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Casualties of another war - Tariq Ali
The de facto prime minister of the country, an unelected crony of President Zardari and now his chief adviser, Rehman Malik, said, "our enemies don't want to see democracy flourishing in the country". This was rich coming from him, but in reality it has little to do with all that. It is the consequence of a supposedly "good war" in Afghanistan that has now gone badly wrong. The director of US National Intelligence, Michael McConnell, admits as much, saying the Afghan leadership must deal with the "endemic corruption and pervasive poppy cultivation and drug trafficking" that is to blame for the rise of the neo-Taliban.
The majority of Pakistanis are opposed to the US presence in the region, viewing it as the most serious threat to peace. Why, then, has the US decided to destabilise a crucial ally? Within Pakistan, some analysts argue this is a carefully coordinated move to weaken the Pakistani state by creating a crisis that extends way beyond the frontier with Afghanistan. Its ultimate aim, they claim, would be the extraction of the Pakistani military's nuclear fangs. If this were the case, it would imply Washington was determined to break up Pakistan, since the country would not survive a disaster on that scale.
Why was the Marriot targeted? Two explanations have surfaced in the media. The first is that there was a planned dinner for the president and his cabinet there that night, which was cancelled at the last moment.
The second, reported in the respected Pakistani English-language newspaper, Dawn, is that "a top secret operation of the US Marines [was] going on inside the Marriott when it was attacked". According to the paper: "Well-equipped security officers from the US embassy were seen on the spot soon after the explosions. However, they left the scene shortly afterwards."
The country's largest newspaper, the News, also reported on Sunday that witnesses had seen US embassy steel boxes being carried into the Marriott at night on September 17. According to the paper, the steel boxes were permitted to circumvent security scanners stationed at the hotel entrance.
Mumtaz Alam, a member of parliament, witnessed this. He wanted to leave the hotel but, owing to the heavy security, he was not permitted to leave at the time and is threatening to raise the issue in parliament.
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Coupling describes the relationship between two (or more) classes or modules in a system.
Classes that have low coupling (or loose coupling, Lose Kopplung) in relation to one another have few dependencies on each other. This is desirable, as changing one class means that minimal changes need to be made to the other classes that depend on it. Usually these changes that affect other classes are major changes.
High coupling, on the other hand, makes maintaining the code a nightmare. The classes are so tightly knit that a small change in one class can bring about changes in almost every part of the system.
There are different kinds of coupling, including subclass coupling. A subclass inheriting from another class is also a type of coupling relationship. The child class is coupled to the parent, but the parent is not coupled to the child.
Coupling is usually mentioned in conjunction with cohesion, which will the word for next week. A good system has both low coupling and strong cohesion.
Kopplung comes from the verb koppeln + suffix -ung.
Koppeln comes from Middle High German kupplen.


Alan Beaman with his mother at the steps of the Illinois Supreme Court in Springfield in 2018.
The Illinois Supreme Court sided with Alan Beaman, the man who spent years in prison after being wrongly convicted for murder in the death of Jennifer Lockmiller.
Beaman claimed the 4th District Appellate Court did not accurately judge his claim of malicious prosecution. The Illinois Supreme Court agreed.
Justice Thomas Kilbride's opinion said the appellate court needs to consider whether the defendants simply played a significant role in Beaman's prosecution.
If the appellate court finds that to be true, Beaman's claim will move forward in the process.
Normal Corporation Counsel Brian Day said the town's attorneys are currently analyzing the implication of the court's decision.
"It's important to note here that the court only discussed and clarified a technical legal standard to apply, and it didn't in any way suggest that the plaintiff's claim has any merit," Day said.
Beaman was released in 2008. He filed this civil suit in 2014, alleging former Normal Police officers Tim Freesmeyer, Dave Warner, Frank Zayas and the Town of Normal, by extension, of alleged malicious prosecution, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy. Two additional claims were filed against the town asking for money from damages.
The circuit court found that the defendants "did not exert an unusual influence on the prosecutors" leading to Beaman's prosecution. The court then dismissed the other four claims saying they were dependent on the malicious prosecution claim.
In 2017, the 4th District Appellate Court affirmed the lower court's decision.
In his Illinois Supreme Court appeal, Beaman challenged the circuit court's initial summary judgement.
The circuit court said Beaman could not prove the first four elements. The appellate court agreed.
He said the court relied too heavy on the third test. The Illinois Supreme Court agreed.
This isn't the Illinois Supreme Court ruling in favor of Beaman's claim of malicious prosecution. Instead, it's saying the appellate court needs to rethink its decision of upholding the circuit court's ruling. From here Beaman, the officers, and the town's fate is in the hands of the appellate court yet again.
The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday from a man trying to sue the police for wrongfully convicting him.


text: PUBLIC NOTICE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I SELECTION OF 8 PROJECT-BASED VOUCHER PROPOSAL Notice is hereby given that the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD), Existing Housing Division (EHD) pursuant to 24 CFR § 983 announces the selection of West View Developments, LLC, Owner, Honua'ula, LLC, Developer for the Honua'ula Living Community, located in North Kona. The proposal was evaluated and selected by the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD), Existing Housing Division (EHD) based on a previous competition for a Federal Housing Program and on its merits to expand housing and economic opportunities in a HUD-designated Economic Opportunity Zone. [24 CFR 983.51]. The OHCD will make available to the public and any interested party its documents for one month after this notice at the Office of Housing and Community Development, Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except holidays. The OHCD will not make available sensitive owner information that is privileged, such as financial statements and similar information about the owner. Reproduction of allowable documents will be $.25 per page. The OHCD office locations are: Hilo: 1990 Kino`ole Street, Suite 105, Kona: West Hawai`i Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Bldg B., 2nd Floor On-line at: www.hawaiicounty.gov/office-of-housing/ Duly submitted by Susan K. Kunz Housing Administrator (WHT1321486 4/5, 4/6/21)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Elisabeth Beresford's first two Wombles story books will be republished on 1 November 2010. Bloomsbury Publishing will issue The Wombles and The Wandering Wombles in paperback, "brought back into print with a fresh new cover look and inside illustrations".
for £4.99 or less, with a pre-order price guarantee.
Update: The new cover artwork has been revealed, and two more books have appeared on Amazon. The Wombles At Work and The Invisible Womble will be published on 3 January 2011.


Urban Tales Manga Maximillian von Bismarck is a german highschooler, that enjoys meat and action movies. He goes to school with Lisa Himmler, the cute grand daughter of some german army commander.
Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru Episode 4 : Alliance of the Golden Witch Manga This chapter focuses mostly on Battler s sister Ange, and her life twelve years after the massacre on Rokkenjima. The existence of magic is heavily implied in this chapter. Many new characters make their debut, such as Siesta 00, Gaap, and a number of humans.


If I ever have seen the future, it would be just now. I can say we will be driving cars like these in twenty to thirty years.
One of these bad boys is set to be the second confirmed racer for Project Gotham Racing 4. The first, of course, is the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano as revealed in the trailer. However, Peugeot, who runs an annual car design competition, have drawn up a shortlist of ten entries - and the winner will have a playable version of their idea in Bizarre Creations' top racer, plus Peugeot will make a life size model to be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show. So when the new Project Gotham Racing game arrives later this year, you'll be able to get behind the wheel of one of these fantastic-looking creations.
Well, these cars look entirley different than what we have seen in the previous gotham racing games. I guess people got tired of playing with exotic cars in the previous games and the crap honda civics and mazdas from the need for speed games.
These new cars, or car I guess, will add a bit of novelty to the game now, I guess you won't get bored of it so fast. I think that rather than creating another Arcade game style, they should go fo a sort of Simulator style. You know, something like Gran tursimo does.


