Integrated Science. It later gained steam as people began sharing the controversial pictorial on various social networking sites. One Masood Pasha, meanwhile, started a petition with a single signature at petition.org, demanding the removal of the pictorial. His petition had drawn more than 6000 supporters till Sunday. The pictorial in the textbook has shown a man standing among various sources of sound pollution including an aeroplane, a fast moving train, couple of four wheelers and a Mosque-like building. “The text book of science of ICSE board sixth class has a picture of noise pollution and it is illustrating the Mosque/Masjid is one of the reasons for sound pollution. It is totally wrong to point at one specific religion as a one of the reasons for the noise pollution. It will create unnecessary hatred among young minds of tender age kids. Pls (sic) remove the Mosque/Masjid picture so that we can avoid polluting younger minds in our country,” Pasha demanded in his petition. A news agency quoted the chief executive and secretary of the CISCE Gerry Arathoon as saying in his response to the row that the ICSE did not publish “or prescribe these textbooks.” "If any book with objectionable content is being taught at certain schools, it is for schools and publisher to ensure such a thing does not happen," Arathoon told the news agency. Selina Publishers, which published the book, regretted over the controversy and promised that it will be removed from the textbook in next editions. “The diagram on page 202 of our publication integrated science for Class-VI has a structure resembling a portion of a fort and other noise producing objects in a noisy city. We apologise if it has hurt the sentiments of anyone. This is to inform all concerned that we will be changing the picture in our subsequent editions of the book,” Hemant Gupta said on behalf of the Selina Publishers in a statement uploaded on the Twitter.

Kinchela Boys' Home survivors tell of removals, sexual abuse and redemption Updated A vast old Moreton Bay fig tree stands on the grounds of what was once the notorious Kinchela Boys' Home — exerting a strange power over a group of Aboriginal men who once lived there. Like a monstrous character, it looms in their collective memory, of a deeply scarred childhood. "That tree — it felt our pain," Richard Campbell says. Richard is a former inmate of the Kinchela Boys' Home, near Kempsey on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, where he was identified by the number 28. The boys who passed through the iron gates of the home between 1924 and 1970 were not known by their names. Indeed, they were prevailed upon immediately to forget who they were. A Gumbaynggir and Dhungutti man from Bowraville, Richard remembers the first punishment he received, on the day he arrived at Kinchela. The nine-year-old, charged just days before at Macksville with being a neglected child, was welcomed by the balled fists of a staff member. "First thing, he just started belting into us," Richard says. "He said 'you are not Richard Campbell' — bang. 'You are 28' — bang. 'You are not black, you are white' — bang. This was all in between hits around the head. "Not with the hand, it was a fist. Imagine a grown man's fist. Welcome to Kinchela Boys' Home." A cruel separation at Central Station Michael "Widdy" Welsh was number 36 at Kinchela. In 1960, the Wailwan man was taken from Coonamble in the far-north west of New South Wales when he was eight years old — one of seven children removed from his mother. He still recalls life before Kinchela. "I danced around the campfire, around my grandfather's hat, with my grannies and uncles," he says. "I used to go cray fishing, used to go pig catching, saddle the horses up — before they took me." Escorted by welfare officers, the Welsh family was forced apart on a train platform at Sydney's bustling Central Station. "They told us we were going on a train and our brothers and sisters were going to come on a train behind us," Michael says. "What they were telling me, I knew that wasn't true. I didn't know what the word bullshit was, but that's what it was." The 'crime' of being a neglected child Richard was taken from his mother with an older brother and three younger sisters in the 1960s. Unbelievably, Aboriginal child removals were a police matter. It was standard procedure to charge children — babies included — with the offence of being a neglected child. In the harsh eyes of the law, these innocent children were, to all intents and purposes, criminals. "We went to the court in Macksville that's where they charged us," Richard says. "From there we drove straight across over to Kinchela. Then they held us there and took off with the three younger sisters. We could hear them crying [and] screaming going down the street." Richard's three sisters were sent much further away — to the Bomaderry Children's Home, just outside Nowra on the south coast of New South Wales. If the forced separation, being charged by police and then bundled into cars and trains under the supervision of complete strangers wasn't traumatic enough, much worse was yet to come. Michael says when he arrived at Kinchela, his eldest brother, 10-year-old Barry — who he calls his protector — tried to comfort him. "We were walking through the gates, he cuddled me as we went through, and he said 'it'll be alright brother'," Michael says. "I knew this place was no good, it was evil." That day, after being escorted to the manager's office, Michael recalls looking out an upstairs window and seeing a boy below digging what appeared to him to be a grave. "He was on punishment. He was going to dig that all day ... so that added to the fear," he says. 'A bonzer bunch of kids' In 1965, a glowing report on the conditions at Kinchela was published in the widely-distributed Dawn, a monthly magazine produced by the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board to promote its activities. "It's almost like a country club at Kinchela," the article begins. "The boys were neglected before coming to Kinchela, but now they receive truly dedicated care and real affection from the home's mum and dad, who are manager and matron at Kinchela." The writer concedes though that "discipline at such an establishment must be reasonably strict". The manager, Henry Henricksen, told Dawn that he had "the most bonzer bunch of kids in Australia". In an interesting postscript, a year after Dawn visited the home, the same man appeared before a parliamentary joint committee inquiring into Aboriginal welfare in New South Wales. Asked bluntly whether Kinchela was little more than a "holding station", until such a time as the boys were fit to work or be boarded out, Mr Henricksen replied: "Yes, it is a pretty harsh description of it, but I say that that fits the bill". Crying in another room Richard's account of his own childhood differs wildly from that of Dawn. He doesn't hesitate when asked to recount the worst of his experiences at Kinchela. "Getting raped … that was an ongoing thing," he says. "When he was drunk you could smell him coming in. Not only myself, other boys used to get it too. "He'd take someone else, and you'd be very thankful. You just don't want to think about it that way — but you could hear them crying and you knew what was going on." When Michael returned home to Coonamble just before he turned 18, he was reunited with his mother and they were able to confront their grief. While his cousins knew his face, they didn't recognise him. "Soon as I started talking, you'd see something in their eyes. I'd think 'shit, what's wrong, what did I say?'," Michael says. "I realised later as time went by, I didn't speak like them — I'd changed, they'd reprogrammed our brains to be assimilated." From alcoholism to a healing alliance A personal war raged inside Michael for the next 45 years, in and out of the jail system, as he battled alcoholism. Twenty years ago, the national inquiry into the forced removal of Aboriginal children, presided over by former High Court judge Sir Ronald Wilson, handed its findings to the Commonwealth in the Bringing Them Home report, including 54 recommendations. At the time, Richard was oblivious. "I was still trying to kill myself with alcohol," he says. "What came out of it? I don't know what came out of it because they're still taking the kids away." The trauma the boys endured at Kinchela has had one positive effect — deepening the fellowship between them. They have established an incorporated Aboriginal organisation, the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation. "Now, I realise the importance of our stories," Michael says. "We couldn't tell the story because we didn't think anybody would believe us. We thought everybody knew what was happening to us." A silent witness to suffering When the boys go back to Kinchela for commemorations, such as the 90th anniversary three years ago, both Richard and Michael zero in on that big old Moreton Bay fig tree in the grounds of the former home, which is now a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre. As they talk, the story unfolds about why the tree is so significant to them. Like animals, the boys were chained to the trunk of the tree overnight, as punishment for wetting the bed and failing to pass inspection, for dirty fingernails. Worse still was done to them under the monstrous — or enfolding — limbs of the tree. "That's where they used to chain the boys up in the night and do whatever they liked to them," Richard says. But as they gather at the base of the tree on special occasions, redemption seems possible. "Every time we go back, the tree has grown over the chain," Richard says. He says almost like a sentient being, the magnificent old tree had borne silent witness to their suffering. Most of the iron links of the chain have rusted away, or been absorbed by the tree, and only the loop and a few links remain. "It felt our pain, and it's grown over our pain — it's grown over the evil of that chain," Richard says. Michael says he hoped he lived to see the last link of the chain disappear, swallowed up by the tree. "That tree is our power." Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, community-and-society, children, child-abuse, kempsey-2440, nsw First posted

One of the worst terrorist attacks in recent history is currently taking place across Paris. According to media reports, at least seven separate sites are under siege in a coordinated operation that has claimed over 100 lives. One of the most notable venues attacked in this operation is the Bataclan concert hall, where during a concert terrorists reportedly used Kalashnikov rifles to gun down concert-goers while shouting “Allahu Akbar” (source: Breitbart). Information continues to be sparse about the attacks, though France’s President Hollande has already closed the borders and mobilized the military after declaring a state of emergency. As of Friday at 7pm ET, the death doll has reached above 140 in the Bataclan concert hall alone, with eyewitnesses describing the scene as one of utter destruction (source): “It was carnage,” Marc Coupris, 57, told the Guardian, still shaking after being freed from being held hostage at the Bataclan, a popular concert venue. “It looked like a battlefield, there was blood everywhere, there were bodies everywhere. I was at the far side of the hall when shooting began. There seemed to be at least two gunmen. They shot from the balcony.” “Everyone scrabbled to the ground. I was on the ground with a man on top of me and another one beside me up against a wall. We just stayed still like that. At first we kept quiet. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, it seemed like an eternity. “I saw my final hour unfurl before me, I thought this was the end. I thought I’m finished, I’m finished. I was terrified. We must all have thought the same. Eventually, when a few gendarmes came in slowly we began to look up and there was blood absolutely everywhere. The police told us to run.” Leftist media mouthpieces will be quick to caution sites like this one against drawing “hasty conclusions” from a heinously tragic event, but our media masters can only pretend for so long that the emperor of multiculturalism is still wearing any clothes. Immigration has been a hot-button issue recently both domestically and abroad. Even larger than taking central stage in the US presidential election, the recent influx of Syrian immigrants across the European Union and the resulting cultural and economic upheaval has drawn massive criticism from grassroots media and native residents of the countries affected, but shockingly little mainstream media criticism. Why? Our own Michael Sebastian reported on this issue recently, with a shocking revelation from Mark Zuckerberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel colluding to wipe negative comments about German immigration policy from Facebook: Merkel was complaining to Zuckerberg about posts by Facebook users who were critical to the hordes of Muslim migrants who are flooding Germany and other European countries. Zuckerberg responded that: “[W]e need to do some work” on curtailing anti-immigrant posts about the refugee crisis. “Are you working on this?” Merkel asked in English, to which Zuckerberg replied in the affirmative before the transmission was disrupted. What pretense will Facebook use to ban Germans from legitimately discussing the policy concerns of their country, which purports to be a democracy? Racism, of course: Loading... We are committed to working closely with the German government on this important issue,” Debbie Frost, a spokeswoman for Menlo Park, California-based Facebook, said via e-mail. “We think the best solutions to dealing with people who make racist and xenophobic comments can be found when service providers, government and civil society all work together to address this common challenge. But can a true democracy exist when the public, who are supposed to be ultimate authority for the government, are not permitted to frankly debate policies? What they’re not saying Roosh’s recent video about how the multicultural narrative is collapsing before our very eyes appears even more prescient in light of the last couple weeks, with refugee-accepting Sweden now counting itself as the rape capital of the West and dealing with the harassment of its citizens by Muslim immigrants. Tonight’s tragic events mark the next grim reminder that forced importation of a religious fundamentalist underclass is at odds with the self-preservation of any Western nation. But why is it so controversial to say so? The media establishment clearly has a vested interest in keeping the average person ignorant of the dangers of mass cultural manipulation. Milo Yiannopoulos was one of the first to point out the media’s soft-pedaling of the Muslim terrorism angle in its coverage of the Paris terrorist attacks: https://twitter.com/Nero/status/665313187735162881 https://twitter.com/Nero/status/665328369022578688 https://twitter.com/Nero/status/665328237048758273 It’s clear that the masters of our media, who themselves promote the destruction of distinct Western national identities through massive immigration initiatives, have instructed their megaphones to remain silent on this issue. A quick control-F of the top story on the New York Times, CNN, and ABC is shockingly absent of the words “Islam” or “Muslim,” despite strong circumstantial evidence and eyewitness accounts that almost inextricably link these actions to Muslim terrorism. The only occurrence of the word came from the New York Times in this passing remark: There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Twitter erupted with celebratory messages by members and sympathizers of the Islamic State, the extremist group based in Syria and Iraq that is under assault by major powers including the United States, France and Russia. ROK’s coverage on this issue will continue for the foreseeable future, but in the meantime you must question every source you see reporting on this issue. Why is the story being reported in a certain way, one that encourages “tolerance” and not “jumping to conclusions,” when similarly deplorable domestic incidents are immediately ascribed to racism and gun control issues? Why are they lying to us, when the facts show a cultural disaster in the making that has already cost hundreds of innocent lives just in the last few hours? The most chilling thing is that this may only be the beginning. Read More: Only White Countries Are Expected To Let In Hordes Of Illegal Migrants

A Taxpayer-Funded Brooklyn Principal Is Under Investigation For Promoting Revolutionary Communism Eric Owens Education Editor The New York City Department of Education is investigating a taxpayer-funded secondary school principal in Brooklyn for allegedly promoting communism and recruiting students for radical political causes. The principal, Jill Bloomberg of Park Slope Collegiate, has responded by filing a federal lawsuit seeking to stop the investigation, reports New York public radio station WNYC. The New York City education department initiated its investigation into Bloomberg’s alleged communist and communist-recruitment activities based on a tip from someone who remains anonymous. The tipster told officials that Bloomberg is affiliated with the Progressive Labor Party, a revolutionary communist political party based in Brooklyn. Court documents filed by the education department say that the investigation is focused on allegations that Bloomberg has worked to promote the agenda of the Progressive Labor Party by recruiting students “to participate in organizational activities, including marches for her political organization.” According to the Progressive Labor Party’s website, the group seeks to foment violent revolution. “Only the dictatorship of the working class — communism — can provide a lasting solution to the disaster that is today’s world for billions of people. This cannot be done through electoral politics, but requires a revolutionary movement and a mass Red Army led by PLP.” Also: “Communism means the Party leads every aspect of society. For this to work, millions of workers — eventually everyone — must become communist organizers. Join Us!” (RELATED: These Mugshots Of Commie Trump Protesters Will Make Your Day) The Progressive Labor Party “fights to destroy capitalism and the dictatorship of the capitalist class” by organizing “workers, soldiers and youth into a revolutionary movement for communism.” Court documents filed by New York City’s education department allege that students who disagree with Bloomberg and her comrades “are not allowed to express” their political views. In addition, the school district says, Bloomberg and her husband used footage of Park Slope Collegiate students and staff in documentary for a Progressive Labor Party-affiliated group “without authorization” from the students or staff members. The policies of New York City’s school district “prohibit the use of school facilities, equipment and supplies on behalf of political organizations,” according to the education department’s court filing. Bloomberg’s lawsuit concerning the investigation — filed Friday — contends that the investigation into her alleged communist activities is retaliation because she opposes racism and has criticized the New York City Board of Education for, she says, practices that amount to segregation. Earlier this year, Bloomberg charged the education department with discrimination because, she said, a school with many white students received more sports equipment than Park Slope Collegiate did. The students at Park Slope Collegiate are primarily black and Latino. Supporters of Bloomberg packed a Lower Manhattan courtroom for a hearing related to Bloomberg’s lawsuit. Many of them all wore the same t-shirts. After the hearing, Bloomberg and her supporters spoke. “What speech is prohibited?” Bloomberg asked, according to Chalkbeat, an education news outlet. “The speech I am most known for is anti-racism,” the principal also said. Bloomberg’s supporters recited her message in remarkably similar fashion. A Park Slope Collegiate eighth grader named Maya showed up at the court proceedings to declare that Bloomberg only wants to fight against racism. “It’s just upsetting that she’s being accused of stating her own political views when she’s just stating the facts that racism is here,” Maya informed Chalkbeat. A special education teacher, Sarah Vega, swore that Bloomberg never tries to indoctrinate students with revolutionary communist propaganda. “I’ve worked for her for over a decade,” Vega told Chalkbeat. “I’ve never seen her furthering any political agenda whatsoever. She fights against racism, but I don’t really consider that partisan politics.” Bloomberg has indicated that she does not belong to the Progressive Labor Party. This week, a federal judge is expected to decide whether to allow the investigation by school officials to proceed. Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/03/a-taxpayer-funded-brooklyn-principal-is-under-investigation-for-promoting-revolutionary-communism/ Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Tumblr WhatsApp Telegram Pocket Like this: Like Loading... Related Comments comments

diff options context: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 space: include ignore mode: unified ssdiff stat only author 2014-08-13 09:57:07 +1000 committer 2014-09-17 09:22:16 -0700 commit ba1f6592cb07d4d7025112e1ffcf279d904c7146 (patch) tree dc3845f5f3806921e3f0fe573b8aa17ff1789b2a parent 706d916414bf623b20c4626cc6096bb0839263dc (diff) download linux-ba1f6592cb07d4d7025112e1ffcf279d904c7146.tar.gz md/raid6: avoid data corruption during recovery of double-degraded RAID6 commit 9c4bdf697c39805078392d5ddbbba5ae5680e0dd upstream. During recovery of a double-degraded RAID6 it is possible for some blocks not to be recovered properly, leading to corruption. If a write happens to one block in a stripe that would be written to a missing device, and at the same time that stripe is recovering data to the other missing device, then that recovered data may not be written. This patch skips, in the double-degraded case, an optimisation that is only safe for single-degraded arrays. Bug was introduced in 2.6.32 and fix is suitable for any kernel since then. In an older kernel with separate handle_stripe5() and handle_stripe6() functions the patch must change handle_stripe6(). Fixes: 6c0069c0ae9659e3a91b68eaed06a5c6c37f45c8 Cc: Yuri Tikhonov <[email protected]> Cc: Dan Williams <[email protected]> Reported-by: "Manibalan P" <[email protected]> Tested-by: "Manibalan P" <[email protected]> Resolves: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1090423 Signed-off-by: NeilBrown <[email protected]> Acked-by: Dan Williams <[email protected]> Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <[email protected]> 1 files changed, 2 insertions, 0 deletions

Some farms use subsurface tile drainage systems, which can discharge into streams and ditches. (Photo: Bruce Chambers/The Drone Store LLC) CATAWBA ISLAND - Since the resurgence of Lake Erie’s biggest monster over the last decade, harmful algal blooms, scientists have been working vigorously to pinpoint the root of the problem and what is causing it. Over time, a lot of progress has been made on that front. Having dealt with it in the 1970s, scientists were able to determine back then that excess phosphorus runoff making its way to the lake was feeding the algae and leading to the harmful blooms. As a result, significant conservation efforts were taken to reduce the amount of total phosphorus being drained and discharged along Lake Erie. It was not until much more recently, as the algae kept blooming despite those efforts, that a specific culprit was eventually found: dissolved reactive phosphorus. An entirely new model for the study of the lake’s harmful algal blooms is based on the finding, according to Jeff Reutter, former director of the Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island. And researchers have made another disturbing discovery: That much of the action taken over the past several years to address the algae problems is not having the desired impact. The 2015 bloom was the worst ever recorded for Lake Erie, and perhaps most concerning, the problem is getting worse, not better. Questions remain about the where the leading sources of this more specific nutrient, dissolved reactive phosphorus, are coming from. Research has shown heavy rains exacerbate the problem by causing sudden significant influxes of nutrients into the lake. Much of the discussion has been about chemical fertilizers used by farmers in Lake Erie's Western Basin, many of whom have been already taking those conservation efforts to reduce their phosphorus runoff. An area not yet widely discussed is the dissolved phosphorus and other nutrients caused by manure runoff. Pam Taylor, an environmental activist from Lenawee County, Michigan, and member of the Sierra Club’s “Less=More” coalition, spoke at a panel on harmful algal blooms hosted by the Lake Erie Improvement Association at the Catawba Island Club last week. Taylor worked extensively on the Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan (ECCSCM) study titled, “Follow the Manure,” which examined the impact manure discharged by factory farms had on the Lake Erie algal crisis. “We have less than 1 percent of the animals, but we send you about 18 percent of manure in the watershed,” Taylor said. “That’s because we have mostly dairy cows.” She noted one dairy cow excretes the equivalent waste of between 20 to 23 humans every day. “So we’re sending you the equivalent waste of the City of Boston every day.” The study monitored 46 different sites where 13 factory farms produce and apply manure in 20 different townships in Michigan. When factory farms meet the threshold of total animals at a facility, they are classified as a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), the “largest of the large” farms, and have to be granted a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for manure by the Environmental Protection Agency. At the sites, edge-of-field water samples are taken and tested for E. coli, biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphorus, ammonia and temperature. Through October 2015, results of those tests from fields where manure was applied in Lenawee and eastern Hillsdale County areas of the Western Lake Erie Watershed showed 100 percent had phosphorus levels above 0.1 milligram per liter, a concern for aquatic life, and 89 percent met or exceeded 1.0 milligram per liter, Michigan’s water quality point discharge standard for total phosphorus. “Those levels are increasing, not decreasing,” Taylor said. “Actually, every level increased this year. It was higher in everything.” Thomas Van Wagner, a retired USDA employee now under contract with the conservation district in Lenawee County, said the “Follow the Manure” report is faulty. He believes they are leveraging Lake Erie’s algae issues to point the finger at livestock, using a kernel of truth and twisting it around. He also said most of the very large operations referred to are already very highly regulated. A total of 146 farms are in the Western Lake Erie Watershed — 57 in Ohio, 75 in Indiana and 14 in Michigan. In 2014, they held 11.6 million animals and produced 690.8 million gallons of manure. ECCSM data includes permit violations since the year 2000, where the EPA or a state agency cited a farm for violating the Clean Water Act. Van Wagner said many of those violations have not had anything to do with water quality. “This could be something simple like a paperwork problem, didn’t submit the right paperwork on time,” Taylor acknowledged. “But it can also include something serious like a discharge where they were pumping manure basically right into the waterway, and we’ve seen that.” Of the 230 permit violations from CAFOs in the watershed, 112 were discharges of pollutants directly into the waters of the respective state. “Those are the ones we want to minimize,” Van Wagner said. “We can’t always eliminate all discharges, but we can try to minimize the risk as best we can. Sometimes we have some rain storms that will cause some issues that are above and beyond people’s control.” Wyandot, Hardin and Defiance counties in Ohio have the highest concentrations of animals housed. Despite the animal concentration numbers, Paulding County on the western border in Ohio and Lenawee County on the southern border of Michigan produce the most manure. Farms in Lenawee also have had by far the most permit violations and illegal discharges since 2008. “It’s important to note, the algae don’t care where the phosphorus comes from,” Reutter said. He said he does not draw a distinction between commercial chemical fertilizers and manure. It isn't just the application of manure, but also whether the drainage systems are sufficient, Reutter said. “Manure isn’t inherently bad, and sewage sludge isn’t inherently bad, but if you put on too much, that’s a big, big problem.” “What happens," Taylor said, "is they apply the manure and it doesn’t even bother to run off, it just goes straight down and then out through the tiles.” That means it also bypasses any erosion-control measures, which research has shown to be the case. “Theses conservation practices were developed to reduce erosion and to control nitrates, which have a much larger particle size than dissolved phosphorus,” she said. Taylor pointed to 15 years of subsidized erosion-control measures, such as no till, conservation tillage, buffers, grass strips, constructed and two-stage ditches, tile plugs and cover crops, especially in the winter. “In spite of all these things, we’ve seen our phosphorus levels continue to go up.” Application at the wrong time is a problem they’ve observed as well. Manure and waste applied to snow or frozen ground simply runs off. “It just makes sense, right. It can’t go anywhere,” Taylor said. One persistent message during the Lake Erie Improvement Association’s hosted panel last week was whether to declare the Western Lake Erie Basin officially “impaired.” It’s a distinction outlined in the Clean Water Act that would immediately trigger an assessment by the EPA, which would formulate and implement a recovery plan. The plan would include much more rigorous restrictions for the amount of pollutants that can be drained into the lake, called total maximum daily load (TMDL), enforcing a standard for the basin that would cross state lines. This is the first recommendation the “Follow the Manure” report offers toward addressing the algae problem. State Rep. Steve Arndt (R, Port Clinton), who joined the panel, was asked if Ohio legislators will seek stricter sewage and septic requirements for factory farms, and while he said he believes it will be part of the discussions going forward, it is too premature to say for sure. Another point discussed at length by the panel was an agreement by Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada, to reduce phosphorus runoff by 40 percent. Taylor said they found out a few weeks ago there is no baseline data available for Michigan’s portion of the Maumee sub-watershed, questioning how a 40 percent reduction can be measured without that baseline. Another recommendation, and one of the primary objectives of the “Less=More” coalition, is cutting subsidies to factory farms with violations and give the money to smaller farms that are genuine in their efforts to help solve this problem. This effort, handing out less to the violators means more clean water, inspired its name. “Maybe it’s time to look at where that money is going and maybe shift it to people who are doing the right things, instead of feeding the bad actors,” Taylor said. “Helping the people who are sincerely interested in doing things right. “Especially the smaller farmers. They’re the ones getting crunched. The small livestock farmers are getting just crushed by this. And we’d like to see the money go to them so that they can buy the equipment, they can set up storage facilities they need.” The best solution, according to “Follow the Manure,” is stopping the problem at the source. “Don’t ever let it get into the water to begin with,” Taylor said. [email protected] 419-680-4897 Twitter: @JonDBN Read or Share this story: http://ohne.ws/1Yr0SsQ

