{"text": " 12 The year has been dominated by 2 Chainz\u2019s presence. 14 His work on several guest spots has allowed him to build a buzz. 16 Now, the emcee who reinvented himself can celebrate the release of his new album. 23 In celebration, Chainz stopped by BET\u2019s 106 & Park to discuss his life, his goals and his mom. 12 While there, a few friends surprised him, including Scarface. 5 \u201cI enjoyed gym. 27 I was able to go to Burger King during gym,\u201d 2 Chainz said, when asked about what subjects he enjoyed most in school. 22 \u201cI enjoyed math.\u201d\n\nAnother question posed by the show dealt with his goals for the rest of the year. 20 \u201cOne of the goals is putting out an album, which comes out tomorrow,\u201d he shared. 23 \u201cThe next goal is for the album to be successful.\u201d\n\nA topic that came up was one about the Illuminati. 33 Chainz explained that rumors of his involvement with the secret society stemmed from an edited interview, which has since been removed, where he joked about being part of the Illuminati. 30 \u201cI know I work hard and I believe in God,\u201d he said of the rumor, after noting that his mom called to ask about it. 20 \u201cSo, when my mom called, I said, \u2018You know better than that, mom! 26 '\u201d\n\nWhile other surprised him, it was Scarface that made the last appearance, sharing his joy for the emcee\u2019s success. 24 \u201cI used to listen to Chainz when he was with DPT\u2026I\u2019m proud of this kid,\u201d \u2018Face explained. 7 \u201cWe talk all the time. 16 We have heart-to-hearts.\u201d\n\nMore from the interview can be seen below, via BET. 14 RELATED: 2 Chainz Announces \u201cBased On A TRU Story\u201d Tour Dates"} {"text": " 36 Police in western China\u2019s Sichuan province detained a senior Tibetan monk this week without explanation, leaving followers and friends unsure of his present whereabouts and concerned for his well-being, sources said. 48 Tulku Lobsang, a monk of Boroe monastery in Sichuan\u2019s Sershul (in Chinese, Shiqu) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture had been summoned by police on July 21, a local source told RFA\u2019s Tibetan Service. 39 \u201cThey called him to come to their office in Dartsedo, and when he arrived, police in plain clothes took him into custody,\u201d RFA\u2019s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 14 \u201cNo reason was given for his detention,\u201d the source said. 45 Lobsang had been accompanied by the monastery\u2019s manager and \u201cseveral other persons,\u201d who were sent by police back to Boroe to retrieve Lobsang\u2019s identity card, which he had neglected to bring with him, he said. 39 Boroe monks and laypeople from neighboring villages immediately began to offer prayers for Lobsang\u2019s safe return, while senior monks and community representatives went to Dartsedo to ask unsuccessfully for his release, the source said. 18 No word has yet been received on Lobsang\u2019s whereabouts or any charges made against him. 11 Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA\u2019s Tibetan Service. 5 Translated by Rigdhen Dolma. 7 Written in English by Richard Finney."} {"text": " 27 The 18th annual Great Backyard Bird Count includes Valentine\u2019s Day this year, with the count spanning four days from February 13 through 16. 21 That\u2019s fitting, given that people who join the GBBC love birds and love sharing what they see. 16 An estimated 140,000+ bird watchers from 135 countries contributed their observations during the 2014 GBBC. 28 Their collective effort was incredible\u2014more than 4,000 species counted, or 40% of all the bird species in the world, over just a three-day span. 44 Participation is free and easy\u2014just count up the birds you see over the second weekend in February, either right in your backyard or as far as you\u2019re willing to venture, and report what you find on the GBBC website. 14 For the photographers among you, check out the 2015 GBBC Photo Contest. 21 You can start submitting photos Friday, February 13th (only photos taken during the GBBC can be entered). 19 Here\u2019s a peek at what birders can expect for this year\u2019s big global count. 22 A Common Redpoll (left) looks like it has an earful for this Black-capped Chickadee (right) in Ontario. 24 Though redpolls are only winter visitors and chickadees are area residents year-round, it is important to record both species during the GBBC. 7 Photo by Corey Hayes via Birdshare. 40 Snowy Owls Again, and Winter Finches\n\nMagnificent Snowy Owls are popping up again this winter, and while there aren\u2019t quite as many as last winter, there are still significantly higher snowy numbers than usual. 18 Check out this eBird map showing where Snowy Owls have been reported from November 2014 through today. 24 Winter finches are also dropping farther south, as they typically do when seed crops are down in the boreal forests of Canada. 46 Pine Siskins are being found as far south as Florida and Texas this year, Common Redpolls are beginning to make a good push south into the Lower 48 States, and reports of Red Crossbills are streaming in to eBird from the Pacific Northwest. 61 Common Birds Make for Good Science\n\nWhile it\u2019s exciting to see an unusual bird, scientists stress the importance of GBBCers reporting the regular traffic to their backyards\u2014the chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, and Steller\u2019s Jays\u2014as well as the size of flocks such as Snow Geese, European Starlings, or Red-winged Blackbirds. 33 Reporting your common bird observations during this annual four-day window may seem like a small thing, but it helps scientists analyze some of the larger and longer-trend changes in bird populations. 12 Has the Eurasian Collared-Dove finally expanded its range into your area? 9 Are there more ducks and geese than usual? 12 Are Red-bellied Woodpeckers farther north than they were 10 years ago? 21 Green Bee-eaters, taken by Dr. Sukhendu Mukhopadhyay in Itachuna, West Bengal, India, during the 2014 GBBC. 43 Great GLOBAL Backyard Bird Count\n\nIn 2014, only the second year of broad international participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count (thanks to a switch to eBird for list management), bird counts were submitted from all seven continents. 34 India was #3 among countries for checklists (behind the U.S. and Canada), and GBBC was a springboard to a vibrant eBird India community that just crossed one million observations. 25 On GBBC weekend, watch the India page to see if they beat last year\u2019s totals of 820 species on 3,209 checklists. 50 Australia, Argentina, Ecuador, and much of Central America also have growing eBird communities, and other countries are ramping up\u2014such as Portugal, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iran, and Taiwan, where a Mandarin language option will soon be available. 16 New countries joining the GBBC this year include Malaysia, the Philippines, and Turkey. 33 After you enter your bird sightings, take a trip around the world to see what your fellow GBBCers are seeing all over the planet by using the GBBC location explorer tool."} {"text": " 25 The $64,000 Question was an American game show broadcast from 1955 to 1958, which became embroiled in the 1950s quiz show scandals. 17 Contestants answered general knowledge questions, earning money which doubled as the questions became more difficult. 24 The final question had a top prize of $64,000, hence the \"$64,000 Question\" in the show's title. 28 The $64,000 Challenge (1956\u20131958) was its spin-off show, where contestants played against winners of at least $8,000 on The $64,000 Question. 45 Broadcast history [ edit ]\n\nTake It or Leave It \u2014 CBS Radio; April 21, 1940 \u2013 July 27, 1947; Sunday 10:00 p.m.\n\n\u2014 CBS Radio; April 21, 1940 \u2013 July 27, 1947; Sunday 10:00 p.m. 32 The $64 Question \u2014 NBC Radio; September 10, 1950 \u2013 June 1, 1952; Sunday 10:00 p.m. (1950\u201351) and Sunday 9:30 p.m. (1951\u201352). 28 \u2014 NBC Radio; September 10, 1950 \u2013 June 1, 1952; Sunday 10:00 p.m. (1950\u201351) and Sunday 9:30 p.m. (1951\u201352). 36 The $64,000 Question \u2014 CBS television; June 7, 1955 \u2013 June 24, 1958 (Tuesday 10:00 p.m.); September 14 \u2013 November 9, 1958 (Sunday 10:00 p.m.). 13 Simulcast on CBS Radio from October 4 to November 29, 1955. 32 \u2014 CBS television; June 7, 1955 \u2013 June 24, 1958 (Tuesday 10:00 p.m.); September 14 \u2013 November 9, 1958 (Sunday 10:00 p.m.). 13 Simulcast on CBS Radio from October 4 to November 29, 1955. 39 The $64,000 Challenge \u2014 CBS television; April 8, 1956 \u2013 September 14, 1958; Sunday 10:00 p.m.\n\n\u2014 CBS television; April 8, 1956 \u2013 September 14, 1958; Sunday 10:00 p.m. 17 The $128,000 Question \u2014 Syndicated weekly television, September 18, 1976 \u2013 September 1978. 59 Take It or Leave It [ edit ]\n\nThe $64,000 Question had its roots in the CBS radio quiz show, Take It or Leave It, which followed in the wake of the pioneering Professor Quiz (radio's first quiz program) and Uncle Jim's Question Bee (the second radio quiz show). 17 Take It or Leave It ran from April 21, 1940 to July 27, 1947. 19 It was first hosted by Bob Hawk (1940\u201341), followed by Phil Baker (1941\u201347). 13 Contestants were asked questions devised by the series' writer-researcher Edith Oliver. 14 She attempted to make each question slightly more difficult than the preceding one. 35 After answering a question correctly, the contestant had the choice to \"take\" the prize for that question or \"leave it\" in favor of a chance at the next question. 28 The first question was worth one dollar, and the value doubled for each successive question, up to the seventh and final question worth $64. 24 During the 1940s, \"That's the $64 question\" became a common catchphrase for a particularly difficult question or problem. 41 In addition to the common phrase \"Take it or leave it\", the show also popularized another phrase, widely spoken in the 1940s as a taunt but now mostly forgotten (except in Warner Bros. cartoons). 37 Chanted in unison by the entire audience when someone chose to risk their winnings by going for the $64 prize, it was vocalized with a rising inflection: \"You'll be sorrr-REEEE!\" 35 The popularity of the radio program inspired a 1944 20th Century Fox feature film, Take It or Leave It, about a man who needs $1,000 to pay his wife's obstetrician. 24 When he is chosen as a contestant on the radio quiz show, the prize money is increased beyond the usual $64. 38 In 1947, the series switched to NBC, hosted at various times by Baker, Garry Moore (1947\u201349), Eddie Cantor (1949\u201350) and Jack Paar (beginning June 11, 1950). 22 On September 10, 1950, the title of Take It or Leave It was changed to The $64 Question. 21 Paar continued as host, followed by Baker (March\u2013December 1951) and Paar (back on December 1951). 12 The series continued on NBC Radio until June 1, 1952. 14 Only five recordings of Take It or Leave It are known to survive. 37 The $64,000 Question [ edit ]\n\nThe $64,000 Question was created by Louis G. Cowan, formerly known for radio's Quiz Kids and the television series Stop the Music and Down You Go. 22 Cowan drew the inspiration for the name from Take It or Leave It, and its $64 top prize offering. 15 He decided to expand the figure to $64,000 for the new television program. 14 [1] Cowan had difficulty locating sponsorship for The $64,000 Question. 44 Cosmetics giant Helena Rubenstein, which eventually did become a familiar television advertiser, rejected the idea, reportedly because its wealthy founding namesake did not own a television set at the time and had no idea of the medium's advertising potential. 34 The Chrysler Corporation turned down the chance to launch the show because the automaker reportedly feared sponsoring a big-money quiz show would outrage company workers whose wages they were trying not to inflate. 22 A vacuum cleaner company also said no to Cowan, reportedly because the concept would be too glamorous for its product. 6 Finally, Cowan convinced Revlon. 41 The key: Revlon founder and chieftain Charles Revson knew top competitor Hazel Bishop had fattened its sales through sponsoring the popular This Is Your Life, and he wanted a piece of that action if he could have it. 41 According to Fire and Ice[2] (1976), Andrew Tobias' biography of Revson, Revlon first signed a deal to sponsor Cowan's brainchild for 13 weeks with the right to withdraw when they expired. 38 The $64,000 Question premiered June 7, 1955 on CBS-TV, sponsored by cosmetics maker Revlon and originating from the start live from CBS-TV Studio 52 in New York (later the disco-theater Studio 54). 44 The first contestant on the show was Thelma Farrell Bennett, a NYC fashion model from Trenton, New Jersey who failed to make it to the first plateau but won a 1955 Cadillac convertible which she sold a month after taking delivery. 24 To increase the show's drama and suspense, it was decided to use an actor rather than a broadcaster as the host. 47 Television and film actor Hal March, familiar to TV viewers as a supporting regular on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and My Friend Irma, found instant fame as the quiz show's host, and Lynn Dollar stood nearby as his assistant. 26 Author and TV panelist Dr. Bergen Evans was the show's expert authority, and actress Wendy Barrie did the \"Living Lipstick\" commercials. 18 (Coincidentally, in 1978, Evans and Barrie died within 72 hours of each other.) 34 To capitalize on the initial television success, the show was also simulcast for two months on CBS Radio where it was heard from October 4, 1955 to November 29, 1955. 34 The J. Fred & Leslie W. MacDonald Collection of the Library of Congress contains one kinescoped episode from early 1958 featuring Virgil Earp, elderly nephew of Wyatt Earp, winning $32,000. 30 Gameplay [ edit ]\n\nContestants first chose a subject category (such as \"Boxing\", \"Lincoln\" or \"Jazz\") from the Category Board. 36 Although this board was a large part of the set, it was seen only briefly, evidently to conceal the fact that categories were sometimes hastily added to match a new contestant's subject. 62 [3] The contestant would then be asked questions only in the chosen category, earning money which doubled ($64, $128, $256 to $512, then $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $8,000, $16,000, $32,000 to $64,000) as the questions became more difficult. 19 At the $4,000 level, a contestant would return each week for only one question per week. 33 They could quit at any time and retire with their money, but until they won $512, if they got a question wrong, they were eliminated without winning anything. 17 Missing a question worth between $1,000 and $4,000 left the contestant with $512. 22 Once the contestant won $4,000, if they missed a question they received a consolation prize of a new Cadillac. 29 Starting with the $8,000 question, they were placed in the Revlon \"isolation booth\", where they could hear nothing but the host's words. 22 As long as the contestant kept answering correctly, they could stay on the show until they had won $64,000. 28 The first contestant to win the top prize money, on September 13, 1955, was Richard S. McCutchen, a Marine whose subject was cooking. 19 McCutchen became an instant celebrity, with people stopping him in the street to ask for his autograph. 22 Public reception [ edit ]\n\nAlmost immediately, The $64,000 Question beat every other program on Tuesday nights in ratings. 53 Broadcast historian Robert Metz, in CBS: Reflections in a Bloodshot Eye, claimed U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself did not want to be disturbed while the show was on and that the nation's crime rate, movie theater, and restaurant patronage dropped dramatically when the show aired. 48 It earned the #1 rating spot for the 1955\u201356 season, holding the distinction of being the only television show to knock I Love Lucy out of the #1 spot, and finished at #4 in the 1956\u201357 season and #20 in 1957\u201358. 18 [4] Among its imitators or inspirations were The Big Surprise, Tic-Tac-Dough, and Twenty-One. 32 The $64,000 Challenge [ edit ]\n\nNot only did Charles Revson not exercise his withdrawal right, but he wanted another way to take advantage of Question's swollen audience. 53 April 8, 1956 saw the debut of The $64,000 Challenge (initially co-sponsored by Revlon and Lorillard Tobacco Company's Kent cigarettes), hosted through August 26 by future children's television star Sonny Fox and then, for the remainder of the show's life, Ralph Story. 29 It pitted contestants against winners of at least $8,000 on The $64,000 Question in a new, continuing game where they could win another $64,000. 17 The contestants took turns answering questions from the same category starting at the $1,000 level. 20 If they each answered a question correctly, the next level would be twice that of the previous level. 