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Yes, impressive numbers in the UK. "Sweetener" had 25.8k sales in its Monday Update.
She will easily top that with "thank u, next".
Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" rules the Billboard Hot 100 for a third week, topping the tally dated Feb. 16, after debuting at No. 1 two weeks earlier. The song launched as Grande's second Hot 100 No. 1, and second to start at the top spot, following "Thank U, Next," which debuted atop the chart in November and led for seven total weeks.
Let's run down the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and digital sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Feb. 12).
Grande's "Rings," released on Republic Records, spends a third week as both the week's most-streamed and top-selling song, while continuing to soar in airplay.
"Rings" leads the Streaming Songs chart for a third frame, with 57.7 million U.S. streams, down 9 percent, in the week ending Feb. 7, according to Nielsen Music. It also tops the Digital Song Sales chart for a third week, with 42,000 downloads sold, up 7 percent, in the week ending Feb. 7.
On Radio Songs, "Rings" rockets 19-10, up 21 percent to 50.6 million audience impressions in the week ending Feb. 10, good for the Hot 100's top Airplay Gainer award. The song reaches the Radio Songs top 10 in just its third week, marking the quickest climb to the region since Drake's "In My Feelings" also needed only three frames in July-August. Grande ties her fastest ascent, as her "Problem," featuring Iggy Azalea, hit the Radio Songs top 10 in its third week in 2014.
"Rings" is the radio follow-up to "Next," and follows the track "Imagine," which debuted and peaked at No. 24 on the Hot 100 (Dec. 29). All three songs, plus new radio single "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored," due on next week's Hot 100 (dated Feb. 23), are from Grande's new album, Thank U, Next, which is set for a No. 1 launch on next week's Billboard 200 chart.
She better scan more than 100K in pure sales! All her albums have sold more than 100K in pure sales in the first week!
She's probably going to be #2 or #3 on the German album charts. Kool Savas has released an album and he's higher on iTunes & Amazon. Also, the "A Star Is Born" Soundtrack is ahead of her on iTunes and Amazon as well. Streaming is on her side again though. Midweek charts are going to be released tomorrow so this is just my estimation.
It's going to be her highest peaking album in Germany if it peaks at #2.
Streaming remained strong on Monday following an impressive weekend for Ariana Grande's thank u, next.
The set is aiming to launch with one of the top 10 biggest streaming weeks ever for an album in the U.S.
As earlier reported, Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next is surging toward a No. 1 debut on next week's Billboard 200 chart. Initially (on Feb. 10), industry forecasters suggested the album could bow with perhaps 280,000 to 300,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Feb. 14. Now, the album's first-week forecast has jumped to 330,000 units.
If Thank U starts as expected, it will nab the largest week for any album since Lil Wayne's Tha Carter V bowed at No. 1 on the Oct. 13, 2018-dated list with 480,000 units earned in its first week, according to Nielsen Music. Thank U would also score the biggest week for an album by a woman since Taylor Swift's reputation blew in at No. 1 on the Dec. 2, 2017, chart with 1.2 million units.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The top 10 of the Feb. 23-dated Billboard 200 chart (where Thank U could debut at No. 1) is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard's websites on Sunday, Feb. 17.
Sources say that Thank U will roll in to No. 1 with a robust SEA unit total, which could translate to perhaps 300 million on-demand audio streams for its songs in the U.S. If Thank U bows with a streaming sum that large, it will easily earn the biggest streaming week ever for an album by a woman, the largest streaming week for a pop album, and one of the top 10 biggest streaming weeks ever for an album of any genre.
Assuming Thank U opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it will secure Grande her fourth No. 1 album, and second in less than six months, after Sweetener started at No. 1 on the Sept. 1, 2018-dated tally. The newly minted Grammy Award winner previously reigned with My Everything in 2014 and her debut album, Yours Truly, in 2013.
Next has so far produced two No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, Grande's first leaders on the survey, both of which debuted on top: the title track (for seven weeks beginning in November) and "7 Rings" (which has led for its first three weeks). The video for the new LP's latest single, "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored," arrived Friday (Feb. 8), concurrent with the album's release, and should soar onto next week's Hot 100 (dated Feb. 23) after its first full week of tracking.
50 NE 7 rings [2,629 units] - only Western song in the top 50!
Same when it comes to pure sales, but I'm happy with the overall predictions. Even though "Sweetener" 'only' did 231k SPS, 127k of those were pure sales. So I expected similar or better pure sales as the hype around her got even bigger now. But doing 100k SPS more is quite impressive.
Pure sales are dying. It will not do better than Sweetener.
Just as I thought it's #3 on the German midweeks. Just like "Sweetener".
"break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" is #9.
It's been just a half year since "Sweetener". Maybe I'm underestimating the general sales decline but I didn't think this would do less due to that, especially she just scored her first two #1 hits in a row, she's EVERYWHERE at the moment and even got a lot of attention due to the Grammy beef.
Do take into account that Sweetener was up for pre-orders for nearly 2 months. thank u, next release has been confirmed not even a month ago and pre-orders started on Jan 25th. This one should have a very healthy run.
Ugh, why didn't I think about this yet? That's a very good point and could have made a little difference in sales for sure.
Are you a fan of spoilers? Here's an easy one for you - Ariana Grande is going to dominate this week's ARIA charts.
According to midweek figures, the US popstar's fifth studio record, thank u, next, is predicted to debut in at least the top three of the Albums chart and is expected to land at #1.
The feat would mark Grande's fourth-straight top-charting album in Australia, following last August's Sweetener, which is also set to move up into the top 15 after placing at #21 last week.
Meanwhile over on the Singles chart, the 25-year-old songwriter is expected to challenge her own three-week reign atop the list, with new single, Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored, predicted to debut in the top three and push for #1 against 7 Rings.
Five more Grande songs are tracking to debut inside the top 30 - Bloodline, Needy, Bad Idea, Fake Smile and Ghostin', while the already-released thank u, next and Imagine, should climb back into the top ten and 25, respectively.
She already surpassed the first week sales for "Sweetener"!


Our city is mi amor! This shirt is the Martha of Miami One Year Anniversary Shirt. This shirt was given to those who attended the one year anniversary party Croquetas, Coladas, y Cubanas on Oct 22nd, 2016.
This shirt was designed by Friks84. Find him on instagram!