Source: iStock Scientists have been mimicking nature for years, but few discoveries are this successful, or important. In an effort to develop clean, renewable energy sources, a team from the Australian National University has successfully duplicated one of the more crucial steps in photosynthesis, the process in which plants actively turn sunlight into energy. Why’s it a big deal? Because it could ultimately open the door to harnessing the process for energy cultivation. If scientists are able to successfully take the photosynthesis process — which turns sunlight into chemical energy — and apply it to industrial biological systems, sunlight could be used to manufacture hydrogen, which could then be used as fuel. Hydrogen is already used as a fuel in many instances, and if applied on a large scale, it could serve as a replacement for petroleum — all the while contributing no new carbon to the atmosphere. Not only are the two main components required for photosynthesis available in wide abundance, but they are also cheap. “Water is abundant and so is sunlight. It is an exciting prospect to use them to create hydrogen, and do it cheaply and safely,” Dr. Kastoori Hingorani, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis in the ANU Research School of Biology told Science Daily. Not only are the ingredients abundant, but the process itself is sustainable for the long-term. Since there is no shortage of water or sunlight, if the photosynthesis process is completely harnessed, it could provide energy indefinitely. “That carbon-free cycle is essentially indefinitely sustainable. Sunlight is extraordinarily abundant, water is everywhere — the raw materials we need to make the fuel. And at the end of the usage cycle, it goes back to water,” said co-researcher professor Ron Pace. “It’s the beginning of a whole suite of possibilities, such as creating a highly efficient fuel, or to trapping atmospheric carbon.” The photosynthesis process — though often taught to schoolchildren, and simple enough on paper — is actually fairly complicated in practice, and often misunderstood. At the most basic level, the process simply converts light from the sun into usable energy in the form of chemicals. This is the basic way that plants produce energy, and release oxygen as a byproduct of the reactions happening within their structures. There are different types of photosynthesis that have been observed in varying types of life, including algae and even bacteria. Essentially, duplicating the act of splitting water into its more base elements is what scientists are trying to mimic. Australian researchers did it by creating a protein that creates an ‘electrical heartbeat’ when exposed to light. Development of the protein does not require expensive components or even batteries, meaning the technology could be used in developing areas and impoverished countries to produce fuel. Hydrogen has been one of the few energy sources touted as the next big thing and is used in a variety of different ways. It is commonly used in rockets and spaceflight, and is starting to gain popularity in consumer vehicles that use hydrogen fuel cells instead of petroleum or all-battery power. For example, Toyota just announced its new fuel-cell vehicle, the Mirai, which will use hydrogen as its primary fuel source. As consumers have become more and more aware of the effects that petroleum products can have on the environment, clean-burning alternative sources have grown in popularity. With the impending effects of climate change also concerning many people, switching to zero-carbon alternatives is quickly becoming a priority. For years, scientists have been putting in an effort to successfully replicate photosynthesis, and this latest breakthrough signifies the overcoming of a major hurdle. If researchers are able to make the process as easy and cheap as they hope, it could mean seismic shifts in the energy business. After all, the major problem that has led to the mass adoption of hydrogen-powered technologies has been the fact that producing hydrogen is not only difficult, but expensive. There have been efforts by private companies recently that have shown promise, such as the case of HyperSolar, which had come close to developing technology to successfully split water into its base elements. Although they didn’t quite get there, the research from Australia is simply the next step in developing the technology. As ExtremeTech explains, the major interest in hydrogen stems from its versatility; unlike solar power, it presents an energy source that can be successfully stored and transported, all while providing no negative impact environmentally while it is produced. Currently, the only methods of producing usable quantities of hydrogen have some serious setbacks. It can be produced from fossil fuels inexpensively, although the process of doing so has environmental drawbacks. The other method involves the electrolysis of water, which splits water molecules into its base elements. The problem with this process is that it requires a lot of energy — so much so that there is actually a net loss at the end. It’s easy to see why the prospect of a photosynthesis-inspired hydrogen production process is so exciting. The system would be cheap, easy, and ultimately very lucrative. Not only that, but the environmental advantages would be immense, especially considering the challenges that await in the coming years due to climate change. Even in areas affected by wars and natural disasters, energy production systems that run off of simple resources like water and sunlight could be deployed, and successfully run by almost anyone. While there is still some work to be done, there are plenty of reasons to get excited by this latest breakthrough in biomimicry. If the technology can be successfully developed and methods for distributing it are in place, hydrogen may finally be able to solve the world’s energy issues in a cheap and easy way. More From Business Cheat Sheet:

When Dani Weingarten first joined UB’s Alpha Phi sorority, the one thing she felt UB was missing was a Greek row – an area devoted to fraternity and sorority housing. She had visited her friends at other universities who lived in sorority houses located in a Greek row near the campus. Weingarten may get her wish next fall. Standard Ascension Tower Group Corp (SAT Corp), an investment corporation, is planning to create a “Greek village” near North Campus for UB’s fraternities and sororities. The $60 million project will involve four phases and the first phase – which includes erecting 30 houses, a community house and entertainment complex – is set to be completed next fall. Depending on how many organizations move to the Greek row, the housing system will accommodate about 300 people. Taqua Daniels, chief marketing officer of SAT Corp, said the project is not affiliated with UB in any way and Pamela Stephens-Jackson, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life at UB, said neither she nor the university is involved and that this is a private project. At the time of publication, the university did not have a comment regarding the project. Daniels said while SAT Corp would manage the houses, the company is willing to work with UB. “The university will have the ability to work with our group to help maintain university caveats,” Daniels said in an email. Many universities have a Greek row – a collection of houses for different Greek organizations located in the same area on and near the campus. The Greek organizations and its alumni, or the university itself, usually owns the homes. Many UB Greek organizations – both legal and illegal – have homes located throughout the University Heights off South Campus. Student parties in the area, some of which are held by Greek organizations, have led to conflict between students and residents in the area. Daniels said SAT Corp hopes the project will remove Greek life from the Heights. Weingarten, a sophomore speech and hearing major, said while a project like this will benefit UB sororities and fraternities, those who live near the potential village may not appreciate their new neighbors. Weingarten said it would be a “shock” and could change the dynamic in the neighborhood where the Greek village is built. Some illegal fraternities are discussing becoming recognized with the university in order to partake in the Greek village. Larry Jordan, the chief executive officer of SAT Corp, said the company chose UB because it is familiar with the location and the environment of the campus and because most “big schools” have a Greek row. Jordan, the company itself and “state mutual funds” will fund the project, according to Daniels. In order to be developed, the company first plans to send the project to be bid on by local development contractors and architects. Although there are two, 2.5-acre sites in Amherst where SAT Corp could develop the village, Jordan said the company wants to build it on the location closest to the North Campus. Daniels said it would be within walking distance of the campus. Daniels said the project is a set plan, but SAT Corp is currently seeing which organizations “qualify” to move into the location. “Qualified organizations will historically have a good standing with the UB campus, local community, academically and [national charter],” Daniels said. The Spectrum obtained SAT Corp’s letter of intent to lease the homes. SAT Corp sent the nonbinding contract to UB Greek organizations in order to determine how many organizations would be interested in the project. Jordan also presented the project to students in a classroom on campus last month. The Spectrum obtained photographs of the presentation, which included renderings of the potential village as well as prices. Joshua Grove, Greek liaison for UB’s Inter-Greek Council, said the plan has only been in discussion for about a month and the “location, approval and zoning” have yet to be put into effect. Weingarten said she thinks bringing a Greek row to UB’s campus will be a good way to increase Greek membership, however more awareness about Greek life should happen before the village is built. “I think right now Greek life needs to work on expanding and needs to be recognized more on campus before building houses for each organization,” Weingarten said. “I think if it was to happen a few years from now it would be great to have a part of where our students live dedicated to Greek life.” Once the first phase of the project is completed, roughly five organizations would be able to move into the village according, to Jordan. SAT Corp would then move on to the remaining three phases, which include town houses for smaller organizations, a solar panel park for sustainability and a chapter monument museum. Daniels said each organization has the option to design its own house and can choose between a modern or contemporary style. The Greek village will be in a gated community and each house will start at 25,000 square feet. The houses – which will “be able to sleep up to 30 members” – will have three floors that hold a library, grand dining hall and ballroom. The sorority houses will additionally have powder rooms and a large community closet. The houses will have a rate comparable to rent for on-campus apartments and SAT Corp plans to accept student financial aid. Daniels said historically, larger and “more established” organizations will have a purchase option from their national charter. Chapters who maintain a 3.5 GPA will be offered a rental and lease discounts. Ultimately, Daniels said SAT Corp wants the Greek village to bring something new to UB by having a distinct area for the Greek life on campus. “We believe that this location will be pinnacle to the growth and respect of [the] university and a grand capstone to the New York academia community,” Daniels said. “In general, Greek village adds another dimension to the university, enhancing its image as a major Division-I institution.” Marlee Tuskes is a news desk editor and can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @marleetuskes5.

The NBA schedule has just been released, and for Bulls fans across the world this day marks the first view of the upcoming season’s schedule, one which will prominently feature a return of some guy who won the MVP one time and who most of the staff here at DRaT has a pretty homoerotic crush on. In quickly glancing over the schedule, a couple of things stick out as noteworthy: The Bulls open the season October 29 in Miami against the defending champs. Nothing like having to watch your most hated enemy hang up a banner to kick off the season. Imagine if Mitt Romney had to go to the presidential inauguration while being force fed coffee and other hot drinks. Fucking nightmare. The Bulls home opener is on Halloween, against the spooky scary New York Knickerbockers. This game, like the one against Miami, will be played in front of a national audience on TNT. Look for Thibodeau to come dressed as an angry troll who lives under a bridge. The annual circus trip will span from November 21-30. The Bulls will get a crack at Denver, Portland, the Clippers, Utah, Detroit and will wrap up against the Cavs. My early estimate is that the Bulls will go 5-1, but I’m pretty irrationally excited and could be talked into a 75 win season. The Bulls have one other long stretch of games away from the UC from January 29-February 6. that trip will be a bit tougher, with games against the Spurs, Pels, Kings, Suns, Warriors and Lakers. I’m a little higher on New Orleans than some, but man I’m excited to watch Rose tear it up. I’m not making any sense. Basketball. With the postseason just around the corner, the Bulls have a brutal stretch that runs through the middle of March. Although all games will be in Chicago, Miami-Memphis-SA-Houston is going to be a challenging stretch. Hopefully the team is healthy. No better way to announce that you are a true title contender than by ripping through that brutal stretch of games. The Bulls have a rough schedule. The Central division is the strongest its been in years. The Bulls could be considered co-favorites with the Conference Finalist Pacers. The Cavs look like they will be formidable foes, with another year of Kyrie development plus whatever they squeeze out of Bynum and his degenerating knees. The Pistons made several big splashes this offseason and will look to break into the top eight in the East. And Milwaukee has warm bodies that can run up and down a court. Ladies and gentleman, let the countdown to the 2013-14 season officially begin!!! Advertisements

Over the weekend, I went to visit my mom and aunt to celebrate their birthdays. They were born one day and two years apart! We hung out at the National Harbor yesterday and I was surprised at how many shops are there now compared to how many there were when it first opened. My aunt loves to shop, so we ended up exploring many of the clothing and accessory stores at the harbor. Although I saw lots of lovely things that would look good on me, I walked away from that place empty-handed, as usual. I have little desire to buy “stuff” anymore, unless it’s something I actually need. I’ve been living this way for about two years now. When I started working for myself full-time in 2010, I also began to adopt a minimalist mindset to my life. My main goal was to buy less, use what I had and save my money for experiences instead of stuff. As a result, I’ve spent very little on “things” over the past two years. Most of my income goes to housing, student loans, car payment, food and other monthly bills. The rest goes to activities that I gift to myself or other people: traveling, trying new restaurants, attending concerts and going to festivals. The point of living with less, for me, is not about NOT buying things. It’s about prioritizing the purchase of things that truly matter to you and add to your life. For me, that shift began with ending my habit of buying things I didn’t need. Here are seven strategies I’ve used in that journey that you may wish to consider for your own growth. Stop watching TV. Constantly seeing celebrities on TV with their beautiful hair, designer clothes and fancy homes does a lot of damage to the psyche. Not only does it conjure up feelings of inadequacy in our own looks, but it can prompt us to buy the exact same stuff they have to make ourselves feel like we’re living just a fraction of their fabulous lives. Please remember that everything on TV is FAKE. It is an escape from your day to day life, but when you start escaping with your credit card, you can end up with a bunch of expensive items that leave you feeling no better than you did before. Stop watching commercials. Television advertising is insidious. In college, I learned about how car marketers are taught to “manufacture desire” for new vehicles that no one needs. Used cars will do you just fine, but to have commercials tell it, you have to have the latest model BMV to have an exciting, glamorous life. Most commercials are full of lies and manipulation to get you to feel incomplete and lead you to buy things you don’t need. But when you stop watching them, you lessen the power of corporate messaging on the decision-making part of your brain. Don’t justify shopping because it’s “on sale” or you have a “coupon.” Remember that you’re only saving money if you would have needed to buy the item anyway. In other words, a sale on toilet paper is a score, but a sale on Jimmy Choos is not. My aunt cracks me up with all the DSW and Lane Bryant coupons she gets in the mail every month. She claims she’s “saving” money on all the clothes she buys, forgetting that the best way to save money is not to spend it in the first place. Tell your favorite clothing stores to stop sending you discounts and reserve your couponing culture for buying food or other essential items. Limit your visits to the mall. I’ve been living in Charlottesville for a month now and I haven’t been to the mall once. I have no need to, unless I’m replacing an item of clothing that’s worn out or doesn’t fit me right anymore. Idle shopping usually results in idle purchases. If you must go to the mall, go in with a purpose – to find a new pair of black dress pants or to replace your favorite pumps. Stop buying magazines. When I was in college, I used to buy Lucky Mag religiously. I fancied myself a fashionista and I wanted to keep up with the trends. Thing is, each magazine cost $5 by itself, let alone what it would cost to purchase something highlighted in its pages. Women’s magazines are blazoned with full-page ads that promise you instant beauty and weight loss and happiness if you just buy the latest product. And if it’s a reputable publisher like Oprah or Essence, you’re already pre-wired to trust the product recommendations, which can make you even more likely to buy something you see in those magazines. Just remember that you can get many of the same articles online these days, so there really is no need to read magazines anymore. Stop reading fashion, makeup, natural hair and thrifting blogs. I feel so conflicted about this one, as I love the creativity and artistry with which my fellow bloggers put into their sites. But there are many that I just don’t read, not because I have a problem with the bloggers themselves, but because I know that the whole purpose of their site is to recommend that I buy new clothes, buy old clothes, buy more makeup or buy every new natural hair product line that comes out. If you read blogs to get new information, inspiration or to support the writers, great! But when you find yourself feeling like you have to buy every new lip gloss that beauty bloggers review, it may be time to switch up the blogs you give your attention to. Avoid hanging out with shopaholics. When you see everyone else around you buying the latest fashions or electronics or accessories, it can be easy to fall prey to subtle peer pressure. Plus, shopaholics are usually the first ones to urge you to “buy that dress girl, it’s so cuuuuute!” with an urgency so fierce that it’s hard not to get caught up in their excitement. So if a shopaholic friend asks you to go to the mall with her, opt to meet her afterwards for lunch or coffee instead. That way, you don’t get tempted to mirror her out-of-control spending habits. What other strategies have you used to keep yourself from buying things that you don’t need? Sharing is caring!

Northern Electronics have just announced another quality release. This one is super solid. Anthony Linell puts together 8 tracks for his new release titled “Emeral Fluorescents” on the no bullshit label. Going by the 2 tracks shared only a few minutes ago it seems like Linell is exploring a darker heavier side than what he releases under his Abdulla Rashim moniker. To quote the press release accompanying the album, “Scattered fractal stabs revolve around quietly furious low-end fit outs with enough sharp edges to let you know it’s someone else’s space.” The album (limited to 200 on wax) is available for pre-order on the Northern Electronics Bandcamp page. Check out the two tracks here: Anthony Linell – Fractal Vision Anthony Linell – Emerald Fluorescents For more updates, follow us on Instagram.

TOKYO: This year's Vivid festival attracted a record 2.33 million visitors, with national and international visitors to the Sydney light show up by 35 per cent. Launching the dates for next year's Vivid to the Japanese tourism industry in Tokyo, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the world's largest light show would be 10 years old in 2018. This year, 5000 Japanese tourists travelled to Sydney to attend Vivid, but Ms Berejiklian said the NSW government wanted to boost Japanese tourism around the event, and would host a large delegation of 50 travel agents at Vivid in 2018. Toru Ikuta, chief executive of major Japanese tour company, JTB World Vacations, said 20 years ago, 800,000 Japanese visited Australia annually. But the number of Japanese tourists plummeted by half in the following decades as tourism promotions stopped, and airlines reduced flights.

ESPN Warriors reporter Ethan Strauss discusses the recent comments from Warriors players regarding those critical of their championship season. (3:09) OAKLAND, Calif. -- Forward Draymond Green said Tuesday that teams questioning the Golden State Warriors' championship are bitter, pointing out that you don't hear such talk coming from teams such as the San Antonio Spurs. Editor's Picks Pelton: Were Warriors just 'lucky' to win title? Yes, there was luck involved in the Warriors' championship run. But is that the whole story? League MVP Stephen Curry, meanwhile, issued a mock apology for the Warriors' success. Green and Curry made their comments Tuesday when they were asked about people discussing whether the Warriors "deserve" their title, possibly in reference to Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers saying to Zach Lowe of Grantland, "You need luck in the West. Look at Golden State. They didn't have to play us or the Spurs." "If they saying that, they aren't the champs. It's simple. Gregg Popovich didn't say that. That's one organization I really respect. And you haven't heard anybody in they camp say that. You ain't heard anybody from OKC say that, some of the organizations that I really respect," Green said. "You see the ring fitting man over there? Jason of Beverly Hills, he over there fitting us for our ring? That's pretty cool. So if they saying that, it's some bitterness and some saltiness going around. They obviously not the champs. So who cares what they say. It is what it is." Stephen Curry, left, and Draymond Green, right, have had enough of teams like the Clippers questioning their merits as champions. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Curry "apologized" to critics of the Warriors' title on Tuesday. "I apologize for us being healthy, I apologize for us playing who was in front of us. I apologize for all the accolades we received as a team and individually. I'm very, truly sorry, and we'll rectify that situation this year," he said. "Bitter" is how Green's teammate Klay Thompson described Rivers' comments on Friday, when he also said of Rivers' team, "I wanted to play the Clippers last year, but they couldn't handle their business." Last week, center Andrew Bogut also responded to the critics in an interview with KNBR radio. "I've actually got my [championship] ring fitted for my middle finger, so they can kiss that one," Bogut said. "It's just bad, man," Green said Tuesday, describing how he'd feel about questioning someone else's title. "I would feel bad about myself doing that. That's just crazy to me, but that just lets you know how many people didn't want to see us win. Because they sick." Asked why he believes the Warriors are attracting this particular criticism, Green said, "People hate change. People don't accept change well."

VIDEO: Revenge-seeking crows terrorize an Istanbul neighborhood ISTANBUL A murder of crows has been attacking passersby for almost a week in an Istanbul neighborhood, creating scenes reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 masterpiece ”The Birds.”A nestling was killed under the wheels of a car last week, after it fell from its nest on top of a utility pole in Istanbul’s Asian-side neighborhood of Ümraniye. Since then, crows have been attacking people to avenge the death and protect the remaining nestlings.In addition to people who are regularly being hit on their heads, cats are being victimized by the rage of the crows as well. “They generally attack older people. We’re also afraid, but they haven’t attacked us,” one of the children who have to use the road every day to go to a nearby school told Cihan News Agency.