22 Starting at the $4,000 level, both contestants answered the same question while each standing in their own isolation booth. 44 If, at any given level, a contestant answered correctly with the other contestant missing a question, the winning contestant may keep that money and face a new opponent or continue playing against the same challenger at the next money level. 29 In time, the sister show came to include various celebrities, including bandleader Xavier Cugat and child star Patty Duke, as well as former Question champions. 20 The J. Fred & Leslie W. MacDonald Collection of the Library of Congress contains one kinescoped episode featuring Capt. 6 Richard McCutchen as a contestant. 8 It was broadcast July 1, 1956. 61 Everyday celebrities [ edit ]\n\nQuestion contestants sometimes became celebrities themselves for a short while, including 11-year-old Robert Strom (who won $192,000 (equal to $1,791,286 today)) and Teddy Nadler ($252,000 across both shows (equal to $2,351,063 today)), the two biggest winners in the show's history. 30 Other such newly made celebrities included Italian-born Bronx shoemaker Gino Prato, who won $32,000 (equal to $298,548 today) for his encyclopedic knowledge of opera. 13 The longest enduring of these newly made celebrities was psychologist Joyce Brothers. 37 Answering questions about boxing, she became, after McCutchen, the second top winner, and went on to a career providing psychological advice in newspaper columns and TV shows for the next four decades. 16 Another winner, Pennsylvania typist Catherine Kreitzer, read Shakespeare on The Ed Sullivan Show. 33 TV Guide kept a running tally of the money won on the show, which hit $1 million by the end of November 1956 (equal to $9,215,422 today). 24 The American Experience (PBS) episode probing the scandal noted, \"All the big winners became instant celebrities and household names. 29 For the first time, America's heroes were intellectuals or experts\u2013jockey Billy Pearson on art, Marine Captain McCutchen on cooking\u2013every subject from the Bible to baseball. 29 Not only had the contestants become rich overnight, but they were also treated to a whirlwind of publicity tours, awards, endorsements and meetings with dignitaries. 29 Traveler Gino Prato, whose category was opera, was brought to Italy for a special performance at la Scala and honored by an audience with the Pope. 25 After winning $64,000, spelling whiz Gloria Lockerman, an African American, became a guest speaker at the 1956 Democratic National Convention. 27 She also appeared as a guest on NBC's The Martha Raye Show where she was warmly greeted by Martha Raye and fellow guest Tallulah Bankhead. 12 Baseball expert Myrtle Power was made a sports commentator on CBS. 17 Eleven-year-old stock market expert Lenny Ross was asked to open up the New York Stock Exchange. 25 And with only an eighth-grade education, supply clerk Teddy Nadler, an expert on everything, won more money than any other contestant. 20 It was a new kind of hero in America, a common person with the uncommon gift of knowledge. 178 \"[5]\n\nMerchandising and parodies [ edit ]\n\nOne category on the Revlon Category Board was \"Jazz\", and within months of the premiere Columbia Records issued a 1955 album of various jazz artists under the tie-in title $64,000 Jazz (CL 777, also EP B-777), with the following tracks: \"The Shrike\" (Pete Rugolo), \"Perdido\" (J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding), \"Laura\" (Erroll Garner), \"Honeysuckle Rose\" (Benny Goodman), \"Tawny\" (Woody Herman), \"One O'Clock Jump\" (Harry James), \"How Hi the Fi\" (Buck Clayton), \"I'm Comin', Virginia\" (Eddie Condon), \"A Fine Romance\" (Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond), \"I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart\" (Duke Ellington) and \"Ain't Misbehavin'\" (Louis Armstrong). 45 Other musical tie-ins included the 1955 song \"The $64,000 Question (Do You Love Me)\", recorded by Bobby Tuggle (Checker 823), Jackie Brooks (Decca 29684) and the Burton Sisters (RCA Victor 47-6265). 61 \"Love Is the $64,000 Question\" (1956), which used the show's theme music by Norman F. Leyden with added Fred Ebb lyrics, was recorded by Hal March (Columbia 40684), Karen Chandler (Decca 29881), Jim Lowe (Dot 15456) and Tony Travis (RCA Victor 47-6476). 78 When the show was revived in 1976 as The $128,000 Question, its theme music and cues were performed (albeit with a new disco-style arrangement for the theme) by Charles Randolph Grean, who released a three-and-a-half-minute single, \"The $128,000 Question\" (the show's music and cues as an instrumental), with the B-side (\"Sentimentale\") on the Ranwood label (45rpm release R-1064). 17 For the show's second season, Grean's music package was re-recorded by Guido Basso. 27 There were numerous parodies of the program, including in the Foghorn Leghorn cartoon \"Fox Terror\", Bob and Ray's The 64-Cent Question. 26 The Jack Benny Program featured Hal March as a contestant in an October 20, 1957 spoof[6] with Benny asking the questions. 35 As a gag, Benny actually appeared as a contestant on The $64,000 Question on October 8, 1957, but insisted on walking away with $64 after answering the first question. 13 Hal March finally gave him $64 out of his own pocket. 45 At the height of its popularity, The $64,000 Question was referenced in the scripts of other CBS shows, usually but not exclusively through punch lines that included references to \"the isolation booth\" or \"reaching the first plateau.\" 51 Typical of these was spoken by The Honeymooners' Ed Norton (Art Carney), who identified three times in a man's life when he wants to be alone, with the third being \"when he's in the isolation booth of The $64,000 Question.\" 39 At least three other Honeymooners episodes referenced Question: In A Woman's Work Is Never Done Ralph proposes to Alice that he go on the show because he's an expert in the \"Aggravation\" category. 21 In Hello, Mom Norton tells Ralph that his mother-in-law's category on the show would be \"Nasty\". 24 In The Worry Wart, Ralph advises Alice to become a contestant because she's an expert in the \"Everything\" category. 38 Another episode of The Honeymooners, delivered one of the best known Question references \u2013 a parody of the show itself, in one of the so-called \"Original 39\" episodes of the timeless situation comedy. 19 In that episode, blustery bus driver Ralph Kramden becomes a contestant on the fictitious $99,000 Answer. 46 Regarded as one of the Golden Age of Television's best quiz show parodies, the Honeymooners episode depicted Kramden spending a week intensively studying popular songs, only to blow the first question on the subject when he returned to play on the show. 26 The host of the fictitious $99,000 Answer was one Herb Norris, played by former Twenty Questions emcee and future Tic-Tac-Dough host Jay Jackson. 10 The show has been referenced on other game shows. 28 On the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, an episode aired January 15, 2007, in which the banker's offer was $64,000. 14 Host Howie Mandel said, \"This is the $64,000 question.\" 24 Cancellation [ edit ]\n\nThree years after exploding into a nation's consciousness, Question and Challenge were both gone from the airwaves. 37 Having faded in popularity in the wake of the hugely popular Twenty-One championship of Charles Van Doren, Question and Challenge were pulled off the air within three months of the quiz show scandal's outbreak. 25 Challenge ended first on September 14, 1958 with Question taking its Sunday-night timeslot after a three-month hiatus until it was canceled in November. 27 Scandal [ edit ]\n\nThe relatively new but phenomenally popular Dotto, and then Twenty-One, were found to have been rigged and were promptly canceled. 6 A Challenge contestant, Rev. 23 Charles Jackson, told the federal grand jury probing the quiz shows that he received answers during his screening for his appearance. 23 That prompted Challenge's sponsor, the Lorillard Tobacco Company (Kent, Old Gold cigarettes), to drop the show. 40 The $64,000 Question had the opposite problem: their sponsor's CEO, Revlon's Charles Revson, often interfered with production of Question, especially attempting to bump contestants he himself disliked, regardless of audience reaction. 19 Revson's brother, Martin, was assigned to oversee Question\u2013including heavy discussions of feedback the show received. 25 The would-be bumpees included Joyce Brothers herself, who managed to outwit the question writers and Revlon long enough to win the maximum prize. 40 According to producer Joe Cates in a PBS documentary on the scandals, he used an IBM sorting machine to give the illusion that the questions were randomly selected \u2013 in fact, all of the cards were identical. 20 Since all of the buttons were on one line[clarification needed], they were mostly for show. 38 It was revealed during Congressional investigations into the quiz show scandal that Revlon was as determined to keep the show appealing to viewers as the producer of Twenty-One (albeit also under sponsor pressure) had been. 75 Unlike Twenty-One and Dotto, where contestants got the answers in advance, Revlon was reportedly far more subtle, they may have depended less on asking questions on the air that a contestant had already heard in pre-air screenings than on switching the questions kept secure in a bank vault at the last minute, to make sure a contestant the sponsor liked would be suited according to his or her chosen expertise. 15 The most prominent victim may have been the man who initially launched the franchise. 82 Louis Cowan, made CBS Television president as a result of Question's fast success, was forced out of the network as the quiz scandal ramped up, even though it was NBC's quiz shows bearing most of the brunt of the scandal \u2013 and even though CBS itself, with a little help from sponsor Colgate-Palmolive, had moved fast in cancelling the popular Dotto at almost the moment it was confirmed that that show had been rigged. 46 Cowan had never been suspected of taking part in any attempt to rig either Question or Challenge; later CBS historians suggested his reputation as an administrative bottleneck may have had as much to do with his firing as his tie to the tainted shows. 40 Cowan may have been a textbook sacrificial lamb, in a bid to preempt any further scandal while the network scrambled to recover, and while president Frank Stanton accepted complete responsibility for any wrongdoing committed under his watch. 42 Aftermath [ edit ]\n\nBy the end of 1959, all first generation big-money quizzes were gone, with single-sponsorship television following and a federal law against fixing television game shows (an amendment to the 1960 Communications Act) coming. 86 Except for the skill-based Jackpot Bowling (1959\u20131961) and Make That Spare (1960\u20131964), a period on Beat the Clock (1960) when its Bonus Stunt grew in $100 increments past the $10,000 mark until finally being won for $20,100 on September 23, and the short-lived ABC quiz 100 Grand (1963), the networks stayed away from awarding five-figure cash jackpots until the premiere of The $10,000 Pyramid and Match Game 73 in 1973. 15 The disappearance of the quiz shows gave rise to television's next big phenomenon\u2013Westerns. 17 The scandals also resulted in a shift of the balance of power between networks and sponsors. 36 The networks used the scandals to justify taking control of their programs away from sponsors, thereby eliminating any potential future manipulation in prime-time broadcasting, and giving the networks full autonomy over program content. 52 [7]\n\nNone of the people directly involved in rigging any of the quiz shows faced any penalty more severe than suspended sentences for perjury before the federal grand jury that probed the scandal, even if many hosts and producers found themselves frozen out of television for many years. 36 One Question contestant, Doll Goostree, sued both CBS and the producers in a bid to recoup $4,000 she said she might have won if her match of Question hadn't been rigged. 14 Neither Goostree nor any other quiz contestant who similarly sued won their cases. 40 Louis Cowan \u2013 In addition to Quiz Kids (1949\u20131951) and Stop the Music (1949\u201352, 1954\u201356), Cowan also created Down You Go (1951\u20131956) and the short-lived Ask Me Another (1952). 19 Cowan briefly served as CBS Television Network president before leaving in the wake of the quiz show scandals. 13 He later joined the faculty of the Columbia University school of journalism. 18 He and his wife Polly were killed in an apartment fire in New York City in 1976. 35 Lou Cowan's son Geoffrey later produced brief revivals of Quiz Kids in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and is currently dean of the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication. 27 \u2013 In addition to (1949\u20131951) and (1949\u201352, 1954\u201356), Cowan also created (1951\u20131956) and the short-lived (1952). 19 Cowan briefly served as CBS Television Network president before leaving in the wake of the quiz show scandals. 13 He later joined the faculty of the Columbia University school of journalism. 18 He and his wife Polly were killed in an apartment fire in New York City in 1976. 33 Lou Cowan's son Geoffrey later produced brief revivals of in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and is currently dean of the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication. 30 Hal March \u2013 The former comic actor who became an overnight star on Question continued to appear as an actor in television and movies throughout the 1950s and 1960s. 34 Shortly after he signed on as host of It's Your Bet in 1969, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in 1970, four months short of his 50th birthday. 27 \u2013 The former comic actor who became an overnight star on continued to appear as an actor in television and movies throughout the 1950s and 1960s. 30 Shortly after he signed on as host of in 1969, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in 1970, four months short of his 50th birthday. 93 Irwin \"Sonny\" Fox \u2013 The first Challenge host was also known at the time for co-hosting the CBS children's travelogue Let's Take a Trip (Fox described it as \"Taking two children on sort of an electronic field trip every week\u2013live, remote location, no audience, no sponsors\"), but his fame rests predominantly on his eight-year (1959\u20131967) tour as the suave, congenial and dryly witty fourth host of New York's Sunday morning children's learn-and-laugh marathon, Wonderama . 81 Fox hosted Way Out Games (1976\u20131977), a Saturday-morning series for CBS, then later spent a year (1977\u20131978) running children's programming for NBC and eventually became a chairman of the board for Population Communications International, a nonprofit dedicated to \"technical assistance, research and training consultation to governments, NGOs and foundations on a wide range of social marketing and communications initiatives\", for which he is still an honorary chairman. 17 Fox has also been a board chairman for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 81 \u2013 The first host was also known at the time for co-hosting the CBS children's travelogue (Fox described it as \"Taking two children on sort of an electronic field trip every week\u2013live, remote location, no audience, no sponsors\"), but his fame rests predominantly on his eight-year (1959\u20131967) tour as the suave, congenial and dryly witty fourth host of New York's Sunday morning children's learn-and-laugh marathon, . 78 Fox hosted (1976\u20131977), a Saturday-morning series for CBS, then later spent a year (1977\u20131978) running children's programming for NBC and eventually became a chairman of the board for Population Communications International, a nonprofit dedicated to \"technical assistance, research and training consultation to governments, NGOs and foundations on a wide range of social marketing and communications initiatives\", for which he is still an honorary chairman. 17 Fox has also been a board chairman for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 60 Patty Duke \u2013 A child star (thanks to her Broadway portrayal of Helen Keller) when she appeared on Challenge , she eventually testified to Congressional investigators \u2013 and broke to tears when she admitted she'd been coached to speak falsely, an incident Sonny Fox described when interviewed for the PBS program reviewing the quiz scandals. 86 Duke survived to become a television star ( The Patty Duke Show ) in the early-to-mid-'60s, before moving on to more film and television work (including a memorable role in Valley of the Dolls ), becoming an activist in the Screen Actors Guild, writing two memoirs ( Call Me Anna and A Brilliant Madness ) describing her troubled child acting career and her lifelong battle with manic depression, and becoming an advocate for better protection and benefits for child actors. 