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The Top 15 Horror Icons of Gaming
Posted by Matt Byrd (10/29/2013 @ 12:54 pm)
As an unabashed fan of horror in all its forms, I've always had a special place in my heart for horror gaming. While not as prolific a genre as certain other game types, when a horror game comes along that gets it right, it manages to be more effective and plain scarier than horror films or books could hope to be. Play horror games long enough, and you'll see some serious shit.
Much like the world of horror films, gaming's forays into the demonic have left it with a plethora of iconic characters. While its debatable if gaming has produced a character as iconic as say Freddy or Jason, the overall quality and effectiveness of gaming's horror icons can go toe to toe with those from any other medium, and as Halloween approaches I think its time they got some well deserved attention.
One quick note regarding these selections. A character can be scary and iconic even if it isn't in a pure horror game, meaning that not every character on this list is from a game that is traditionally classified as horror! With that disclaimer, I present my top 15 horror icons of gaming.
15. Creeper (Minecraft)
Now you see why I highlighted that disclaimer don't you?
Minecraft is not a strict horror game, but it does rely heavily on its survival elements, which are also vital to good horror experiences. As such, the first night you find yourself out in the wild, or trapped in a deep cavern are among the scariest moments in gaming. That's a feeling that's due in large part to the presence of a creeper, whose silent approach and explosive death have been the end of just about ever "Minecraft" player at some point. The only time you fear the creeper more than when it's directly behind you, is when you aren't seeing it at all. That's a pretty good indication you're a horror icon.
14. The Yeti (Ski Free)
So, it's the early 90's and you're playing "Ski Free" on your fancy new Windows computer. There you are enjoying a leisure ski adventure, marveling at the game's technical majesty, when all of a sudden a giant friggin Yeti beelines at your skier and straight up eats them.
The brilliance of The Yeti stems from the fact you're not expecting it. It has absolutely no business existing in a casual game like Ski Free, and not only terrifies you the first time you play it, but makes you live in dread of his coming on subsequent tries. You may escape the Yeti, but you'll never be truly rid of him
13. Wallmasters (Legend of Zelda)
I swear I'll get to strict horror games at some point, but until then, I've got to give the Wallmaster its due.
Wallmaster…**** you. Not only are you the scariest creature in "Zelda" (giant dismembered hands are always scary) but you are the most frustrating as well. Whereas most servants of Ganon are satisfied merely murdering the young adventurer Link, you find your perverse pleasure in picking him up like a broken toy, and tossing him back to the beginning of a dungeon, making you something of an in-game troll as well as a giant hand. For being the cause of more high pitched screams and broken controllers than anything else in the Zelda series, I salute you.
12. Alma (F.E.A.R.)
You know what's funny? "F.E.A.R." isn't really that scary of a series overall, and the whole "creepy little girl" thing was already getting kind of played out by the time Alma reared her freaky little head.
It's the fact Alma managed to be so memorable in spite of those limitations, that gets her on this list. Remove Alma from "F.E.A.R." and you're left with a mostly generic shooter that would have been forgotten much sooner than it has been. With her though, you have a game that manages to keep you constantly on your toes in anticipation for the next moment that she will come and just scare the crap out of you. It's her presence that manages to change the entire atmosphere and dynamics of the game, meaning whenever she is on screen "F.E.A.R." goes from a semi-competent shooter, to pretty damn good horror game.
11. The Fog (Silent Hill)
You know those directors who say something along the lines of "We may have shot in New York, but the city was more like a character than a setting."? The fog in "Silent Hill" is just like that.
Originally implemented to compensate for the Playsation's lack of draw distance, the fog in "Silent Hill" makes the whole game about 90% scarier than it would have been otherwise. It not only conceals your enemies making you rely on vague radio signals that only loosely indicate where the danger is, but even makes moments of supposed calm uncomfortable, like the fog is slowly seeping in and strangling you. It might not actually be a monster (that's actually debatable considering the plot) but it's certainly an icon of horror gaming.
10. Scissorman (Clock Tower)
The "Clock Tower" series may never get the love it deserves in the world of horror gaming, but it's high time that Scissorman was paid the proper respect.
Designed and modeled largely after the more famous creatures of film horror, Scissorman is a slasher in the pure sense of the term. He creeps, he stalks, he wields an iconic weapon, and he usually chooses the most cinematic moments to pop out and scare the living hell out of you. His design and actions make him often feel like some sort of missing character from the glory days of the 80's slasher, and to this day seeing even a still image of him can inspire dread and a morbid curiosity regarding who he is, and where the hell he got those giant bloody scissors.
9. Necromorphs (Dead Space)
Aim for the head. If George Romero movies didn't already get that simple message buried deep into your subconscious, the years of film and video games that preceded "Dead Space" and preached the same words probably did.
The Necromorph directly plays against that universal shooter rule, by making the limbs the weakspot. While that no doubt caused nearly every player to panic during the first few encounters, even when figuring out the trick to defeating them, their steady menacing pace and skills at playing dead never fail to cause you to shoot randomly in terror once in a while when one comes into sight. Also, unlike many horror creatures, discovering the origins and motivations of the necromorphs actually make them more terrifying. "Dead Space 1 & 2" (you heard me!) are the premiere horror games of this generation, and that's due in large part to the terrifying contributions of the Necromorphs.
8. Deathclaw (Fallout)
Despite not technically being a horror game, "Fallout" manages to be one of the most terrifying series ever made due to the unfiltered horrific vision of the nuclear apocalypse it portrays. There are atrocities in those games without equal, and the bleak and somber tones of the world they inhabit make them all the more intimidating.
Yet none of the horrors these games can throw at you compare to the Deathclaw. While their pants wetting visual design, incredible power, and simply unfair speed certainly help their iconic status, the biggest reason they're so memorable is due to the design of the games themselves. Because of the open nature of "Fallout" the first time you encounter a Deathclaw, you are likely in no way prepared to defeat it, and can only watch in horror as it swarms on you with blinding speed, and an almost professional level of malice. Hell, even later in the game when you're basically a destroyer of worlds, a pack of these bad boys can still make you pause in fear.
7. Poison Head Crabs (Half-Life)
Sure headcrabs are mostly derivative of the face huggers from "Alien," but that did absolutely to suppress the terror they inspired when making there debut in 1998's "Half-Life," and they've since arguably surpassed their terrestrial spiritual brethren in terms of notoriety.
That being said, I give the slight nod to their poisonous offshoot from "Half-Life 2." Even though the Ravenholm section of that game was basically a detour into the horror genre, the only sections I'd really consider scary involved these little bastards, and their ability to bring the player's health down to 1 instantly. Much like the Wallmaster, the poisonous headcrab is memorable not just because of the way it initially sends a jolt of fear through the player, but because of the way it can wreck your gaming experience.
6. Evil Otto (Berzerk)
When you're first name is Evil, you've got some pretty big horror expectations to live up to.
Otto has done just that, though over a career dedicated to outmaneuvering the players of "Berzerk" and coming upon them like the specter of death itself, all while sporting a permanent grin that only goes away when its blood lust is satisfied. "Berzkerk" has claimed actual lives, and while that's medically been attributed to heart attacks caused by the flashing lights of the game, anyone who's ever cringed upon hearing the garbled "Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert" message that preceeds the arrival of Evil Otto know he was the more likely culprit.
5. The Cherub (Doom)
In general, when designing an effective horror character, it's appreciated if some level of subtlety is applied either in the origins or design. With few exceptions, obvious attempts to scare are not acceptable.
Meet one of those exceptions. Is it a bit cheap from a design standpoint to just throw a deformed monster baby out there and call it a day? Perhaps. However, it's impossible to deny that when a gang of these things come screeching at you (of course they screech) you're first reaction is to back away towards the last known safe point while screaming your head off and firing a shotgun in every direction. For the most part, the frights in the Doom series are muted somewhat by the sheer amount of firepower available to you, but there is no weapon in the game (not even the fabled BFG) that makes you feel comfortable when surrounded by these bundles of terror.
4. The Witch (Left 4 Dead)
Ah the Witch. What else is there to say about the Witch?
The Witch is like a landmine of pure terror. Even though you're up against an army of some of the most horrifying creatures imaginable, it's the one that can kill you before you can put up a fight that scares you the most. Landmines might not make a noise to alert you of their presence like the Witch does, but those lamentations actually make her more frightening as the moment you hear them, you're suddenly seized with terror and the knowledge you might soon be dead. The Witch has gotten us all at some point, and the moment you fire a shot in the wrong direction, she'll get you again.
3. Shodan (System Shock)
Like many other horror gaming characters, Shodan borrows several characteristics from something in film (in this case "2001: A Space Odyssey's" HAL 9000), but uses the interactive advantages of gaming to maker her own mark.
The antagonist of the "System Shock" series, Shodan's defining moment would come in "System Shock 2" when after your character has survived an abandoned space ship full of horror, it is revealed that the lone survivor that was guiding you along is actually the evil A.I. Shodan, whose been using you for her own agenda. Long before "Bioshock" asked us "Would You Kindly," "System Shock 2" showed us how a twist can be that much more effective when coupled with the feeling of betrayal. Only here it's made even more effective by the presence of Shodan whose megalomaniac personality makes you feel appropriately small.
2. Nemesis (Resident Evil 3)
The argument that "Resident Evil" is the biggest franchise in horror gaming is not a hard one to make, and of all of the terrors the series has lent to our nightmares (lickers, giant spiders, those damn zombie dogs) none are more memorable than the Nemesis.
Essentially the Terminator of the franchise, the Nemesis was built for no other purpose than to hunt and kill S.T.A.R.S. members. Not bound by many of the series previously established rules (he can enter doors!), the Nemesis is like a boss character you fight the entire game, though you never know when he will appear, and as such are rarely prepared to stand up to him. With his strong aversion to dying, the only pang of regret you'll feel when he finally goes down for good, is when you realize that the "RE" series, and horror gaming, may never see his demonic equal.
1. Pyramid Head (Silent Hill 2)
In a way it was disappointingly easy to name Pyramid Head number one.
While his iconic looks are the very embodiment of terror, and certainly make him stand out amongst the crowd, it's not until you start learning more about the characters origins do you realize just how depraved it is. One of the more disturbing elements of the character, which is rarely seen in video games otherwise, is its underlying sexual themes, which are highly reminiscent of the terrifying cenobite demons from "Hellaraiser." It's an example of the many ways this character assaults your emotions on a primal level, and gets under your skin in a very real way.
I think that may just be the clearest reason Pyramid Head gets the top spot. While just about every other character on this list largely only unsettles you when you're actually up against them in the game you're playing, Pyramid Head is the only one that really sticks with long after, and is as terrifying when you're merely considering him, as he is when you're facing him in the game.
Posted in: Editorial
Tags: Alma, Berzerk, best characters in gaming horror, best video game horror characters, Clock Tower, Creeper, dead space, Deathclaw, Doom, Evil Otto, F.E.A.R., fallout, gaming horror icons, half-life, horror icons of gaming, icons of gaming, icons of horror, left 4 dead, legend of zelda, Minecraft, Necromorphs, Nemesis, Poison Head Crabs, Pyramid Head, Resident Evil 3, scariest video game characters, Scissorman, SHODAN, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill fog, Ski Free, System Shock, The Cherub, The Fog, The Witch, The Yeti, Wallmasters
John Carpenter Wants to Direct "Dead Space?" S*** Just Got Real
Posted by Matt Byrd (05/09/2013 @ 6:53 pm)
As a rule I try not to get excited about movies based on video games for reasons that should be painfully (very painfully) obvious.
But for those of you that may not know, John Carpenter is one of the greatest horror film directors of all time, and during a streak in the late 70's and into the 80's directed some truly immortal movies, including the greatest sci-fi horror flick ever made, "The Thing."
So when that man says he's interested in making a video game into a movie, you pay attention. When that move is an adaptation of "Dead Space," you have permission to shed your cynicism towards the whole idea.
Such appears to be the case as John recently told Game Informer that he would in fact "love to make 'Dead Space'" into a movie. Now of course, no one has announced a "Dead Space" movie (except for those animated films), and this is just friendly banter from Carpenter, so far as anyone can tell, so this news should be taken as nothing more than that.
Even in that spirit though, it's hard to not start imagining that Carpenter would in fact knock this out of the park. "Dead Space" the game is an elaborate haunted house type horror story, with some psychologically intense elements and an incredibly interesting plot that doesn't interrupt the scares. Carpenter made his name directing films like that, and, when you consider the fact this is a case of a big name director who is genuinely excited about adapting a video game, it's easy to forget that Carpenter hasn't done a truly noteworthy film in about 20 years, and to start considering the possibility that this could just work in a big way.
Plus, are you going to tell me you're not going to give the man who directed "The Thing" the benefit of the doubt when it comes to making one more truly great film?
Tags: biggest gaming news, biggest video game news, dead space, Dead Space Movie, Dead Space Movie Director, Dead Space Movie Rumors, fresh gaming news, fresh video game news, gaming, gaming articles, gaming blogs, gaming news, John Carpenter, John Carpenter directing Dead Space, The Thing, The Thing and Dead Space, Video Game Articles, Video Game Blogs, video game movies, Video Game Movies rumors, Video game news, Video Games
Gaming's Most Evil Religious Figures
With the pope announcing his surprising retirement, the Catholic church and its followers are abuzz not just about the incident, but about who will take the position next.
With a wealth of candidates available though, there shouldn't be much problem finding a suitable replacement, which is more than can be said about the spiritual world in video games where paragons of holy virtue and guidance are few and far between. In fact it's quite the opposite as some of gaming's greatest villains derive from the world of religion.
To show you how bad the problem is, here are a few of gaming's most despicable religious leaders.
Important Note: This is in no way shape or form a commentary on any real religion or religious figures including, but not limited to, the pope or the Catholic church. This is just for fun.
Oh and spoilers. Spoilers are ahead.
Allegro Rasputin of the First Church of LeChuck – "Escape From Monkey Island"
The exact doctrines, words, and many basic day to day functions of the First Church of LeChuck are a mystery to many. It's origins, however, are very clear as priest Allegro Rasputin was murdered by the ghost pirate LeChuck, and even made to view his still beating pancreas prior to death, while out at sea. Initially upset, the priest came to respect LeChuck for his capabilities and founded a church in his honor.
And what a church it is. Built into a volcano, and resembling a skull castle, the church has a river of lava flowing through it used in weddings so couples can become ghosts, and live together eternally, at the end of the journey. The rest of the church is a none too subtle tribute to LeChuck himself, and Rasputin's primary goal is stopping the enemy of his deity, Guybrush Threepwood.
While not gaming's deepest religion, for sheer tenacity, dedication, and even style, the Church of LeChuck is one of gaming's most memorable religious institutions, and Rasputin's devoutness to stopping our hero is equal to his faith
The Prophet of Truth of the Covenant Religion – "Halo"
It was "Halo 2" where gamers discovered that the hard fighting and no-nonsense alien enemies known as the Covenant were actually a deeply religious society with a strong sense of organization and hierarchy.
Atop that hierarchy are a series of prophets, and amongst those prophets is the clear leader, the Prophet of Truth. His mission is to lead his people in seeking out and activating the halo installations of the ancient, yet far advanced, people known as the forerunners. They believe that once the rings are activated, they will achieve a form of ascension and become eternal. They are actually aware, that while they have a slim chance of elevation, that completing this mission will more or less result in the complete destruction of every known thing.
Being a real fanatic is both the reason behind the rise to power, and the fall of the Prophet of Truth. While many villains have promised the end of the world or universe, few did it with the smug sense of satisfaction, and feeling of purpose as the Prophet of Truth.
Craig Markoff of Unitology –"Dead Space"
While the Church of Unitology's primary figure is Michael Altman, one of the true spearheads of the movement is military man Craig Markoff.
A cleverly veiled allusion to Scientology in many ways, the Church of Unitology plays an integral role in the "Dead Space" series, and revolves around the fabled markers, which are artifacts of mysterious power. Formed in a time of dwindling religious beliefs, the church promoted a message of harmony and peace which caught on quickly and turned them into a real power. One of their principle ideas is not burying the dead, and instead keeping their bodies on spaceships waiting to be re-born. In reality, they are aware of the limited power of the marker to grant new and eternal life, though it often results in creating unspeakable atrocities. These incidents were written off as anomalies with manageable spiritual factors contributing to them.
A true and horrible evil in every way, Markoff is one of gaming's great villains. He cleverly used Altman as a figurehead of virtue shielding him from the many, many atrocities he would commit, and his tenacity in refusing to waiver from his claims, is nearly unprecedented.
Morpheus of the Children of the Cathedral – "Fallout"
"Fallout" is full of religions, and while the nuclear bomb worshiping Children of the Atom get all of the attention, it is the leader of the Children of the Cathedral that gets my nod.
A servant of The Master (a downright terrifying mutant, human, computer hybrid), Morpheus is an old styled southern preacher who is clever, extremely charismatic, and downright volatile. Morpheus doesn't believe The Master to be a god as others in the church do, but he has no qualms with using the influence of the church for his own means, and is a loyal servant of him all the same.
Much like Markoff, Morpheus is a pure evil as it gets, as his short temper and selfish ambitions only further his insatiable ego. It's one thing to take advantage of people's spiritual beliefs to further your own causes, but to do so at the end of world when all other hope has gone? Damn.
Sergius XVII of the Ormus Religion – "Xenosaga"
One of gaming's greatest and most complex universes is that of the "Xenosaga" games. Fittingly, it also contains one of the deepest and most complex religions in all of gaming, the Ormus religion.
It would be impossible to sum up the religion entirely here, but it is spearheaded by the patriarch Sergius XVII and is actually an evolutionary offshoot of modern day Christianity. Their main objective is to recover the mysterious Zohar artifact, and use it to defeat the equally mysterious, and troublesome, Gnosis. Sergius XVII, also has personal ambitions to use this event to further the Ormus's reach and influence, which is already considerable as the religion has power in nearly every meaningful aspect of society.
A victim of absolute power, it's easy to write off Sergius XVII as simply "evil", but his motives and intentions are instead a mix of the blindingly noble and the sadistically misguided. Because of this, he stands as one of the deepest, most influential, and in many ways the most realistically flawed of all of gaming's evil religious figures, making him more memorable than the usual snarling types.
Tags: Allegro Rasputin, Children of the Cathedral, Church of the Children of the Atom, Covenant Religion, Craig Markoff, dead space, Escape from Monkey Island, evil religious characters, evil video game characters, fallout, fictional religions, First Church of LeChuck, Gnosis, guybrush threepwood, halo 2, list of video game religions, Michael Altman, Morpheus, Ormus religion, pope retiring, Prophet of Truth, religion in video games, religious video game characters, Scientology, Sergius XVII, The Master, Unitology, Video Game Articles, Video Game Blogs, video game churches, Video Game Features, video game headlines, Video Game Lists, Video game news, video game religions, Video Games, Xenosaga, Zohar
The 31 Horror Games of October: Part 3
As Halloween draws near, here are the final 10 greatest horror games of all time, any of which would be more than worthy for a Halloween night marathon.
10. Alien vs Predator 2 – A couple funny things about this game being on this list. One, its actually more of a sci-fi shooter than a full on horror game. Two, there are three main stories to play through and two of them (that have you playing as the alien and the predator) are entertaining, but far from scary. What gets it on the list is the 5-8 hour colonial marine campaign. If the best aspect of horror games is how they make you feel like you're not ready for what's next, then this may be the best example of it.
Around every corner waits a new threat, and the tension of awaiting it is only outmatched by the fright itself. It may be a sci-fi game but it's also one of the best examples of the "haunted house" effect I can think of. You would think that the heavy arsenal at your disposal would help, but it only leads you into a false sense of security. The "Alien vs Predator" movies may have been abominations, but if you never played this game, I can't begin to adequately describe the terror you are denying yourself.
9. Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth – An almost impossibly underrated title, where as most horror games take elements of the works of H.P. Lovecraft for their scares, this is a direct adaptation of several of those titles. What I love about the game is how much it feels like a love letter to the genre, as so many elements present in the game are horror conventions that are effectively implemented so that they sure to give any fright fan an impossible to shake ear to ear grin. Well, until it's replaced with a look of cold fear that is. As much as "Call of Cthulu" is a fun experience, it is an even greater trip through pure terror. The monsters design is superb, the ammo is appropriately sparse, the sound is a highlight reel of bumps in the night, and the game features some of the best set piece moments you'll see in the genre.
Particular mention here must go to the escape scene in the town of Innsmouth, where your early investigations lead you to conclude that everyone in the town is incredibly indifferent, and even hostile. That instinct would turn out to be dead on as the entire populace starts chasing you with the intention to kill. It's a flawless escape sequence that puts you into the game like few other titles can even hope to do, and is a perfect example of the brilliance of this title.
8. Dead Space – Picking up "Dead Space" originally for a quick play through, I didn't understand the hype. After all, at the time it was being heralded as the savior of the survival horror genre and one of the most terrifying games ever made to boot. My mistake was only playing the game for a short burst though.
"Dead Space" is a game that begs you, even dares you, to immerse yourself in it. Turn off the lights, shut down the phone, crank up the volume, and see how far you can make it before the sheer terror overwhelms you. The brilliance of "Dead Space" is in the collection of all the little things it does well, like removing a lot of the traditional HUD elements on the screen and subtly putting them on your characters back, or how almost all of your weapons are mining tools re-purposed for your current slaughter needs. There's also the bolder elements like the horrific creature design, and the emptiness of the space station setting making you feel like you are truly fighting your way out of hell and into the unknown. I was gravely mistaken for thinking "Dead Space" was anything less than one of the greatest horror games of all time, and I now recognize it as perhaps the prime example of effective atmosphere in gaming.
7. Left 4 Dead 2 – The greatest zombie game ever made? Well…not quite but it is certainly the most entertaining. Valve struck horror gold when they devised the idea of allowing 4 players to fight their way through the zombie apocalypse in the original "Left 4 Dead." With the sequel, they perfected the experience by incorporating more enemies, more characters, better levels, and more modes.
The entire game works because of its intense level design which is open enough to make you feel like you're not boxed in, but still linear enough to make the choke point moments work. Even better is the community aspect, as "Left 4 Dead" perfectly allows you to live out those conversations you have with your friends about what you all would do in a zombie apocalypse. That's not to say the game is entirely about fun, as the scares are plentiful and often come in the form of the sheer overwhelming numbers you face, and the special zombies that complicate your survival intentions with their unique abilities (especially the Witches, which are essentially the nuclear weapons of the zombie horde). "Left 4 Dead 2" is a simple idea executed to absolute perfection.
6. System Shock 2 – Remember earlier when I mentioned that "Dead Space" is perhaps the prime example of atmosphere in gaming? Well, that's because there are a couple of other contenders on this list, with "System Shock 2" being chief among them. The theme of the game is isolation, as you are sent to investigate the sudden stoppage of the world's most advanced ship. One it becomes clear that something has gone horribly, horribly wrong on board, your only companion is a surviving analyst who guides you to her location, and your only goal is to survive and hope that by reaching her you can regain a sense of perspective about what is going on around you. In your path is a host of mechanical and organic enemies as well as a very real sense of hopelessness that threatens your progress more than any in-game element.
"System Shock" is the spiritual pre-cursor to "Bioshock" and many of its elements were highly influential on the "Deus Ex" series. While that gives you an idea of how revolutionary it was at the time, I'm happy to say I can do no real justice to the game's atmosphere. You are truly alone in this world. While it's a world filled with incredible amounts of backstory and political intrigue if you go looking for it, that doesn't make it feel any less unwelcoming. Capped off by one of the greatest plot twists in video game history, "System Shock 2" is one of the few great entrants of the horror genre in the games are art debate.
Posted in: Reviews
Tags: Alien Vs Predator 2, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Articles, best horror games, bioshock, blogs, Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth, dead space, dead space 2, deus ex, fallout 3, Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, gaming, Halloween video games, headlines, HP Lovecraft, Ju-On, left 4 dead, left 4 dead 2, lists, Pokemon Snap, Pyramid Head, Resident Evil Gamecube, Resident Evil Remake, scariest video games, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, System Shock, System Shock 2, The Ring, Video Games, Zombie games
EA job post points to Dead Space 2 multiplayer
A recent job posting from EA suggests we might get a little multiplayer action in Dead Space 2. If you've not played through the original game, you should, if only to see how truly terrifying a game can be. As far as multiplayer goes, though, I'm not real sure what that would look like. So much of the original game is devoted to removing body parts that a multiplayer experience sounds more like a drunken Alien vs. Predator match to me.
Here's the interesting content from the post:
This M-rated action/shooter sequel will set new standards for an action-packed story-driven console experience. Our team values are as follows: Gameplay comes first, controller feel is everything, culture of creativity, be highly iterative, playtest early and often, learn from failure, work fast and smart, and surround ourselves with the best talent in the world.
The previous installment in the Dead Space franchise received numerous awards for gameplay, visuals, and sound design, and the same core team is in place to create an even better follow up.
If you'll remember, Dead Space had insanely high used sales compared to new sales, which usually means players don't see a lot of replay value to the game. Multiplayer support would probably help, but only if done right, and really, I'm having trouble dreaming that up.
Posted in: EA
Tags: dead space, dead space 2, dead space co-op, dead space multiplayer, dead space online, EA, jobs, multiplayer
Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter "SimCity"