Dolphin + Whale Project The Problem Whales and dolphins continue to be killed around the world and need our help. Japan, Iceland, and Norway kill more than 1,000 minke, fin, and other great whale species every year, all for meager sales of whale meat. Thousands of dolphins are still killed every year in Japan for meat, and in Indonesia and Peru for shark bait. Whales and dolphins continue to be captured in Russia, Cuba, and Japan for export to captivity facilities. Despite a ban on captures and export, dolphins around the Solomon Islands still face threats of capture, slaughter and export, as is illustrated in the adjacent video, "Pillaging the Solomons". Our Action Campaign We have a long history of working within the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to end commercial whaling. In 1982, we helped pass a moratorium on commercial whaling. We publish a daily newsletter, ECO, at IWC meetings, which is the voice for whales and the environmental community. We work with grassroots groups to educate local fishermen about the need to stop the killing of dolphins and sharks. And we support the growing efforts for watching wild dolphins and whales rather than killing them. We support community efforts to replace dolphin killing with dolphin tourism in places like the Solomon Islands, and fight to block the import and export to captivity of wild dolphins, belugas, and orca whales. Current Challenges Commercial whaling, undertaken under the guise of “scientific” whaling, must be stopped. Japan is planning more illegal whaling in Antarctica, in defiance of the legal ruling against the country in the International Court of Justice at the Hague. Iceland and Norway are also defiant. We work to protect cetacean habitat from oil and gas threats as well as the Trump administration's plans to reduce the size of marine protected areas. We successfully worked to block the import of wild belugas captured in Russia for U.S. captivity facilities, and to blow the whistle on live dolphin exports from the cruel “cove” drive hunts to places such as Dubai and China. We continue to monitor the situation in the Solomon Islands to ensure that the current ban on the capture and export of dolphins is upheld. Iceland Kills 11 Pregnant Whales, Says It's A Good Thing Mark Palmer, October 2018 Iceland is one of the few countries that continues to kill whales for profit. Over this summer’s hunting season, eleven pregnant whales were killed, their fetuses strewn across the flensing decks of the whaling ships. In an astonishing twist of logic, Kristján Loftsson, who runs Iceland’s one and only whaling company, said that killing pregnant females is a good thing, showing that whale populations will continue to grow. Read More > The Truth About Whaling Audrey Lee, October 2018 Whaling is the practice of hunting and killing whales by humans for multiple purposes and has been going on for more than a thousand years. Throughout the centuries, whaling became increasingly intense and widespread, especially with the development of the exploding harpoon and better boat engines to chase down the whales. In the 1960s, due to over-hunting, most large whale populations collapsed. Read More > CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS Stop the Slaughter of Dolphins and Whales! Sign the Petition Demand that the IWC to include small cetaceans in their purview and advocate for increased cetacean protection. Sign Here > Faroe Island's Annual Pilot Whale Slaughter As Horrific As Taiji's Cove Pilot whales are killed each year in ways that are not humane. Watch the video and sign the petition! Read More > Watch Whales In Iceland, But Don't Eat Them! Tourism is among the biggest supporters of the Icelandic whaling. Learn what you can do to avoid supporting this inhumane practice. Read More > Connect with Us f t

It’s commonly accepted that the majority of Americans do not properly hydrate themselves throughout the day, despite the avalanche of physical problems this can cause. A new water bottle called the ‘BluFit’ is using smart technology to combat that issue. The Bluefit water bottle works in synchronization with a smartphone will help consumers maintain optimum levels of hydration. Through the smart bottle and app, BluFit will determine how much water you need, how much you have consumed and will alert you when it’s time to hydrate. According to the product manufacture “Studies show that nearly half of Americans don’t drink enough water. Staying hydrated not only helps with your alertness, controlling appetite, improving activity and performance, but it also keeps everyday symptoms like fatigues, headaches and dry skin at bay.” When living a busy life, even simple tasks-like staying hydrated-can slip your mind. BluFit eliminates the guess work and does the job for you. OleoApps, maker of BluFit, designed a one-of-a kind device to help consumers maintain a healthy lifestyle by monitoring and analyzing their daily intake of fluids. The smart water bottle features a sensor that automatically records the time and amount of water consumed. While there are many determining factors that play into each individual’s unique level of hydration, BluFit’s integrated app will provide users with a program customized to fit their needs. The BluFit app collects a variety of data including weight, age, temperature and humidity to determine exactly what your daily intake should be. Through the customizable app, you can view your current level of hydration, set and monitor personal goals and adjust your daily intake based on your activity level and health status. BluFit has customizable LED lights integrated into the bottle’s sleeve to provide real-time alerts. In addition, the app will send phone notifications to help keep you on track. The smart bottle’s interior setting includes a Bluetooth LE chip, compatible with iOS and Android devices, a built-in water flow sensor and a rechargeable battery that provides up to 6 days of continuous use. The BluFit is available in Ocean Blue and Charcoal Black (exclusive Indiegogo colors). It will retail for $59 when it hits the market in March. You can also preorder the BluFit for reduced pledges on Indiegogo now. more info: bluefit

August 10, 2020 It was 5 AM. The platoon had seen heavy combat the day before after 3 giant nevermores ambushed the command post followed by 6 other assorted Grimm. To rebuild the damaged post, a contingent of 50 sailors from the Naval Construction Unit worked through the night, keeping the platoon from falling asleep. Along the front, things had been tough. The constant bombing of the forests had caused out-of-control forest fires, and now, water bombers were being flown in to help control the fires. Up to now, at least 350 Grimm had been killed at the cost of 16 deaths. The death of Oobleck had made national news and had generally reduced the morale of the hunters and the troops. At precisely 5:30, Jaune woke up the entire platoon. "All rise and awake! Report to the briefing room now!" Ruby tiredly got up and yawned, saying, "Another mission, sir?" "Precisely. Now let's go." At 5:40, Jaune sat everyone down in the briefing tent. "I have gathered my entire platoon here to inform them that we are to patrol the 3-mile-boundary until August 11. Squads Ruby and Cardin will patrol, and Squad Tan will standby and be flown in by helicopter if necessary." The entire platoon grumbled. Yang said to Ruby, "Not this." "Now, now, we have to do it. After all, who else will? Squads Ruby and Cardin ship out at 0615 hours." Ren thought to himself, "Nothing better happen to Nora while I'm gone. She's gonna be handling radio communications for us, so as long as she keeps replying to us, she'll be safe." As Squad Ruby patrolled the boundary zone, they kept watch for any active forest fires that may have been started by ordinance dropped from aircraft. Weiss said to Yang as they walked over a creek, "Do you think we'll really clear out all the Grimm by November or December?" "Not really," Yang replied. "This entire operation seems a little rushed. I only hope we don't lose anyone else close to us. Oobleck was hard enough to lose." Ren said to the two of them, "Be careful, or you might jinx us." Then, Ruby held her hand out and said, "Wait up! Shhh!" The entire squad then paused as they all heard rustling from a nearby bush. Blake pulled out Gambol Shroud and Yang aimed her AR-7 at the bush. As Yang cocked her gun, the tension began building as to what was in or behind the bush. Then, a feral cat walked out of the bush, looking at the squad for a few seconds before scampering off. Blake said, "Well that was disappointing." "Uhhh," Yang said. "I don't think that thing will be, though." She then pointed at a boarbatusk charging at the group. Ruby activated her semblance and sliced the beast in half by flying past it with Crescent Rose, killing it easily. "Piece of cake." She then spat on the ground beside her. "That was still a disappointment," Blake replied. "Well it was a figure of speech or whatever, alright?" Yang was a little annoyed at Blake's response. "That isn't exactly a figure of speech, first off. Second, your tone of voice is a bit off, too." Blake fired back at Yang. "My tone of voice was perfectly fine, thank you very much." Weiss rolled her eyes and said to herself, "Oh boy..." "No, it wasn't, Yang Xiao Long. It was VERY rude." It was clear by now that this would lead to an argument. "Rude? Rude? Hahaha, Rude, right? That's all you can say?" Yang's eyes then changed colour. "You're only making this shit worse, Yang!" "Now that's rude, Blake. Maybe next time you should watch your definitions. I'm not in the fucking mood for this, considering I watched my old teacher die in front of me!" "God damn it, he was mine too! We all saw him die, Yang! It isn't all about you, asshole! We all were hurt by Oobleck's death!" Yang then flared in anger. "That does it!" Ruby, extremely annoyed and angered by her best friend and sister arguing, then interrupted the argument by firing a round from Crescent Rose into the air before she screamed, "JUST MOTHERFUCKING STOP YOUR POINTLESS FUCKING ARGUING! YOU CUNTS HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT GIVE EACH OTHER DIRTY LOOKS, BARELY INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER, AND HAVE THESE STUPID FUCKING FIGHTS SINCE YOU BROKE UP! YOU TWO ARE SUPPOSED TO PUT THAT ASIDE AS TEAMMATES AND HUNTERS, OR ELSE YOUR CONFLICT WILL GETS US ALL FUCKING KILLED!" Ruby then took a deep breath. "Do you assholes even like each other as friends anymore?! Do you two wants all of us to go back in boxes like Oobleck?! Do you want Dad to have to cry for us like she did for Mom, Yang?! Do you want to die without redeeming your name from the White Fang, Blake?!" Blake and Yang looked at Ruby, astonished at her outburst. Weiss and Ren's jaws dropped to the ground. "If not, THEN STOP IT! Either you two stop arguing, or I will have you BOTH court-martialed for obstructing us from carrying out our mission objectives!" Ruby then broke down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. "I just want my big sister and my best friend to all get along like we used to... Is that too much to ask? What happened to us? What the fuck happened to us?" Weiss walked up to Ruby and said, "It's okay, it's okay." Yang began to form tears in her eyes and said, "Sis..." She then walked up to her and hugged her as she also began to cry. "I... I'm... I'm so sorry I let that get between us... All of us... It's all my fault..." Blake walked up to her and replied, "No, it isn't. It's both of us." Yang then separated from Ruby and hugged Blake. "Listen, Yang, we need to move on from our relationship. It's pretty clear by now you've moved on, and that George boy treats you like the goddess you are. And, I think I'm beginning to fall in love all over again with someone else as well. Let's bury the hatchet, metaphorically of course, and work together again." Yang said, "Of course. I already knew I was a goddess beforehand, by the way." Yang and Blake then laughed. They then shook hands. "Now, who is it?" "Who's what?" Blake looked confused. "Who's the lucky boy or lady who has stolen your heart?" Blake blushed. "Uhhhh... He's a faunus..." "It's Sun, isn't it? And let me guess, he doesn't know?" Blake then sighed. "Yes, and yes." August 16, 2020 It had been less than a day after the team returned home. In their time in the operation, Jaune's platoon scored a total of 84 kills. In total, all forces had scored over 1500 confirmed kills, as well as countless unconfirmed ones. Today would be the funeral of Doctor Oobleck. The platoon dressed themselves in their Ceremonial Uniforms and met in the centre of the academy grounds, where Team RWBY and Jaune had all first met just 5 years before. "Before the service begins," Jaune started. "We've all been invited to see what was left of him in his coffin alongside his family and closest friends. I would like it if all of us could go. Now, they've said that his parts were pretty badly burned, so if you're uncomfortable with it, I will understand if you don't want to see his remains. To move on, I want everyone to remember Oobleck as a master at hunting, as an amazing teacher, and as a good friend. He will be missed dearly by all of us." As the platoon made their way through the impromptu preparation room, Ruby, joined by Delwyn IV, said to him, "I wonder what they put in his coffin." As Ruby and Delwyn went up, Ruby began to cry again. Oobleck, or what was left of him in various parts, was badly scarred and burned from the explosion Yang caused when she killed the nevermore that killed Oobleck. Alongside his remains was his thermos, badly charred but still in one piece, which as his weapon was to be buried alongside him as part of the Hunting Corps' custom for funerals and burial. Delwyn thought to himself, "I hope I never have to send someone out to war again, not if it will lead to this." As Yang and George went up, Yang said to Oobleck's remains, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you in time, Doctor." She then gave him a salute and walked away, shaking her head in utter disbelief that he was actually dead. George held her hand as she walked. Jaune saluted Oobleck's remains and said, "It's been an honour serving with you, Major." He then left a bouquet of flowers alongside his coffin. Weiss did the same thing right after him. Blake and Sun went up together as well. Sun said, "Everyone from Team SSSN's still in utter shock. I bet he's already started his own coffee company in the afterlife by now." Blake gave a short laugh and said, "I could see him doing that. I'm not even kidding. Didn't he once say that that would've been his plan B if he lost his job?" "Oh yeah! I remember that! Good times, good times..." The Amphitheatre was crowded with students, ex-students, family, and friends of Oobleck, as well as journalists from various news agencies, since Oobleck's death had made worldwide news. On the stage was Oobleck's coffin, wrapped in the flag of Vale, alongside a picture of Oobleck in his military uniform. It listed him as "Maj. Bartholomew Joseph Oobleck, 1978-2020, Years of Service: 1995-2020." It also listed a quote from him, saying, "I am a Huntsman because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be." (A/N: The Hunting Corps adopted the gender-neutral term 'hunter' in 2017, though many older hunters will still use Huntsman and Huntress.) After the beginning ceremonies, Ozpin took to the stand and began a speech. "My name is Brigadier General Michael James Ozpin. I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, and I have served my country as both a soldier in the army and as a huntsman in the Hunting Corps since I first went here as a student in 1985. I first met Ozpin when I was a teacher here. It was my first year teaching here at Beacon Academy. He was a very active student, and he often engaged in debates with other teachers and students involving various topics, such as faunus, campus policies, and foreign policy. He was one of several key participants in the fight to allow access to birth control on campus, and he also organised a petition with over 5,000 signatures to the Governing Council of Vale and the King of Vale at the time, Delwyn III, to pass anti-hate crime legislation for not only faunus, but also LGBT individuals, immigrants, and numerous ethnic and religious minorities. After he graduated from Beacon as a Valedictorian and served in active duty for several years, I contacted him and asked if he would consider becoming a teacher at Beacon. Of course, he took up the offer and became one of the most beloved teachers here." Ozpin then looked at Jaune, confusing him. "One example of how he impacted students would be a man who, when he first got here, was not a good fighter or leader at all. He had no control over his semblance or aura, and he reportedly faked his transcripts. Oobleck himself pointed out how he often did not pay attention in his class. Eventually, after improving his skills in his first year, Oobleck offered to give this man extra help outside of class. Multiple times, I let them fight Grimm by themselves in Emerald Forest. They ended up scoring many kills together. Today, this man is Lieutenant Jaune Arc, and he graduated at the number 22 spot in his class out of 678 students, an impressive feat considering he was at the very bottom when he first started." The audience then cheered and applauded. Jaune smiled and said, "Thank you..." "One of the last things Oobleck said to me was, pardon my language here, "I'm getting too old for this shit." I could tell he was saying it in a joking manner, but I still said to him, "Oobleck, you're 42 years old and have the energy of someone half your age. You won't be getting too old for this job anytime soon." He laughed and agreed with me. You know, I will always mourn his loss, but at the very least, I can take comfort in knowing that he died doing what he loved. Hunting Grimm was his life, and he was prepared to give up his life every time he went out onto the battlefield. And thus, the story of one of the greatest teachers in Beacon's history may be ending, but in all of you, a new story is just beginning. Thank you." The audience then applauded his speech and cheered. After 6 more long speeches by Oobleck's family and friends, the amphitheatre fell silent. As the audience fell silent soon afterwards, the honour guard took the flag wrapped around his coffin and held it above the sleek and wooden coffin. "Present, ARMS!" The cry of an honour guard captain pierced the air as all of the students, hunters, teachers, and other military personnel and royal family members gave a salute, while the civilians all placed a hand on their heart. Then, a lone bagpiper began playing "Going Home" to symbolise that Oobleck's soul was 'going home' in a sense. After the song ended, the sound of pagers ringing and the Beacon Fire Company's nearby siren echoed throughout the area. "Vale City Fire Alarm, per the request of Beacon Academy and Signal Academy, is activating the tones of Beacon Fire, Signal Fire, and Patch First Aid in memory of Major Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, who died serving the Kingdom of Vale on August 10, 2020, while fighting Grimm. May he rest in peace, and may his family and friends gain the strength to carry on. Time is 1006 hours, Alarm Operator 94." Then, the honour guard folded the flag and presented it to Oobleck's older sister and her husband. They walked back to the coffin and then lifted it, carrying it down from the stage and through the middle of the amphitheatre as the crowd watched and continued to salute. Finally, once the coffin left the building, the captain shouted, "At ease!" August 17, 2020 Today, the team met after working at their day jobs. Weiss asked as they all sat down in Ruby and Yang's apartment, "Did you guys remember to sign up for that makeup Basic Firefighter-CFR class tonight?" Yang said, "We did after we came home yesterday. Me, Ruby, and Blake all went down to the station to sign up." Weiss replied, "Good. You cannot miss a single class, or you'll fail the entire course. Say, how do you guys do during live burns?" Blake said, "I have to admit, Ruby is the best one out of all of us. When we first all did it, I was actually scared shitless, but Ruby calmed me down." "Awww," Ruby replied. "Thank you, Blake." "I remember when I took it," Weiss said. "I was just 14 and I had been in the fire company for 2 years by that point. Those were some fun times. I still have my gear from when I first started. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit anymore since puberty and boobs happened, but I still keep it around as a memento to those days." Yang laughed and said, "I'm sorry I'm laughing, it's just that part about puberty is both so weird coming out of your mouth, and I cannot imagine someone with a concave chest size." Weiss laughed and said, "Oh shut up, Yang! Like any girl at 12 had a noticeable chest size. I have pride in my size or whatever I guess. I just don't give it much thought." "Wanna see a picture of me at 12, Weiss?" Yang then took out her phone. "Here's me at Signal when I was 12. I had my hair in a ponytail back then because who the fuck cares. My chest size was B at the time. I was early, developing at 9 and getting a period just 2 months after I turned 11. I say my biological mom, Raven, was to blame, considering her chest size is F. Summer on the other hand was a C, explaining Ruby's growth or lack thereof compared to me." "That... Is actually true..." Ruby was stunned. "I think you're right! I remember going through some of Mom's old clothes and finding some old bras while we were clearing out an attic at Dad's house." Weiss was stunned. "Did you have any back pain?!" "Oh hell yeah. Since I was DD by the time I was 15, I had back pain until the rest of my body caught up. The back issues stopped around the time I was 18." Yang then stretched. Blake pointed at her chest and said, "It's odd how we suddenly began talking about these lumps of fat like there's no tomorrow. I think it says something about us." "That we're very talkative?" Ruby asked Blake. "No, that we're all a bunch of perverts." She then slowly held up Ninjas of Love 3. "And we're not at all ashamed of it." Yang burst into laughter and said, "I love how Blake just confirmed that by holding up that book." Ruby and Weiss also laughed hysterically. Weiss and Ruby then jokingly high-fived and said together, "Flat chests unite!" They were then interrupted by their pagers all ringing, followed by several more tones. "Vale City Fire Alarm on the air for Box 245 for 158 Exeter Street for a Box Alarm for Vigilant Fire 5, Goodwill Engine 6, Excellence Fire 7, and Enterprise Steamer 10. Caller reported that their family is trapped in a burning apartment on the 3rd floor. It's gonna be Apartment 3 Dash 7. Repeating, Vale City Fire Alarm on the air for Box 245 for 158 Exeter Street for a Box Alarm for Vigilant Fire 5, Goodwill Engine 6, Excellence Fire 7, and Enterprise Steamer 10. Time is 1756 hours, Alarm Operator 94." The girls then all ran out of the apartment and down the stairs to the first floor. As they left the building, they saw the ambulance pull out from the Vigilant fire station. They ran like hell down the street to the station alongside several other volunteers as Car 5 sped past them. As the girls got their gear on, Ren ran into the station as well. Within 3 minutes, Lieutenant Alfred Schnee hopped aboard the now-full Truck 201 and radioed, "Truck 201 to Fire Alarm, we're responding with 10, 6 interior." At the same time, Car 5 and Ambulance 201 were reporting smoke showing from the 3rd floor as well as multiple witnesses from the building telling them of the fire, upgrading the fire to a Code 99. Iomhair Rolfe, driving the truck said, "We got a working one, fellas!"

Last week, in response to Martin’s questions about tunnel operations, Metro staff slipped in this quiet bombshell: Metro continues to take actions to expand ORCA use throughout the system and reduce cash payments. [This includes…] working with our regional transit partners to implement a regional ORCA day-pass demonstration beginning in April. A multi-agency ORCA-based day-pass is probably the most requested fare product in the Puget Sound region, and for good reason. Today, interagency transfers are free with ORCA but (mostly) not with cash fare. An ORCA-based day-pass, if priced right, holds out the concurrent possibilities of improved comprehensibility for visitors, and good value for residents who plan to make several trips in a day. For people like me, who want buses to not suck, it’s another weapon in the war against time-consuming on-board cash payment, and easily-abused paper transfers. The devil, however, is in the details, which Metro staff supplied to us last week. As you saw, the ORCA agency partners are planning a six-month pilot/demo of a regional day pass later this year, hopefully beginning sometime this spring. The day pass demonstration will target visitors using hotels and convention centers. But, because the regional day pass will be available at all our current sales outlets, anyone could load the product on their card. At the conclusion of the demo, the ORCA partners will assess how well the card was received and determine the future of the program depending on what we learn. Q: What agencies will or could be included? A: All ORCA agencies except WSF Q: How much will it cost? A: $9 sales price, $4 per trip value. Riders would use E-purse to supplement higher fares based on how much they plan to travel. Q: What modes and fare zones will it cover? A: Good for any trip up to the $4 per trip value. Q: Is it a daily cap or a fare product you have to buy? A: It is a pass product loaded on the card. Once tapped it is valid for that service day. Service days is 3 a.m. – 2:59 a.m. Q: Will it be issued on a disposable ORCA or just added to the existing $5 ORCA? A: Existing card. We do not have disposable card stock in the system Discussion after the jump. So, there are a couple of good things here, and I’ll start with those: The pass is mode-neutral and almost agency-neutral. Transit is about getting people places. The type of vehicle, and the agency logos on it, are important to passengers primarily as way-finding, not as a fundamental part of the service, as much as agencies might like to think otherwise. It’s great to see that in this case, most Puget Sound agencies are putting the passenger experience first, providing simplicity and comprehensibility rather than more arcane rules. Transit is about getting people places. The type of vehicle, and the agency logos on it, are important to passengers primarily as way-finding, not as a fundamental part of the service, as much as agencies might like to think otherwise. It’s great to see that in this case, most Puget Sound agencies are putting the passenger experience first, providing simplicity and comprehensibility rather than more arcane rules. Agencies have (or will have) hashed out revenue-sharing and technical issues. Getting severely-cash-constrained agencies to agree on revenue-sharing from a single fare is genuinely challenging negotiating problem, as carving up a passenger’s regional fare is inherently a zero-sum game. Getting an agreement in this case could set a political and bureaucratic precedent for future day passes with different fare caps and prices. More generally, we’ll have a public proof-of-concept, making it clear in the political discourse that this is technically doable. Here are the problems I see: The day-fare cost is uncompetitive for most local riders, compared to using an existing ORCA card. Off-peak Metro fare is $2.25, peak is up to $3; the highest ST express fare is $3.50. Most other local bus services will be less than Metro. ORCA already provides a two-hour transfer window, and paper transfers are often cut much more generously. You have to ride a lot of transit trips, spaced out through the day, to add up to more than $9. Local riders will already be quite familiar with paying as they normally do, and if it doesn’t make financial sense, they won’t use day-passes, even if they were ubiquitously available. As they will require going out of the way, to a Metro sale partner, I suspect few locals will find them attractive. Off-peak Metro fare is $2.25, peak is up to $3; the highest ST express fare is $3.50. Most other local bus services will be less than Metro. ORCA already provides a two-hour transfer window, and paper transfers are often cut much more generously. You have to ride a lot of transit trips, spaced out through the day, to add up to more than $9. Local riders will already be quite familiar with paying as they normally do, and if it doesn’t make financial sense, they won’t use day-passes, even if they were ubiquitously available. As they will require going out of the way, to a Metro sale partner, I suspect few locals will find them attractive. The card+fare cost is uncompetitive for weekend or convention visitors. $14 in a day, or $23 in a weekend, is significantly more than anyone is likely to spend on transit in the Seattle area just paying as they go. Visitors are perhaps less price sensitive and more hassle sensitive, but I suspect they’re also less likely to attempt all-day multi-hop trips around the city and region, which would be the only way to get close to $14. In groups, the numbers look even worse: for three people, $20 apiece would get you out and back to most outlying neighborhoods of interest to tourists in a cab, with far less hassle and time than Metro. People who intend to much spend time beyond the city, in the suburbs, are probably going to rent a car, because off-peak transit just isn’t much good outside of Seattle. $14 in a day, or $23 in a weekend, is significantly more than anyone is likely to spend on transit in the Seattle area just paying as they go. Visitors are perhaps less price sensitive and more hassle sensitive, but I suspect they’re also less likely to attempt all-day multi-hop trips around the city and region, which would be the only way to get close to $14. In groups, the numbers look even worse: for three people, $20 apiece would get you out and back to most outlying neighborhoods of interest to tourists in a cab, with far less hassle and time than Metro. People who intend to much spend time beyond the city, in the suburbs, are probably going to rent a car, because off-peak transit just isn’t much good outside of Seattle. There’s no disposable-ORCA option, which would be useful regardless of the price premium. If there were a $9, pre-loaded, disposable ORCA day-pass card available, plenty of people, myself included, would keep a stash of them around the house, for use by visitors and or in case I lost my own card. It would be worth the premium, above and beyond the pay-as-you-go price, to be able to give someone a card that worked on any land-based transit in the region, and whose loss did not mean the loss of a $5 permanent card. This would be a genuinely useful service I would pay for, which cannot be emulated today by other means. If there were a $9, pre-loaded, disposable ORCA day-pass card available, plenty of people, myself included, would keep a stash of them around the house, for use by visitors and or in case I lost my own card. It would be worth the premium, above and beyond the pay-as-you-go price, to be able to give someone a card that worked on any land-based transit in the region, and whose loss did not mean the loss of a $5 permanent card. This would be a genuinely useful service I would pay for, which cannot be emulated today by other means. The $4 fare cap seems arbitrary. The most expensive regular bus service in the region is two-county ST Express at $3.50, while the Water Taxi is $3.50 (West Seattle) or $4.25 (Vashon) and Sounder runs on a scale up to $5.75 (Lakewood). If the purpose is to cover any possible fare in the region, $4 doesn’t work. The only people who would lose out on a reduction of the fare cap from $4 to $3.50 would be a minute number of Sounder South day-pass riders; and if a reduction in the fare cap allowed the pass to drop in price, it would make the pass far more attractive. I hope this trial goes smoothly, and meets whatever bar for success the project leaders have in mind. I’m not convinced, though, that the price and features of this day-pass have been thought out particularly well, and I fear it may underwhelm when presented to the public.