17 She died on March 29, 2016, from Sepsis, resulting from a ruptured Intestine. 57 \u2013 A child star (thanks to her Broadway portrayal of Helen Keller) when she appeared on , she eventually testified to Congressional investigators \u2013 and broke to tears when she admitted she'd been coached to speak falsely, an incident Sonny Fox described when interviewed for the PBS program reviewing the quiz scandals. 72 Duke survived to become a television star ( ) in the early-to-mid-'60s, before moving on to more film and television work (including a memorable role in ), becoming an activist in the Screen Actors Guild, writing two memoirs ( and ) describing her troubled child acting career and her lifelong battle with manic depression, and becoming an advocate for better protection and benefits for child actors. 17 She died on March 29, 2016, from Sepsis, resulting from a ruptured Intestine. 68 Charles Revson \u2013 Inspired by cosmetics competitor Hazel Bishop (whose sponsoring of This Is Your Life provided big sales to Bishop) to think about television sponsorship in the first place, Revson was never investigated in his own right for his role in the quiz show scandals despite testifying (as did his brother, Martin) before Congress when the scandals broke in earnest. 28 The cosmetics empire he founded, however, continued its success \u2013 and continued to sponsor television programming \u2013 for many years after the scandals faded away. 31 Known as a hard-driving, hard-driven perfectionist whose overbearing manner usually alienated even his closest business partners, Revson's success left him a billionaire when he died in 1975. 25 His charitable foundation has since given over $145 Million in grants to schools, hospitals, and service organizations in various Jewish communities. 62 \u2013 Inspired by cosmetics competitor Hazel Bishop (whose sponsoring of provided big sales to Bishop) to think about television sponsorship in the first place, Revson was never investigated in his own right for his role in the quiz show scandals despite testifying (as did his brother, Martin) before Congress when the scandals broke in earnest. 28 The cosmetics empire he founded, however, continued its success \u2013 and continued to sponsor television programming \u2013 for many years after the scandals faded away. 31 Known as a hard-driving, hard-driven perfectionist whose overbearing manner usually alienated even his closest business partners, Revson's success left him a billionaire when he died in 1975. 25 His charitable foundation has since given over $145 Million in grants to schools, hospitals, and service organizations in various Jewish communities. 67 Dr. Joyce Brothers \u2013 Only the second contestant to win the show's big prize (after expertly thwarting numerous attempts to bump her from the show because Martin Revson was said to have disliked her and doubted her credibility as a boxing expert), Brothers has enjoyed the most enduring fame and media success among anyone who rose to prominence by way of Question . 31 Her championship as a boxing expert led to an invitation to become a commentator for CBS' telecast of a championship boxing match between Sugar Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio. 23 By August 1958, Brothers was given her own television program, first locally in New York and then in national syndication. 49 Making numerous television and radio appearances as a psychologist, not to mention numerous television comedy roles, Brothers has also written a long-running syndicated advice column in newspapers and magazines, which was used as a source for some questions on the 1998\u20132004 revival of Hollywood Squares . 24 She is still considered, arguably, the first media psychologist and had been licensed by New York as a psychologist since 1958. 14 She died from respiratory failure on May 13, 2013 at age 85. 63 \u2013 Only the second contestant to win the show's big prize (after expertly thwarting numerous attempts to bump her from the show because Martin Revson was said to have disliked her and doubted her credibility as a boxing expert), Brothers has enjoyed the most enduring fame and media success among anyone who rose to prominence by way of . 31 Her championship as a boxing expert led to an invitation to become a commentator for CBS' telecast of a championship boxing match between Sugar Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio. 23 By August 1958, Brothers was given her own television program, first locally in New York and then in national syndication. 47 Making numerous television and radio appearances as a psychologist, not to mention numerous television comedy roles, Brothers has also written a long-running syndicated advice column in newspapers and magazines, which was used as a source for some questions on the 1998\u20132004 revival of . 24 She is still considered, arguably, the first media psychologist and had been licensed by New York as a psychologist since 1958. 14 She died from respiratory failure on May 13, 2013 at age 85. 32 Ralph Story \u2013 He became the much-loved host of Ralph Story's Los Angeles (1964\u20131970), still considered the highest-rated, best-loved local show in Los Angeles television history. 22 Story has also hosted A.M. Los Angeles and was the narrator for the ABC series Alias Smith and Jones in 1972\u20131973. 13 He died on September 26, 2006 at the age of 86. 40 Revivals [ edit ]\n\nSelected PBS outlets showed surviving kinescopes of the original Question in Summer 1976, as a run-up to a new version of the show called The $128,000 Question, which ran for two years. 41 The first season was hosted by Mike Darrow and produced at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, while the second was produced at Global Television Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and hosted by Alex Trebek. 43 In 1999, television producer Michael Davies attempted to revive Question as The $640,000 Question for ABC, before abandoning that project in favor of producing an American version of the British game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. 36 Millionaire has a very similar format to The $64,000 Question \u2013 15 questions (now 14) in which the contestant's money roughly doubles with each correct question until reaching the top prize. 69 However, the questions in Millionaire are of a broader variety than Question's one-category line of questioning and have a different category for each question, contestants are allowed to leave the game with their money after a question is revealed but before it is answered, and Millionaire offers three chances for help (called \"lifelines\"), which were not present in Question. 40 In 2000, responding to the success of Millionaire, CBS bought the rights to the property in a reported effort to produce another revival attempt, The $1,064,000 Question, to be hosted by sportscaster Greg Gumbel. 19 Because of format issues similar to those encountered by Davies for ABC, this version was never broadcast. 24 International versions [ edit ]\n\nAustralia [ edit ]\n\nA similar version was successful in Australia from 1960 to 1971 on Seven Network. 42 Initially called Coles \u00a33000 Question, the show changed its name to Coles $6000 Question on February 14, 1966 (the date Australia converted to decimal currency) and was sponsored for most of its run by Coles Stores. 17 In July 1971, Coles dropped its sponsorship and the show became The $7000 Question. 16 It was hosted by Malcolm Searle (1960-1963) and Roland Strong (1963-1971). 45 United Kingdom [ edit ]\n\nMexico [ edit ]\n\nThe Mexican version, \"El Gran Premio de los 64,000 pesos\" lasted from 1956 to 1994 with some interruptions, changes of name to compensate peso devaluation, and changes of TV network. 11 Most of the time it was hosted by Pedro Ferriz. 27 A movie was made in which Ferriz asks questions to a character played by Sara Garc\u00eda, known then as \"Mexican Cinema's Granny.\" 109 Connections [ edit ]\n\nFollowed by [ edit ]\n\nThe $128,000 Question (1976)\n\nVersion of [ edit ]\n\nKvit eller dobbelt (1956)\n\n(1956) Kvitt eller dobbelt (1961)\n\nSpin off [ edit ]\n\nThe $64,000 Challenge (1956)\n\nSpoofed in [ edit ]\n\nIn popular culture [ edit ]\n\nWhen Late Night with Conan O'Brien returned on January 2, 2008, after the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike, Conan said in his opening monologue, \"That brings us to the big $64,000 question of the evening: what do we do now?\" 14 The writers had not returned when the show came back on the air. 34 [9]\n\nDavid Carradine's character \"Bill\" in the Movie Kill Bill: Vol 2 (2004) references the show saying, \"Now comes the $64,000 question. 12 Why did you run away from me with my baby?\" 18 during one of his last conversations with \"The Bride\" (played by Uma Thurman). 7 [10]\n\nReferences [ edit ]"} {"text": " 36 If you thought society\u2019s fashion-related discrimination against women ended with fat-shaming Miss Universe or refusing to make trendy clothing for the average American woman, you haven\u2019t been looking hard enough. 20 Specifically at your hips, butt and possibly chest and upper thighs \u2013 if you\u2019re a man. 41 \u201cPockets are sexist towards women,\u201d and fashion designers must \u201cadapt and evolve to fit the needs of the modern working women,\u201d columnist Eric Schucht writes in the University of Oregon\u2019s Daily Emerald. 60 MORE: Study claims sexist men more likely to grow beards\n\nEnlightened male-identifying person that he is, Schucht unveils the 400-year-old conspiracy to deny women the privileges of men and make them rely on men (like Schucht) to carry their personal items:\n\nIt\u2019s quite amazing how many pockets guys have at their disposal. 19 From shirt pockets, sweatpants pockets, to even kilt pockets, clothing is stacked in our favor. 15 Not only do men have numerous pockets, but they\u2019re also huge. 27 I\u2019ve been able to hang onto to three phones, two wallets, and a pair of keys in just my jeans pockets alone. 10 Why shouldn\u2019t women receive the same luxury? 24 Because the fashion industry designed women\u2019s pockets \u201cfor style,\u201d not functionality, women were forced to buy handbags. 8 It\u2019s another Big Business racket! 19 Sadly, it makes sense why the fashion industry doesn\u2019t include practical pockets in their designs. 17 It\u2019s cheaper to make those favorite pair of skinny jeans of yours without pockets. 6 Your loss is their gain. 26 Furthermore, with the loss of all those pockets, those same companies now have an ideal market to sell their bags and purses to. 15 MORE: Criticizing free tampons is \u2018sexism\u2019\n\nWomen also face hand discrimination! 45 After talking to Susan Sokolowski, an Associate Professor with the UO Product Design department, I learned that when designing the side-seam pockets in jeans, manufactures [sic] use a person\u2019s hand size for the dimensions of the pocket. 23 Since women have smaller hands, they get smaller pockets, which doesn\u2019t help with today\u2019s giant phones. 23 If you care at all about women\u2019s rights, tell your student government to make pockets freely available with tampons. 9 It\u2019s your duty as a feminist! 4 Read the column. 27 MORE: Columbia cancels free tampons, nobody wanted them\n\nIMAGE: Blend Images/Shutterstock\n\nRead More\n\nLike The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter"} {"text": " 17 The Wenas Wildlife Area attracts more target shooters than any other wildlife area in Washington state. 23 But as some fear for their safety and the state has moved to impose restrictions, shooters worry about too many rules. 29 Mark McLean recalls how his friends were hunting in the Wenas Wildlife Area when they found themselves running for cover as semiautomatic gunfire came screaming in their direction. 19 It\u2019s just not a safe place, McLean recently told a state-appointed advisory group seeking solutions. 39 In the past 15 years, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has received 84 safety complaints about the Wenas Wildlife Area, including 15 firsthand cases of people feeling unsafe or having shots fired toward them. 11 And it\u2019s possible not all incidents are reported. 16 Officials said the area attracts more target shooters than any other wildlife area in Washington. 26 The challenge of finding solutions has fallen on an advisory committee of shooters, neighbors and recreational users, who began monthly meetings in May. 6 Recommendations could come next month. 48 The group has reached consensus on several topics, such as the need for more education and signage, but remains divided on some critical issues, including the future of dispersed shooting throughout the 105,460-acre area north of Selah and how to improve designated target-shooting sites. 22 The wildlife department\u2019s efforts to address safety, trash and illegal activity related to target shooting began in 2011. 18 Last year, the department announced plans for two shooting ranges and a ban on dispersed shooting. 17 But the resulting outcry forced a stalemate as opponents argued that shooters should have more options. 12 That led the department last fall to form the advisory group. 43 Supporters say there should be few restrictions on where shooting is allowed, providing people follow existing rules, such as not shooting at glass, appliances and other illegal targets and ensuring there\u2019s a backstop to catch stray shots. 30 \u201cNobody wants to prohibit dispersed shooting,\u201d Norm Peck, an Ellensburg resident representing the Kittitas Audubon Society, said during the committee\u2019s July meeting. 25 \u201cWe just want to make it safer and more concentrated.\u201d\n\nPlans slowly formed to designate and improve certain areas for target shooting. 25 But it became clear some group members believe that wouldn\u2019t be enough to draw shooters away from dangerous areas and prevent conflicts. 37 Walt Hyde, president of the Wenas Valley Backcountry Horsemen Chapter, said allowing shooting to continue on Buffalo Road near a popular trail for horses, bikers and hikers would effectively eliminate those three activities. 23 Yakima Mule Deer Foundation state chair Rachel Voss and mountain-biking representative Brian Lund agreed, noting safety must be the top priority. 25 Jim Lydigsen, volunteer coordinator with the NRA, says it\u2019s \u201cunacceptable\u201d to limit dispersed shooting that follows existing regulations. 25 He thinks better education and communication among user groups would lead the clear majority of shooters to move to designated sites and eliminate conflict. 24 Bret Hollar, a 4-H firearms instructor in Ellensburg, agrees and notes it\u2019s getting harder to find places to shoot. 30 Opponents of dispersed shooting don\u2019t dispute the value of educating the public, but they worry about the few irresponsible shooters who would ignore signs and recommendations. 45 \u201cI hate to say it, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to go anywhere,\u201d Hyde said, noting about half the committee supports no limitations while others would prefer to see shooting barred in problem areas. 30 Despite that lack of agreement,the wildlife department still plans to take several early draft recommendations from the panel to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in December. 44 Mike Livingston, wildlife Region III director, said they\u2019ve already started the difficult process of changing the department\u2019s target shooting rules to match those on Department of Natural Resources lands, which include a clearer definition of backstops. 13 The committee also urged improving ways for the public to report concerns."} {"text": " 21 Former NAACP chairman Ben Jealous announces his campaign for governor of Maryland during a rally in Baltimore on May 31. 7 Jealous will seek the Democratic nomination. 58 (Brian Witte/AP)\n\nBen Jealous, the former president of the NAACP, officially launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor on Wednesday, promising if elected to protect President Barack Obama\u2019s legacy and to turn Sen. Bernie Sanders\u2019s dreams of fixing economic inequality into reality for Maryland families. 43 Jealous, an outspoken progressive and an early supporter of Sanders\u2019s presidential bid last year, is making his first run for political office and joins what is likely to be a crowded field of Democrats vying to unseat Gov. 12 Larry Hogan, a widely popular Republican in a blue state. 22 He is the second Democrat to formally declare and one of the more progressive candidates eyeing the governor\u2019s seat. 39 Jealous, 44, described his campaign as a movement of working families coming together to \u201cfind the answers to the issues that we face\u201d and \u201cmove our state faster than most think is possible. 