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Home News Diamonds & Gemstones
Belgium overtaken as world's largest diamond producer
Sam Lewis
The UAE has now taken the top spot globally for trading rough diamonds, with over $22.8 billion (£16.8 billion) worth of rough diamonds traded in 2021.
This is according to Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and chief executive officer, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) said on Monday.
Since 2015, the UAE has grown its rough diamonds trade by 76%, overtaking Belgium as the world's leading rough diamond trade hub.
Total diamond trade has also grown significantly, increasing by 83% between 2020 and 2021.
#UAE becomes world's top hub for rough diamond trading, as @DMCCAuthority hosts its flagship #Dubai Diamond Conference (DDC) held under the theme "The Future of Diamonds". @DDE_by_DMCC pic.twitter.com/MZai6A0jyS
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 21, 2022
Bin Sulayem said at the Dubai Diamond Conference (DDC): "I am humbled to share that in 2021, Dubai, UAE, became the number one rough diamond trading hub in the world.
"With $22.8bn in rough trade last year, we are continuing to grow thanks to the trust and support received from so many of our guests here today – we accomplished this together.
"This major milestone clearly demonstrates the determination of both Dubai and DMCC in advancing the global industry.
"Having grown to become the rough diamond capital of the world, we understand the importance of listening to the market, adapting, and taking action – which is why the Dubai Diamond Conference is such a critical event for the sector.
"Through this same method, we will continue to work towards becoming the capital for polished diamonds as well."
The DMCC Dubai Diamond Exchange is the largest diamond tender facility in the world, and is home to other 1,100 diamond companies.
DMCC
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Shark Drunk
(Books)
I loved Shark Drunk: The Art of Catching a Large Shark from a Tiny Rubber Dinghy in a Big Ocean, a book about two friends hunting a Greenland Shark in northern Norway.
It goes into many interesting places: history, Norwegian culture, the nature of male friendship, and the immense and mysterious world that lies below the sea.
Interesting throughout and I highlighted a couple passages:
On the seaward side of the Vesterålen archipelago, they have a special word for the sound of the ocean when heard through a bedroom window on a mild summer night–the sound of water calmly lapping against the shore. The word is syjbårturn.
And this (related to Futility Closet's "Pigs on Trial" episode):
One afternoon I describe how animals from the Middle Ages all the way up to the 1800s could be taken to court for breaking human laws. Dogs, rats, cattle, even millipedes were charged with and jailed for crimes ranging from murder to indecent behavior.
Defense attorneys were appointed, witnesses summoned, and every legal procedure of the day was followed. Sparrows were accused of twittering too loudly during a church service. Pigs that had attacked young children were sentenced to death.
In France, a pig was dressed in a suit, led to the gallows, and hanged. In 1750, a donkey was found innocent after an unfortunate incident only because a priest was able to testify that the animal had previously led a virtuous life.