Liverpool FC training session at Rajamangala National Stadium before their first match of the 2015 Pre Season Tour in Bangkok against Thailand All Stars Liverpool FC training session at Rajamangala National Stadium before their first match of the 2015 Pre Season Tour in Bangkok against Thailand All Stars Get the biggest Liverpool FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email The Liverpool squad were put through their paces in the searing heat of Bangkok as they prepare for Tuesday’s opening tour friendly against the Thai All Stars. Brendan Rodgers led the evening training session at the Rajamangala Stadium in front of around 1,000 supporters with the temperature around 32 degrees and 65% humidity. Rodgers was assisted by backroom duo Sean O’Driscoll and Pep Lijnders with new first team coach Gary McAllister not yet on the tour. McAllister, whose appointment was only officially confirmed on Saturday, will link up with the squad in Brisbane on Wednesday or Thursday. Watch: James Pearce reports from Bangkok Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now Despite the pitch cutting up badly, all the players came through unscathed. Rodgers is expected to use most of his squad in the opening friendly with no-one expected to play more than 45 minutes as the Reds build up fitness levels. “We had a great time in Thailand last time and it’s been a good start to this trip,” Rodgers said. “Two years ago our visit here provided us with a wonderful foundation for a good league campaign and we hope it will be similar this time. We’re expecting a tough game.” Midfielder Lucas Leiva added: “It’s been a long trip but we’re really looking forward to the game tomorrow. “We want to get some speed into our game and give the fans a good game. “With the weather it will be hard for us as it’s difficult to play here but it will benefit us going forward.” Rodgers: There's been no rift with Raheem Sterling

Blood flow restriction work makes you stronger than heavy training alone and is easy to recover from. Read up on the science of BFR and how to implement it. What you’re getting yourself into 3,900 words, 13-26 minute read time Key Points Blood flow restriction (BFR) training involves cutting off venous blood flow out of a limb, but still allowing arterial blood flow into a limb, resulting in the best pump of your life. Because of the massive pump you get from BFR training, people assume it’s the bee’s knees for hypertrophy. However, thus far, it doesn’t seem to cause any more growth than conventional, heavy training. The biggest benefit of BFR training actually seems to be notable increases in strength when it’s added to heavy training. It causes a high degree of muscle activation (rivaling heavy lifting) and causes virtually no muscle damage, making it essentially “free” volume to help you get stronger without compromising recovery. There are a few more cool benefits, including enhancing recovery from training, and reducing atrophy when you’re injured. Blood flow restriction (BFR) training, or occlusion training, is something that’s met with mixed reactions. Some people are fully aboard the BFR bandwagon, and others think it’s just a gimmick. To this point, the available evidence suggests that BFR training is quite effective as an adjuvant to conventional, heavy training … just not for the reasons most people think. So first off, what is BFR training? Essentially, you use a knee wrap or an elastic band to cut off venous blood flow in your arms or legs. The blood pressure in your veins (which remove blood from the limb) is substantially lower than the blood pressure in your arteries (which bring blood to the limb), so you apply the wrap tight enough to keep blood from leaving the limb, while still allowing blood to enter the limb. Most of the original studies used a special cuff to occlude venous blood flow, but using knee wraps or an elastic band works just as well. From a scale of 0 (meaning no pressure at all) to 10 (meaning the pressure you’d expect form a tourniquet before getting a limb amputated), the pressure on your arms should feel like a 7, and the pressure on your legs should feel like an 8 or 9. Apply the wrap or band as close to the top of the limb as possible – very close to the groin if occluding venous blood flow from the legs, and very close to the arm pit if occluding venous blood flow from the arms. Use a light load. It should be a weight you can get for 30-40 reps when you’re fresh (~20-30% of your 1rm is what’s used most often in the research). Pump out as many reps as you can, rest for about 30 seconds, and pump out some more reps. 3-4 sets with short rest, totaling 60-100 reps is what’s done most often in the literature. In some of the studies, the wraps are removed between sets, and in some, they’re left on between sets (bro-tip: it’s much more convenient to just leave them on between sets and admire all of your bulging blood vessels). While you’re pumping out all of these reps, a ton of blood is driven into the limb, and very little of it can leave. The result: the best pump you’ve ever experienced. When people try it for the first time, they assume that it must be god’s gift to hypertrophy training. That’s what most people use it for – to get jacked. However, it has other uses that go far beyond hypertrophy and, arguably, hypertrophy isn’t even the biggest benefit you can get from BFR. But, before we get into the effects of BFR training, let’s backtrack a bit, and take a look at why and how it works. The Mechanisms of BFR Training There are six major mechanistic reasons why BFR training works for building muscle and strength. Metabolic Stress. Identified as one of the three primary mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy (along with muscular tension and muscle damage), metabolic stress signals muscles to grow. Constant BFR (leaving the wraps on between sets) works better that intermittent BFR (taking the wraps off between sets) for this purpose. Intermittent BFR leads to greater metabolic stress than regular low-load training, and constant BFR leads to similar levels of metabolic stress as training at 65% of your 1rm without BFR – equal metabolic stress with much lower loads. Motor Unit Recruitment (one, two, three). Regular low-load training potentially doesn’t recruit as many motor units as heavier training, even when training to failure. I say “potentially” because you assess motor unit recruitment via EMG, and it’s very possible that as the first motor units recruited start to fatigue, they “drop out,” so that the EMG readings at failure would be lower than they would have been when training with heavier loads (which wouldn’t give motor units enough time to fatigue and “drop out”), even if motor unit recruitment throughout the entirety of the set was identical (more on that here). Regardless, research shows that motor unit recruitment is substantially higher with low-load BFR training (specifically constant BFR) than with low-load training without BFR, and that motor unit recruitment is similar for low-load BFR training and heavier, conventional training without BFR. This, as we’ll see later, is probably the biggest benefit of BFR training. Cellular Swelling. Similar to metabolic stress, cell swelling has been identified as a mechanism that can cause hypertrophy. Muscle thickness increases roughly 11.5-12% directly after a BFR workout, due to the increased fluid in the muscle, indicating (to use a scientific term) a buttload of cellular swelling. Modulating Hypertrophy Signalling Pathways and Gene Expression (one, two, three). Key signaling pathways (like the mTOR pathway) and genes (like the myostatin gene) are affected to a greater degree by low-load BFR training than low-load training without BFR. BFR training and heavier, conventional training affect them similarly, increasing protein synthesis and decreasing myostatin to similar degrees. There’s also some data suggesting BFR increases the activity of heat shock proteins which may decrease catabolic signaling, but as far as I know, that’s only been observed in one rodent study thus far. Satellite cell proliferation and myonuclear addition. If you remember from a previous article (I’m overhauling this one in the future because there are some things about it I’m not too pleased with as-is, but the mechanistic stuff about satellite cells and myonuclei is solid), addition of new myonuclei is an absolutely essential factor for long-term hypertrophy. Muscles can grow until the muscle fibers hit their myonuclear domain limit without adding more myonuclei, but to continue growing, the addition of new myonuclei from satellite cells is crucial. Low-load BFR training increases the satellite cell pool and causes myonuclear addition much more effectively than low-load training without BFR, and to a similar degree as heavier, conventional training. Growth Hormone Release. It’s not clear whether acute elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones affect muscle growth in any meaningful way, but the results of this study were eye-catching enough to at least give it a mention. Low-load BFR training to failure caused an increase in growth hormone 290x higher than resting levels, and approximately 4x higher than low-load training to failure without BFR. Mechanisms are cool and all, but what are the effects on strength and hypertrophy? For starters, overall, low-intensity BFR training seems to be about as good for hypertrophy and strength as heavier conventional training. Kreiger found an effect size of .35 for hypertrophy and an effect size of 0.8 for strength from multi-set conventional resistance training in his meta-analysis, and Loenneke found an effect size of .39 for hypertrophy and an effect size of .58 for strength from low-intensity BFR training in his. However, it’s worth pointing out that the overall effect sizes for both hypertrophy and strength are depressed quite a bit in the low-intensity BFR training meta-analysis, since it included studies where the mode of exercise was incline treadmill walking with BFR. When only looking at resistance training studies, the effect size was 1.08 for both strength and hypertrophy (though, obviously, with a smaller sample size). When taking an aerial view, BFR training and conventional training have pretty similar effects. The fact that you get similar hypertrophy from low-load BFR training isn’t overly surprising, in light of the fact that number of hard sets is the main determinant of hypertrophy, but the fact that the strength effects are similar is surprising, since generally training intensity (the percentage of your 1rm you’re training with) is an important determinant of strength gains. More on that a bit later. It’s also worth pointing out that the BFR meta-analysis was just looking at studies that solely utilized BFR training, not BFR in addition to heavier, conventional training. I’m going to assume that most people reading this article are also lifting heavy stuff, and aren’t planning to use low-load BFR training for the entirety of their training plan, with perhaps the exception of when you’re rehabbing an injury. More on that later as well. There are five studies worth digging into that had well-trained subjects and combined BFR training with heavy resistance training. The first is a glorious study, because the muscle being trained was the biceps. That also makes it the least relevant for people primarily concerned with getting strong, but I’m sure that if you look deep down into your soul, you’ll be able to admit to yourself that getting jacked arms is a worthy training goal, and that they are a great compliment to a huge squat or deadlift. The researchers split the subjects – college-aged men, with at least one year of lifting experience – into two groups. One group did curls with BFR for 4 weeks (3 sets of 30 reps with 30% of their 1rm), followed by heavier curls for 4 weeks (3 sets of 15 with 60% of their 1rm). The other group did heavier curls for 4 weeks, followed by curls with BFR for 4 weeks. Both groups gained the same amount of muscle over the 8 weeks of the study. They also gained the same amount of muscle during their BFR phase as their heavier training counterparts did; during the first four weeks, the people doing BFR curls gained as much muscle as the people doing conventional curls, and during the last 4 weeks when they changed training protocols, the people doing BFR curls (who did heavier curls for the first 4 weeks), again, gained the same amount of muscle as the people who did heavier curls (the people who did BFR curls for the first 4 weeks). The next study is from Leubbers (2014). Over the course of 7 weeks of offseason training for Division IAA football, he split the players into four groups: One group just followed the standard high-intensity off-season training program for football. One group did the same high-intensity training program, with additional sets of squat and bench with 20% of their 1rm (1 set of 30 and 2 sets of 20) without BFR. One group did the same high-intensity training program, with additional sets of squat and bench with 20% of their 1rm utilizing BFR. One group basically just did accessory work, along with the light squats and benches with BFR. Over the course of the study, the athletes’ arms and legs got bigger, and their chests didn’t, but there were no significant differences in hypertrophy between the training protocols. When looking at strength, however, the group doing high-intensity training combined with low-intensity BFR had the largest increases in the squat. Their squats increased ~25kg over 7 weeks, vs. ~14kg for the group only doing high intensity training, and the group doing high intensity training plus low-load training without BFR. The group doing high-intensity training combined with low-intensity BFR also had the largest increases on bench, but the difference wasn’t significant (~8.5kg vs. ~7kg for the other two groups doing high intensity training). Also note that these were pretty strong dudes to begin with. The average squat at the start of the study was around 200kg. It’s also interesting to note that it seems like the stimulus from the BFR training is what drove the larger strength increase. My knee-jerk reaction was that the additional training volume was what made the difference, but the group doing the light squats without BFR, in spite of also having significantly higher training volume than the group only doing high-intensity training, gained the same amount of strength over the course of the study. The next study by Yamanaka (2012) is very similar. The researchers split the subjects (Division 1 football players) into two groups. Both groups continued their normal off-season strength training program. In addition to their normal high-intensity training, one group did one set of 30 reps, and 3 sets of 20 reps with 20% of their 1rm squat and bench with BFR, and the other group did the same sets and reps without BFR. The group using BFR gained more strength in the squat and bench press than the group doing the same sets and reps with the same relative load without BFR. In addition, the BFR group’s chest circumferences increased more (~3.1 cm vs. 1.5cm). The next study is by Cook (2013). This study was performed on semi-pro rugby players. They were split into two groups. The first group trained for 3 weeks without BFR, then for 3 weeks with BFR, and the second group followed the opposite pattern. They trained three times per week, doing 5 sets of 5 with 70% of their 1rm for squat, bench press, and pull-ups each day. The cuffs to restrict blood flow were only applied to the legs (even for pull-ups and bench press) and were removed between sets. During their time doing BFR training, the athletes added an average of 5.4kg to their bench, and 7.8kg to their squat. During their time without BFR, the athletes added an average of 3.3kg to their bench, and 4.3kg to their squat. This study was interesting for a couple reasons. For starters, even though the cuffs were only applied to the legs, even during upper body exercises, the BFR group still had a larger increase in bench strength, suggesting that BFR may have systemic effects in addition to the local effects in the muscles with restricted blood flow. Additionally, they were using relatively high loads (70% of their max) – not the low loads typically used in BFR studies. Last but not least, we have one more study to look at. It’s a Masters Thesis by O’halloran (2014). His study also combined high intensity training and low-load BFR training. One group trained exclusively with loads in excess of 70% of their 1rm and no BFR. The other group did 38% of their training with loads in excess of 70% of their 1rm with no BFR, and 62% of their training with 30% of their 1rm and BFR, for one set of 30, and three sets of 15. Training volume (total weight lifted) was roughly equated. Over the course of the study, both groups’ bench press, leg press, biceps cross sectional area, and thigh circumferences increased, with no significant differences between groups. These were already relatively strong guys on the outset as well – they were benching around 220-245lbs, and leg pressing around 800lbs. So, on the whole, we can take a few things away from these five studies that combined conventional high-intensity training and low-load BFR training and pretty well-trained athletes. Low-load BFR training works about as well as heavier training for building muscle (Lowery’s study), though the effects of combining the two may not be additive for hypertrophy. Leubbers’ study showed that adding BFR training to high-intensity training didn’t increase hypertrophy, but Yamanaka’s did. It appears that BFR training doesn’t just affect the muscles with venous blood flow occluded. Both Yamanaka’s study (increased chest growth when the cuffs were applied to the arms) and Cook’s study (larger increases in bench press, even though only leg blood flow was restricted) demonstrated increases in either strength or hypertrophy in muscles other than those below where the cuffs were applied. The most notable effect seems to be an increase in strength. Leubbers’ study showed a larger increase in the squat, Yamanaka’s study showed a larger increase in both squat and bench press, Cook’s study showed a larger increase in both squat and bench press, and O’halloran’s Thesis showed that substituting a sizable chunk of high-intensity training for low-load BFR led to the same increases in strength. The effects on strength are the most surprising. You’d expect (or at least, I’d expect) there to be a bigger difference in hypertrophy, but apparently the mega-pump lies to you. When you think through it, though, it makes sense. Plenty of things make muscle grow; tension, volume, metabolite accumulation, muscle damage, etc. With low-load BFR, tension is lower, metabolite accumulation is high, but not any higher than conventional training for 10+ reps, and there’s very, very little muscle damage that takes place. It gives you a solid growth stimulus, but nothing that you can’t also get from just picking up heavy stuff, and when you add it to a program that revolves around picking up heavy stuff, it doesn’t seem to offer any additional hypertrophy benefits. However, strength is another beast entirely. Strength is partially dependent on structural factors (how much muscle you have), and partially dependent on neural factors (how well you can activate those muscles). Remember, low-load BFR causes roughly the same amount of muscle activation as much heavier, conventional training. BFR training has proven to be pretty disappointing for people with the sole goal of building muscle, since notable increases in muscle growth on top of heavier training haven’t really manifested themselves (with the exception of additional chest growth in Yamanaka’s study). However, low-load BFR training is basically the holy grail for strength athletes, at least as far as accessory work goes. When you add it to heavy training, it makes you stronger than heavy training alone. It’s not just a matter of getting stronger from adding extra training volume because it beats out low-load training without BFR. It’s incredibly easy to recover from since it causes essentially no muscle damage. (note: you may very well get sore the first couple of times you do it, simply due to novelty; this should go away pretty quickly, though) Because it also causes high muscle activation, it also aids in the neural side of strength development. Its effects are very similar to heavy training, and O’halloran even showed that you can replace a hefty amount of heavy training with low-load BFRs and get the same increases in strength. You can almost think of it as “free” volume. You get all the upside of lifting heavy, but it’s way easier to recover from. You can add low-load BFR to your current training program to get stronger, faster without compromising recovery. Or, if you’re having issues with recovery, you can sub out some (not all) of your heavy training for low-load BFR and get the same strength increases without taxing your ability to recover to nearly the same degree. Other Stuff Worth Noting BFR without strength training speeds up recovery from training. One study showed that 2 sets of 3 minutes of BFR for the legs immediately after a training session significantly sped up recovery and enhanced subsequent performance for power-related tests. BFR can also decrease muscle atrophy when you’re injured, and speed up the recovery of strength when you can get back to training. In one study, BFR (multiple sets of 5 minutes of occlusion, without exercise) significantly decreased muscle atrophy of the quads and hamstrings during the post-operative period following ACL reconstruction. In another, low-load BFR training helped people get muscle and strength back faster than training without BFR during the reconditioning phase following ACL reconstruction. Low-load BFR training can be a godsend to people dealing with or recovering from injuries. BFR without training can keep you from losing as much muscle if you’re so jacked up you can’t do anything (of course, consult with a physical therapist first), and low-load BFR training can help you maintain muscle and strength if you have aches and pains you need to train around. If you want to read more about how to progress from totally-jacked-up to picking-up-heavy-stuff-again, I’d strongly recommend this review. Keep in mind, I’m not recommending low-load BFR as the sole focus of your training plan. You should still be picking up heavy stuff (of course, since you’re reading Strengtheory, I doubt I have to tell you that). One study showed that low-load BFR doesn’t affect tendons to the same degree heavy training does. Interestingly, it seems that the additive increase in strength only applies to well-trained athletes. One study on untrained folks found that adding low-intensity BFR training to heavier training didn’t increase strength gains. It could be that untrained people are already getting all the strength benefits they could possibly get just from picking up heavy stuff, but that more well-trained people have that capacity for greater increases in strength that don’t manifest themselves because further increases in heavy training would compromise their ability to recover (since their training is already inherently more stressful). That seems plausible enough to me. People get leery of BFR because cutting off blood flow just seems like it would be dangerous. However, rates of adverse effects are exceptionally low, even in diseased and at-risk populations. You can completely cut off blood flow to a limb for over an hour without any long-term risks, and with BFR training, you’re still allowing arterial blood flow, so you could likely occlude venous blood flow for even longer (though I wouldn’t recommend it). The thinner the device for cutting off venous blood flow, the better off you are. With thicker wraps, you run a greater risk of cutting off arterial blood flow. I generally use the resistance bands you can find in most gyms that some middle-aged women use for biceps curls. I get weird looks when I raid the BodyPump room in the middle of a class, but #yolo. Knee wraps can do the job as well, but bands are a better option if they’re available to you. Bro-tip: BFR work seems to work best, in my experience, when added in for a 4-8 week block, then replaced with more conventional accessory work for the next 4-8 week block. Implementation Pick up heavy stuff as you generally would. You don’t need to really change your program to add low-load BFR since it’s exceptionally easy to recover from. After your heavy sets, do 3-4 sets of 15-40 reps with 20-30% of your max with BFR, resting about 30 seconds between sets. Whether you leave the wraps on between sets or take them off is up to you, but leaving them on seems to be better for muscle activation, and they’re annoying to take off and put back on between sets anyways. This works really well for squat and bench (or you could do leg press and DB press after your squat and bench work, if you prefer). Whether it helps the deadlift or not hasn’t been examined in the literature, and anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to help out your hammies as much as your quads. Though not required, I’d strongly recommend you also bust out a sweet superset or five for your arms. Who cares if science says it won’t make your arms grow any faster than regular curls and triceps extensions? You get the same hypertrophy effect, but you get it by way of stupidly awesome pumps, which is a benefit in and of itself. Alternately, if you’re having issues recovering from your training, you can sub out one or two heavy sets for 2-3 sets of low-load BFR. This is particularly useful for short stints when you know beforehand that recovery will be compromised (if you know you have a deadline coming up that’ll stress you out and decrease how much you can sleep, or something of that sort). If this is a subject that interests you, I’d strongly recommend you check out these three reviews as well (one, two, three). This was a snippet from the Second Edition of the Art and Science of Lifting that I’m working along on right now. If you already have the First Edition, the Second Edition will be free for you when it comes out! • • • Next: The Complete Strength Training Guide → The New Approach to Training Volume → Spread the love Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Tumblr Email Pocket More Print Pinterest

Touka Kirishima and the Rotting Womb The two biggest pieces of evidence for what is next about to happen to Touka lies in the colored cover art for this chapter of Tokyo Ghoul, and a poem translated by michi here [x] attached to the Yomo, Touka and Ayato birthday art. Starting with the art, the most immediate eye catching area is Touka’s bloodied stomach. Starting with the art, the most immediate eye catching area is Touka’s bloodied stomach. Blood on the stomach is typically a feminine symbol, it does not have to necessarily mean being stabbed through the stomach. It could also mean menustruation and miscarriage, however, what comes to mind with deliberately invoking a symbol of miscarriage on Touka is what miscarriage means in a literal sense “A new life being cut short.” Returning to the top of the image, those are white sakura blossoms with the phrase “Bloom for me, a flower of my own.” Cherry or Sakura blossoms in japanese culture have a lot of meanings, but the most relevant to the situation is this one: Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. Their life is very short. After their beauty peaks around two weeks, the blossoms start to fall. [x] This meaning of a “beautiful life cut short” could possibly apply to Touka if there were upcoming danger to her, or even to her and Kaneki’s relationship if their sudden chance at growth was taken away by Mutsuki’s interference. For example in the film 5 cm per second, cherry blossoms were used to symbolize a promising new relationship cut short. Touka’s even referred to within this same chapter as beautiful, once again. One thing I will note though is that the words: “Bloom for me, a flower of my own” Become foreboding if you realize that flowers in Tokyo Ghoul, and especially flowers blooming have always been a shorthand symbol for blood splatter and tragedy. They were used here: and here: finally here: Finally though, to the poem. The birthday poem written by Ishida is entitled: “ Her womb smelled like it was burnt.” Which goes along nicely with the miscarriage and feminine symbolism already being associated with Touka in this image. A lot of the allusions described in this poem also correspond to events that have been happening recently in canon. To the point where I am now convinced that the narrator of the poem rather than Kaneki, is Touka herself. The children who were meant to be born, died. The vision of the future convulses. Someone declared that they’ll crush only half of the broad bean. The gene is in a severe bipolar state. The nucleic acid sequence having no recollection of its own actions. The children who were meant to be born could be referring to the ghouls from Aogiri. Touka herself is witness not only to ghouls and children being born into this world dying early, even herself being subjected to violence early as a child as CCG officers tried to kill her. Someone declared they will only crush half the broad bean is Kaneki. It’s two of his most famous lines combined together “I’ll only half kill you” and “I’ll pluck the rotted beans.” The gene is in a severe bipolar state is also Kaneki, somebody who switches haphazardly between his ghoul and human sides even though he claims to be a person who can see both humans and ghouls. Bipolar is usually associated is Bipolar Manic Depression the mental illness, but the root of the word means “Two poles” or two opposite ends. The nucleic acid sequence having no recollection of its own actions, that’s Haise. He had the same body as Kaneki, and the same mismatch of DNA, however he could not remember what it was he had done and Touka had to witness him in his memoryless state. All of the fingers that were supposed to be connected from start to end, are scattered around; it’s annoying. If you look closely at the knot, you can see that it can be surprisingly easy to untie. This is referring to Touka’s family itself, even the threadbare remaints of it, Yomo, Ayato and herself she has a difficult time trying to keep them all together. All Touka wants is for the people to love to stay around and love her in return, and she feels also that her family should have stuck around, it should have been simple but actually the ties of family aren’t so binding and they easily unwind, both Ayato and Yomo left her at different points. I was always asked to keep the switch. Go forward. Go back. Stop. I can hear my voice from the mouth. That voice gave me a feeling of discomfort and it had become extremely disgusting but, no one noticed that and everyone was under the impression that it was indeed, my voice. This is the three years of waiting Touka did. ‘Asked to keep the switch’ could refer to Touka having to host Re: and sit back and wait as the rendezvous point for both Ayato and Kaneki to eventually return to while they were allowed to move brashly ahead on their own. Even after they return though, Touka is still asked to hang back and monitor communications rather than allowing her to fight in the field. The result is a Touka who acts much differently from the Touka we know today, and Kaneki even comments as such. The person who could act decisively and boldly for herself, the one who was always moving ahead of him scared him. It sounds a bit different to the Touka we know now in :Re who is acting as an advice dispenser and a passive source of guidance, standing in the place of Yoshimura. The Touka that years of loneliness and abandonment has been conditioned into this current state. Everybody accepts this change in Touka, but does Touka herself accept it? She’s at least still disatisfied with having to hang back, telling both Ayato and Kaneki when they tried to leave her out of critical moments to protect her that they didn’t need to. Sin is irresponsible. I’m getting tired of being forgiven. My shoulders have even forgotten about my legs. I open the door with the side of my arm. The path that I should’ve advanced in is gone and darkness pulled onto the horizon that lay right beneath it. This is another direct reference, when Touka was in the doorway with Yomo, Yomo explained to her that Koma and Irimi needed to die because their sins were unforgivable, but at the same time she countered why were her sins forgiven then? “Come on, come on! Come on, come on!” Go forward. Go back. Stop. I can hear my voice from the bones. “Did you know that our voice is the mixed voices from dad and mom? No wonder it’s so disgusting.” The last part is Touka in reference to her father. Touka’s always had complex feelings about Arata, but lately she has been turning away from him entirely because she sees his decisions as what led to her abandonment. Touka does not want to acknowledge the actions of a man who fought for a mother she barely remembers, a mother who died because of murders she did a long time ago. Despite not choosing to be, she was born a ghoul who carries the sins of those two previous ghouls as well. Touka’s always dealt with self disgust for being born a ghoul, and also her own actions. I pinched my nose and jumped down without a pause. Just like how a child would when jumping into a pool. Even the never-stopping rain, even the never-breaking night, even the never-ending agony. It’s surely there, it’s just that it wasn’t there until now. Falling down, falling down. It’s as if right has become left. And on the brink of collision, I recall Björk’s song, I think this is where we are at at the poem, Touka has dived in by basically lying it all bare in front of Kaneki. Approaching the point of collision could be Mutsuki, a final collision between those two plot lines. As for a Bjork song, most assume that song is Hyperballad, the song played during the New Year’s livestream. The lyrics are a bit abstract, but basically it is about a girl throwing away things off a mountain, pieces of herself so she can be happy with someone else. At some point in the song she also considers throwing herself off of the mountain too. I follow with my eyes ‘til they crash Imagine what my body would sound like Slamming against those rocks When it lands Will my eyes Be closed or open? I go through all this Before you wake up So I can feel happier To be safe up here with you [x] I would say all of this foreshadowing at least points to Touka’s dissatisfaction and possibly the confrontation causing her to lose consciousness. She might even throw herself in front of Kaneki to protect him, since the person in the poem and the song both willingly throw themselves. In conclusion though, what does a rotting womb mean in association with Touka? It means that new life that could be born from her, has suddenly hit a stopping point and that stagnation is causing her to rot. What that could mean in literal terms though, we’ll have to see as the events unfold.