1 . 1 . 1 . 43 \u201cWe can grow our state, create opportunity, and leave a better future for our children,\u201d Jealous told about 75 supporters outside Baltimore Blossoms, a Baltimore City flower shop in the Northwest neighborhood where his grandparents live. 14 \u201cIt will not be easy, but no great undertaking ever is. 22 But we don\u2019t fear the challenge, rather we are up to it, we are inspired by it. 1 . 1 . 1 . 57 It is time for us to dream again and to make big dreams real again.\u201d\n\nJealous told the crowd of his family\u2019s history, including his black mother and white father, two Baltimore teachers who fell in love and moved to California because interracial marriage in Maryland was illegal at the time. 43 If elected, he said that he would push to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour; place a highly qualified teacher in each classroom; do away with \u201cmassive\u201d student debt; and end mass incarceration. 24 He promised to lure tech companies to the state, invest in infrastructure, revive the Red Line and save the Purple Line. 32 He said he would pay for the programs by \u201cclosing the corporate loophole, ending mass incarceration, fighting big pharma and ending waste and fraud\u201d in state government. 50 Jealous took aim at Hogan, comparing him to the cowardly lion in \u201cThe Wizard Oz.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince President Trump has come into office he has repeatedly bowed and submitted to the will of the most extreme members of the President Trump administration,\u201d Jealous said. 33 \u201cHe has aligned himself with the Trump administration by his misguided action and his so cowardly silence.\u201d\n\nA spokeswoman for Hogan did not immediately respond to a call for comment. 28 A former community organizer and journalist, Jealous is a partner at Kapor Capital, a California-based venture capital investment firm that focuses on socially conscious businesses. 41 Jealous, who lives in Anne Arundel County, gained national prominence in 2008 when at age 35 he took the helm of the country\u2019s oldest civil rights organization, becoming the youngest person to lead the NAACP. 34 During his four years at the NAACP, Jealous helped lead the fight in Maryland to abolish the death penalty, legalize same-sex marriage and allow undocumented college students to receive in-state tuition. 15 \u201cWe have fought and won against the odds before,\u201d Jealous said. 53 \u201cWe have the opportunity to move forward on the economy and on education as quickly as we moved forward on civil rights a few years ago.\u201d\n\nMileah Kromer, a political-science professor at Goucher College, said unlike the other Democratic challengers, Jealous has name recognition across the state. 13 Alec Ross, a technology entrepreneur, announced his candidacy in April. 28 State Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (Montgomery) said last month that he plans to seek the Democratic nomination, but he has not officially declared. 37 Other Democrats considering a bid include Prince George\u2019s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, former Maryland attorney general Douglas F. Gansler, Baltimore County Executive Kevin B. Kamenetz and lawyer James L. Shea. 34 \u201c[Jealous is] known among the core progressives across the state, and equally as important he\u2019s known in the black community in Baltimore City,\u201d she said."} {"text": " 37 Mentions 4minute, miss A, AOA, and EXID as examples of girl groups with only one popular member that eventually ended in disbandment or member issues (although EXID looks strong internally).1. 41 [+437, -12] I'd put DIA on the list over EXID... the more they promote, the more Jung Chaeyeon gets popular and their agency is totally banking all their support on only Jung Chaeyeon \u314b\u314b\u314b\u314b\u314b2. 46 [+391, -6] I think EXID's case is different... they didn't blow up in their first 1-2 years, they were doing so bad at first that they practically disbanded which is probably why the members seem so much closer/stronger.3. 14 [+328, -12] I wouldn't add EXID to the list. 20 Solji is just as big as Hani on TV now and LE's been pretty famous for her rapping. 14 Hyelin took a few gigs in Solji's place over the year-end celebrations. 29 Sure Hyelin and Junghwa are behind in popularity but each of their song releases have either done average or pretty well so I don't see them disbanding. 31 I sometimes wonder if AOA could disband and considering the fact that no one thought 4minute would but they actually did, the possibility seems open for AOA as well.4. 15 [+117, -3] You also have Gugudan with Sejung at the top5. 23 [+114, -1] Add Cosmic Girls and Sungso... their agency doesn't care at all about the other members6. 20 [+98, -2] Nine Muses too, I don't know any of them other than Kyungri. 18 They went through so many member changes and I'm sure three members recently left as well.7. 33 [+81, -1] Well ZE:A's not a girl group but Siwan, Hyungshik, Kwanghee, and Dongjun are the only ones known out of that group8. 36 [+71, -0] AOA's agency does really seem to try hard to support the other members though with Jimin's single, Mina's drama work, and that AOA Cream unit9. 50 [+61, -0] miss A definitely earns a spot on the list... which is funny because their debut track was such a hit that I was sure everyone would hit daebak but they ended up with Suzy as the only member coming out alive...10. 7 [+56, -0] Eh? 11 I'd say Solji's pretty popular in EXID too. 10 She's been on a lot of singing shows. 7 EXID is mostly Hani and Solji.11. 50 [+40, -1] I don't think all of this matters, groups that are meant to disband will disband no matter if the members are close or popular or not;;; BEG and Soshi are unique cases in that they're lasting super long. 18 Most groups seem to disband after contracts go up for renewal and that's probably the norm. 37 The media just makes a big deal out of it calling it the 7 year curse \u314b\u314b\u314b how many of you all would like to not be able to date or do anything for 7 years? 32 Not sleep, not eat what you want, basically not live your own life... and then you have to renew your contract and live that life all over again? 11 Definitely wouldn't be easy to say yes...12. 18 [+37, -0] Take EXID off the list and put Gugudan and DIA up there13. 23 [+33, -1] I honestly think Park Jin Young messed up on who he chose for the miss A members. 37 He did well by choosing Suzy but JYP used to have a ton of other great trainees like Hyorin, Hani, Song Jieun, Jaekyung, Yooji, Bomi, Naeun, etc...14. 17 [+31, -3] Posts like this make me appreciate how SM supports their groups. 13 They usually don't promote just one member but all of them.15. 18 [+30, -0] Well DIA's album cover is straight up Jung Chaeyeon and the rest"} {"text": " 29 In his first big scene as a professional actor in 1986, Kevin Page was shot to pieces by the ED-209 robotic police droid in \"RoboCop.\" 31 Editor's note: On the 30th anniversary of RoboCop, we asked Dallas actor Kevin Page, who appeared in the film, to reflect on its lingering significance. 23 It was the summer of 1986, and I had just been hired for my first speaking role in a feature film. 32 A little-known Dutch director, Paul Verhoeven, cast me in a small but significant part in his first American film, RoboCop, which was shooting on location in Dallas. 31 Watch 'RoboCop' at OCP HQ -- pardon, Dallas City Hall -- with Peter Weller this fall\n\nI was 26 and still a graduate student studying theatre at SMU. 22 Although I had big dreams of becoming a working actor, I had little idea of how to accomplish my goals. 23 In the movie, I was to play a young executive who confronts an oversized robotic police droid named \"ED-209.\" 23 Consequently, my character gets splattered all over the screen in one of the grizzliest and over-the-top movie deaths of all time. 25 My first day on the set, I was rushed into makeup and introduced to some of the actors I would be working with. 26 These included, Miguel Ferrer and Ronnie Cox, both of whom had burgeoning Hollywood careers that would be accelerated by their appearances in RoboCop. 22 However, the majority of the cast that day consisted of local actors, including the legendary Dallas personality Jerry Haynes. 15 Haynes played Mr. Peppermint on the local WFAA-TV show produced from 1961 to 1996. 52 The Dallas skyline looms behind actor Peter Weller during a filming of RoboCop outside Dallas City Hall in the 1980s /The Dallas Morning News archives\n\nAs the shooting day progressed, the special effects guys fitted me for a costume rigged with several dozen \"squibs\" sewn into the fabric. 15 Squibs are like small one-way firecrackers that explode away from your body when triggered. 22 When the squibs are fired through condoms filled with fake blood, they create the familiar movie effect of being shot. 40 It is common place in films to be \"shot\" with three or four squibs at a time; however, it is not common to be wired with nearly 100 of these fake bullet hits at once! 20 I didn't know it at the time, but that one scene would launch a 30-year screen career. 64 In one way or another, that brief and bloody scene from RoboCop helped me get cast on Seinfeld, where I invited Jerry to pitch his show about nothing, as a regular on Wishbone (also shot in Dallas), and as Bum on the re-boot of Dallas where my character ultimately shoots and kills the iconic J. R. Ewing. 22 I learned three important things on the set of RoboCop, which will celebrate its 30th year of release this month. 33 10 movies you might not know were filmed in Dallas\n\nFirst, never agree to let the special-effects guys wire you with as many squibs as they like because those things hurt! 40 Second, there is an active film community in Texas and, third, if one is dedicated and scrappy, an actor can make a living right here in Dallas instead of moving to L.A. or New York. 36 After spending a few years doing television shows in Hollywood, I took Jerry Haynes' example and moved back to Texas where I have continued to work as an actor for over two decades. 46 The film industry in Texas in general, and in Dallas in particular, has remained mostly viable since the late 1970s, when the TV show Dallas first put our great state on the map as a significant \"3rd Coast\" filming location. 52 Over the years, films and TV series like RoboCop, Terms of Endearment, The Alamo, Friday Night Lights (both the movie and the TV series), Prison Break, The Good Guys, and most recently Queen of the South have continued to perpetuate that reputation. 33 Many other states have tried to get into the act by offering filming incentives to Hollywood companies that want to shoot outside of the major film centers like L.A. and New York. 44 Texas has recently restored its own film incentives program to keep the industry working here, which is an effort I hope all of you readers will support by letting your state representatives know you like having the film and TV business here. 23 So, thanks, RoboCop (and Jerry Haynes), for helping to launch my career as a proud Texas-based actor. 4 Happy 30th anniversary! 17 Peter Weller is shown during the filming of ROBOCOP 2 in Dallas in 1989 DAVID WOO/Staff Photographer/"} {"text": " 28 After vaguely announcing changes a few months ago, Yahoo has decided that it will stop accepting Facebook and Google logins at Flickr as of June 30. 28 The move is part of Yahoo's emphasis on getting rid of its reliance on its competitors and trying to draw customers directly into its user base. 24 Yahoo started accepting other services' logins at Flickr three years ago after the photo-hosting platform had been in decline for some time. 44 Two years ago, Mat Honan at Gizmodo wrote about how social media sites like Twitter and Instagram were eating Flickr's photo-sharing lunch, and even its utility as a photo archive was dwarfed by dedicated cloud-storage and syncing services like Dropbox. 20 Flickr has since had a redesign, and Yahoo is ready for the site to stand on its own. 36 The move partially mirrors one of Google's initiatives to bring YouTube more firmly into the Google network by getting rid of the site's own logins, encouraging users to use their Google+ info. 8 Fallout and shenanigans involving ASCII penises ensued. 31 Yahoo is encouraging Flickr users without a Yahoo account to create one, and it's telling users who already have one to connect it before June 30 rolls around. 42 The company hasn't indicated when it might remove Facebook and Google logins from the rest of its services, but this is likely the beginning of a slow, firm push for users to finally get in the Yahoo water."} {"text": " 34 An unusual new fossil discovery of one of the earliest animals on earth may also provide the oldest evidence of muscle tissue \u2013 the bundles of cells that make movement in animals possible. 17 The fossil, dating from 560 million years ago, was discovered in Newfoundland, Canada. 68 On the basis of its four-fold symmetry, morphological characteristics, and what appear to be some of the earliest impressions of muscular tissue, researchers from the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the University of Oxford and the Memorial University of Newfoundland, have interpreted it as a cnidarian: the group which contains modern animals such as corals, sea anemones and jellyfish. 19 The results are published today (27 August) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 44 Historically, the origin, evolution and spread of animals has been viewed as having begun during the Cambrian Explosion, a period of rapid evolutionary development starting 541 million years ago when most major animal groups first appear in the fossil record. 59 \u201cHowever, in recent decades, discoveries of preserved trackways and chemical evidence in older rocks, as well as molecular comparisons, have indirectly suggested that animals may have a much earlier origin than previously thought,\u201d said Dr Alex Liu of Cambridge\u2019s Department of Earth Sciences, lead author of the paper. 46 \u201cThe problem is that although animals are now widely expected to have been present before the Cambrian Explosion, very few of the fossils found in older rocks possess features that can be used to convincingly identify them as animals,\u201d said Liu. 48 \u201cInstead, we study aspects of their ecology, feeding or reproduction, in order to understand what they might have been.\u201d\n\nThe new fossil, named Haootia quadriformis, dates from the Ediacaran Period, an interval spanning 635 to 541 million years ago. 36 It differs from any previously described Ediacaran fossil, as it comprises of bundles of fibres in a broadly four-fold symmetrical arrangement: a body plan that is similar to that seen in modern cnidarians. 32 The researchers determined that the similarities between Haootia quadriformis and both living and fossil cnidarians suggest that the organism was probably a cnidarian, and that the bundles represent muscular tissue. 31 This would make it not only a rare example of an Ediacaran animal, but also one of the oldest fossils to show evidence of muscle anywhere in the world. 56 \u201cThe evolution of muscular animals, in possession of muscle tissues that enabled them to precisely control their movements, paved the way for the exploration of a vast range of feeding strategies, environments, and ecological niches, allowing animals to become the dominant force in global ecosystems,\u201d said Liu. 41 The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Burdett Coutts Fund of the University of Oxford, and the National Geographic Global Exploration Fund Northern Europe. 9 Inset image: Artist reconstruction of Haootia quadriformis. 4 Credit: Martin Brasier"} {"text": " 12 A surprising trade has popped up in this hectic NFL week. 4 Article continues below ... 22 The New Orleans Saints traded former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush to the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, FOXSports.com has learned. 35 The deal was contingent upon Bush\u2019s agent Joel Segal working out a new contract with the Dolphins, which was finalized Thursday morning as the RB/punt returner settled on a two-year contract. 11 It is unclear what the Saints are receiving in return. 33 New Orleans had no intention of keeping Bush this season under the terms of his current contract \u2014 an $11.8 million base salary and a cap figure of $16 million. 31 The Saints part ways with coach Sean Payton\u2019s first draft pick, an injury-plagued player who put up only 2,090 rushing yards since entering the league in 2006. 35 Bush distinguished himself, however, as one of the NFL\u2019s best receiving threats at running back in the past five seasons, catching 294 passes for 2,142 yards and 12 touchdowns. 23 His 7.3-yards-per-catch average in that span ranks first among running backs, while his 12 touchdown receptions rank second among running backs."