I have visited Selins Grove Brewing many times, but never reviewed it. Last visit was on Sunday April 28, 2013. The pub was moderately busy. Eleven different beers were on tap. Basically there is a beer for just about everyone. They had my favorites on tap: Scottish ale, black IPA and American pale ale. I drank the American pale ale. As usual it had a nice hop flavor and aroma, mild malt flavor with a clean finish. They are very consistant with the quality of beer. Been going there for five years and detect no changes in beer quality-always top notch. They are generally very busy. Great for the owners. Good turn over on the beer. Always brewing seasonal brews. I find the food very tasty. Basically they have an starter and sandwich menu with some salads. Everything we have ever ordered has been high quality and tasty. They also serve local craft cheeses and breads. For those who prefer wine, they serve wine from area wineries. As one could expect the service slows as the place gets busier, but you are never ignored. It is a small and intimate brewery which makes for great atmosphere.
Stopped in the other night, and was very pleasantly surprised. The beer selection was phenomenal (for the size of the place). It's located in the basement, and has a nice cozy feel to it.
It was a Saturday night and very busy, but I was able to get a stool at the bar. I don't remember what I started with, but I know the next one was a Belgium dubbel, and as I'm drinking it they put a brand new batch of tripel on tap! The dubbel was very mild and sweet, had a nice, dark amber color to it. The tripel...just the opposite! Overly hopped and extremely dry, light in color but as full-flavored as you would expect!
I ended with an Oatmeal stout that wasn't bad, and I think there were still about 6 or 7 on tap that I didn't try.
Did not try the food, but will next time: everything I saw come out of the kitchen looked great.
Atmosphere and beer selection I think are the 2 best qualities of this place, and I will definitely be back for a round 2.
A great place to stop in a enjoy the atmosphere while drinking a pint. I always seem to visit this place in the fall or winter which is unique since it is a very small cozy place. Not a lot of seating and the menu is very simple but they beer is good. I wish they would expand and market the beer more but it goes if it ain't broke don't fix it...and Selins Grove Brewing is doing a great job with the production of thier beers.
I went here for the first time over Thanksgiving with my brother, and our experience was so great we decided to form a roadtrip with some friends around returning to this great little brewery.
It certainly is tucked in a cozy little basement which helps it have an amazing character and ambiance. Everyone here is friendly, patrons and workers alike. The food is great from Veggie chili to their sandwhiches. If you sit at the bar near the kitchen your mouth will water as you see some of the creations that are brought out.
now, on to the important stuff.....the beer.
The first time I went they had the pumpkin ale, which is completely unexplainable, but completely amazing. I have never had anything like it...wow. Then their organic oatmeal stout which had an aftertaste that i never though possible. The other beers were fantastic, as brother and I stayed there perhaps longer than we should have.
On our second trip, the pumpkin and oatmeal stout were gone. Fortunately all of their other beer is still great.
I recommend this place to anyone who is within 3 or 4 hours of this place. It truly is the best beer i've ever had, and couldn't find a single beer that didn't make me say "wow"
recommendation: go here, go here, go here. It gets busy but the beer is well worth the wait, the atmosphere is great, and the people are friendly. What more can you look for.
Great, friendly brewpub tucked away in out of the way Selinsgrove. Dark and cozy inside, or enjoy your brew on the small patio. Excellent soups and original sandwich creations to compliment the best beers around. Get there early during meal times, or be prepared to wait. While you do, try a Mud Puppy Brown Ale, or my favorite, Kriek. You'll be glad you stuck around. Parking behind the pub is limited, but plenty of parking on Main st.
For travelers on US Route 15 this is a must-stop. Check the hours before planning a trip. Beers are wonderful, selection is great. I don't think I've had a beer there I didn't like. ESBs, IPAs, porters and stouts are all rich and flavorful. The setting is quaint and rustic; it's also small so get there early! Food is excellent, pub fare that leans toward local and organic. Staff is pleasant and attentive. I wish it were closer but then, people would know where to find me! A great place to hang out!