The only reason I am still here, quite frankly, is all of you. I made this blog right as I began to get so much sicker, and was completely alone. The support I received through all of you gave me the courage to seek out further treatment that undoubtedly prolonged my life. Prior to this, nobody listened to me. Nobody heard me when I was sick, nobody believed that what I said was happening actually was. I had nearly given up on myself, since all of my doctors and families tried to convince me that I was lying about my failing health. It was the absolute life changing experience of having an audience that gave me the strength to keep fighting. I actively thought about my followers, many of them by name, as I went to doctor after doctor and treatment after treatment. This is no exaggeration. My followers were the only people who wanted to be in my life and wanted to listen to what I had to say. That was everything to me. A lot of my early followers have become lifelong friends. I am sitting next to one of them right now, and have seen countless others these past few years, and anticipate meeting many more. Because of everyone, these have probably been the happiest years of my life. If not for all of you, I would probably be dead already, no joke. My body was completely shutting down, and it took a lot more strength than I could ever have alone to pursue extremely painful and effective treatments. Even though there still is no cure, and my life will likely end sooner than the time since this blog began, it has been made so much longer and so much better because of all of you. Even if whoever is reading this is a new follower, even if you are an old one, if you ever doubt yourself, remember that your mere presence can be life changing to someone else. I still have a lot more fighting to do, but I never would have made it this far in the first place alone. This birthday is because of all of you. Thank you.

Prominent Toronto defence lawyer Randall Barrs has recovered after being shot Sep. 20 outside his law office, but he is critical of Halton police for allowing the shooting to happen and Toronto police for not determining why he was a target. Barrs spoke exclusively to CBC Toronto Tuesday. It was the first time in the more than two months since a gunman opened fire that he has spoken on camera. On the sunny Tuesday afternoon when Barrs was shot in the driveway of his law office at 23 Bedford Rd. in the Annex, there were babies in strollers at a parkette just across the street. Barrs remembers them, but said he didn't see the man who is now accused of shooting him from behind until after he'd been shot twice in the left leg and had fallen to the ground. "I heard the noises, the popping sound and the next thing I knew I realized I was on the ground and with the amount of blood I saw on my leg and on my shoe and on the driveway, when I looked back over my shoulder, I put together I'd been shot," Barrs said recalling the ordeal. "I lost a lot of blood when I was hit, I was shot from behind by this coward." Barrs first started to hop on his injured leg down the driveway towards the assailant, but then fear set in. "Then I realized after two or three hops that he has a gun and I don't have one, so I just did a U-turn and hopped towards my office and lay on the door there and that's when the mystery begins," Barrs said. J. Randall Barrs gives his first television interview since he was shot outside his law office in September. (Martin Trainor/CBC) Within seconds a group of undercover officers from Halton Police had surrounded the gunman and were helping Barrs secure his belt around his leg to slow the bleeding. Sources tell CBC Toronto the team had the alleged gunman under surveillance, but Halton police have never confirmed why. Barrs wants to know why police didn't step in earlier if they were hiding in the bushes. "They were all wearing vests, they were protected — very dangerous situation. There were people all over the place," he said. "It's just a miracle that no one else was hit beside me." One of the officers shot the alleged gunman in the neck. The man survived, and the incident is being investigated by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the province's civilian police watchdog. The SIU steps in when police are involved in a confrontation that results in the injury of a civilian. J. Randall Barrs is photographed outside his law office on Tues., Nov. 22, 2016. (Martin Trainor/CBC) Halton police told CBC Toronto Tuesday they can't comment because their investigation is ongoing. The SIU said its investigation is continuing and it could not provide an update. Barrs is perplexed the SIU investigation isn't finished because he said he was told the officer who pulled the trigger, along with the officers who witnessed it, were all interviewed within a week of the shooting. Grayson Delong, 51, is charged with 15 offences, including attempted murder. No longer wearing a gray neck-brace, on Nov. 21 Delong appeared in court, wearing an orange jumpsuit. Some pre-trial arrangements were made and he will appear next in court Dec. 5. At the time of the shooting, Delong was out on bail after a series of break-and-enters in Halton region, and was under a weapons prohibition. "He was out on bail for a bunch of [break and enters] in Peel but this doesn't look like [break and enter] surveillance. It doesn't make any sense," said Barrs. Barrs maintains Delong was not a past or present client of his, and the men did not know each other. Toronto Police have downloaded video that allegedly captures the shooting from one of Barrs's associates and apprehended Delong's cellphone, according to Barrs. Halton police officers boxed in the alleged gunman, who is inside the silver car in this image, moments after lawyer J. Randall Barrs was shot. (Peter Schilling/Submitted) Yet nine weeks later there have been no updates from police. Barrs said whoever orchestrated the shooting hasn't been caught, which means whoever has an axe to grind against him is still out there. "You would think that would cause [Toronto Police] to speed up their investigation. You would think time would be of the essence but that doesn't seem to be the way things work with the Toronto Police Service," said Barrs. "I'm not happy, I haven't been on this side of the fence but now I understand why a lot of people who have been have expressed so much unhappiness." Toronto Police did not respond to CBC Toronto for an update on their investigation. Despite everything, the veteran defence lawyer said he is not letting the open case stop him. "I've been doing this for 40 years. I'm not afraid. I'm carrying on with my life," Barrs said. The bullets went right through his left leg, missing bones and arteries. There is muscle and nerve damage, but he is recovering well, he said. He says he was home from hospital the day after the shooting, and his first day in court was just over a week later on Sept. 29. "I was in a lot of pain and discomfort for a long time, but it gradually got better day-by-day," he said. "I'm doing pretty well. I'd say [I'm] at the 95 per cent level at this point."

Since the release of the Panama Papers, every day has brought on a new development. The sheer scale of the leaks is staggering — nearly 100 times more data than when Wikileaks released nearly 3 million US diplomatic cables. The papers themselves include millions of leaked documents that reveal just how pervasive tax avoidance is among the world's most powerful and wealthy. They give a world tour of corruption, magnifying tactics used by the rich to keep their financial dealings secret. They have already forced out the prime minister of Iceland and raised uncomfortable questions for the prime minister of the United Kingdom. But they also raised a lot of questions, from the complex to the simple: Who leaked the documents? How did we get into this situation in the first place? And what the hell is a shell company to begin with? While financial transparency remains a mainstay of many prominent world leaders' political platforms, the Panama Papers proved that international tax structures allow for widespread secrecy. Here's how: 1) What are the Panama Papers? Let's start at the beginning. In short, the Panama Papers is the biggest leak of confidential data in history. Specifically, the leak consisted of 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm that specializes in helping people anonymously set up offshore shell companies in nations with lower taxes to protect their financial assets. The papers were initially released to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The newspaper then partnered with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. For more than a year, 300 journalists reviewed the 2.6 terabytes of data before releasing their findings, now called the Panama Papers. The documents showed the internal dealings, emails, invoices, and documents shared between the world's elite and the lawyers paid to help them retain their wealth. If we have learned anything from the Panama Papers, it's that the revelations that came out of them are extraordinarily complicated (explained in more detail here), and their impact has depended not just on what the papers themselves showed, but on the political situation surrounding the principal players. The papers named 140 politicians from more than 50 countries linked to offshore financial dealings in more than 20 tax havens. It named famous athletes and celebrities, friends of world leaders, and wealthy divorcees, ultimately giving insight into how the wealthy are able to keep their money and power without being subject to their own country's laws and tax codes: Iceland's prime minister resigned after the Panama Papers showed he was personally connected to an offshore company , Wintris, registered in the British Virgin Islands, that stood to benefit from bailout negotiations in which he was involved with big banks, although it's not clear whether he personally benefited financially. , Wintris, registered in the British Virgin Islands, that stood to benefit from bailout negotiations in which he was involved with big banks, although it's not clear whether he personally benefited financially. UK Prime Minister David Cameron's father owned an offshore holdings company in Panama in which the prime minister also once had shares and sold before becoming prime minister in 2010. in Panama in which the prime minister also once had shares and sold before becoming prime minister in 2010. There is a multimillion-dollar network of offshore companies surrounding Vladimir Putin and his closest friends that, although not directly linked to Putin by name, connects the Russian president to secret and questionable loans and investments in Russian monopolies. and his closest friends that, although not directly linked to Putin by name, connects the Russian president to secret and questionable loans and investments in Russian monopolies. Mossack Fonseca was deeply tied to Brazil's current corruption scandal and President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment trial. The Panamanian law firm helped 57 people linked to the Petrobras scandal, a $5.3 billion bribery scheme implicating Brazil's most elite politicians and executives, and set up 107 offshore companies, including one allegedly tied to Eduardo Cunha, the lead opposition politician pushing for the president's impeachment. 2) How do tax havens and shell companies actually work? Tax havens — countries, states, or territories where taxes are very low or nonexistent — often also have financial regulations that require less transparency in the banking system. Panama, for example, does not have an international transaction income tax or sales tax. The government only requires that offshore companies pay a $300 annual franchise tax. Places like Panama — or the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, or the British Virgin Islands — are particularly attractive for wealthy individuals because this legal framework makes it easy to hide their financial assets from the tax authorities of the countries in which they actually live and work. Big multinational companies take advantage of tax havens to minimize their corporate income tax bill by internally shifting profit-making assets to subsidiaries located in low-tax countries. For example, Apple's global sales go through its subsidiary company in Ireland, which has lower corporate income tax. Individuals can't really do this. Instead, they can go to law firms like Mossack Fonseca to set up inactive companies, called shell companies, the sole purpose of which is to hold financial assets. Usually the true owners of these companies remain anonymous — on paper, shell companies are often directed by the lawyers who control the company but don't have any real control of the company's activities. These shell companies can hold investments, they can buy houses and multimillion-dollar yachts, and ultimately they allow the real owners to shield assets from scrutiny or taxation. Setting up a shell company isn't illegal. Paying lower taxes in Panama or other tax havens isn't illegal either. These, like claiming deductions, are tax avoidance practices — legal ways to pay the least amount of taxes possible. But tax evasion — failing to accurately disclose your financial situation — is illegal. The precise line between legal avoidance and illegal evasion can be hard to detect, especially without access to full and complete financial records, so offshore shell companies can help blur the line. 3) Are offshore tax havens bad? Tax havens let people avoid or evade paying a lot of money to the governments under which they live — which is good for the avoiders, and, again, is not necessarily illegal, but is usually bad for their fellow citizens. Gabriel Zucman, an economist at the University of California-Berkeley, estimates that nearly $8 trillion — 8 percent of all the financial wealth in the world — is stashed in tax havens, and that illegal tax evasion costs governments around the world $200 billion per year in taxes. The problem is worst in Africa, where 30 percent of assets are in tax havens, and Russia, where the total wealth in tax havens is more than 50 percent. Legal tax avoidance schemes cost the US a lot of money, too: A recent study from Oxfam found the top 50 corporations in the US had stowed more than a trillion dollars in 1,600-plus offshore subsidiary companies while still receiving trillions in federal funds, whether in the form of a loan or a bailout. Their tax avoidance practices cost the US more than $110 billion every year, according to Oxfam's report. Organizations like Oxfam say this leads to further inequality, ultimately forcing the government to cut federal programs that are meant to aid lower-income citizens. Outside of the US, this kind of practice can also reduce tax gains in the developing world. Because tax havens are the product of an unorganized international tax system, developing countries are also cut out of about $100 billion of taxes — money that could go toward necessary infrastructure like schools, roads, etc. Tax havens are also counter to ideals of financial transparency. One chief purpose of shell companies is to maintain the anonymity of the real owner, which has the potential to lead to even shadier things than tax avoidance. Tax havens are often seen as breeding grounds for criminal activity. When countries do not require companies to report financial records, it makes it really easy to mask illegal activities. This is the scene in the movies when the rich guy in a silk robe gets arrested for laundering money through his private Cayman Island resort. And a lot of these law firms are set up to help people do just that. Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the center of the Panama Papers, has been investigated time and time again for aiding in money laundering schemes. In January, Brazilian prosecutors brought charges against their lawyers for hiding documents related to the Petrobras scandal. Before that, an American hedge fund that was invested in Argentina's defaulted debt investigated Mossack Fonseca's Las Vegas subsidiary for hiding records relating to offshore accounts that were stealing from Argentinian government contracts. "When it comes to money laundering, we offer full service: rinse, wash, and dry," said Miguel Antonio Bernal, a Panamanian lawyer and political analyst told Vice. "You can go to any law firm in the city, from the smallest to the biggest, and open up a shell company with no questions asked." In the end, tax havens make inequality worse, Zucman told Vox's Libby Nelson: They make it easier for the rich to get richer by avoiding taxes. They make it harder to redistribute their wealth. And people who aren't sheltering their assets end up paying more in taxes to make up for the untaxed money that's being held offshore. 4) If so many people think tax havens are bad, why are they still around? Isn't someone trying to do something about this? The simplest way to approach this is that tax havens benefit the very wealthy and the very wealthy have a lot of political clout. Elites have largely allowed tax havens to exist because elites themselves benefit from their existence. This doesn't mean fixes haven't been in the works. In both 2008 and 2014, the Senate investigated tax-evasion practices surrounding Switzerland's largest banks. During the second investigation, Credit Suisse agreed to a $196 million settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for illegal banking. In 2015, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act. The bill, supported by many tax-justice oriented organizations, would tighten reporting requirements on offshore companies and treat certain offshore companies owned by Americans as taxable domestic corporations. It was referred to House committees the day it was introduced and has not moved since. There are multiple reasons for this. First, tax havens' major beneficiaries are multinational corporations that have powerful lobbyists. According to the Oxfam study, a corporation is run by a "multibillion dollar army of lobbyists to influence federal policy," which not only guarantees them millions in loans, loan guarantees, and bailouts, but also finds ways to eventually bring the money they have stored offshore back into the country without exorbitant taxes. But also there are some persistent counterarguments to putting an end to tax havens. One, paying higher taxes prevents them from investing in resources that could ultimately benefit people. And second, there is the notion of double-taxing, which is the idea that without tax havens people could be taxed on the same income, assets, or financial transactions in two different jurisdictions. In the current international tax structure, double taxing is prevented with tax deals between countries. For example, under President Barack Obama's administration the United States passed a deal with Panama that eliminated tariffs on trade and gave Panama access to US businesses and financial services. 5) How did we get into this situation in the first place? Is a trade deal with Panama to blame? Many congressional critics of the free trade agreement between the US and Panama, which passed in 2012, warned the deal would worsen Panama's status as a tax haven. One of those critics, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, used the Panama Papers to vindicate his stance against the Panama free trade deal. "The Panama Free Trade Agreement put a stamp of approval on Panama, a world leader when it comes to allowing the wealthy and the powerful to avoid taxes," Sanders said in a statement following the release of the Panama Papers. "I predicted that the passage of this disastrous trade deal would make it easier, not harder, for the wealthy and large corporations to evade taxes by sheltering billions of dollars offshore. I wish I had been proven wrong about this, but it has now come to light that the extent of Panama’s tax avoidance scams is even worse than I had feared." But this isn't necessarily the case. In fact, countries can use trade deals to put checks on tax havens. The papers themselves indicate that the agreement made it slightly ​harder​ for Americans to use Panama specifically as a venue, as the Washington Post's editorial board argues: Data culled from the documents by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and presented in several charts on the group’s website, show that the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, which specialized in setting up offshore accounts and shell companies for wealthy people, has been steadily reducing its activity in Panama for about a decade. As it happens, the decline began about the time the Bush administration and Panama began discussing a free-trade pact — and accelerated after the deal took effect during Mr. Obama’s first term. [...] The Obama administration, backed by members of Congress, made it clear the free-trade deal — which Panama badly wanted, to match a deal between its Central American neighbors and the United States — hinged on a separate agreement granting U.S. tax authorities more access to Panama’s financial system. The United States particularly insisted on plugging the "bearer shares" loophole. Panama agreed and changed its laws accordingly — before the free-trade agreement reached the Senate and Mr. Sanders nevertheless voted "no," claiming, wrongly, that it would make the tax haven "worse." 6) Taxes are kind of confusing. Can we just watch cartoons instead? Yes. But only if it's a fun educational cartoon about shell companies and tax havens. Here are the Panama Papers explained in an adorable comic about piggy banks: 7) Hold up. Back to the Panama Papers. Who actually leaked these documents? We don't actually know. In an interview with Wired, Bastian Obermayer, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reporter who first interacted with the anonymous whistleblower, said the German paper had months of encrypted conversations with the source, who over a few months continuously fed the reporters troves of confidential documents, emails, and invoices. Obermayer said the source said his or her "life is in danger." They never met in person and only communicated in encrypted messages. In the months that followed, Süddeutsche Zeitung partnered with journalists around the world and created an encrypted database to work through the leaked documents. The paper has not released the raw data and has said it will not do so, in order to protect the source. "You don't harm the privacy of people, who are not in the public eye. Blacking out private data is a task, that would require a lifetime of work — we have eleven million documents," the reporters wrote in a Reddit AMA. The law firm in question, Mossack Fonseca, maintains that the leak did not come from one of its employees. So, the source is still anonymous, but there are a lot of theories about who leaked the documents. It's fun to speculate, but the conspiracy theories also illustrate how different parts of the world are reacting to the leak: Putin's theory is that the US leaked the documents as part of a larger scheme to "destabilize" Russia, adding that the entire motive behind leaking the documents was to smear him as president. "They are trying to destabilize us from within in order to make us more compliant," Putin said in response to the information revealed in the documents. The Brookings Institute's Clifford G. Gaddy theory is that Russia leaked the documents, which turns Putin's theory on its head, claiming that this was some long-reaching Russian ploy to blackmail the US. How? Because while the Panama Papers mired Russian elites in headlines, they said little that was unknown. Rather, Gaddy says the papers are more interesting in what they don't reveal: the offshore habits of American elites. That information, he says, the Russians are keeping as blackmail: Any actual reputational damage to Putin or Russia caused by the Panama Papers is in fact pretty trivial. For that cheap price, the Russians would have 1) exposed corrupt politicians everywhere, including in "model" Western democracies, and 2) fomented genuine destabilization in some Western countries. What I wonder, then: Is it a set-up? The Russians threw out the bait, and the United States gobbled it down. The Panama Paper stories run off Putin like water off a duck’s back. But they have a negative impact on Western stability. [...] Therefore, I suggest that the purpose of the Panama Papers operation may be this: It is a message directed at the Americans and other Western political leaders who could be mentioned but are not. The message is: "We have information on your financial misdeeds, too. You know we do. We can keep them secret if you work with us." In other words, the individuals mentioned in the documents are not the targets. The ones who are not mentioned are the targets. These two conspiracy theories have one thing in common: They suggest that the revelations in the Panama Papers were very important to Russia and Putin in particular. Even if neither is true — yes, Gaddy's theory is somewhat outlandish, but he's also one of the most prominent experts on Russia's economy — that's an important point of context to understand why they've made news. 8) Why didn't Americans make the Panama Paper headlines? We have three options here: One, we can go with Gaddy's theory that they actually did make an appearance in the papers and we just don't know about it yet; two, that Americans have used other tax-avoidance schemes; or three, that Americans are in the clear and don't use tax-avoidance schemes. The third is not the correct answer. As the Oxfam study said, especially in corporate America, the use of tax havens is pervasive. Americans are not exceptional in this regard. And there are plenty of very wealthy Americans who are surely implementing tax-avoidance schemes. Mossack Fonseca is one law firm – and one that as a policy "prefer(s) not to have American clients," founder Roman Fonseca recently told the Associated Press. "My partner is German, and I lived in Europe, and our focus has always been the European and Latin American market," Fonseca told the AP. But there is an additional point to be made here. The term "offshore tax haven" or offshore company, uses "offshore" very loosely. America has its own tax havens — a lot of them. As James Henry, a senior adviser to the Tax Justice Network, wrote in a 2012 report, first reported by the Washington Post, offshore can also mean right at home for Americans looking to protect their assets: "The term offshore refers not so much to the actual physical location of private assets or liabilities, but to nominal, hyper-portable, multi-jurisdictional, often quite temporary locations of networks of legal and quasi-legal entities and arrangements that manage and control private wealth," Henry wrote. Namely, Delaware, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and New York are all tax-friendly for keeping financial assets, even when compared to the more iconically known tax havens like the Bahamas or Panama. 9) Okay, so a lot of data was just released and important people were named. Is anything actually going to change now that we know this? It's true this sort of tax-avoidance scheming has been going on forever; it has long been documented that people try to find every possible way to pay fewer taxes. But as the stories continue to unfold some things have started to change. There were the immediate reactions: Iceland's prime minister resigned out of embarrassment, British Prime Minister David Cameron, who released his personal financial assets in an attempt at transparency — a promise he had made earlier on as prime minister and is now under enormous pressure to uphold — will also host an anti-corruption summit in the coming month, which will surely discuss the Panama Papers' findings. The European Union's Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Pierre Moscovici also threatened sanctions against Panama and other tax havens if they do not close their tax loopholes, according to the Associated Press. Panama, which has not cooperated with international tax issues in the past, has responded to the strong international outrage, forming an international committee of experts to recommend best transparency practices for Panama's offshore financial industry. "The Panamanian government, via our foreign ministry, will create an independent commission of domestic and international experts ... to evaluate our current practices and propose the adoption of measures that we will share with other countries of the world to strengthen the transparency of the financial and legal systems," President Juan Carlos Varela said in a televised address after the papers were released. There have been a lot of calls for action. Now it is a waiting game to see if changes will be implemented.