} {"text": " 20 BALTIMORE (WJZ) \u2014 A man is fighting for his life after a brutal attack in downtown Baltimore. 12 A witness to the broad-daylight beating is speaking only to WJZ. 14 Mike Hellgren has this new account and why this case is so unusual. 14 It\u2019s so stunning to many because it\u2019s so brazen. 22 The beating happened in the afternoon last Friday on Lombard and Howard just blocks from Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor. 37 John Mason, a 32-year-old tattoo artist, is in a medically induced coma with serious head injuries after being beaten downtown on Lombard and Howard streets, just a block from the Bromo Seltzer Tower. 10 The bold attack was at 1:30 p.m. last Friday. 19 A witness\u2013who does not want his face shown\u2013says there were at least eight attackers, all young men. 15 \u201cTwice, he kept telling them he didn\u2019t want to fight. 13 He didn\u2019t want to fight,\u201d the witness said. 19 \u201cThey didn\u2019t care.\u201d\n\nIt didn\u2019t look like it was a targeted attack. 10 \u201cThey didn\u2019t know him at all. 11 They was just looking for trouble,\u201d he said. 21 He says it happened at the bus stop and one of the attackers kicked Mason more than a dozen times. 30 \u201cThe guy was already knocked unconscious and the guy sat there and held his feet while his homeboy just started stomping on his head,\u201d he said. 16 \u201cWhen I came down and I called 911, he was on his back. 43 I turned him on his side and when I did, he came about and the last I recall was, I saw him getting on the stretcher.\u201d\n\n\u201cAt this point, it\u2019s unclear what the motive was. 10 We\u2019re looking at a variety of possibilities. 8 One of them is an obvious robbery. 37 We\u2019re also looking at the background of the victim, trying to see if there are any disputes that might have resulted in this,\u201d said Anthony Guglielmi, Baltimore City Police spokesperson. 40 Police are combing through images from the extensive camera network downtown and say the area is safe, despite this attack and the beating of a tourist earlier this year that was caught on video and got attention nationwide. 10 Some who live and work here are fed up. 34 \u201cSomebody needs to come forward and say what they saw so we can get these people off the streets who are doing these things to our citizens,\u201d said Eric Adams. 20 Police say they hope to interview the victim and do not yet have any good description of the attackers."} {"text": " 10 [Content Note: Transphobia; harassment; self-harm. 21 ]That is howwriter Caleb Hannan shared his article about Dr. V, the creator of a new golf putter. 21 To get access to Dr. V, Hannan agreed to \"focus on the science and not the scientist.\" 53 But during the course of researching and writing the piece, he discovered that Dr. V was a trans woman\u2014a piece of information he found so interesting that he broke his agreement to focus on the science and not the scientist.Before the article was published, Dr. V took her own life. 165 The article was published nonetheless, complete with misgendering pronouns peppering the latter part of the narrative arc in which the author casts himself as Holmesian detective uncovering a great mystery.Hannan distances himself from this tragedy by including in the story the report of a previous attempt at taking her own life made by Dr. V, as if to suggest that her suicide was inevitable.Further, he catalogs her deception about her educational and professional background alongside the revelation that she is trans, in a way that suggests her failure to reflexively disclose that she is trans as part of any introduction to a new person is a lie, just like so many others she told.When she does not agree to become the focus of his story, which was meant to be about the science, he pouts and tasks her with the responsibility for his aggressive invasiveness: \"Dr. V's initial requests for privacy had seemed reasonable. 23 Now, however, they felt like an attempt to stop me from writing about her or the company she'd founded. 4 But why?\" 16 He reports disclosing that Dr. V is a trans woman to one of her investors. 6 He publishes her birth name. 8 He describes the scene of her death. 19 And he concludes the piece by calling it a eulogy.I have hardly detailed everything objectionable about this article. 86 These are the barest outlines of one of the most cavalier, irresponsible pieces of journalism I have read in a very long time.There are already legions of defenders, who are keen to make arguments that Dr. V's lies about her background are newsworthy, which is debatable, although I tend to agree that lying about her educational and professional history, which were apparently a central part of the pitch to investors and potential buyers, was unethical and worth reporting. 50 * But her being transgender is entirely irrelevant\u2014and if Hannan's research into the former was what led to his discovery of the latter, it doesn't mean each piece is equally appropriate to report.One was about her professional life, and stood to potentially damage her career. 49 The other was about her personal life, and stood to put her at risk for both professional retribution and personal harm.Which is why, in one of her last communications with Hannan, Dr. V warned him that he \"was about to commit a hate crime. 25 \"But it was just a strange story to the writer.I urge you to also read Eastsidekate's piece, \" What if 'Dr. 5 V' was French? 6 [H/T to Carolyn Edgar . 9 You can contact the editors of here .]"} {"text": " 5 On Wednesday, Gov. 28 Robert Bentley (R-AL) admitted he had made \u201cinappropriate\u201d remarks to his senior political adviser and long-time confidante Rebekah Mason at a press conference. 17 However, he denied it went any further than those remarks, including a physical relationship. 22 \u201cAt times in the past, have I said things that I should not have said?\u201d Bentley said. 47 \u201cAbsolutely, that\u2019s what I\u2019m saying today.\u201d\n\nBentley\u2019s remarks at that press conference confirmed what had long been rumored in Montgomery going back over the last two years, which was a romantic relationship between Bentley and Mason. 20 The rumor mill heated up last August after Dianne Bentley filed for divorce after their marriage of 50 years. 34 Their settlement of their divorce included $750 in monthly alimony, reimbursement of $20,000 in legal fees, a one-time payment of $92,000 and a beach home for Dianne Bentley. 21 It was the state\u2019s now-former top law enforcement official Spencer Collier that brought it back to the forefront. 15 Collier had revealed evidence of the affair in press conference just hours before Gov. 11 Bentley took to his press conference to acknowledge the misdeed. 23 Collier had laid out proof of the relationship between Bentley and Mason, which Collier claimed had allegedly gone back to 2014. 5 \u201cI told Gov. 31 Bentley that I loved him like a father and that there was nothing I wouldn\u2019t do for him except lie to a grand jury,\u201d Collier said. 5 \u201cI made Gov. 9 Bentley aware of the recording that I heard. 4 I told Gov. 17 Bentley there was no need to try and explain it for anything other than it was. 53 It was very obvious that it was sexual in nature.\u201d\n\nIn his perceived role as whistleblower, Collier referred to a text message a member of Bentley\u2019s security team had accidentally intercepted by picking up the governor\u2019s cell phone, which Collier claimed was sexual in nature. 20 Collier also referred to an audio recording initially reported by Yellowhammer News that proved the existence of the affair. 34 Following Bentley\u2019s denial of an actual physical relationship, AL.com released the actual audio, which included Bentley describing how he liked the come up behind Mason and touch her breasts. 26 Listen:\n\nThe relationship between Collier and Bentley goes back to 2010, when Bentley was a long-shot for the governorship in a crowded field. 44 At the time, the two were serving in the Alabama legislature together and although most the high-ranking elected officials in the Alabama Republican Party at the time threw their support behind now-Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL), Collier had supported Bentley. 27 By a margin of 200 votes, Bentley had managed to earn a spot in a runoff against Byrne in the so-called Tea Party election cycle. 52 In the runoff, Bentley was able to build a coalition of Democratic voters acting at the behest of the Alabama Education Association teachers\u2019 union to defeat Byrne at all cost and Tea Party voters looking to score a win against the state\u2019s GOP establishment by defeating Byrne. 37 In the end, the bet Collier, a former Alabama State Trooper, had placed on the political viability of Bentley paid off and that earned him the top spot at Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. 8 Initially Bentley was a very popular governor. 69 Despite making a controversial statement shortly before being sworn in as governor with regards to Christians being only his \u201cbrothers and sisters\u201d and having initially resisted sending a state flag to a soldier in Afghanistan, a policy he later reversed, Bentley easily won reelection in 2014 by a landslide 64-36 percent margin over the Democratic Party nominee, former Democrat-turned-Republican U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith. 28 However, Bentley fell out of favor with many Alabamians early in his second term when he proposed a myriad of tax increases totaling $700 million. 15 In 2015, Bentley surprised a lot of political watchers when he endorsed Gov. 22 John Kasich (R-OH), who was identified as a moderate in the crowded GOP presidential field, for president. 9 Where Bentley goes from here is less clear. 20 In the last 24 hours, the speculation that he would be resigning from his office has died down. 20 But Bentley\u2019s troubles come at a time when the Republican Party is facing turmoil in all corners. 52 Aside from the scandal Bentley is currently having to answer for, Republican Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard is headed to trial next month for his 2014 indictment for 23 counts of felony ethics violations, four of which include charges of using his office as House speaker for personal gain. 30 Following Bentley\u2019s press conference, Bentley\u2019s alleged mistress Rebekah Mason fired back at Collier and suggested the allegations made by Collier were rooted in sexism. 25 \u201cThere is no way that man would have said what he did today about another man,\u201d Mason said in her statement. 17 \u201cHe only said what he said about my professional abilities because I am a Woman. 9 His comments were clear, demonstrated gender bias. 31 Since 2010, I have proudly served as Governor Robert Bentley\u2019s Campaign Press Secretary, Communications Director, Advisor, Campaign Communications Director and now Senior Political Advisor. 15 It is an honor to serve our Governor and the people of this state. 39 As a wife and working mother, I commute four hours a day to serve on a team alongside some of the most dedicated and talented people in the state, who are committed to helping our people. 22 Unfortunately there are still some people who are set on hindering the ability of women to work in the political arena. 13 I am proud of what I have accomplished in my professional career. 25 And I\u2019m grateful for the opportunity God has given me to serve our state.\u201d\n\nCollier\u2019s future is also unclear. 32 Earlier in the week, Chuck Dean, a reporter for AL.com first reported the former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency chief was being probed for potential misuse of the agencies funds. 92 Collier immediately denied the allegations in a statement to Dean, which was reveled in its entirety to Alabama Political Reporter, accusing the Dean of being a \u201csounding board\u201d for Mason and warned at the time there was \u201cmuch more to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will be damned if I will let you, Rebekah Mason, Stan Stabler (an outright racist), Gene Wiggins or Anna Morris drag my name through the mud and hurt my family,\u201d he said in the statement. 19 \u201cI promise, there is much more to come.\u201d\n\nCollier reiterated that claim in press conference. 52 Also during that press conference, Collier had claimed Bentley had asked him to lie to Alabama Assistant AG Matt Hart, the prosecutor in the aforementioned Hubbard case, that an investigation into Baron Coleman, a former political opponent of Hubbard was on-going, when apparently it was not. 7 Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor"} {"text": " 22 With the start of the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress recognized the need for foreign alliances and intelligence gathering. 67 To meet this need, the Congress created a panel called the Committee of Secret Correspondence on November 29, 1775, \u201cfor the sole purpose of corresponding with our friends in Great Britain and other parts of the world.\u201d In addition to its stated objective of gauging European sympathy toward the American Revolution, the committee\u2019s purpose also included intelligence work. 21 Members of the Congress realized that forging alliances with foreign countries\u2014secretly if necessary\u2014would provide critical support to the American cause. 12 Committee Activities\n\nThe Committee of Secret Correspondence had wide-ranging duties abroad. 49 It conducted covert operations, devised codes and ciphers, employed operatives, funded propaganda, acquired foreign publications for use in analysis, authorized the surreptitious opening of private mail, established a courier system, and developed a maritime capability distinct from that of the Navy. 42 The Committee functioned alongside two other intelligence-related groups: the Secret Committee, which was formed in September 1775 and was responsible for obtaining military supplies, and the Committee on Spies, created in June 1776, for counterintelligence activities. 28 Famous Faces\n\nThe first members of the Committee of Secret Correspondence included Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Johnson, John Jay, and James Lovell. 18 Two of those men became well-known in the world of intelligence: James Lovell and Benjamin Franklin. 19 Lovell was a teacher arrested by the British for spying after the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. 21 He was exchanged later that next year for a British prisoner and was elected to the Continental Congress in 1777. 29 While serving on the Committee of Secret Correspondence, Lovell was Congress\u2019s expert on codes and ciphers and became known as the father of American cryptanalysis. 31 Franklin, the only member with experience in foreign affairs, dominated the Committee, corresponding with friends in Europe and sounding out the possibility of an alliance with America. 44 The French soon dispatched Julien Alexandre Achard de Bonvouloir to America to examine the feasibility of covert aid and political support, and the Committee sent its own secret agent, Silas Deane, to France for the same purposes in April 1776. 24 Franklin himself left for Paris in late 1776 on his famous, and ultimately successful, mission to forge an alliance with France. 25 Forerunners of Future American Agencies\n\nThe Committee of Secret Correspondence became the Committee of Foreign Affairs in April 1777 but retained its intelligence functions. 43 As the first American government agency for both foreign intelligence and diplomatic representation, it may be regarded as a forerunner of both the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as Congress\u2019s current intelligence oversight committees. 5 Related Stories and Links:"} {"text": " 22 By Bernard Hickey\n\nStrong construction, tourism and transport sectors help GDP grow a faster-than-expected 1.1% in the September quarter. 32 Economists had expected growth in output of around 0.8% for the quarter, suggesting the economy is growing faster than anticipated and potentially putting more upward pressure on interest rates. 11 The Reserve Bank had expected quarterly growth of 0.9%. 27 However, downward revisions to previous quarters offset the surprise rise in the September, meaning economists left their forecasts the Official Cash Rate broadly unchanged. 49 The annual growth of 3.5% was a touch lower than the Reserve Bank's forecast for 3.7% growth because of downward revisions to previous quarters and most still expect the Reserve Bank to hold the Official Cash Rate for an extended period, possibly into 2018. 18 The New Zealand dollar nudged 15 basis points higher in late morning trade to around 69.1 USc. 69 \"From a monetary policy perspective, while these GDP data were somewhat above RBNZ expectations, we assess they are not sufficiently different \u2013 particularly once data revisions are taken into consideration - to alter our central scenario for the RBNZ to keep the OCR unchanged at 1.75% over the whole of 2017,\" First NZ's Director of Economics and Strategy Chris Green said. 23 Statistics New Zealand revised growth of 0.9% in each of the March and June quarters down to 0.7% per quarter. 