This year I published 53 posts and received more than 330,000 page views. That's about twice as many as last year. Here are some of the highlights. 1. How Does Kinseotape Work?
This post got more page views than any other, thanks primarily to the burning desire of many googling Olympics fans to know why so many athletes were wearing colorful tape all over their bodies.
In this post, not only did I get to make fun of my brother and his favorite tennis player Gene Mayer, but I was asked by Mike Boyle if he could post the article it on his site. Cool.
3. The World's Best Athlete Parts 1-3.
Most articles on this subject are sheer nonsense. So is mine, but it is the best one I have ever read by a long shot. The purpose here was to apply some serious analysis to an inherently stupid question. There is some great bar room debating in the comment section.
Attending a conference where Lorimer Moseley and Paul Hodges spoke for three days was the educational highlight of the year for me, and I tried to pack as much information as possible into this series of posts (which still isn't done yet!).
I was very honored that Laree Draper asked me to do an audio recording at her site movementlectures.com. You can check out my talk on the Body Maps here.
6. Does Anterior Tilt Cause Low Back Pain?
It's amazing how many people just assume the answer is yes, even though most evidence (that I found at least) points in the other direction. Sometimes the truth can just hide in plain sight. There's some good debate in the comments.
I was worried that my readers would be grossed out by the philosophical tone of this post, but apparently I have more geeky readers than I reckoned because many were begging for more.
A picture is worth a thousand words. One of my most popular posts this year was pretty much just a picture.
This was a fun post that post got linked by Tony Gentilcore and Ben Bruno, who each write excellent blogs about lifting heavy stuff. Look at that, I can hang with the T Nation bros. Just needed to make some jokes about pink dumbbells.
Happy New Year, thanks for reading, and good luck with your movement in 2013!


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I have been writing several shorts stories describing some of my life experiences, mostly of sexual nature. You may find that E- Fatty is missing some detail in description, but that is because most of my stories interconnect; at the end the story makes sense and it will make you giggle a bit I promise. I appreciate any and all intellectual contributions as I'm looking to better my writing. Don't be afraid of reviewing honestly I can handle it. Thanks in advance.
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DHS Rescinds "No-Match" Rule, Moves Forward with E-Verify as It Shifts Enforcement Focus to Employers
Refugees and Asylees in the United States
The Next Generation of E-Verify: Getting Employment Verification Right
By Doris Meissner and Marc R. Rosenblum
Aligning Temporary Immigration Visas with U.S. Labor Market Needs: The Case for a New System of Provisional Visas
Is This Working? Assessment and Evaluation Methods Used to Build and Access Language Services in Social Services Agencies In Social Services Agencies
By Laureen Laglagaron and Jessica Sperling
6th Annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference
ICE to Expand New Immigration Enforcement Program in Local Jails
Legal Immigration to the United States in 2008
Immigrant Women in the United States in 2000
Since the early 1990s, there have been more female than male immigrants to the United States. This Spotlight by Elizabeth Grieco, MPI Data Manager, examines some of the characteristics of this important group of immigrants.
Competing Futures: The Children of America's Newest Immigrants
Diverse origins. Diverse opportunities. Rubén G. Rumbaut, Professor of Sociology and co-director of the Center for Research on Immigration, Population, and Public Policy at the University of California Irvine, takes a closer look at the trajectories and adaptation of first and second-generation youth in the United States. Over a decade of longitudinal data provide early clues to the cohesive and the centrifugal forces shaping America's immigrant future. Will the achievements that characterize today's immigrant youth follow them through to adulthood?
MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on immigration enforcement policy changes, Obama's immigration summit, grants to states for incarcerating unauthorized immigrants, and more.
In 2008, the United States raised the ceiling on refugee admission by 10,000, admitted more than 60,000 refugees for resettlement, and granted asylum to nearly 23,000 people. MPI's Jeanne Batalova takes a detailed look at refugee and asylum statistics in the United States.
The enactment of President Clinton's Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Executive Order, issued in 2000, triggered a proliferation of efforts to provide services to individuals who cannot speak, understand, read, or write English fluently. With increased service provision, state and local government agencies have expressed a strong and growing interest in assuring the quality and cost-effectiveness of language access services. This paper attempts to catalog and describe some of those tools and practices.
In order to rectify the shortcomings of a rigid and outdated U.S. visa system set in place by the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), this report recommends creating a new visa stream called provisional visas which would sync visa policies with the way in which labor markets work in practice, and bridge temporary and permanent employment-based admissions to the United States in a predictable and transparent way.
This report provides an in-depth examination of the limitations of the existing E-Verify system. Alongside recommendations for strengthening E-Verify and mitigating its unintended consequences, the report offers proposals for three next-generation verification pilot concepts that would tap new technologies and practices to overcome the core weaknesses of the system.
This conference offers law and policy analysis and discussion on cutting-edge immigration issues.
MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on the Secure Communities program, suspension of a rule for temporary agricultural workers, the decline in arrests along the U.S. border, and more.
More than 1.1 million persons became legal permanent residents (LPRs) in the United States in 2008. Nearly two-thirds of new LPRs are immigrants with family ties in the United States, reports MPI's Jeanne Batalova in this updated look at the latest statistics on legal immigration.