Hours before the rock band Coheed and Cambria was scheduled to perform at the Comcast Center in Mansfield yesterday, police arrested bass player Michael Todd and charged him with robbing a nearby pharmacy of painkillers. The Attleboro Police Department said in a prepared statement that officers responded to a Walgreens Pharmacy about 1 p.m. Sunday after Todd, 30, of Anaheim, Calif., allegedly demanded Oxycontin and threatened pharmacists with a fake bomb. He absconded with six bottles of pain pills, police said. “The male suspect fled behind the building,’’ the statement said. “He was seen by a passerby getting into a taxi cab.’’ Police said they contacted a local cab company, which reported picking up a fare near the Walgreens minutes after the robbery. The cab service told police the taxi was headed to the Comcast Center, where Coheed and Cambria were slated to open for the 1990s rock band Soundgarden last evening. Attleborough police said they noticed the Mansfield Police Department, which sent officers to intercept the cab. Todd was arrested at the concert hall and he will face charges of armed robbery and possession of a controlled substance, the statement said. Todd was jailed in Attleboro on $10,000 cash bail while his bandmates performed without him. New York-based Coheed and Cambria said in a statement on its website that it will not cancel any shows and plans to continue a tour of the Northeast and Canada with another bass player. “Todd was arrested today on what we consider very serious charges and therefore he will not be finishing up the current tour,’’ the band wrote on its site. “We are surprised, to say the least, and will address the situation with Michael after the tour.’’ Alexander C. Kaufman can be reached at [email protected]. © Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

MEMBERS of the clergy would face jail for failing to report knowledge of sexual abuse gained during confession, with pressure growing to lift the confidentiality laws that protect them. Exemptions exist for members of the clergy, medical workers and social workers among a small number of professions in NSW if they conceal knowledge of a crime from authorities if it was gained in their professional duties. Yesterday Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott added their voices to calls that Catholic priests not be exempt from having to report child abuse to police if they hear it in the confessional. MPs said the forthcoming royal commission on sexual abuse should recommend that state criminal codes be harmonised to mandate priests to go to the police in child sexual abuse matters.

[Editor's note: Ohio State has asked us to remove the video of OSU's QBs at the scrimmage from publication. Our apologies.] How did Ohio State's top-three quarterbacks -- J.T. Barrett, Joe Burrow and Dwayne Haskins -- look during Saturday's student appreciation day scrimmage? In a word, they were sharp. Not perfect by any means or even close, but it was an encouraging day for the Buckeye QBs. Burrow is the clear backup to Barrett, but Haskins is also looking good. Barrett, Burrow and Haskins were all wearing black no-contact jerseys, while Tate Martell was live. For much more on how the QBs performed during the scrimmage between the offense and defense, which ended in a 16-16 tie, check out our practice thread that was posted earlier on Saturday. What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! Want the latest scoops and news on the Buckeyes? Try our 7-DAY FREE TRIAL AND BECOME A BUCKNUTS SUBSCRIBER!

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Shimon Peres on Saturday evening and officially asked him for an extension in order to form the new government. Peres granted the request. In a short press conference held in the President's Residence following the meeting, Netanyahu criticized what he called the "boycott" imposed by certain parties on others. Related stories: "The main reason I have not been able to finish forming the coalition until now is – and I'll say this as plainly as possible – the fact that certain parties are boycotting others. "There's a boycott against a sector in Israel and this goes against my views," he said, in thinly veiled criticism of the political pact between Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi, which states that they will not join a coalition that includes the haredi parties. Netanyahu and Peres (Photo: GPO) "I am doing everything within my power to unite the people. I think that we, as Jews who have suffered from bans, we cry out in protest when Israel is shunned in international forums – as we should. We protest when settlers in Judea and Samaria have to deal with product boycotts – as we should. So the people who have to be the most sensitive to this issue are the settlers. "Our history," he continued, "Is riddled with tragedies caused by unfounded hatred and internal fighting. Today, when we look around and see the myriad of challenges around us – security challenges, the challenges posed by the need to hold a responsible peace process – I believe these challenges require that we stand united, not divided." 'Democracy takes effort' "After seeking legal advice and hearing how the negotiations are going and what you have done so far, I believe you are the man who should form the government," Peres told Netanyahu in the press conference. "I was glad to learn that you believe that you have a good chance of forming a coalition within the next two weeks. I have no doubt that Israel needs a stable government that would be able to deal with the social and security challenges ahead. "We are a democracy and democracy takes effort. I hereby grant you a two-week extension to form the coalition and bid you good luck," the president concluded. The customary 28-day timeframe afforded to the prime minister after the Likud's election win, elapsed over the weekend. Israel's Election Act, as well as Basic Law: The Government, state that the winning candidate is allowed to petition the president for an additional 14 days to complete the task, should the initial timeframe prove insufficient. According to the law, should Netanyahu fail to form a government at the end of his 14-day extension, Peres could task another candidate with the responsibility. In the event that the president does ask another candidate to form the government and he or she fails as well, a new general elections would be called. Naftali Bennett was quick response to Netanyahu's criticism, via his Facebook page, saying it was the Likud-Beiteinu's negotiation team that is responsible for the disconnect. "We expected to be the first, and most natural, partner to enter Netanyahu's government. We recommended that he be tasked with forming the government sans any preconditions. The Likud, however, sent us a clear message – 'there is no way the religious-Zionism party will be part of the government.'" Despite the mutual gabbing, Netanyahu and Bennett have agreed to meet on Sunday in another attempt to resolve the stalemate plaguing the coalition negotiations. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

Graeme Watt enlightens us on the appeal of the trainer festival as Laces Out heads back to Camp & Furnace. This Saturday sees Laces Out return to Camp and Furnace for its Biannual trainer festival, and having spent the best part of 3 years at the venue, they seem to have gotten the whole thing down to a fine art. Now trainer festivals probably seem a little far fetched to most, they have been going on up and down the country for the past 8 years or so with Crepe City dominating the footwear scene down south and Laces Out up north. Things may have slowed down with level of top quality releases in the shoe world, but that doesn’t seem to stop the punters heading to Laces Out, as other than Carlos store out in South America, you’ll be hard pressed to find unworn vintage Adidas anywhere but the Scouse trainer festival which seems to make it a favourite for those travelling. For those oblivious to trainer culture, you can expect to find a wide variation of footwear, streetwear, local traders and exclusive previews from the likes of Adidas. Previous events have included sneak peeks of the Adidas Spezial range, early screenings of brand new sneaker channels before hitting social platforms, live music throughout the day with some guest appearances from guests such as Bobbito Garcia, Kish Kash, Neal Heard and Lecky Legs. This weekends event also boasts an exclusive preview of Neal Heard’s The Art of the Football Shirt exhibition showcasing classic football shirts from over the years. Boasting a wide selection of entertainment including No Fakin’ DJ’s, DJ Pooky and SUEDEBROWN along side stalls packed with footwear, Laces Out is pretty much the ideal place to spend your Football free Saturday with family & friends.

Occupy New Hampshire takes over White Park By MATTHEW SPOLAR Monitor staff Last modified: 10/10/2011 12:00:00 AM White Park became ground zero of the Occupy New Hampshire movement yesterday, as residents from across the state descended on Concord to decide how to make their voices heard in a fashion similar to the ongoing Wall Street protests. Using a consensus-building direct democracy format, about 100 people decided to begin an occupation of Veterans Park in Manchester at noon Saturday. The protesters, who intend to meet for a daily general assembly and occupy the park in shifts, will join a growing movement concerned about the influence of money and big business on government. "I've been to protests before, but this is the most exciting movement I've seen so far," said Matthew Richards, a 20-year-old student at the University of New Hampshire in Manchester. One of the most vocal organizers yesterday was Brett Chamberlin, a Durham native who is a junior at New York University. Chamberlin has been attending the Wall Street occupation since it began Sept. 17. With Chamberlin's direction, the group was organized into committees that will meet at the park to discuss topics like education, labor, art and religion. "So far, the consensus at Occupy Wall Street has been that we're hesitating to make official demands because a movement doesn't have demands necessarily. We want it to be seen more as a movement," as opposed to a protest, he said. Occupy events have now sprung up in cities across the country. Also, making demands at this point might turn people off from joining, he said. "I think we're there more to respond to the problems and recognize that things are messed up before we necessarily try to channel that into demands," he said. "It's complicated." Ken Roos, first vice president of the State Employees' Association, was active in the discussion about how to go about the occupation. He said corporate profits go into off-shore tax shelters and private jets for CEOs instead of hiring more employees or improving employee benefits. "The 1 percent controls everything that's going on in the country, and has had a negative impact not just on the 99 percent but the entire country," he said. "As much as the government tries to follow the rules that the corporations are saying - as far as, 'provide us with tax breaks and things like that and we'll create jobs' - they're not creating them. At least not in the United States." Leah Wolczko, an unemployed teacher in Manchester, first became politically involved through the anti-tax Tea Party movement. Present yesterday were hardcore communists and hardcore anarchists, she said, and "even those divergent positions can come to an agreement on what needs to change immediately." Wolczko said the Tea Party movement, now associated with Republican politicians, and the Occupy movement, thought to be sparked by a more left-leaning sentiment, are "the same thing to me." "The Tea Party at its heart was against unfair advantage and big government that gives it and creates the inequalities," she said. "This is a very diverse group politically, and not everybody agrees on how the inequality has come about. But we all agree that it's here." Ed Cunningham, the 62-year-old chairman of the Kensington Democrats, said the people in both the Tea Party and the Occupy movement have similar concerns, but go about it in different ways. "I think (the Tea Party was) co-opted by the Republican Party to win an election," he said. "I don't think you can push these people anywhere they don't want to go." Cunningham, toting a towering American flag, said the meeting reminded him of a "constitutional congress." "This is amazing," he said. "This is what it was." Sherry Gould, a 57-year-old social worker from Warner, said she loved watching people "in live-free-or-die (New Hampshire), one of the most politicalized states in the world, rise to the challenge and be able to put their partisan differences aside, find common ground." Gould said she came out because of "my children and my grandchildren and this crappy, crappy world that we're handing them." "It breaks my heart to see the lack of opportunity for young people," she said. "All these people using their skills to build this movement are building a resume. Even if they can't get a job." Leah Woods, a 39-year old Portsmouth resident who teaches woodworking, said she is worried that in politics, "increasingly allegiances seem to be more towards corporations and more towards organizations that have a lot of money." Figuring out where the problem starts is a difficult issue the Occupy movement can begin to address, she said. "It's a really big, abstract issue that cannot be pinpointed to any one particular company or person," she said. "I think there's so many factors that contribute to this place that the country is going, where people who have are on a path to have more and people who don't have are on a path to have less." Matt Lawrence, an unemployed 27-year-old from Manchester, said he is hoping the Occupy movement can make "our elected officials actually represent us again," in Washington. "The time and the place for calling your local politician seems to have come and gone, and it seems like it doesn't really do anything," he said. Curtis Russell, a 30-year-old Manchester resident who described himself as an individualist-anarchist, wasn't pleased with the hours spent yesterday trying to structure Occupy New Hampshire. Mimicking the Wall Street protests, where megaphones have been banned, the meeting used an active listening format where speakers paused every couple words as the crowd repeated what they said to make sure all had heard. "It's a meeting to establish bureaucracy and I'm more interested in destroying bureaucracy," he said. "I think it's a waste of time in that respect . . . these people are still hacking at the limbs of a tree and they're ignoring the roots." The Occupy movement is too focused on reforming government without trying to get rid of it, he said. "Arguably, global corporations are a huge detriment to mankind but they are unable to exist without their partner, the state," he said. Andrew Boyd, 42, of Concord said he came out to see what was going on, but wasn't ready to associate himself with the group. "I'm not sure about who they are yet," he said. However, Boyd said it's always good for people to gather publicly, at any time. "That's important - our right to gather is in need of exercise," he said. (Matthew Spolar can be reached at 369-3309 or [email protected].)

Abortion may be a key issue for evangelical Christian voters, but Samantha Bee says that wasn't always the case. On Monday night, the "Full Frontal" host went back in time to the late 1970s to explain how the issue was manufactured by power-hungry leaders of the religious right and then legitimized by the Republican Party. "Last week, we took a look at the religious right, those coveted evangelical voters that conservatives spent decades pandering to only to be dumped just before November prom for a heretical billionaire bully who only says the word 'God' when he is ejaculating on a pile of money," said Bee. "Many people think the new religious right arose as a response to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision," she added. "But that's not true." Bee played a clip showing Dartmouth religion professor Randall Balmer revealing how leaders of the religious right held a conference call in 1979 to discuss which issues they should politicize. One member suggested abortion. "Wait, were they founding a movement or deciding what toppings to get on their pizza?" asked Bee. "Now they just needed to tell the rest of us that abortion was bad." Bee then spoke to filmmaker Frank Schaeffer, the son of prominent Christian theologian Francis Schaeffer, who produced propaganda videos (such as the one below) to promote the pro-life movement. It was to become "the single greatest regret of my life," Schaeffer said. "Most evangelical leaders didn't want anything to do with [the issue of abortion]. They wanted to just preach Jesus," said Schaeffer. "They thought politics was dirty. They didn't want anything to do with it. We had to talk them into it." Schaeffer said the religious right's anti-abortion agenda was legitimized with the help of Jack Kemp, who went onto become President George H. W. Bush’s housing secretary. "(Kemp) brought in 50 senators and congressmen including Henry Hyde and Bob Dole and a bunch of other people and gave it respectability," Schaeffer said. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on Saturday 15 June 1996. The IRA detonated a 1,500-kilogram (3,300 lb) Lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the centre of Manchester, England. The biggest bomb detonated in Great Britain since World War II, it targeted the city's infrastructure and economy and caused devastating damage, estimated by insurers at £700 million (equivalent to £1.3 billion in 2018) – only surpassed by the 2001 September 11 attacks and the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing in terms of financial cost.[3][4] The IRA had sent telephoned warnings about 90 minutes before the bomb detonated. At least 75,000 people were evacuated from the area,[5] but the bomb squad were unable to defuse the bomb in time. More than 200 people were injured but there were no fatalities[6] despite the strength of the bomb, which has been largely credited to the fast response of emergency services in evacuating the city centre before the bomb could explode.[7][8] At the time, England was hosting the Euro '96 football championships and a Russia vs Germany match was to take place in Manchester the following day. Although Manchester had been targeted by the IRA before, it had not been subjected to an attack on this scale. In February 1996, the IRA had ended its seventeen-month ceasefire with a large truck bomb attack on London's Canary Wharf financial district, though the 3,300-pound bomb of Manchester was three times the size of the Canary Wharf bomb.[5] The Manchester bombing was condemned by the British and Irish governments and U.S. President Bill Clinton. Five days after the blast, the IRA issued a statement from Dublin in which it claimed responsibility, but regretted causing injury to civilians.[9] Several buildings near the explosion were damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished, while many more were closed for months for structural repairs. Most of the rebuilding work was completed by the end of 1999, at a cost of £1.2 billion, although redevelopment continued until 2005. The perpetrators of the attack have not been caught, and Greater Manchester Police have conceded it is unlikely that anyone will be charged in connection with the bombing.[10] The bombing has however been credited for starting the city's mass regeneration and turning Manchester into a modern British "powerhouse" city with above national average economic growth in the 20 years following the bombing.[6][11][12] Background [ edit ] From 1970 the Provisional Irish Republican Army was carrying out an armed campaign aimed ultimately at bringing about a united Ireland. As well as attacking military and political targets, it also bombed infrastructure and commercial targets in Northern Ireland and England. It believed that by damaging the economy and causing severe disruption, it could pressure the British government to negotiate a withdrawal from Northern Ireland.[13] Manchester had been the target of earlier IRA bombs. Firebombs damaged city centre businesses in 1973 and 1974, for which a man was later imprisoned. In April 1974, a bomb exploded at Manchester Magistrates' Court, injuring twelve. In 1975, IRA bomb factories were found in Greater Manchester and five men were imprisoned for planning attacks in North West England.[14] On 4 December 1992, the IRA detonated two small bombs in Manchester city centre, forcing police to evacuate thousands of shoppers. More than 60 were hurt by shattered glass and the blasts cost an estimated £10 million in damage and business losses.[15] The Downing Street Declaration of 1993 allowed Sinn Féin, a political party associated with the IRA,[16] to participate in all-party peace negotiations on condition that the IRA called a ceasefire. The IRA called a ceasefire on 31 August 1994. John Major's government, dependent on Ulster Unionist Party votes, then began insisting that the IRA must fully disarm before there could be any all-party negotiations. The IRA saw this as a demand for total surrender and believed the British were unwilling to hold negotiations.[18] It ended its ceasefire on 9 February 1996 when it detonated a powerful truck bomb in Canary Wharf, one of the two financial districts of London. The blast killed two people and caused an estimated £150 million worth of damage.[14] The IRA then planted five other devices in London within the space of 10 weeks.[19] The IRA planned to carry out a similar bombing in Manchester. The city may have been chosen because it was one of the host cities of the Euro '96 football tournament, attended by visitors and media organisations from all over Europe, guaranteeing the IRA what Margaret Thatcher called the "oxygen of publicity". A Russia vs Germany match was to take place at Old Trafford in Manchester a day after the bombing. The year before, Manchester had also won its bid to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games,[21] at the time the biggest multi-sport event ever to be staged in Britain. On 10 June 1996, multi-party negotiations began in Belfast. Sinn Féin had been elected to take part but were barred because the IRA had not resumed its ceasefire or agreed to disarm.[23] Details of the bombing [ edit ] The IRA's South Armagh Brigade was tasked with planning and carrying out the attack. It had also been responsible for the Canary Wharf bombing in February, and the Bishopsgate bombing in 1993. Its members mixed the explosives in Ireland and shipped them by freight from Dublin to England. In London, the bomb was assembled and loaded into the back of a red and white Ford Cargo van. On 14 June it was driven north towards Manchester, accompanied by a Ford Granada which served as a "scout car".[24] Discovery [ edit ] Stills taken from India 99 , a Greater Manchester Police helicopter, showing the Ford van moments before the blast, the explosion taking place, and the resulting mushroom cloud over the city, dwarfing the adjacent 23-storey high-rise, Arndale House. At about 9:20 am on Saturday 15 June 1996, the Ford van was parked on Corporation Street, outside the Marks & Spencer store, near the Arndale Centre.[1] After setting the bomb's timer, two men – wearing hooded jackets, baseball caps and sunglasses – left the vehicle and walked to Cathedral Street, where a third man picked them up in the Ford Granada.[24] The truck had been parked on double yellow lines with its hazard lights flashing.[25] Within three minutes a traffic warden had issued the vehicle with a parking ticket and called for its removal. At about 9:40 am, Granada Studios on Quay Street received a telephone call claiming that there was a bomb at the corner of Corporation Street and Cannon Street and that it would explode in one hour. The caller had an Irish accent and gave an IRA codeword so that police would know the threat was genuine.[1][27] Four other telephoned warnings were sent to television/radio stations, newspapers and a hospital.[28][29] The first policeman to arrive on the scene noticed wires running from the van's dashboard through a hole into the back and reported that he had found the bomb. Forensic experts later estimated that the bomb weighed 1,500–1,600 kg (3,300–3,500 lb)[30] and was a mixture of semtex, a military-grade plastic explosive, and ammonium nitrate fertiliser, a cheap and easily obtainable explosive used extensively by the IRA.[32] Components of what may have been a tremble trigger were also found later, designed to detonate the bomb if it was tampered with. Evacuation [ edit ] At 10:00 am, there were an estimated 75,000–80,000 people shopping and working in the vicinity. An evacuation of the area was undertaken by police officers from Bootle Street police station, supplemented by officers drafted into Manchester to control the football crowds. The police were helped by security guards from local shops.[1][34] One group worked to move people away from the bomb while another, assisted by firefighters and security guards, established a continuously expanding cordon around the area to prevent entry.[1] By 11:10 am the cordon was at the greatest extent that available manpower would permit, about a quarter of a mile (400 m) from the truck and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in circumference. Explosion [ edit ] The bomb squad arrived from their Liverpool base at 10:46 am and attempted to defuse the bomb using a remote-controlled device, but they ran out of time. The bomb exploded at 11:17 am, causing an estimated £700 million (£1.3 billion as of 2018)[37] of damage and affecting a third of the city centre's retail space. Marks & Spencer, the sky bridge connecting it with the Arndale Centre, and neighbouring buildings were destroyed.[1] It was the largest peacetime bomb ever detonated in Great Britain,[14] and the blast created a mushroom cloud which rose 300 metres (1,000 feet) from the ground.[38] The explosion could be heard up to 15 miles away and left a crater 15 metres wide.[25] Glass and masonry were thrown into the air, and behind the police cordon – up to 1⁄ 2 mi (800 m) away, people were showered by falling debris.[39] There were no fatalities, but 212 people were injured. A search of the area for casualties was confused by mannequins blasted from shop windows, which were sometimes mistaken for bodies. Hospitals across Greater Manchester were made ready to receive those injured in the blast.[1] The police commandeered a Metrolink tram to take 50 of the casualties to North Manchester General Hospital, which treated 79 in total; a further 80 were cared for at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, and many others were treated in the streets by ambulance crews assisted by doctors and nurses who happened to be in the city centre that morning. Reaction [ edit ] The bombing was condemned by British Prime Minister John Major and his government, by the opposition, and by individual members of parliament (MPs) as a "sickening", "callous" and "barbaric" terrorist attack.[41][42] Early on, Major stated that, "This explosion looks like the work of the IRA. It is the work of a few fanatics and ... causes absolute revulsion in Ireland as it does here".[43] Sinn Féin was criticised by Taoiseach John Bruton for being "struck mute" on the attack in the immediate aftermath. Bruton described the bombing as "a slap in the face to people who've been trying, against perhaps their better instincts, to give Sinn Féin a chance to show that they could persuade the IRA to reinstate the ceasefire".[43] The President of the United States, Bill Clinton, stated he was "deeply outraged by the bomb explosion" and joined Bruton and Major in "utterly condemning this brutal and cowardly act of terrorism".[44] Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, stated that he was "shocked and saddened" by the bombing. He insisted that his party was committed to achieving a peace settlement and argued "it is sheer folly to return to the old agenda of excluding Sinn Féin and seeking to isolate republicans".[45] On 20 June 1996, the IRA claimed responsibility for the bombing, and stated that it "sincerely regretted" causing injury to civilians.[16] The IRA statement continued: The British Government has spent the last 22 months since August '94 trying to force the surrender of IRA weapons and the defeat of the republican struggle. We are still prepared to enhance the democratic peace process ... but if there is to be a lasting peace ... then the British Government must put the democratic rights of all of the people of Ireland before its own party political self interest.[46] The bombing came five days after the beginning of the peace talks in Belfast, and represented the IRA's opposition to talks which excluded republicans.[47] The attack was part of a political strategy by the IRA to be included in negotiations on the IRA's own terms.[48] According to historian Richard English: "What they were doing with their return to bombings like the Manchester bomb was saying, 'We can still return to war if we want to. We can still put off a huge bomb in your cities and devastate them and therefore you have to deal with us'".[49] In an effort to allay fears that Manchester's considerable Irish community might be subjected to reprisal attacks, Councillors Richard Leese and Martin Pagel – leader and deputy leader of Manchester City Council respectively – made a public visit to the Irish World Heritage Centre in Cheetham Hill. In the event there were only a few incidents, the most serious of which occurred on the evening of the bomb when a gang of ten men rampaged through an Irish-themed bar in the centre of Middleton shouting the Ulster loyalist slogan "No surrender" and smashing furniture and windows. Seven days after the bombing, Manchester Council held a 'family fun day' in front of the Town Hall in Albert Square to encourage shoppers and visitors back into the city centre, the first of a "series of events and entertainments". The Euro '96 football match between Russia and Germany at Old Trafford went ahead as planned the day following the bombing, after the stadium had been heavily guarded overnight and carefully searched; the game, which Germany won 3–0, was watched by a capacity crowd of 50,700. Investigation [ edit ] In an effort to trace the route of the Ford van, police examined CCTV footage from every major road and motorway taken in England within two days of the bombing. Footage revealed that the van was driven south along the M1 motorway into London on the Friday afternoon before the attack. It was seen again heading north along the motorway at 7:40 pm, accompanied by the Ford Granada. Detectives surmised that the van had been loaded with explosives in London and that the Granada was intended to be the getaway vehicle. The truck was last recorded travelling east along the M62 motorway towards Manchester at 8:31 am on the morning of the explosion. Police in Manchester were aware that their Metropolitan Police colleagues in London were investigating a suspected IRA unit based in the capital, and wondered whether the London unit was responsible for the Manchester bombing. On 15 July, Metropolitan police arrested six men suspected of IRA membership: Donal Gannon, John Crawley, Gerard Hanratty, Robert Morrow, Patrick Martin, and Francis Rafferty. Each was tried and convicted of "conspiracy to cause explosions at National Grid electricity stations", and sentenced to 35 years in jail.[54] Police in Manchester meanwhile worked to establish if the men were also responsible for the Manchester bomb. Their investigation was led by Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Mutch of the Greater Manchester Police (GMP), "astonishingly ... the only person ever charged with a criminal offence in connection with the Manchester bomb". The van's last registered owner told police that he had sold it to a dealer in Peterborough, who had in turn sold the van on to a man calling himself Tom Fox, two weeks before the bombing. After the purchase price was delivered in cash by a taxi driver, the dealer was instructed to take the van to a nearby lorry park, and leave it there with the keys and documents hidden inside. On checking records of telephone calls made to the dealer, the police found that some had been made from a mobile phone registered in Ireland, and on further checking the records of that phone it appeared that the calls were made from locations consistent with the known whereabouts of the Ford truck. One call was to a known IRA member. The phone was last used at 9:23 am on the morning of the bombing, just three minutes after the bombers had parked their truck in Corporation Street. On 27 June, the phone's registered owner reported that it had been stolen 17 days earlier, but the police felt they had gathered enough evidence to bring a prosecution against the six IRA men held in London. At a meeting attended by the commander of Special Branch in Manchester, a GMP assistant chief constable and a "senior officer" from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), it was decided, for reasons never made public, not to present the findings of the investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the body responsible for undertaking criminal prosecutions in England. The three may have felt that as the IRA suspects were already in police custody they were no longer a threat, or that to pursue the case against them may have jeopardised ongoing undercover operations. It was not until 1998 that the police finally sent their file to the CPS, who decided not to prosecute. Leak [ edit ] Early in 1999, Steve Panter, chief crime reporter for the Manchester Evening News, leaked classified Special Branch documents naming those suspected of the bombing. The documents also revealed that the man suspected of organising the attack had visited Manchester shortly after the bombing and been under covert police surveillance as he toured the devastated city centre before returning to his home in South Armagh. Suspicion fell on Mutch as the source of the leaked documents after an analysis of mobile phone records placed both him and Panter at the same hotel in Skipton, North Yorkshire, about 40 miles (64 km) from Manchester on the same evening. On 21 April 1999, the Manchester Evening News named a man it described as "a prime suspect in the 1996 Manchester bomb plot".[60] The newspaper reported that the file sent by Greater Manchester Police to the Crown Prosecution Service contained the sentence: "It is the opinion of the investigating officers of GMP that there is sufficient evidence to charge [him] with being a party in a conspiracy to cause explosions in the United Kingdom."[61] The man denied any involvement.[62] The Attorney General wrote in a letter to a local MP that the advice given to the CPS by an independent lawyer was that "there was not a case to answer on the evidence available ... a judge would stop the case": the Attorney General further wrote that the decision not to prosecute was not influenced by the government. The newspaper also identified the six men arrested in London on 15 July as having planned the attack.[63][64] By July 2000 all six had been released under the terms of the 1998 Belfast Agreement. As of 2018, Panter and Mutch are the only people to have been arrested in connection with the bombing. Mutch was tried for "misconduct in a public office" during an 11-day trial held in January 2002, but was acquitted. During the trial Panter was found in contempt of court for refusing to reveal his source, an offence punishable by a term of imprisonment without the right of appeal. Greater Manchester Police announced in 2006 that there was no realistic chance of convicting those responsible for the bombing.[68] Reconstruction [ edit ] About twelve buildings in the immediate vicinity of the explosion were severely damaged. Overall, 530,000 square feet (49,000 m2) of retail space and 610,000 square feet (57,000 m2) of office space were put out of use.[69] Insurers paid out £411 million (£800 million as of 2018)[37] in damages for what was at the time one of the most expensive man-made disasters ever,[70] and there was considerable under-insurance.[69] Victims of the bombing received a total of £1,145,971 in compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; one individual received £146,524, the largest amount awarded as a result of this incident.[71] Close to the location of the blast, 2009 According to Home Office statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover.[72] The heaviest damage was sustained by the three buildings nearest the bomb: Michael House, comprising a Marks & Spencer store and a six-storey office block; Longridge House, offices for Royal and Sun Alliance, an insurance company; and the Arndale Centre, a shopping mall.[73] Michael House was deemed beyond economic repair and demolished. Marks & Spencer took the opportunity to acquire and demolish the adjacent Longridge House, using the enlarged site for the world's biggest branch of the store.[69] The company's fortunes changed during construction, and Selfridges subsequently co-occupied the building; Marks & Spencer leased part of the Lewis's store in the interim.[73] The frontage of the Arndale was badly damaged and was removed in a remodelling of that part of the city centre.[69] Coming to Manchester [after the bombing] was a journey I shall never forget. I sat on the train obviously deeply shocked and horrified. I knew that questions would be asked about what we were going to do; what is the right solution. Then I knew what the right solution was – to see this event, horrific as it was, as an opportunity and, no mucking about, we must do things on the grand scale and to the best quality we can. Michael Heseltine, then-Deputy Prime Minister The glass domes of the Corn Exchange and the Royal Exchange were blown in. The landlord of the Corn Exchange invoked a force majeure condition in the lease to evict all tenants, and the building was converted into a shopping centre. The dome of the Royal Exchange shifted in the blast; its reconstruction took two and a half years and cost £32 million, paid for by the National Lottery.[78] The possibility of rebuilding parts of the city centre was raised within days of the bomb. On 26 June 1996, Michael Heseltine, the Deputy Prime Minister, announced an international competition for designs of the redevelopment of the bomb-affected area. Bids were received from 27 entrants, five of whom were invited to submit designs in a second round. It was announced on 5 November 1996 that the winning design was one by a consortium headed by EDAW. Redevelopment [ edit ] New security safeguards were included in the redevelopment of the city centre including retractable bollards and pedestrianised streets. Much of the 1960s redevelopment of Manchester's city centre was unpopular with residents. Market Street, near the explosion and at that time the second-busiest shopping street in the UK, was considered by some commentators a "fearful" place, to be "avoided like the plague". Until Margaret Thatcher's third consecutive election victory in 1987, the staunchly Labour-controlled Manchester Council believed that Manchester's regeneration should be funded solely by public money, despite the government's insistence on only funding schemes with a significant element of private investment. Graham Stringer, leader of Manchester City Council, later admitted that after the 1987 General Election result "there was no get out of jail card. We had gambled on Labour winning the General Election and we lost." Thatcher's victory effectively put paid to Manchester's "socialist experiment", and Stringer shortly afterwards wrote a letter of capitulation to Nicholas Ridley, then Secretary of State for the Environment, saying, "in a nutshell; OK, you win, we'd like to work together with you". Efforts at improvement before the bombing had in some respects made matters worse, cutting off the area north of the Arndale Centre – the exterior of which was widely unloved – from the rest of the city centre. A large building nearby, now redeveloped as The Printworks and formerly occupied by the Daily Mirror newspaper, had been unoccupied since 1987. Many locals therefore considered that "the bomb was the best thing that ever happened to Manchester",[85] as it cleared the way for redevelopment of the dysfunctional city centre, a view also expressed in 2007 by Terry Rooney, MP for Bradford North. The leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Manchester City Council, Simon Ashley, responded that "I take exception to his [Rooney's] comments about the IRA bomb. No one who was in the city on that day, who lost their jobs or was scared witless or injured by the blast, would say the bomb was the best thing to happen to Manchester".[86] Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP for Manchester Gorton, stated that the bomb provided the opportunity for redeveloping Manchester city centre, although it was not fully exploited. "The bomb was obviously bad but from a redevelopment point of view, it was a lost opportunity. While the area around St Ann's Square and Deansgate is not disagreeable, if you compare it with Birmingham and its exciting development, we've got nothing to touch that in Manchester".[86] Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council, has been quoted as saying "people say the bomb turned out to be a great thing for Manchester. That's rubbish." There was already substantial regeneration and redevelopment taking place in the city centre before the bombing, in support of the Manchester bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics, its second Olympic bid. Tom Bloxham, chairman of property development group Urban Splash and of the Arts Council England (North West), agreed with Bernstein that the bomb attack was not the trigger for the large-scale redevelopment that has taken place in Manchester since the early 1990s: pillar box that withstood the bomb blast. A memorial brass plaque commemorates the 1996 bomb. For me the turning point for Manchester came before the bomb ... it was the second Olympic Games bid [in 1992] when we lost but the city suddenly had a realisation. There was a huge party in Castlefield and people grasped the idea that Manchester should no longer consider itself in competition with the likes of Barnsley and Stockport. It was now up against Barcelona, Los Angeles and Sydney and its aspirations increased accordingly. Memorials [ edit ] A pillar box that survived the blast, despite being yards from the explosion, now carries a small brass plaque recording the bombing. It was removed during construction and redevelopment work, and returned to its original spot when Corporation Street reopened. The plaque reads: This postbox remained standing almost undamaged on June 15th 1996 when this area was devastated by a bomb. The box was removed during the rebuilding of the city centre and was returned to its original site on November 22nd 1999 A Thanksgiving service for the "Miracle of Manchester" was held at Manchester Cathedral on 24 July 2002, to coincide with the arrival of the Commonwealth Games baton, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh. At 11:17 am on 15 June 2006, a candle was lit at a memorial held at Manchester Cathedral to mark the tenth anniversary of the bombing.[90] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Citations [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ]

Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. He is the author of “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform – Why We Need It and What It Will Take.” Much of the motivation for deficit reduction, a goal shared by policy makers across the political spectrum, is the belief that deficits consume the nation’s seed corn. That is, deficits represent negative saving. Because saving is presumed to be the key determinant of long-term real economic growth, deficits deplete the supply of saving and thus reduce growth. Today's Economist Perspectives from expert contributors. There are many problems with this analysis. One is that it assumes that all government spending is consumption. In fact, much of it consists of investment. According to the 2013 budget (see Section 21, Page 356), the federal government will invest $550 billion this year in physical capital (buildings, equipment), research and development and human capital (education). This includes grants to state and local governments for these purposes. It is perfectly reasonable to finance long-lived capital projects with borrowing. Because the benefits will accrue over many years, it would be silly to treat things like highways as if they were consumed within a single year for budget purposes. Virtually all homeowners know this and borrow to buy homes. They understand that the flow of housing services they receive on an annual basis compensates for the interest that is paid. Unfortunately, the federal budget is silly in this respect. It treats investment spending the same way every other budgetary item is treated – as if it were consumption with no long-lasting benefits for the nation. An unfortunate consequence of this budgetary convention is that reducing federal investment is viewed as beneficial if it reduces the deficit. Moreover, it is often easier to cut investment spending than consumption, just as homeowners suffering from an income loss may find that deferring maintenance or planned improvements is the easiest way to conserve cash. But just as deferred maintenance on our homes, like putting off repairs to the roof, can be very costly in the long run, reducing the value and hence the net worth of our principal asset, the same is true of government investment. Maintenance that is deferred too long may require assets that would have lasted many more years to be replaced prematurely at much higher cost. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the nation is already in a net deficit position as far as building and maintaining its basic public infrastructure. The society estimates that the added costs to people and businesses from this underinvestment will reduce the aggregate gross domestic product by $3 trillion over the next decade. The group recommends an additional $1.1 trillion of public investment through 2020 to what is currently planned, $157 billion per year. Of course, the federal government is not going to spend that much more because it would make the goal of balancing the budget more difficult, based on the way deficits are calculated, making no allowance for capital outlays. Indeed, it will be difficult to prevent cuts in investment outlays that will reduce such spending below current projections. One solution to this problem would be to have a capital budget that segregates government investment spending from consumption spending. Virtually all the states do this already. Conservatives who routinely defend a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution, on the grounds that the states must balance their budgets annually, appear to be unaware that such requirements apply only to operating budgets, excluding capital outlays. If households were required to balance their budgets the way balanced-budget amendment supporters want the federal government to operate, they would almost never be able to buy homes or cars. Such outlays almost always exceed their annual incomes over and above consumption and would thus constitute deficit spending. Of course, families could draw down savings to buy homes and cars. But that’s an option not available to the government because it has no savings, only a large debt. Treating it and private individuals the same way, as balanced-budget supporters propose, would require the entire national debt to be paid off and a surplus accumulated before it would be permitted to make new investments in roads, bridges, buildings and other long-lived assets. Of course, no one actually believes that. But it follows logically from arguments one often hears about why the government should balance its cash income and outlays annually, because that is supposedly how families and the states are said to operate. In fact, they don’t. The distinction between capital spending and consumption spending also affects the way economists interpret the rate of saving. The standard measure, produced by the Commerce Department, calculates personal income and personal outlays. The difference between these two figures is assumed to be personal saving. Thus saving is not calculated directly, but is merely a residual between income and spending. An alternative measure of saving that treats consumer durables, like autos, as investments would raise the measured rate of saving considerably. Alternatively, one could measure saving directly from financial institutions and other sources, as the Federal Reserve does (see Page 17). This yields a much higher measure of saving. In 2011, the last full year available, the Commerce Department estimated the personal saving rate at 4.2 percent, while the Fed put it at 10.3 percent. Periodically, administrations have suggested creating a capital budget, both to give clearer picture of the economic effects of federal spending and to shield investments from budget cuts that should be limited to consumption outlays. The Reagan administration floated the idea in 1986, and the Clinton administration created a commission to study it. A common criticism has always been that the definition of “capital” is too slippery and could too easily become a loophole through which consumption spending could escape. The obvious answer is to assign some entity, like the Government Accountability Office, to audit investment spending and ensure that it truly represents investment and not consumption. Many economists say they believe that the best thing the federal government can do to raise the long-term economic growth rate is increase infrastructure spending. It would have the double benefit of mobilizing idle resources, especially unemployed workers, while low interest rates permit capital projects to be financed very cheaply. One main barrier to achieving this double benefit is the confusion between investment spending and consumption spending, which is distorted by the way the budget is presented and the way we calculate saving.

Related The Nets have ruled forward Reggie Evans out for the next two games for “personal reasons,” the team announced today. That leaves Evans out for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats, as well as Thursday’s game in Chicago against the Bulls. It’s the team’s last two games before the All-Star Break, so Evans won’t be with the team until they play against Utah on February 19th at the earliest.After starting 56 games last year, Evans’s role on the Nets has been significantly reduced. He’s played in just 30 of a possible 49 games, averaging 13.3 minutes per game. He has not suffered a publicly announced injury yet this season, meaning that those 19 games were merely DNP-CD (did not play-coach’s decision).Evans is averaging 2.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting a career-worst 39 percent from the field. His most intriguing storyline this season is the, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it.The team did not specify what Evans’s personal reasons were for missing these two games.

Aviation Week & Space Technology A Northrop Grumman-led team is dashing its plan to propose a modified BAE Systems Hawk trainer for the U.S. Air Force’s T-38 replacement program, opting instead for a clean-sheet design for the $1 billion program. The shift is more bold than it is surprising. The team is paying for a brand-new prototype despite a slump in defense spending. But it has become increasingly evident that the Hawk is unsuited for the mission due to shortfalls in the fast-jet trainer’s ability to sustain Gs, perform high angle-of-attack maneuvering and execute tight turn rate and radius. Scaled Composites, wholly owned by Northrop Grumman since its purchase in 2007, formed a small team to build a suitable aircraft from the ground up. This marks the third U.S. company to propose its own new-build aircraft for a competition that began with three foreign-built, modified off-the-shelf designs: the Hawk, Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 and General Dynamics/Alenia Aermacchi M-346. Boeing planned since entering the competition to offer a new-build design; it is teamed with Saab. Textron Airland is looking at three variants of its company-developed Scorpion demonstrator for the T-X mission, says President Bill Anderson. Boeing declined to comment about progress on its prototype. The Air Force has been openly pursuing a T-X plan since 2011, but the fiscal 2016 budget proposal sent to Congress Feb. 2 indicates that a request for proposals will finally be released in fiscal 2016. The plan calls for $575 million in fiscal 2016-19, with an estimated total program cost at $1.04 billion and a source selection by the end of fiscal 2017. The winner stands to dominate a global fast-jet trainer market, especially for countries planning to buy the F-35. Nine partners already are teamed to develop the stealthy fighter and another three are foreign military sales customers. The so-called T-X will eventually be used to train future F-22 and F-35 pilots with advanced skills. Adding to the requirements is an Air Force decision in the fiscal 2016 budget plan to expand T-X to cover a requirement for a new “red air” aggressor “stores aircraft interface” kit to include adding a radar, datalink and hard points for weapons and a jamming pod. The T-X aggressors will replace F-16Cs used in that role now at the Air Warfare Center at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The Hawk would be unable to meet the demands of an aggressor aircraft. The “red air” T-X is needed to tax the technology and skills of future F-22 and F-35 pilots, says Col. Adrian Spain, commandant of the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis. During live-fly training, the aggressors not only use enemy tactics but the aircraft must also emulate adversary platforms well enough to “fool” the Air Force’s aircraft into “thinking” they are an actual enemy system. “The potential near-peer threat has improved pretty substantially over the last decade, [and] we want to be able to replicate that threat here so we can train against a threat that is realistic and relevant,” Spain tells Aviation Week. “With an older, fourth-gen system, you can probably trick it into thinking [an aggressor] is something else. But in an F-35 and an F-22, the sensors are advanced enough that they’ll know the difference. So we need to have capability on the range to fly against.” Budget cuts forced the service to deactivate a squadron of F-15Cs last year, leaving only one F-16C aggressor squadron for advanced tactics and pilot training of U.S. and allied pilots at Nellis’s Air Warfare Center. The Air Force budget proposes to begin funding for the aggressor modification kit in fiscal 2018; a total of $220.5 million is included through fiscal 2020 for the work. The challenge is for a T-X aircraft to emulate the fifth-generation aircraft qualities without accruing the high cost of replicating them. “As a team—and I want to stress with you that everything was as a team—we entered the fight with the Hawk and as time went on . . . we just kept an eye on the requirements,” says Marc Lindsley, Northrop Grumman’s T-X program director. “And as we saw the requirements evolve and become more clear, we looked at options. It became more and more clear to us that the Hawk wasn’t the optimum solution in terms of requirements and affordability. . . . So we started studying it.” Northrop turned to Scaled Composites, renowned for its innovative designs and rapid fabrication cycle time, to build the prototype. The team is preparing to assemble the aircraft at Scaled’s facility in Mojave, California, with an eye toward first flight by year-end. Budget constraints are driving the Air Force and competitors to search for affordable options. Tom Vice, president of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, says this is partly achievable with speed in designing and manufacturing aircraft coupled with innovative designs that take life-cycle cost into account upfront. “We have tremendous agility in the marketplace to bring innovation much, much faster,” Vice told reporters during a tour last month to showcase the company’s facilities in California. “We are setting a tone inside the organization and backing it up with investment that allows us to think about innovation for affordability.” Until now, Northrop has kept its plans for the new aircraft under wraps. The company teamed first as a subcontractor to BAE Systems in 2011; it quietly shifted roles to become the prime last June. The core team will remain intact, Lindsley says. L-3 Communications will continue to handle the ground-based training system. Northrop is “in discussions with BAE Systems to include their training system in our aircraft solution,” says Northrop spokesman Bryce McDevitt. The goal is to port the air vehicle training system from the Hawk to the new design. It would include a reconfigurable cockpit system to allow for various training scenarios as well as software to allow for insertion of various mission scenarios. BAE has declined to comment on its plans and has not explained how its air vehicle system will interface with L-3’s ground-based equipment. Northrop is taking lessons from Detroit-based Kuka Systems in designing its assembly line. Kuka started teaming with Northrop in 2012 and has experience in low-cost auto manufacturing techniques. A location for the work has not been announced, although if Northrop wins, the program will be based at its Melbourne, Florida, manned aircraft center of excellence. Lindsley provides scant details of the actual prototype design, including a “no comment” on whether it would require one or two engines, because of the competitive landscape. The company has not offered a name for the prototype. The Northrop team’s decision to abandon the Hawk leaves a dim future for the program. BAE moved its Hawk work from Brough to Warton, England, in 2011 despite having few orders for the aircraft. Subsequently, however, it won a contract with the Royal Saudi Air Force for 22 aircraft and a deal with Oman for eight. The Hawk design evolved over time since its first flight in 1974. More than 1,000 Hawks have been built. BAE declined to comment about the future of the program. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced in January that T-X will be a pathfinder for her Bending the Cost Curve initiative, which is designed to allow for dialog with industry on requirements and cost trades with a goal of reducing weapon-system cycle time and cost. “When it comes to T-X, we are about two years away from a request for proposals stage, and this new process should allow us to directly engage industry as we develop an understanding of how to best evaluate our objective and our threshold requirements,” James said. Today’s procurement process is linear, with requirements developed by one unit and handed over to another for a development and buy. James hopes that by opening a dialog with industry early in the process, the service can tailor the requirements not only for operational needs but with a realistic budget in mind. Lindsley and Anderson welcome this approach. Lindsley cautions, however, that the Air Force must provide industry enough time to adjust its designs accordingly when allowing for such trades, especially when the Pentagon is relying more heavily on contractor research and development funding for prototypes and risk reduction. He says thus far there has been a “very healthy dialog” on T-X with the Air Force; Northrop notified the service it was building its own prototype last year. “The big issue for us is we can debate the requirements, . . . but then we need the time . . . to meet those requirements,” Lindsley says. “Have the dialog, understand those trades, publish the requirements and lock them in, and then we need the time to design, develop and field that solution . . . at our investment.” This model is a departure for the Pentagon. With three contractors offering company-funded, clean-sheet options for T-X, industry is clearly keen on it. But the Defense Department’s history in this area includes failures. Despite contractor-funded designs for an Army Armed Aerial Scout helicopter, the service ultimately ended a demonstration effort without selecting a design. Likewise, four bidders have heavily invested in risk reduction for a Navy Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike aircraft, and it has been continually delayed, prompting Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to halt or scale back their work substantially. The Air Force intends to buy as many as 350 of the trainers as part of a larger T-X system, including advanced training aids such as a sophisticated ground-based training platform and aids.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The U.S. navy's latest collision at sea, the fourth in its Pacific fleet this year, shows it is becoming an increasing risk to shipping in Asia despite its claims of helping to protect freedom of navigation, an official Chinese newspaper said. The USS John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided while the guided-missile vessel was nearing Singapore on Monday. The collision tore a hole in the warship's port side at the waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping area. Ten sailors are missing. The collision - the fourth major accident in the U.S. Pacific fleet this year - prompted a fleet-wide investigation and plans for temporary halts in operations to focus on safety. ADVERTISEMENT The state-run China Daily said in an editorial on Tuesday that people will wonder why such a sophisticated navy keeps having these problems. "The investigations into the latest collision will take time to reach their conclusions, but there is no denying the fact that the increased activities by U.S. warships in Asia-Pacific since Washington initiated its rebalancing to the region are making them a growing risk to commercial shipping," it said. China has been upset at U.S. freedom of navigation operations near Chinese controlled islands in the disputed South China Sea, where China has been reclaiming land, building air bases and increasing its military presence. "While the U.S. Navy is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters, China has been making joint efforts with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to draw up a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea and it has boosted navigational safety by constructing five lighthouses on its islands," the China Daily said. "Anyone should be able to tell who is to blame for militarizing the waters and posing a threat to navigation."