38 Statistics New Zealand reported GDP in the quarter was up 3.5% from the same quarter a year ago, which was a slight acceleration from the 3.4% annual growth rate seen in the June quarter. 29 The 1.1% growth for the quarter was up from 0.7% in the previous quarter and was the fastest quarterly growth since the December quarter of 2015. 32 The services sector the economy, which represents about 70% of GDP, grew 1.1% in the quarter, while the goods-producing parts of the economy grew 1.3%. 9 Primary industries fell 0.1% during the quarter. 18 Household spending grew 1.6% for the quarter, having grown 2.0% in the June quarter. 6 Services spending grew 2.0%. 29 \u201cWe\u2019ve seen Kiwis spend more on domestic travel, accommodation, eating out and recreation,\u201d Statistics New Zealand\u2019s Gary Dunnet said. 24 Per capita GDP grew 0.6% in the September quarter from 0.2% in the June quarter because the population rose 0.5%. 21 GDP per capita rose 0.9% for the year ended September after the population rose 2.1% during the year. 18 GDP per capita in the September was up 1.4% from the same quarter a year ago. 20 ASB Senior Economist Jane Turner pointed to the annual growth being slightly softer than market and Reserve Bank expectations. 26 \"The lift in growth over the first half of the year wasn\u2019t nearly as impressive as previously thought,\" Turner said. 25 \"This has implications for the extent the RBNZ can hope for domestically-sourced inflation to lift over the coming year,\" she said. 18 \"It argues for the RBNZ needs to remain patient for inflation pressures to lift off lows. 29 But does not change our OCR outlook, we continue to expect the RBNZ to leave the OCR on hold at 1.75% for the foreseeable future.\" 19 Westpac's Sarah Drought said she expected the Reserve Bank to remain on hold for the foreseeable future. 34 \"The slightly softer starting point for annual growth is balanced against the pick-up in momentum in the September quarter, leaving our outlook for capacity pressures broadly unchanged,\" Drought said. 8 (Updated with more detail and reaction)"} {"text": " 37 To protect this lucrative deal - and presumably minimise any potential technical interference - LOCOG, the London Olympics organising committee, has banned \"personal/private wireless access points and 3G hubs\" from Olympic venues. 23 Want to create a wireless hotspot on your smartphone so you can get online on your laptop or tablet in between matches? 11 That's prohibited, as are portable Wi-Fi hotspot devices. 41 Sadao Turner Esq, director of new media for TV personality Ryan Seacrest's production company, tweeted a photo of the \"Olympics Wi-Fi police\" that are charged with seeking out unauthorised Wi-Fi hotspots with big red detectors. 7 The absurdities don't end there. 38 According to Britain's Daily Telegraph, Fish and chip stalls have been advised they are not allowed to serve chips on their own without fish as McDonald's is the official chip maker of the Games. 18 The Independent reported that the ban on chips extended to 800 retailers at the 40 Olympic venues. 34 Hundreds of uniformed Olympics officers have been patrolling London enforcing the multimillion-dollar marketing deals signed with companies such as Visa, Proctor & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald's and BP. 22 Only official sponsors who have paid a certain amount of money are permitted to use Olympic Games trademarks in their advertising. 30 Under laws specifically passed for the London Games, the brand army has rights to enter shops and business premises and bring courts actions and fines up to \u00a320,000. 50 Words such as \"Olympic\", \"gold\", \"silver\", \"bronze\", \"sponsors\", \"summer\" and \"London\" have been banned from business advertisements so as not to give the impression they are connected to the Olympics. 16 Even pubs can't have signs displaying brands of beer that are not official sponsors. 26 LOCOG has previously said that the sponsor rights were acquired by companies for millions of pounds and this helped support the staging of the games. 29 It said people who sought the same benefits for free by \"engaging in ambush marketing or producing counterfeit goods\" were effectively depriving the games of revenue. 29 From a public relations perspective, this hasn't played well with Londoners, who could breach the legislation simply by getting into the spirit of the games. 20 Residents have also missed out on tickets only to see rows of empty seats in sections reserved for sponsors. 16 Today they are reading rumours that just 15 Games organisers spent $70,000 on lunch. 20 To see why Olympics organisers go to such lengths to protect sponsors you only have to follow the money. 26 The Olympics brand is the second most valuable brand in the world at $US45 billion, according to a study by consultants Brand Finance. 14 Apple is the only brand ahead of it, worth $US70 billion. 16 Both maintain this value by going after anyone they perceive to be using their trademarks. 41 The Olympics brand has increased in value by 87 per cent since the Beijing Games, largely off the back of a rise in broadcast rights - deals which punters complain are also preventing them from fully enjoying the Games. 18 Ticketholders have also been told not to post photos or videos of matches to social networking sites. 38 Matthew Gain, digital director of public relations agency Edelman, said there was a \"fine line that needs to be tread\" between the commercial realities and the ability of consumers to enjoy the Games. 34 The Olympics are expensive to run and sponsors provide a chunk of the cash, so they expect that competitors won't be able to get the same or similar benefits for free. 26 \"However at the same time you don't want to protect that investment so much that you piss off everyone,\" he said. 50 \"You've got to keep sensible about it and you've got to remember that the moment that you as a brand by protecting your own brand start inhibiting consumer choice and consumer behaviour ... then that's when you start risking impacting and affecting your brand.\" 10 So have organisers gone too far in this instance? 52 \"Some of the protection of the stuff in the UK where you've seen the local cake shop being told that they need to stop displaying the Olympic rings cake that they've made and put in the window is perhaps a little bit too far,\" said Gain. 40 \"I think if it's a mum and dad business that's not really benefiting from the Olympics but getting into the Olympic spirit ... that's probably where you've gone a little bit too far.\""} {"text": " 43 Woman 'imprisoned' on Scientology cruise ship\n\nUpdated\n\nSorry, this video has expired Video: Woman alleges imprisonment by Scientologists (Lateline)\n\nAn Australian resident has told Lateline the Church of Scientology imprisoned her on its cruise ship The Freewinds. 31 Valeska Paris says the Church of Scientology's leader David Miscavige sent her to the ship when she was 18, to prevent her mother taking her away from Scientology. 31 Ms Paris says she ended up being on the ship for over a decade, and was unable to leave The Freewinds for the first six years without an escort. 22 She has also described the church's leader David Miscavige as a psychopath and says he should be put on trial. 39 Ms Paris was born into a Scientology family in Switzerland, and at the age of six she moved to Scientology's headquarters in the UK where she was placed in its then youth wing the cadet org. 33 At 14 she joined the Church's elite Sea Organisation, signing a contract binding her for a billion years, a commitment that would override her bond with her own family. 32 \"I was basically hauled in and told that my mum had attacked the church and that I needed to disconnect from her because she was suppressive,\" she said. 17 Her mother had denounced Scientology on French TV after her ex husband Albert Jaquier committed suicide. 33 A self made millionaire, his last days were spent in poverty, and in a diary he kept, he blamed the Church of Scientology for fleecing him of his fortune. 32 Ms Paris says the church was so worried her mother would take her away that Mr Miscavige intervened, ordering she be taken to the church's cruise ship The Freewinds. 40 \"He decided the ship, and I found out two hours before my plane left, I was woken up in the morning and I was sent to the ship for 'two weeks',\" she said. 32 'I'd been in Scientology my whole life'\n\nMs Paris says she was held on the Freewinds against her will, and ended up on the ship for 12 years. 38 \"I did not want to be there, I made it clear I did not want to be there and that was considered bad ethics, meaning it was considered not right,\" she said. 21 \"They take your passport when you go on the ship and you're in the middle of an island. 41 So it's a bit hard [to escape] and by that time I was 18, I'd been in Scientology my whole life, it's not like I knew how to escape,\" she said. 22 The Freewinds is used as a base to deliver Scientology's highest level counselling course known as Operating Thetan Level VIII. 10 It cruises around the Caribbean docking at small islands. 29 The Church says ships have religious significance to Scientologists because its founder L Ron Hubbard, had researched and ministered the first Operating Thetan levels aboard a ship. 29 A Scientology promotional video says the ship \"stands at the forefront of a growing worldwide movement towards spiritual advancement transporting Scientologists to new realms of freedom\". 13 But for Valeska Paris, there was no freedom on the Freewinds. 30 She says she was not allowed off the ship for the first six years without an escort, and was forced to do hard labour in the engine room. 19 \"It's hot, it's extremely loud, it's smelly, it's not nice. 27 I was sent down there at first for 48 hours straight on almost no sleep and I had to work by myself,\" she said. 11 \"I was not allowed to work with anyone else. 53 I don't know if I went unconscious or if I fell asleep but I was cleaning some part of an engine it was extremely loud and I was just out for like four hours and this guy came and shook me four hours later and he said I was unconscious.\" 15 The Church of Scientology in the US refused to be interviewed for this story. 23 Their lawyers sent Lateline a letter threatening legal action over a breach of a confidentiality agreement between the Church and Ms Paris. 15 In a statement the Church of Scientology said Ms Paris' claims were false. 12 \"She certainly wasn't \"forced\" to be there. 18 She was also never forced to perform labour in the engine room,\" the statement said. 16 \"The Freewinds is a wonderful place, as even Valeska said on numerous occasions. 17 Her allegation that she could only leave the ship with an escort is totally false.\" 32 'Cover-up'\n\nBut Ms Paris says she signed the agreement under duress, and the Scientology statement has been contradicted by Ramana Dienes-Browning, a former a senior executive on the Freewinds. 24 Ms Dienes-Browning was responsible for monitoring staff behaviour and performance on the ship, and says Ms Paris was imprisoned on the ship. 17 \"Their response is a lie, their response is a cover-up,\" she said. 14 \"She made it very clear she did not want to be there. 34 She had been sent to the ship so as not to be in contact with one of her parents and that's not what she wanted, she was very, very distressed. 17 \"I would definitely consider it imprisonment because there was no choice in the matter.\" 15 Ms Dienes-Browning is now working on a photographic exhibition re-enacting her time in Scientology. 16 She says she too was held against her will on the Freewinds and suffered abuse. 38 \"I have been dealing with that trauma and as a result I have experienced depression and post traumatic stress and had to go through a process of dealing with that and healing,\" she said. 20 She says after five years of trying she was finally able to leave the Sea Org and the Freewinds. 28 The Church has denied Ms Dienes-Browning's claims in a statement, saying \"we have no facts that would support Ms Dienes-Browning's opposite opinion\". 17 Valeska Paris left the Freewinds when she was sent to the Rehabilitation Project Force in Sydney. 10 Scientologists describe the RPF as a voluntary religious retreat. 9 Defectors describe it as a punitive re-education camp. 23 It was here she met former St George Rugby League captain Chris Guider, marrying him soon after and leaving the Church. 30 She says she would like to see the head of the Church of Scientology, the man who she says sent her to the Freewinds, put on trial. 34 \"It's not right for someone to be running the church and basically take advantage of a church and hiding behind religion to live like a king and abuse people around him. 16 That man doesn't like anyone, he's a psychopath,\" she said. 16 The Church of Scientology denies their leader David Miscavige sent Ms Paris to the Freewinds. 16 When asked if this allegation was put to Mr Miscavige the Church failed to respond. 13 Church of Scientology response\n\nTopics: community-and-society, religion-and-beliefs, australia\n\nFirst posted"} {"text": " 22 Email, perhaps still the most widely used Internet application, has about the same level of security as a postcard. 12 But unlike postcards, it's widely depended on by businesses. 9 It wasn't designed with security in mind. 7 It was just designed to work. 45 But following disclosures of large-scale spying by the U.S. as well as other nations over the last several years, a variety of companies, including Wickr and Silent Circle, see commercial opportunities in making encrypted messaging products that are easier to use. 15 Joining those companies is Washington, D.C.-based Virtru, co-founded by the Ackerly brothers. 31 John, 38, has a background in private equity, and his younger brother Will, 34, joined the U.S. National Security Agency out of college in 2004. 22 Their fledging venture aims to solve usability problems around using email encryption software, which can be finicky to set up. 32 With Virtru \"you can send to anybody, and then they can get access to it without having to have a PhD in computer science,\" Will Ackerly said. 35 Virtru's big advantage is that it works within the Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo webmail interfaces and doesn't need an external client, which was no small engineering feat, Will said. 33 For example, content typed in the body of an email is immediately encrypted so that Gmail, which periodically saves a draft of a new messages, only sees encrypted content. 19 Senders, however, must install a browser extension, which manages the encryption and decryption of content. 25 Those crucial processes occur on a person's computer or a mobile device, which means those webmail providers would only see scrambled content. 18 Recipients can opt not to install the extension and read the decrypted content within a browser window. 31 The body of an email message is encrypted in the Trusted Data Format (TDF), which Will authored a paper on in 2008 while working for the NSA. 20 The open-source format is akin to a secret ZIP file and is widely used in the U.S. intelligence community. 16 Unlike other encryption program such as PGP, TDF also allows attachments to be encrypted. 26 Saying something is encrypted sounds good, but there are fine technical points that must be spot-on for the highest level of privacy and security. 41 The small Dallas-based company Lavabit, believed to be former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's email provider, lost a court battle with the U.S. government that forced it to turn over its SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) key. 12 That encryption key secured communication between customers and Lavabit's servers. 26 With the key, the U.S. government could have descrambled the email of not just Snowden but all Lavabit users, which many found unnerving. 34 To get around that weakness, Virtru uses elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman ephemeral key exchange, a mouthful that means Virtru generates a new key every time a user starts a new email session. 11 The key is discarded at the end of the session. 32 If Virtru's credentials were obtained, either by a hacker or through court orders, \"someone would not be able to decrypt past communications,\" Will Ackerly said. 13 Another key point with encryption products is who holds the decryption keys. 25 As configured now, Virtru uses its own centralized key management server to distribute the keys to recipients so they can decrypt the content. 29 That raises questions of how fiercely Virtru would go to bat if it received a government order, such as a National Security Letter or law enforcement request. 