AP— The European Union on Wednesday called on Russia, Iran and Turkey to ensure a halt to fighting in Syria, as international donors gathered in Brussels to drum up aid for the conflict-ravaged country.
As the conflict enters its eighth year, more than 13 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance. Over 5 million refugees are displaced outside the country.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that Russia, Iran and Turkey have a "special responsibility" to establish a cease-fire and to press Syrian President Bashar Assad to return to the negotiating table.
"We are seeing an escalation in military activities which is exactly the contrary" to what they promised, Mogherini said.
Around 80 countries, organizations and partners backing Syria are taking part in the donor conference. The EU hopes the meeting will give impetus to stalled peace moves under U.N. auspices, on top of gathering humanitarian aid for Syria and for neighbors like Lebanon and Jordan, struggling to cope with millions of refugees.
The U.N. is seeking more than 7 billion dollars at this conference, even as donors weary of ploughing money into a conflict with no obvious end. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his country will provide 1 billion euros in new funding for 2018 and subsequent years.
The EU, along with many other partners, refuses to help with serious reconstruction in Syria until meaningful peace moves to end the conflict resume in Geneva.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who faces elections in two weeks, said the plight of Syrians is simply getting worse.
"The bitter truth is that despite all our combined efforts conditions have deteriorated. Lebanon continues to be a big refugee camp," he said.
Britain's State Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, agreed that Syria's needs are enormous.
"This is the world's greatest protection crisis. If you look at what's happened and what's been done to people — breaches of humanitarian laws, the weakening of multilateral norms that we have seen for a long time — it's all focusing on Syria," he said.
Meanwhile, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura has warned that the northern, rebel-held province of Idlib could become Syria's newest humanitarian crisis area.


Your heart will be pounding a mile a minute from all the big jackpots and intense games at Bingo Hearts. This new bingo website features adorable smiley face mascots to cheer you on with hearts in their eyes. As a Dragonfish site, gameplay is fun-filled with a wide network of people to chat to. So many players also has the benefit of building up big prizes in a lot of the bingo rooms. This site has been around since 2004 – so what makes it such a long-lived success?
Choose from a great range of slots and casino games at Bingo Hearts, including titles such as Starburst, Elements, Fluffy Favourites, Irish Luck, Mermaid's Pearl, Super Nova, Kronos, Paradise Reels, Cleopatra, Fruit Shop, Bruce Lee 2, Shopping Spree, Party Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, X Factor Video Slot, White Wizard, Rainbow Riches, Ooh Aah Dracula, Irish Eyes, Zodiac Fortune, Lost Island, Wild Antics, Wild Water, Twin Spin, The Big Lebowski, Treasure Fair, Doubleup Ducks, Irish Riches, Viva Mundial, and many more.
As a Dragonfish network site, Bingo Hearts has access to all the regular Dragonfish promotions, including The 2 Million Race, Zodiac Bingo, The Late Night Show, The Week-ender, Spin-Tastic, Grab a Grand, Happy Hour and The Big £10,000.
Log in to Bingo Hearts by entering your username and password into the fields at the top of the homepage, then click the yellow login button to get started. The site is simply designed in white, red and yellow – pleasant but not particularly unique or impressive. At least it's easy to navigate!
Bingo Hearts has a pleasant theme and lots of slots games to keep casino fans happy, though the range of bingo games and promotions is pretty standard for a Dragonfish site. There isn't much here that sets it apart from other sites on the network, but the opening offer is pretty good (and we like that you can deposit just £5 to claim it!). We'd rate this site as 7/10.


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Q: Why has the use of "plague" in OED (sense 2a), as a verb declined? Plague, when used as a verb, meaning To trouble, tease, bother, annoy, or pester, usually repeatedly, insistently, or constantly; to constitute a nuisance, threat, or danger to. Freq. in pass (OED sense 2a), seems to me to have declined.

1595   Spenser Amoretti xli, in Amoretti & Epithalamion sig. C6,   If
  her nature and her wil be so, That she will plague the man that loues
  her most.
1616   B. Jonson Epicœne i. ii, in Wks. I. 534   It giues thee law of
  plaguing him.
1637   J. Bastwick Letany i. 21,   I will..so plauge the
  Metropolicallity of Yorke and Canterbury.
1658   W. Johnson tr. F. Würtz Surgeons Guid ii. xii. 94   Patients in
  this case are commonly plagued with a cough.
a1681   J. Lacy Sr. Hercules Buffoon (1684) iii. iii. 28,   I am so
  plagued with Citizens, that I cannot have a Deer that's mans meat, but
  they steal it out of my Park, my Lord.
1728   J. Gay Beggar's Opera i. viii. 9   Husbands and Wives..plaguing
  one another.
1767   P. Gibbes Woman of Fashion II. 171   What a dickens would you
  have more!.. I won't hear you, I won't be plagued.
a1817   J. Austen Persuasion (1818) IV. x. 221,   I really cannot be
  plaguing myself for ever with all the new poems and states of the
  nation that come out.
1833   H. Martineau Tale of Tyne ii. 33   The big boys used to plague
  him, and he plagued the little ones.
1893   Dict. National Biogr. at Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland,
  In 1541 she was again plaguing Henry with her money troubles.
1952   J. L. Waten Alien Son 105   You and your questions!.. Do you
  have to plague me, too?
1989   Chron. of Horse 1 Sept. 51/3   When the above measures are
  followed, even horses that have been plagued by sore feet..will
  usually show great improvement.

I do not include here the use of OED sense 1, which meaning is:
To afflict (a person, community, country, etc.) with a plague, or with a difficulty or misfortune as if with a plague; to visit calamity or misfortune on (a person, etc.), esp. as a punishment or expression of displeasure.
When I was a child in the 1950s, in Norfolk, my parents generation made frequent use of it, often to describe the pesterings of their children - he keeps plaguing me to buy him a twin-barrelled bazooka. Nowadays I seldom, if ever, hear it used.
Is this the experience of others? And why might it be the case? It does seem to be an expressive conveyance, both of one's annoyance, as well as illustrative of the supplicant's intensity.
What might we use instead, which is more in vogue?

A:
Ngram
"Plaguing me to" was intermittently popular until about 1910, when "pestering me to" rather suddenly gained great popularity.
One suspects that some books published in the early 1900s led to this shift.  A little late for Mark Twain's work, but certainly there were other popular authors who might have used the phrase.  (It occurs to me that the source might have been some sort of periodical or series of dime novels.)
It should also be noted that "plague" has come to be tightly associated with bubonic plague, causing the word to imply something much worse than simple "trouble".  This awareness/association likely occurred in the mid 1800s as a wave of bubonic plague swept through India and Asia.  As a result it would have seemed a misuse of the word to apply it to a child's activities.

A: Until some point about 100 years ago, pest and plague were near-synonyms. Then, they started to diverge and pest became "insect" (that is, a specific, individualized agent that can cause various troubles) and plague became "disease" (a broad, vague influence causing negative consequences, including death).
To call a child a "pest" is no compliment, but can be borderline affectionate: she resembles a grasshopper, a ladybug.
To call anyone a "plague" is a (literally) deadly insult: he is comparable to cancer.
A person who continually bothers you is pestering you.
A problem that continually harms you is plaguing you.

A: At a guess, "he keeps bothering me" would be the replacement

Ngram
As to why, I have no idea.

A: If you look at Google N-gram viewer you will find that the word is used pretty much as frequently as in the past two centuries. Whether as a noun or verb is not clear.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
A Woman's Choice, Inc. provides private, safe first and second trimester abortion care, including medication and surgical abortion options.
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Professional doula services.
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Advocacy and Media Relations.
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CAF operates a confidential, toll free helpline that provides financial, practical, and emotional support to callers in North and South Carolina trying to access abortion care.
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The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), which was founded in 1987, is a cutting edge organization dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence.
Website: Feminist Majority Foundation
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text:
Q: Berry connection in a solid I am having troubles to understand an equation-sign for the Berry connection in a solid.
The general formula reads
\begin{equation}
\vec{A}(\vec{R}) = \mathrm{i} \langle \Psi(\vec{R}) \, | \nabla_{\vec{R}} \, | \, \Psi(\vec{R}) \rangle \text{.}
\end{equation}
Now assuming that
\begin{equation}
H_0 \psi_{\vec{k}}^n (\vec{r}) = E_n(\vec{k}) \psi_{\vec{k}}^n (\vec{r}) \text{,}
\end{equation}
where $u_{\vec{k}}^n$ denotes the function coming from the Bloch-wavefunctions $\psi_{\vec{k}}^n (\vec{r}) = \mathrm{e}^{\mathrm{i} \vec{k} \cdot \vec{r}} u_{\vec{k}}^n(\vec{r})$, it seems (for $\vec{R} \equiv \vec{k}$) to be too obvious to explain why ...
\begin{equation}
\vec{A^n}(\vec{k}) = \mathrm{i} \cdot \left( \mathrm{i} \cdot \langle u_{\vec{k}}^n \, | \vec{r} \, | \, u_{\vec{k}}^n \rangle + \langle u_{\vec{k}}^n \, | \nabla_{\vec{k}} \, | \, u_{\vec{k}}^n \rangle \right) = \mathrm{i} \cdot \langle u_{\vec{k}}^n \, | \nabla_{\vec{k}} \, | \, u_{\vec{k}}^n \rangle
\end{equation}
... the first term vanishes.
I would be grateful if someone could help me out.