Some saw the lighter side of the situation: A viral message Many are asking what the circuit breaker is about. A securities professional replied: It's like bringing 5,000 yuan to a card game and losing all of it in half an hour. You call a truce for 15 minutes and withdraw 7,000 yuan from the ATM in that time. After losing all of that money too, the winner says to you: You are just too unlucky, let's call it a day. Ming Liu We are still having our morning meeting, but securities firm employees already can go home. This shows that men should find jobs as dealers with their high salaries and short working hours; women should marry dealers for not only are their husbands well-paid with lots of vacation time, they would also have time to go to the mall and movies with you! Fernandeski-Bennett In the past, I used to have afternoon tea after the market closed. Now, I have tea in the morning. Llaiyuu After the Chinese stock markets introduced circuit breakers, I'm even more determined to work for a securities firm after I graduate. After all, I only have to work half an hour every day! - Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Pauline Chiou contributed to this report.

LAKELAND, Fla. — Justin Verlander has not pitched in a game yet, but the early reviews have all been positive. Tigers catcher James McCann, who caught Verlander Thursday, is the latest. "He looked really good," McCann said. "Very live arm, ball was coming out really good, all four of his pitches." McCann does have a frame of reference for comparison’s sake. Last year he caught Verlander in Kansas City towards the end of the season. "Completely different guy," McCann said. "He pitched real well but that’s a different guy right there. The ball comes out different, he’s more confident. That’s the kind of Ver we need." OAKLAND CLAIMS SMITH When the Tigers re-signed Joba Chamberlain to a one-year deal, it meant less opportunity for some pitchers. For Chad Smith, it meant a completely new opportunity as the Tigers placed him on waivers to make room on the roster for Chamberlain. On Thursday, Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said the Oakland Athletics claimed Smith and Smith’s contract would be assigned to the A’s organization. "Really wish he would have made it through but you gotta take somebody off your roster at the time," Dombrowski said. Smith, 25, appeared a little dazed by the news after being in limbo for a couple of days. "When they told me the news, I was in shock," Smith said. "They took a chance on me back when I was in college, when I blew out my elbow. They were one of the few teams that still liked me so it’s hard. I’ve met so many great people and playing in Detroit was awesome. The fans were great. All-around, it was a first-class experience. Just kind of setting in now so it’s tough." Smith made his major league debut June 22 of last season at Cleveland. He made 10 appearances for the Tigers and had a 5.40 ERA, walking three and striking out nine. Smith said he and his agent hadn’t been optimistic that another team would pick him up as most rosters are set and there haven’t been any injuries. The A’s placed Taylor Thompson on the 60-day DL to make room for Smith. "It’s exciting that another team thought highly of me to pick me up," Smith said. "The timing of it, I know a lot of rosters are full so they obviously had to make a move on their end. It’s exciting. It’s a big league team in Oakland, I’m from California and spring training’s in Arizona. Get to go home." Smith said he’s been in contact with former Tiger Kevin Whelan, who is currently in A’s camp as a non-roster invitee. Smith planned to go back up his apartment and pack up before heading to Arizona tomorrow. LIFE OF A UTILITY PLAYER Don Kelly may not have been the best player in history but you had to respect his versatility. Every day Kelly would bring his multiple gloves to the field and take turns using each — ground balls in the infield, fly balls in the outfield. Now Andrew Romine and Hernan Perez, both battling for a utility role on the team, are trying to do the same. "It’s tough. It’s just extra work, stuff on top of what we practice," Romine said. "I’ll practice with the infielders but then either before, 7:30-8 o’clock in the morning or now, when we get done, I’ll be out there doing outfield stuff." Romine said outfield coach Dave Clark is not making it easy on them. "Clarkie’s kicking our butts," Romine said. "I think he secretly loves to kill us out there, which is good for us because we get a lot of good work in." Romine said everything is going well so far this spring. "It’s not like I never played outfield before," Romine said. "Just getting live reads off the bat in BP and stuff. When we’re taking live swings off our pitchers right now, just go out to the outfield and kind of read them. It feels good." ***If multimedia does not appear right away, please click refresh*** COMPLETE TIGERS SPRING TRAINING 2015 COVERAGE

New Glasgow police have issued a warrant for the arrest of a 34-year-old man after an incident where an officer was dragged several feet behind a car. Around 4:20 a.m. on Sunday New Glasgow police saw a man driving the wrong way along George Street in downtown New Glasgow. Two officers stopped the vehicle and approached it, suspecting the driver might be drunk. The driver fled and one of the officers was dragged from the car for three to five feet. EHS checked the officer at the scene and treated him for minor injuries. "Luckily the officer wasn't hurt further," said Const. Ken MacDonald of the New Glasgow Regional Police. Police pursued the suspect's vehicle but it evaded them in the Thorburn area. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Barrett Johnson Fraser, 34, and are asking for help from the public. Police say Fraser is facing charges of flight from police officers, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, two counts of assault on police, and two counts of assault with a weapon.

After it was reported on November 24 that Sulli had gone to the emergency room for a wrist injury, various rumors began to circulate about the nature of the injury and Sulli’s relationship with Dynamic Duo’s Choiza. Although SM Entertainment had already stated that the injury was due to carelessness while at home, there were rumors that it had been a suicide attempt and that her relationship with Choiza was on the rocks. The Fact even claimed that Sulli had been drunk in the emergency room, citing an unnamed source from the Seoul University Hospital. The unnamed source also said that Sulli had denied any attempted suicide. However, the PR department of that hospital has already released an official statement stating that they cannot give out personal information on patients. Sulli and Choiza were quick to dispel the wild rumors, with Choiza’s agency Amoeba Culture stating, “There is a rumor going around that Choiza and Sulli’s relationship is on the rocks, but we have not heard anything. This is a personal affair between the two of them so we as a company will not be interfering in it.” In addition to their earlier statement, SM Entertainment stated, “The two of them are still in a good relationship.” Sulli also posted a selfie on her personal Instagram and wrote, “I got hurt by accident. I’m sorry for making you worry!” to reassure her fans. Source (1) (2) (3) (4)

The announcement came as security was raised after vehicle attacks in Barcelona and elsewhere, and a widely-reported warning from the Islamic State group that Italy is next on its hit list. Administrative expulsions, which are not subject to any appeal, are one of the main planks of Italy's strategy for preventing the kind of jihadist attacks suffered by other European countries. Sicily decided Saturday to introduce barriers preventing vehicular access to six pedestrianised areas of the island's capital Palermo, reflecting fears of truck attacks. Additional barriers are to be placed on potentially vulnerable locations in Milan, a meeting of regional security officials decided. The prefecture for the Rome region approved an increase in the number of guards for its major tourist sports and said it would step up monitoring of trucks moving around the capital. The latest individuals deported included a 38-year-old Moroccan said to have been radicalised while in prison for minor crimes. His status was bumped from medium to high risk after he and other prisoners were seen enthusiastically celebrating the Stockholm truck attack in April which killed five people. The Syrian, who also operated under a false Tunisian identity, was arrested in 2015 for involvement in illegal immigration and placed under house arrest at a centre for asylum seekers in southern Italy. There, he was caught celebrating the attack in May that killed 22 people, many of them children, at a concert in the British city of Manchester. The suspect, whose age was not released, had managed to avoid the fate of two previous expulsion orders issued in 2011. The third man expelled was a 31-year-old Moroccan whose expressions of support for IS were thought to be linked to a psychiatric disorder for which he received compulsory treatment after being arrested for theft. The interior ministry said all three had been flown back to their respective countries of origin. Italy is regularly threatened by IS propagandists. SITE, a private intelligence group which monitors extremist organisations, said Saturday it had picked up fresh online messages promising the country would be next to be targeted. Italian officials stress that they have yet to be alerted to an imminent, credible threat on its territory or against the Vatican. A government panel said in a report in January that Italy was less exposed than neighbouring countries to the risk of attacks carried out by homegrown radicals.

The NBA player who sits in the NBA’s throne for greatest of all time is not the one who goes by King James. All the accolades that have been heaped on the shoulders of the polarizing superstar that is LeBron James are well earned, but the three-time MVP still has his work cut out for him if he seeks the crown that sets him apart from the other elite players in NBA history. Michael Jordan is rightfully hailed as basketball’s GOAT. He embodies every characteristic that the greatest needs: elite technical skills, incredible athletic ability, and the potential to take over games as an individual. He transcended basketball and brought it to a level of popularity previously unseen by the game. No one can take that away from him, and LeBron will never be able to accomplish that same feat. But in terms of on-court prowess, LeBron James has the ability to dethrone Michael Jordan as the greatest player that the NBA has ever seen. And with one ring in his pocket, LeBron can now strive to immortalize himself in basketball history. Through a comparison of what both have already accomplished and some thoughts of what is to come for LeBron, there very well may be a new king in the near future. First, a statistical comparison of Michael and LeBron: Per game statistics LeBron James Michael Jordan Points 27.6 30.1 Rebounds 7.2 6.2 Assists 6.9 5.3 Steals 1.7 2.3 FG percentage .484 .497 3PT percentage .332 .327 Minutes 39.9 38.3 PER 27.3 27.9 eFG percentage .516 .509 These regular season numbers show the remarkable equality between the two players. LeBron certainly needs to have the longevity of MJ, which is undoubtedly history yet to be written, but these guys are nearly equal in all categories. LeBron’s PRA (points, rebounds, and assists combined) equate to 41.7. Jordan is virtually identical, at 41.6. Jordan has an edge in scoring ability, but LeBron’s overall offensive game is also based on a guard’s ability to facilitate. The number that should strike you as most shocking is three-point percentage. LeBron is often criticized for being a one-dimensional scorer whose sheer strength propels him to the basket, but he has a slightly higher 3PT percentage than Jordan. LeBron is often encapsulated in what people think he should be—in part probably with a desire to defend Jordan’s legacy. But looking at the numbers provides the foundation for the argument that one day the two can likely be prepared. Stats are the ticket to come in the door to the palace. But there is more to be done to overthrow the king. Defensively, Jordan has a DPOY award to his name—something LeBron has yet to add to his résumé. But nobody in their right mind would say Jordan is a far superior defensive player. At 6’8”, the 250-pound monster can compete with big men like David West in the 2012 NBA playoffs. Not only that, but LeBron has proven he can defend the quickest players in the NBA. Remember the game when he shut down the 2011 NBA MVP, point guard Derrick Rose? As LeBron said himself, defending power forwards and centers is taxing because of the physicality down low that is not necessary as a perimeter defender. Yet he still managed to put up staggering offensive numbers in 2012, when called upon to defend forwards/centers. And at 6’6”, Michael Jordan can never claim that diversity in ability to defend all five positions on the court. Even 6’9” point guard Magic Johnson was able to play the center position at a high level on the NBA’s biggest stage. (The two MJ’s both roughly weighed 220 pounds.) The edge defensively goes to LeBron—he can defend every position on the floor. Enough said. The true discrepancies between these two players come in with playoff pedigrees and awards. Jordan is still head and shoulders above LeBron when it comes to this comparison: LeBron James Michael Jordan 1x NBA champion 6x NBA champion 1x NBA Finals MVP 6x NBA Finals MVP 3x MVP 5x MVP 8x All-Star 14x All-Star NBA Rookie of the Year NBA Rookie of the Year 1x scoring champion 10x scoring champion 6x All-NBA First Team 10x All-NBA First Team 4x All-Defensive First Team 9x All-Defensive First Team he has time. Jordan’s 15-season career was shortened by his brief baseball stint, so if he stays healthy, LeBron very well could have a longer NBA career than Jordan did. LeBron has his work cut out for him to get on Michael’s level here. But in the nine-plus seasons that LeBron has been in the NBA, he not only has room before he catches up to Jordan, but. Jordan’s 15-season career was shortened by his brief baseball stint, so if he stays healthy, LeBron very well could have a longer NBA career than Jordan did. For the sake of argument, let’s give LeBron James nine more seasons—which is (hopefully for NBA fans) an underestimation. If he wins titles in three of those seasons, that puts him at four. And whenever LeBron wins a ring, that gives him a Finals MVP, too. There is no way that LeBron wins a title as the second best player on his team. He’s the best player in the game Three more MVPs is not an outrageous prediction for LeBron either, which puts him at six. The rest of the numbers will likely even out through the course of LeBron’s career, perhaps even giving him the edge. The only exception to this is the scoring titles. LeBron James will never come near Jordan’s ten titles and that is in no way a pre-requisite for the discussion of these two players. LeBron has teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh—players whose career PPG averages are 25 and 20, respectively. And this plays directly into LeBron’s sensational ability to create offense not only for himself but also for his teammates. Jordan only ever looked to one other player to create offense (Scottie Pippen). Toni Kukoc and John Paxson helped spread the floor for Jordan but really Jordan was option 1, 2, and 3…and for good reason! This leads to an argument that must be addressed: well, you might say, since LeBron is more of a facilitator and all-around player, he should be compared to Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson, not Michael Jordan. all of the first four seasons of his career from 1961-64. The problem arises when looking at the era that Robertson played in. Statistics were staggering compared to today’s game. Furthermore, Robertson was not even the best player in the 60s: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain each took home four NBA MVPs during the 60s. Sure, the comparison could be made since the Big-O averaged a triple double one season and was less than half a rebound or assist away from averaging one inof the first four seasons of his career from 1961-64. The problem arises when looking at the era that Robertson played in. Statistics were staggering compared to today’s game. Furthermore, Robertson was not even the best player in the 60s: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlaintook home four NBA MVPs during the 60s. In terms of playing style, compare these two all you want but the fact is this: LeBron is the best player in his generation. Oscar Robertson was no higher than the third best of his generation. can be made, but really who cares? Michael was the best player of his generation and LeBron is the best player of his generation. And if we’re going to compare the greatest player of all time, a pre-requisite is undoubtedly being the best player of your generation. As for Magic Johnson, the comparison againbe made, but really who cares? Michael was the best player of his generation and LeBron is the best player of his generation. And if we’re going to compare the greatest player of all time, a pre-requisite is undoubtedly being the best player of your generation. So, in this hypothetical situation that I have drawn up, LeBron has four Finals championships, four Finals MVPs, and six regular season MVP awards. He would probably surpass Jordan in All-NBA First Team and All-NBA First Defensive Team, too. These numbers would put LeBron on equal footing with Jordan. Now, to consider who is better overall involves looking at some of their best playoff performances. Granted, in order for LeBron to be in the same discussion as Jordan, he will have a larger body of work to compare to but for now comparing LeBron’s best two playoff performances to Jordan’s will prove just how close these guys really are. one more in six more seasons. Again, this is absolutely not to say that at this point LeBron is better but rather to just put it in perspective. Time is on LeBron’s side. LeBron has two spots in the top 10 greatest NBA playoff performances of all time. Jordan has three—or onlyinmore seasons. Again, this is absolutely not to say that at this point LeBron is better but rather to just put it in perspective. Time is on LeBron’s side. Now to look at the two best playoff performances in each players’ career: The “flu game” is something that has immortalized Jordan. Commercials vie for this moment, coaches use it as motivation, and it lives on as the definition in the NBA of perseverance. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals in 1997 vs. the Utah Jazz, Jordan put up 38 points in 44 minutes, along with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block. The pictures of him helped off the court and sipping Gatorade with a towel over his head are engrained in every NBA fans memory. It was historic. LeBron’s performance in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals was at least as memorable. 48 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 50 minutes played. He threw down dunk after dunk, a signature of LeBron (and a reason everybody wants to see him in the dunk contest on All-Star weekend). But the most memorable part was that he scored 29 of the final 30 points of the game. Against the Pistons. ESPN on this one, I’d take LeBron’s performance over Jordan’s. 29 of the final 30 points in the game? I’d love to see a basketball performance where someone was more unstoppable than this at the time when it matters most (fourth quarter and overtime). I disagree withon this one, I’d take LeBron’s performance over Jordan’s. 29 of the final 30 points in the game? I’d love to see a basketball performance where someone was more unstoppable than this at the time when it matters most (fourth quarter and overtime). Jordan’s Game 2 of the 1986 Eastern Conference first round was another defining moment in his career. Celtics Hall of Famer uttered seven of the most famous words in NBA history when asked about that game: “that was God disguised as Michael Jordan.” Jordan could fill up the stat sheet, too: playoff scoring record of 63 points in 53 minutes with five rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks. And coming off a season that was largely lost to injury…it was remarkable. Maybe somewhere Derrick Rose is watching footage of this game, getting some ideas of his own… in Boston. I say this with complete seriousness: LeBron had the pressure of his career heaped on him in one game. The Heat were one game away from elimination and the criticism would have landed squarely on LeBron’s shoulders. LeBron haters were warming up their LeChoke chants. Skip Bayless was ready to rant. LeBron’s most amazing playoff performance came this year, in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics. I say this with complete seriousness: LeBron had the pressure of his career heaped on him in one game. The Heat were one game away from elimination and the criticism would have landed squarely on LeBron’s shoulders. LeBron haters were warming up their LeChoke chants. Skip Bayless was ready to rant. 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists later, the Heat moved on to Game 7. LeBron shot a nearly impossible 19 of 26. And it wasn’t just dunks and drives, as LeBron has proven he is best at. It was jumpers, banks, post-up shots, even three pointers. Another iconic performance. Let me use a baseball analogy to put this performance in perspective: The 2004 Boston Red Sox were fighting 86 years of failed history when they were playing the Yankees in the ALCS. Similarly, LeBron was facing a career with zero championships in the 2012 ECF. The Red Sox had their back to the wall in Game 4 of the ALCS, and like the Heat, it was win or go home. Facing Alex Rodriguez, the best hitter in the game (he went yard in Game 4, too, even though he has come to be known as a playoff choker), and Orlando Hernandez, a former Cy Young Award winner, it was looking bleak. But the Red Sox pulled it off, winning four straight games against the Yankees. It was unprecedented . Literally, such a feat had never been accomplished before. The takeaway from this that is relevant to the comparison to LeBron: the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox were not defined by their sweep of the Cardinals in the World Series. The comeback in the ALCS vs. the Yankees was the propeller that flew the Red Sox to the Promised Land. It’s the path through adversity that defines the champion, not just the grand finale. Similarly, LeBron’s Game 6 performance made the statement that he had championship talent and desire. The argument that this performance was diminished because it wasn’t in the Finals does not hold up for the same reasons that the 2004 ALCS defined the eventual champion Red Sox.It’s the path through adversity that defines the champion, not just the grand finale. For those very reasons, I’ll take LeBron’s Game 6 performance over Jordan’s Game 2 or flu game. As for “clutch” storybook endings, LeBron and Jordan both have theirs. Somehow this is a requirement to be considered the greatest of all time because you need a moment that even non-basketball fans can say ‘wow, that guy is special.’ Jordan’s got the crossover of Bryon Russell when he sunk the free throw line jumper in the 1998 NBA Finals and LeBron’s got the fade-away three-pointer at the end of regulation in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Both were moments that you could capture in seconds and realize something about these guys just was not normal. As for overall “clutchness,” you can argue until the next Jordan or LeBron comes (if they ever do), that Jordan was more clutch for such-and-such reason but again, the numbers show the pair are surprisingly close in this regard—while Jordan still does have an edge. Chasing 23 names all of LeBron’s clutch shot makes (5) and attempts (12) through May 2012 which puts him at a 42 percent success rate. Jordan was names all of LeBron’s clutch shot makes (5) and attempts (12) through May 2012 which puts him at a 42 percent success rate. Jordan was 9 of 18 in his career in such situations, or a 50 percent success rate. Again, let’s give LeBron his full career but the dismissal of LeBron from the playing field of Jordan as GOAT is unwarranted and founded in 1) a desire to protect history or 2) simply a hatred of LeBron James. LeBron James has room to go before he can be in the consideration with Michael Jordan as the greatest player ever to hit the court. And even after both have retired, not even a judge could satisfy both sides unless LeBron goes on an absolutely historic tear to match his “not one, not two, not three, not four…” claim. While I personally think that was merely hyperbole, he did earn himself a lot of disrespect in that first public party in South Beach.

I promised monthly updates, so here I am to deliver! Let me start by introducing you to ‘Ivan’. With the introduction of Bertha it was imperative that the rebels come up with a counter. Created from some destroyed Bertha’s and a hollowed out cabin of an outdated MAV cockpit model, they were able to create ‘Ivan’. With performance stats similar to Bertha, the rebels stood a fighting chance! Seeing the arms race taking place, Wilson munitions seized the opportunity to increase their market share by deploying out a new line of heavy rockets as well! With all this firepower flying around, there was bound to be collateral damage. And this is just the start! In addition to the parts shown above, there are a few more I want you to discover on your own. There has been a large increase in the number of deployable parts, making the Engineer role a much more viable role to fill. Along with these part changes, there has been an update to all the destructible buildings in the game. When buildings explode, they will do damage to anything around them. Small, concrete buildings will barley even be felt. Standing next to an exploding 100ft tall gas tank? That’s going to hurt, a lot. In addition to doing damage, some buildings will leave a burning residue on the ground as well. This fire will spread to your MAV if you stand in it and will continue to do damage the whole time you are in it. It’s not a lot of damage, but it can turn the tide of the battle if you are not careful! Proper kill and damage credit is given if you destroy a building which then destroys another MAV. This counts for chain reactions as well! Speaking of doing damage on when exploding, mines have been given an explosion effect when you shoot them. They will also do damage to the surrounding area, though not nearly as much as if they were triggered normally. Getting into the smaller tweaks, there have been a few balance changes: -Turning rates have been increased on all biped, reverse joint, hover, and wheel chassis. The final amount depends the the chassis variation. -The uplink deployable item has been increased in size by 2X and had its durability reduced from 350 to 120 – Machine guns have been given a slight rate of fire reduction. HD versions have also been given a small boost to recoil and a larger rate of fire reduction from 370 shots per minute to 190 shots per minute. This makes the time to kill a full health base with 4 MINI-HD’s go from ~1 minute to ~2 minutes. -Cannons have received a large increase in damage. They are now the highest damage weapon in the game. They have also received a 4X increase in the projectile size, with new FX to match. For balance, the fire rate has decreased significantly and the projectile speed was reduced slightly. They are a very high skill, high reward weapon. -The high angle weapons have had a complete rework of the projectile physics. Before, projectiles could land hundreds of meters off from the listed range. They will now land within ~10 meters, every time. This has significantly changed the ‘feel’ of howitzers and rockets. -All Wheel chassis have been given a significant boost to energy generation -Turret deploys have had energy requirements increased, along with a re-balance on weights. Deployment cool down timers have generally increased as well. And for the fun bug fixes! Fixed multiplayer ‘barrel clearing’: This bug affected the shot velocity of the first shot of every weapon in multiplayer only. Now every shot will behave the same. Fixed crash bug when taking fire damage: When taking fire damage [or other very rapid damage] the health UI could enter an infinite race condition resulting in a hard crash or lockup. Fixed health UI not showing temporary damage bars when taking fire damage : Before when taking fire damage the health percentage would decrease, but the bar would stay static. Loading a MAV with locked parts will now result in an invalid build Failed build UI icon will now contain a tooltip showing all reasons for a MAV build to be failing. Known issues: In extreme cases, the flight path of rockets and howitzer rounds is… unexpected. Enjoy the new content!

This man is holding an image of a sword that doesn't exist in real life. In fact, it doesn't even really exist on a virtual world—he paid $16,000 for a game sword that he can't play yet. He got the virtual sword at an auction to celebrate the launch of a highly anticipated game called Age of Wulin. Set in ancient China, the players would be able to ramble through a beautifully detailed world crouching the tiger and hiding the dragon. Other items sold include a sheath for Hook of Departure—sold for $1,600—and a Lordly Spear Sheath—sold for $2,500. Advertisement It's going to be released in China soon, but it will not be available in English until Spring 2012, when all your base are belong to them. [Age of Wulin via Daily Mail]