51 Virtru has put funds aside for such a battle and is prepared to fight \"bulk\" data orders or ones not based on a standard of probable cause, said Timothy Edgar, a paid advisor to Virtru and an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center. 22 \"We hope we don't have to do that,\" said Edgar, who is also a privacy expert. 33 Plans are in the works to allow organizations to run their own key servers using Virtru's software, relieving administrators of the anxiety that comes with someone else managing their keys. 43 A central key server offers advantages: a Virtru user can block access to a message by revoking its key, although a recipient could always quickly take a screen shot of a message during the period in which they had access. 13 The key revocation feature also allows senders to set messages to expire. 20 Also, people who are forwarded a message wouldn't be able to read it unless they are authorized. 28 Virtru's basic features, such as email encryption, revocation of messages and the ability to control forwarding will always be free, said John Ackerly. 29 The company hopes to make money by licensing its key management software to businesses, as well as offering other management and access visualization tools for encrypted email. 14 Mobile clients are in the works as well, for Android and iOS. 11 Will's background with the NSA might raise some eyebrows. 23 He worked in data security there for eight years, leaving about 10 months before the first Snowden leaks in June 2013. 20 \"I think the heritage of the company is something we are very aware of,\" he said. 20 To overcome suspicions, Will said Virtru will release the source code for its extension and key management software. 16 It also has outlined an open source strategy on its blog for other software components. 49 Joseph Lorenzo Hall, chief technologist for the Center for Democracy and Technology, a think tank, said the people within the NSA, including code breakers and those figuring out how to undermine security, are also in the best position to build more secure software. 13 \"That's the only hope we have,\" Hall said. 10 Send news tips and comments to jeremy_kirk@idg.com. 7 Follow me on Twitter: @jeremy_kirk"} {"text": " 57 Simply put by one of its staunchest advocates, \"R is the most powerful statistical computing language on the planet; there is no statistical equation that cannot be calculated in R.\"\n\nBeyond \"just\" a language, R is a toolset, a community, and a lot of free software. 40 \"Everyone can, with open source R,\" Norman Nie says in Quentin Hardy's article, \"afford to know exactly the value of their house, their automobile,\" their current business and prospects. 23 Nie has built a successful business providing services and support for R. (Thanks to community member johnkolchak for this correction.) 23 Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman, then both at Auckland University in New Zealand, created the R Project informally around 1990. 21 The R Core Team, currently at 19 members, is responsible for the development of the basic R software. 17 This post is part of an ambitious project to crowdsource the December issue of Forbes Magazine. 28 It's based on a suggestion to \"Names You Need To Know\" by one of our community members (Hat Tip, Kurt Grela). 50 That R is rapidly augmenting or replacing other statistical analysis packages at universities, is being written about in The Register, The New York Times, and Forbes, and is exposing data analysis to millions of Do-It-Yourselfers makes R a Name You Need to Know in 2011. 12 The community of users and developers around R are 2-million strong. 18 A significant body of their work on R is available freely on The Comprehensive R Archive Network. 16 Once in peoples' hands, R can be used to a number of ends. 20 Dataspora has, for example, used R to analyze every MLB pitcher and pitch of the 2008 season. 14 Here you can see Mariano Rivera's tight distribution, location and velocity. 22 And here you see how the same information for Tim Wakefield makes you want to send his catchers a care package. 11 You can imagine how Theo Epstein could (does?) 5 put R to use. 47 Facebook has used R to figure out that \"just two data points are significantly predictive of whether a user remains on Facebook: (i) having more than one session as a new user, and (ii) entering basic profile information.\" 13 For non-data-wonk professionals, R can make pretty pictures of complex information. 24 Anyone capable of creating a spreadsheet can load that same sheet into R and begin playing with plots, charts, and graphs. 47 This should not be undervalued: making a management presentation fraught with data (think: ad page sales by geography; segmented by industry; year-to-date; vs. last year-to-date) is a lot more palatable when there's a stunning infograph in your deck. 30 It's not that this type of analysis wasn't possible before - statisticians have existed, and commercial software has been available to support them, for decades. 40 The fact that R is free to use, free to modify, and its source is open to view, extend and improve means students, stock traders-in-training and fantasy football junkies can familiarize themselves with the software. 7 They can write programs against it. 12 They're likely to continue that usage into their professional lives. 15 When they share their work, the community, down the line, benefits. 6 And the virtuous cycle strengthens. 36 R is also making incursions into the domain of the dominant non-free players in statistical software like SAS, Stata and SPSS (which was created by Nie and is now part of IBM). 9 It's another leveling of the playing field. 8 It's competition making the market vital. 9 Free and open source makes software more widely-available. 9 The potential user pool gets deeper, wider. 6 More comers means more experts. 17 If you have graphs and charts you can link to in the comments, please do. 9 Success, and other, stories are welcomed. 8 UPDATE: Thanks to community (i.e. 3 your!) 28 participation, this R piece is going to be part of the \"Names You Need to Know\" feature in a December issue of Forbes Magazine. 10 We're looking for infographs, plots, etc. 7 to use in the print piece. 32 Please add your recommendations in the comments below by Tuesday (11.23) AM if you would like to be considered and you can give us permission to use your images. 9 They need to be as high-resolution as possible. 3 Thank you -"} {"text": " 26 IHOP sues church that calls itself IHOP\n\nThe Glendale-based pancake house is suing International House of Prayer, alleging the church is violating its trademark. 14 IHOP says its first ad campaign using that term was launched in 1973. 37 IHOP spokesman Patrick Lenow said it is unusual for the company to file a lawsuit but that it wants to protect the assets of its 1,500 locations and the 350 franchisees who own most of them. 16 Officials at the church, based in Kansas City, Mo., declined to comment. 18 In a statement, church officials said they were aware of the lawsuit and reviewing the claims. 33 The suit asks International House of Prayer to stop using \"IHOP\" and similar phrases, and seeks to have the court give the Web address ihop.org to the restaurant chain. 28 Glendale-based IHOP has served up a federal lawsuit against a church with ministries in Pasadena and elsewhere, alleging International House of Prayer is violating its trademark. 23 \"It is certainly not our intent to harm International House of Prayer,\" the International House of Pancakes spokesman said. 10 \"We do think there is confusion out there. 8 A simple Google search supports that.\" 30 In addition to protecting the trademark, Lenow said the company does not want to leave its customers with the impression that it supports a particular church or faith. 29 \"We support freedom of religion, and we wouldn't want improper use of our name to support one faith over the others,\" he said. 20 Before filing the lawsuit, Lenow said, the company contacted church officials numerous times asking them to stop. 8 \"They refused,\" Lenow said. 41 The lawsuit points out that the first International House of Pancakes \u2014 part of Glendale-based DineEquity Inc. \u2014 opened in Toluca Lake in 1958, and the first ad campaign using the term \"IHOP\" was launched in 1973. 22 Four churches affiliated with International House of Prayer are in California: Pasadena, Santa Maria, San Jose and Dublin. 12 The church was founded in 1999, according to its website. 28 The site notes that the phrase \"house of prayer\" appears in the Old Testament, and it refers to the Kansas City church as IHOP-KC. 11 The Pasadena International House of Prayer's website is pihop.com. 29 Lenow said the restaurant company seeks no money from the church aside from litigation costs and merely wants it to stop using the phrase in all its forms. 13 \"I hope this reaches an amicable conclusion,\" Lenow said. 10 \"We just want to end the confusion.\" 3 bill.kisliuk@latimes.com"} {"text": " 18 Venezuelan National Assembly deputy Robert Serra and companion Mar\u00eda Herrera were murdered on October 1 in Caracas. 16 Video cameras showed thugs entering their home and stabbing them multiple times over 15 minutes. 16 Elected in 2010, the 23 year-old Serra was the Assembly\u2019s youngest deputy. 62 Having shined in a 2007 debate on socialism and on the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), inspired by President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez, law student Serra joined Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s \u201cCommission on Student and People\u2019s Power.\u201d The eloquent Serra, a leader in combating violent crime, epitomized the youth movement within the PSUV. 48 Speaking at Serra\u2019s funeral on October 3 held in the National Assembly chambers, President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro vowed action against \u201cterrorist acts\u201d that were \u201ccalculated and planned.\u201d Thousands of mourners filled Caracas\u2019s streets that day and the day before. 42 Nevertheless, former right-wing presidential candidate Henrique Capriles twittered that Serra\u2019s death, while regrettable, was a reminder \u201cthat in our mistreated homeland 50 Venezuelans are killed every day.\u201d\n\nMaduro\u2019s assessment undoubtedly was correct. 11 In fact, Venezuelan circumstances are ripe for terror attacks. 29 The killing took place in the context of efforts by wealthy owners and managers of the country\u2019s still-dominant business and commercial sectors to destabilize Venezuelan society. 26 In early 2014, after election losses a few months earlier, street fighting launched by well-to-do and well-prepared youths took at least 50 lives. 18 Hoarding of saleable goods, engineered shortages, currency manipulation, and encouragement of inflation have continued. 14 The opposition portrays the results of destabilization as advertisements for supposed governmental failings. 9 Yet that government may be gaining in confidence. 16 Community councils, now ubiquitous throughout Venezuela, are enjoying new state funding and backing. 32 Planners are exploring \u201cthe model of communal economy.\u201d A survey of opinion registered in late September indicates 71 percent of Venezuelans \u201crecognize the leadership\u201d of President Maduro. 11 With waning electoral expectations, the opposition has broken apart. 36 A conspiratorial wing led by Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, recipient of U.S. largesse, and by Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, in jail following the recent street fighting, looks abroad for help in bringing down Maduro. 40 Thus in early July National Assembly delegates Julio Borges and Mar\u00eda Corina Machado (she by video) and Chacao mayor Ram\u00f3n Muchacho were in Spain at a gathering organized by the right- wing \u201cFAES\u201d think tank. 40 Reportedly, they held secret, parallel meetings with conservative Spanish ex-president Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Aznar and officials of Spain\u2019s National Intelligence Council, where \u201ca new phase of street confrontations, psychological war\u201d was discussed. 81 The consultation exemplifies \u201ccontracting out of destabilization, chaos, and seditious violence in Venezuela via Spain.\u201d\n\n\u201c[A] national plan for the targeted assassination of mid-level socialist political leaders\u201d does exist, according to one Venezuelan analyst, who adds that, \u201c300 NGOs are being financed by governments and companies in and outside of the country to implement political terrorism in Venezuela.\u201d\n\nAssassinations and attempted killings preceded Serra\u2019s murder. 11 Attackers recently besieged Education Minister H\u00e9ctor Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s house. 11 Price control enforcer Eduardo Sam\u00e1n survived an assault in 2013. 11 Assailants murdered charismatic PSUV politician Eliecer Otaiza in April 2014. 7 They had already killed a bodyguard. 8 Robert Serra knew he was at risk. 30 On September 22, 2014, Interior Minister Miguel Rodr\u00edguez Torres released a video from Colombia showing right-wing Venezuelan student activist Lorent G\u00f3mez Saleh at a meeting with paramilitaries. 31 He was boasting of his links to ex-Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and his \u201cacquisition of over $8000 USD worth of explosives to use in a \u2018social cleansing. 13 '\u201d He also mentioned a 20-person hit list that included Serra. 38 Commenting publicly on the video, Serra may have invited retribution by claiming that Uribe and Colombian paramilitaries were \u201cguilty of war against Venezuela.\u201d After extraditing G\u00f3mez Saleh from Colombia, Venezuelan authorities imprisoned him. 22 \u201cWe\u2019re not dealing with unfortunate events committed by a common criminal,\u201d announced Interior Minister Rodr\u00edguez Torres. 62 \u201cWe are dealing with an intentional murder, planned and executed with great precision.\u201d Furthermore, as suggested by Ernesto Samper, Secretary General of South America\u2019s UNASUR alliance, the \u201cassassination of the young deputy Robert Serra in Venezuela is a worrying sign of infiltration by Colombian paramilitaries.\u201d Samper is a former Colombian president. 40 Fidel Castro discussed Robert Serra in an October 2 article he titled \u201cHeroes of Our Time.\u201d There the former Cuban president explains that the crime \u201cfits so closely the practice of the worst Yankee intelligence organizations\u2026. 39 And even more, it absolutely fits what was foreseen and announced by the enemies of the Venezuelan revolution.\u201d\n\n\u201cHonor and glory for the young Venezuelan revolutionary and his companion Mar\u00eda Herrera,\u201d Castro declares. 8 Photo: Hugo Chavez and Robert Serra. 2 PSUV."} {"text": " 16 'Eddie the Eagle' scored the highest opening for a British film since 'Spectre.' 40 Mirroring its fall in the U.S., Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was able to stay on top of the box office despite a steep drop of 69 percent from its record-breaking British bow. 38 Warner Bros.' DC Entertainment universe launcher fell from $20.7 million opening to $6.4 million, and may now need some superhuman efforts if it's to match current year-topper Deadpool's $53.7 million. 21 Man of Steel dropped 56 percent in its second week, while Avengers: Age of Ultron slipped 52 percent. 9 BvS has grossed $39.7 million to date. 44 Eddie the Eagle, Lionsgate's feel-good biopic of ski jumper Eddie Edwards starring Taron Egerton, scored a higher place than its subject matter ever managed, landing in second with a $4 million debut thanks to four days of previews. 21 Despite failing to take the crown, it was the biggest opening for a British film since Spectre last year. 54 Zootropolis (released in the U.S. as Zootopia) added $3.8 million to bring its two-week total to $18 million, edging out Kung Fu Panda 3 \u2014 which reached $15.8 million thanks to fourth weekend earnings of $1.1 million \u2014 as this year's biggest animation so far. 35 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 rounded out the top five, Universal's comedy sequel grabbing just shy of $900,000 in its second week to bring its total to $3.5 million. 18 It's now unlikely to even approach its predecessors' $19.3 million from a decade earlier."} {"text": " 25 MySQL replication is a valuable feature and asset in Kubernetes (K8S), allowing for redundancy, increased availability and potential performance improvements. 13 Follow this guide to learn how to setup your MySQL replication cluster. 28 We will use a traditional slave/master set up with asynchronous replication, configurable replication, depending on user configuration, and no requirement for a constant connection. 