A: $\mathbf{k}$ is not a parameter of the Hamiltonian $H_0$ for the eigensystem  of your second equation. For the general definition of Berry connection, the Hamiltonian $H(\mathbf{R})$ depends on the parameter $\mathbf{R}$. So for Bloch states, one should use $u_{n\mathbf{k}}$ for the eigensystem $H_{\mathbf{k}}u_{n\mathbf{k}}=E_{n\mathbf{k}}u_{n\mathbf{k}}$, where $H_{\mathbf{k}} = e^{-i \mathbf{k \cdot r}}He^{i \mathbf{k \cdot r}}$.


text:
Q: Performance issue with javafx application I am building a desktop app using javafx, I am downloading a file around 500 MB using ftp. I am choosing the download location using  DirectoryChooser but after choosing the directory my application hang and doesn't response.
Though the file is downloaded.
here is my code:-
try {
            ftpClient.setFileType(FTP.BINARY_FILE_TYPE);
            success = ftpClient.changeWorkingDirectory(PATH + preset + "/" +  file_to_download + offset);
            System.out.println("Download Path:-" + PATH + preset + "/" +  file_to_download + offset);
            if (!success) {
                System.out.println("Could not changed the directory to RIBS");
                return;
            } else {
                System.out.println("Directory changed to RIBS");
            }
            FTPFile[] files = ftpClient.listFiles();
            for (FTPFile file : files) {
                if (file.getName().contains(".zip")) {
                    dfile = file.getName();
                }

            }
            DirectoryChooser dirChooser = new DirectoryChooser();
            File chosenDir = dirChooser.showDialog(tableView.getScene().getWindow());
            System.out.println(chosenDir.getAbsolutePath());
            OutputStream output;
            output = new FileOutputStream(chosenDir.getAbsolutePath() + "/" + dfile);
            int timeOut = 500;
            ftpClient.setConnectTimeout(timeOut);
            if (ftpClient.retrieveFile(dfile, output) == true) {
                downloadButton.setDisable(true);
            }
            output.close();

        } catch (IOException e) {
            // TODO Auto-generated catch block
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

How can I improve this??

A: You are performing your download on the application thread which blocks the UI. Have a look at the documentation about JavaFX concurrency.
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/javafx/interoperability-tutorial/concurrency.htm


UK based meat processor employing 1100 personnel supplying major retail and wholesale multiples.
To protect the operation and reputation of the company in the wake of an extortion threat to poison products within the plan.
To ensure where possible that the company's commercial and reputational standing received appropriate consideration in the police's strategic planning.
To maintain confidence with the company's retail/wholesale customers throughout the investigation.
To prepare comprehensively for possible media interest at any stage of the proceeding.
To support the company Managing Director enabling him to continue his day to day responsibilities.
Representation of the company alongside their legal advisors in police strategic planning meeting.
Production of detailed Q&A and media holding statements for the company spokesperson in conjunction with police press office personnel.
Instigation of national and international media monitoring services.
Production of internal holding statements for the HR Director.
External liaison with senior security representatives within key customer group.
All of the above conducted within the confines of a covert police investigation.
The perpetrator was caught (an agency worker within the plant) and sentenced to four years imprisonment, prior to any threats being carried out.
Presence and participation in the police strategic planning meetings, helped in providing balance to the overall objectives of the investigation e.g. public safety vs commercial ramification.
The retail and wholesale customer representatives were appreciative of being taken into the confidence of the investigation and collaborated fully throughout – there were no actual or potential incidences of product 'delisting' from any customer.
Preparing media and internal facing communication materials in advance, meant they could be deployed quickly when the perpetrator was charged and the investigation moved from covert to overt.
The company emerged unscathed from the incident, suffering no commercial or reputational impact as a result – it remains a successful business to this day.
European HQ of major cruise line with ships sailing across international waters to destinations worldwide.
To set up a system to ensure prompt and proper management of any issue arising seaside and shore side.
To disseminate best practice in crisis and issues management throughout the organisation.
To redesign the existing crisis preparedness plan to made it comprehensive, accessible and usable.
Redesigned crisis management procedures and defined the contingency plans necessary to support the key operations of the company (sailing, hotel services, tourist services, airplanes transfers, seaside/shoreside safety and security.
Designed and implemented a secure crisis management area on the company intranet to support the crisis management team.
Trained the HQ crisis management team and other key department.
Trained the ships' key crew position.
Installed a quarterly updating system for all crisis policies and contingency plan.
Installed an ongoing system to monitor emerging risk issue.
Contracted to provide expert guidance and support to the crisis team in live crisis situations (including major accidents with casualties and corresponding litigation.
"State-of-the-art" crisis preparedness embedded throughout the company.
Crisis management best practice successfully applied to deal with various incident.
Consultant retained to support company for a further eight years. Also requested to hold crisis management training session for the Italian Ship-owners Industry Association.
Northern European energy producer, generating and distributing fossil fuel and nuclear power throughout the continent.
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In general terms, to improve all crisis process and procedure in the event of a real incident.
Designed and delivered a multi-stakeholder crisis simulation exercise – this was undertaken in collaboration with an appropriately qualified partner for the technical and procedural aspects of the incident.
All role-plays developed for defined stakeholder groups and participants fully prepare e.g. media spokespeople, HR, Public Affairs.
Diverse media used throughout to mimic a live situation e.g. telephone calls, radio reports, online news, 'on-camera' interviews etc.
Detailed evaluation and recommendations designed to improve processes and contribute to the development of a corporate crisis communications plan.
Processes adjusted accordingly to meet anticipated regulatory requirement.
Contributed fully to successful regulatory inspection – crisis protocols praised by inspection bodies.
Raised confidence and ability in all participants by improvement in; attribution and distribution.
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e.g. crisis control centre facilities.
Provided valuable data and insight in support of new corporate crisis communications plan.
Raised confidence levels within company to protect its reputation in the event of a real incident.
Leading European manufacturer of baby products with affiliates and markets in the EU and overseas.
Market leader in several countries.
To protect the company's reputation in the wake of claims that polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles could release a by-product causing hormonal damage.
To achieve the above by proactively addressing fears felt by mothers and other stakeholder groups.
To reduce misconception and poor understanding of the issues by translating technical issues into simple language.
To protect the whole PC bottle manufacturing industry as far as reasonably practicable from a pan-company 'meltdown'.
Instigated media monitoring in all countries with daily reporting.
Monitored the activities of consumer organisations and pressure group.
Liaised and briefed relevant regulatory authorities to ensure full awareness of impending issue.
Production of detailed Q&A for company spokesperson.
Delivery of media training for external spokespeople - Drafting of holding statements for the media (trade and consumer media.
Preparation and distribution of White Papers for each country's affiliates and retailer.
Drafting of issue-related holding statements for consumers and initiation of toll free consumer hotlines in key markets.
The issue remained relatively singular and the client company's operation and production survived unscathed – similarly there was no measurable impact on the wider bottle manufacturing industry.
Whilst not having to deploy all of the materials and processes developed, the client company derived considerable confidence in their greater preparedness.
Manufacturer of men's and women's toiletry products. Market leader in multiple international markets.
To maintain the client company's reputation amidst false claims and accusations that they engage in animal testing as part of their product development programme.
Anticipate, monitor and respond to activities by animal rights organisations, who may potentially cause harm to company's business and staff members.
Developed 'communications bible' on animal welfare, including; review of current animal rights activity, tactics employed by activist groups, analysis of international animal rights groups, outline of staff procedures, approved response statements and Q&As.
Carried out monitoring and analysis of media for animal rights activity; monitoring of the Internet and news groups.
Provided rapid response to all media stories, pointing out factual inaccuracies.
Media training provided for spokespeople including a range of mini crisis simulation exercises.
Improved key message delivery in media interviews through training spokespeople.
Greater share of voice and accurate reporting through stronger press statements.
Rapid response to negative coverage.
Reputation maintained with consumers and other relevant stakeholder parties.


Danny was born and raised in San Diego California, but every couple years he would travel to a small little village in lower Austria. It was in the small village of Baumgarten where he would spend many of his summer vacations with his family. Danny's mother, Monika, was born and raised in this village, and moved to the United States for work when she was still in her teenage years. It was in California where she met her future husband, Robert.
Before they would marry, Monika would make the best decision of her life, the decision to give her life to Jesus Christ! With two parents who loved Jesus, Danny soon came into the world and grew up with a strong Christian family who always put Jesus first! 20 years later the Lord called Danny to Austria!
10 years later Danny is still walking by faith as he serves at Calvary Chapel Salzburg. Danny's passion is youth ministry.
He leads the Youth ministry and serves under Pastor Ivan Ibbotson.