21 For the official line on MySQL and more information plus technical details around replication, check out the MySQL documentation. 2 1. 24 First Step\n\nIn this example, we are using Vagrant as a configuration manager on Mac OS X to create the Kubernetes environment. 13 To follow this guide, please install Vagrant on your host machine. 19 You will also need a virtualization tool, for example Oracle\u2019s Virtual Box or VMware Fusion. 2 2. 24 Setting up the K8S Environment\n\nWith a variety of ways to configure and setup your Kubernetes cluster, your existing system may vary. 44 In this instance, we are using Vagrant (the Vagrantfile is provided by the CoreOS setup guide), to set up the environment, making use of a single controller node and a set of three worker (slave) nodes. 60 After setting up Vagrant, check the state of the environment by running these commands\u2026\n\n\u279c vagrant git:(master) \u2717 vagrant status\n\nCurrent machine states:\n\ne1 running (virtualbox)\n\nc1 running (virtualbox)\n\nw1 running (virtualbox)\n\nw2 running (virtualbox)\n\nw3 running (virtualbox)\n\nThis environment represents multiple VMs. 11 The VMs are all listed\n\nabove with their current state. 15 For more information about a specific\n\nVM, run`vagrant status NAME'. 56 \u279c vagrant git:(master) \u2717 kubectl get nodes\n\nNAME STATUS AGE\n\n172.17.4.101 Ready,SchedulingDisabled 23m\n\n172.17.4.201 Ready 23m\n\n172.17.4.202 Ready 23m\n\n172.17.4.203 Ready 21m\n\n\u279c vagrant git:(master) \u2717\n\ne1 is etcd node, c1 is controller node, and w1 , w2 , w3 are worker nodes. 2 3. 30 Prepare Your MySQL Docker Image\n\nBuild the Docker Image\n\nHaving setup the replication cluster, we\u2019ll modify the Docker file and build a Docker image with MySQL. 14 Again, we follow the official guidance based on the MySQL Docker image. 76 For the master:\n\nEdit the Dockerfile , and add the following lines:\n\nRUN sed -i '/\\[mysqld\\]/a server-id=1\n\nlog-bin' /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf\n\nEdit docker-entrypoint.sh file to create a user and password for replication:\n\necho \"CREATE USER '$MYSQL_REPLICATION_USER'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '$MYSQL_REPLICATION_PASSWORD' ;\" | \"${mysql[@]}\"\n\necho \"GRANT REPLICATION SLAVE ON *. 56 * TO '$MYSQL_REPLICATION_USER'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '$MYSQL_REPLICATION_PASSWORD' ;\" | \"${mysql[@]}\"\n\necho 'FLUSH PRIVILEGES ;' | \"${mysql[@]}\"\n\nWe use environment variables MYSQL_REPLICATION_USER and MYSQL_REPLICATION_PASSWORD for user and password configuration. 14 These environment variables will be set while the pod is created in Kubernetes. 14 Click the link to view the dockerfile and docker-entrypoint.sh for building the master. 61 For the slave:\n\nEdit the Dockerfile , and add the following lines:\n\nRUN RAND=\"$(date +%s | rev | cut -c 1-2)$(echo ${RANDOM})\" && sed -i '/\\[mysqld\\]/a server-id='$RAND'\n\nlog-bin' /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf\n\nThe server-id use random number. 7 Edit docker-entrypoint.sh to add the master. 84 echo \"STOP SLAVE;\" | \"${mysql[@]}\"\n\necho \"CHANGE MASTER TO master_host='$MYSQL_MASTER_SERVICE_HOST', master_user='$MYSQL_REPLICATION_USER', master_password='$MYSQL_REPLICATION_PASSWORD' ;\" | \"${mysql[@]}\"\n\necho \"START SLAVE;\" | \"${mysql[@]}\"\n\nThe master host is MYSQL_MASTER_SERVICE_HOST which will be the service name of the master pod in Kubernetes. 11 For more information visit Kubernetes\u2019 container lifecycle hooks guide. 12 Click the link to view the docker-entrypoint.sh for building the slave. 20 Finally, we can build the MySQL Master image and the MySQL Slave images, based on their Dockerfile. 5 docker build -t mysql-master:0.1 . 5 docker build -t mysql-slave:0.1 . 2 4. 17 Deploy to Kubernetes\n\nWe now deploy the MySQL replication cluster to kubernetes using the kubectl command. 16 4.1 Deploy MySQL Master\n\nCreate a replication controller and service for the MySQL Master node. 169 The yaml file we use to create replication controller and service are:\n\n$ more mysql-master-rc.yaml\n\napiVersion: v1\n\nkind: ReplicationController\n\nmetadata:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nspec:\n\nreplicas: 1\n\nselector:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\ntemplate:\n\nmetadata:\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nspec:\n\ncontainers:\n\n- name: master\n\nimage: mysql-master:0.1\n\nports:\n\n- containerPort: 3306\n\nenv:\n\n- name: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD\n\nvalue: \"test\"\n\n- name: MYSQL_REPLICATION_USER\n\nvalue: 'demo'\n\n- name: MYSQL_REPLICATION_PASSWORD\n\nvalue: 'demo'\n\n$ more mysql-master-service.yaml\n\napiVersion: v1\n\nkind: Service\n\nmetadata:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nspec:\n\nports:\n\n- port: 3306\n\ntargetPort: 3306\n\nselector:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nNow, we will use kubectl to ar the controller and service:\n\n$ kubectl create -f mysql-master-rc.yaml\n\n$ kubectl create -f mysql-master-service.yaml\n\nIt will take some time to create the pod because it needs to download the docker image. 68 $ kubectl get pods\n\nNAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE\n\nmysql-master-95j7d 1/1 Running 0 29m\n\n$ kubectl get svc\n\nNAME CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE\n\nkubernetes 10.3.0.1 443/TCP 23h\n\nmysql-master 10.3.0.29 3306/TCP 25m\n\n4.2 Deploy MySQL Slave\n\nAs with the master node, we will use two yaml files to create the replication controller and service for the MySQL slave. 153 $ more mysql-slave-rc.yaml\n\napiVersion: v1\n\nkind: ReplicationController\n\nmetadata:\n\nname: mysql-slave\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-slave\n\nspec:\n\nreplicas: 1\n\nselector:\n\nname: mysql-slave\n\ntemplate:\n\nmetadata:\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-slave\n\nspec:\n\ncontainers:\n\n- name: slave\n\nimage: mysql-slave:0.1\n\nports:\n\n- containerPort: 3306\n\nenv:\n\n- name: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD\n\nvalue: \"test\"\n\n- name: MYSQL_REPLICATION_USER\n\nvalue: 'demo'\n\n- name: MYSQL_REPLICATION_PASSWORD\n\nvalue: 'demo'\n\n$ more mysql-slave-service.yaml\n\napiVersion: v1\n\nkind: Service\n\nmetadata:\n\nname: mysql-slave\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-slave\n\nspec:\n\nports:\n\n- port: 3306\n\ntargetPort: 3306\n\nselector:\n\nname: mysql-slave\n\nNow, we will use kubectl to add the controller and service:\n\n$ kubectl create -f mysql-slave-rc.yaml\n\n$ kubectl create -f mysql-slave-service.yaml\n\nAfter these tasks have been performed, we should check the status through kubectl . 68 $ kubectl get pods -o wide\n\nNAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE IP NODE\n\nmysql-master-95j7d 1/1 Running 0 33m 10.2.64.5 172.17.4.201\n\nmysql-slave-gr41w 1/1 Running 0 23m 10.2.45.3 172.17.4.202\n\n$ kubectl get svc\n\nNAME CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE\n\nkubernetes 10.3.0.1 443/TCP 23h\n\nmysql-master 10.3.0.29 3306/TCP 28m\n\nmysql-slave 10.3.0.5 3306/TCP 22m\n\nWant a stress-free K8S cluster management experience? 6 Download our demo, Kublr-in-a-Box. 2 5. 23 Test Your Setup\n\n5.1 Create Your Database on Master\n\nFirst, we will check the MySQL status both on master and slave. 26 Go to the master pod and execute the following commands to check the MySQL status (follow the same steps for the slave node). 25 $ kubectl exec -it mysql-master-95j7d /bin/bash\n\nroot@mysql-master-95j7d:/# mysql -u root -p\n\nEnter password:\n\nWelcome to the MySQL monitor. 7 Commands end with ; or \\g. 29 Your MySQL connection id is 9\n\nServer version: 8.0.0-dmr-log MySQL Community Server (GPL)\n\nCopyright (c) 2000, 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. 4 All rights reserved. 12 Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its\n\naffiliates. 10 Other names may be trademarks of their respective\n\nowners. 10 Type 'help;' or '\\h' for help. 10 Type '\\c' to clear the current input statement. 83 mysql> show databases;\n\n+--------------------+\n\n| Database |\n\n+--------------------+\n\n| information_schema |\n\n| mysql |\n\n| performance_schema |\n\n| sys |\n\n+--------------------+\n\n4 rows in set (0.00 sec)\n\nmysql>\n\nNote\n\nmysql-master-95j7d is the name of master pod and the root password of MySQL is test . 14 Then, create a database and add one table with a several rows. 339 On the master node, we do:\n\nmysql> create database demo;\n\nQuery OK, 1 row affected (0.02 sec)\n\nmysql> use demo;\n\nDatabase changed\n\nmysql> create table user(id int(10), name char(20));\n\nQuery OK, 0 rows affected (0.03 sec)\n\nmysql> insert into user values(100, 'user1');\n\nQuery OK, 1 row affected (0.00 sec)\n\nmysql> select * from user;\n\n+------+-------+\n\n| id | name |\n\n+------+-------+\n\n| 100 | user1 |\n\n+------+-------+\n\n1 row in set (0.00 sec)\n\nmysql>\n\n5.1 Check Synchronization on Slave\n\nGo to the slave node kubectl exec -it mysql-slave-gr41w /bin/bash and ensure the table has been replicated:\n\nmysql> show slave status\\G;\n\nEmpty set (0.0 sec)\n\nERROR:\n\nNo query specified\n\nmysql>\n\nmysql>\n\nmysql> show databases;\n\n+--------------------+\n\n| Database |\n\n+--------------------+\n\n| demo |\n\n| information_schema |\n\n| mysql |\n\n| performance_schema |\n\n| sys |\n\n+--------------------+\n\n5 rows in set (0.00 sec)\n\nmysql> use demo;\n\nReading table information for completion of table and column names\n\nYou can turn off this feature to get a quicker startup with -A\n\nDatabase changed\n\nmysql> select * from user;\n\n+------+-------+\n\n| id | name |\n\n+------+-------+\n\n| 100 | user1 |\n\n+------+-------+\n\n1 row in set (0.00 sec)\n\nmysql>\n\nAll data should now be synchronized. 24 5.3 Replication Controller Scaling\n\nNow that we have one MySQL master pod and one MySQL slave pod, we can do some scaling. 10 For example, set MySQL slave node to three. 76 kubectl get pods -o wide\n\nNAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE IP NODE\n\nmysql-master-95j7d 1/1 Running 0 1h 10.2.64.5 172.17.4.201\n\nmysql-slave-4rk62 0/1 ContainerCreating 0 2s 172.17.4.203\n\nmysql-slave-9fjkl 0/1 ContainerCreating 0 2s 172.17.4.201\n\nmysql-slave-gr41w 1/1 Running 0 50m 10.2.45.3 172.17.4.202\n\nYou can see it\u2019s creating now, after few time, the nodes will be ready and we can enter one of them to check the MySQL data synchronization. 140 5.4 Making MySQL Data Persistent\n\nIn your production environment, configure the volume mount for MySQL data persistent, the yaml file for creating replication controller is as below:\n\napiVersion: v1\n\nkind: ReplicationController\n\nmetadata:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nspec:\n\nreplicas: 1\n\nselector:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\ntemplate:\n\nmetadata:\n\nlabels:\n\nname: mysql-master\n\nspec:\n\ncontainers:\n\n- name: master\n\nimage: paulliu/mysql-master:0.1\n\nports:\n\n- containerPort: 3306\n\nvolumeMounts:\n\n- name: mysql-data\n\nmountPath: /var/lib/mysql\n\nenv:\n\n- name: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD\n\nvalue: \"test\"\n\n- name: MYSQL_REPLICATION_USER\n\nvalue: 'demo'\n\n- name: MYSQL_REPLICATION_PASSWORD\n\nvalue: 'demo'\n\nvolumes:\n\n- name: mysql-data\n\nhostPath:\n\npath: /var/lib/mysql\n\nThe Mount path /var/lib/mysql is just the same as defined in Dockerfile . 11 Share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below. 13 Need a user-friendly tool to set up and manage your K8S cluster? 4 Check out Kublr-in-a-Box. 7 To learn more, visit kublr.com."} {"text": " 45 A couple times a week, Taryn Dowdell, 27, sits in a quiet corner of the Elmwood Place library and reads to her children, Tori, 5, and Tayrnce, 3, while they dig in to their free lunches. 49 Tayrnce scooped a heap of pasta into his mouth and said softly, \u201cIt\u2019s yummy.\u201d\n\nMs. Dowdell said her daughter, who will be starting kindergarten this fall, is typically more picky so doesn\u2019t always want to eat at the library. 7 But today they had little choice. 20 \u201cI didn\u2019t have food at home, so we had to come,\u201d she said. 26 \u201cLibraries see that kids in their communities are hungry,\u201d said Natalie Cole, a library programs consultant for the California State Library. 8 \u201cWe are not only providing meals. 45 We are providing learning opportunities and keeping kids reading all summer long.\u201d\n\nAfter one lunch, Danielle McFarland, the children\u2019s librarian at Elmwood Place, gave out tiny robots called Ozobots, which are designed for the youngsters to program. 17 Another time, she brought in a 3-D printer so they could see how it worked. 38 Local sponsors like camps, operators of school feeding programs or churches procure food to be prepared, get it delivered to sites like libraries, and handle most of the administrative tasks and paperwork for reimbursement. 19 The meals are paid for through the United States Department of Agriculture\u2019s summer food service program. 27 In 2016, it funded roughly 50,000 sites nationwide as a way to feed kids who rely on free or reduced meals during the school year. 13 That year, nearly four million children got roughly 179 million meals."} {"text": " 44 Hitachi-GE ABWR design cleared for use in UK\n\n14 December 2017\n\nShare\n\nHitachi-GE's UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (UK ABWR) is suitable for construction in the UK, regulators have concluded following an in-depth Generic Design Assessment (GDA). 28 The regulators said they were satisfied the reactor \"meets regulatory expectations on safety, security and environmental protection at this stage of the regulatory process\". 52 How two UK ABWR units could appear at Wylfa Newydd (Image: Horizon)\n\nThe GDA is a voluntary process for reactor vendors that applies to England and Wales, and is a policy rather than law, but it is a British government expectation for all new build projects. 42 A reactor vendor, or the 'requesting party', has completed the GDA process when it receives a Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) from the nuclear regulator and a Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA) from environmental regulators. 21 Hitachi's UK ABWR began the Generic Design Assessment process for its UK subsidiary Horizon Nuclear Power in April 2013. 13 The process has entailed detailed assessments and submissions across 20 topic workstreams. 33 The Office for Nuclear Regulation announced today that it has now issued a DAC to Hitachi-GE, while the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales have issued a SoDA to the company. 64 The ONR's chief nuclear inspector, Mark Foy, said: \"The completion of the generic design assessment of the UK ABWR is a significant step in our regulation of the overall process to construct this type of reactor in the UK, ensuring that the generic design meets the highest standards of safety that we expect in this country.\" 46 He added, \"We are already working on our assessment of Horizon's site licence application and on the development of the site specific safety case to progress, in due course, the construction and operation of these reactors at Wylfa Newydd.\" 51 Jo Nettleton, deputy director for radioactive substances and installations regulation at the Environment Agency, said: \"We've concluded that the generic design of the UK ABWR should be capable of meeting the high standards of environmental protection and waste management that we require in the UK. 25 We only came to this conclusion after carefully reviewing the submissions provided by GE-Hitachi and their responses to the questions and issues we raised. 32 We've also carefully considered all the comments we received from people during our public consultation and we're grateful for all who took part for taking time to respond.\" 12 The ABWR design is already licensed in Japan and the USA. 17 Four units have been built in Japan, and two are currently under construction on Taiwan. 29 Horizon Nuclear Power hopes to build two ABWR units at Wylfa Newydd site on the island of Anglesey in north Wales and start them up in around 2025. 14 The units would be the first commercial boiling water reactors in the UK. 15 Horizon also plans two UK ABWR units for its site in Oldbury, Gloucestershire. 10 Horizon CEO Duncan Hawthorne welcomed the completion of GDA. 29 He said, \"This is a huge milestone for Horizon and a major leap forward for us in bringing much-needed new nuclear power to the UK.\" 36 Hawthorne added, \"It's testament to the strength of the combined team, and the proven nature of the technology, that the GDA process has been completed and delivered on time.\" 20 The first reactor design to receive a DAC and SoDA was Areva's European Pressurised Reactor in December 2012. 11 This was followed by the Westinghouse AP1000 in March 2017. 30 The Hualong One design that General Nuclear Services - a subsidiary of EDF and China General Nuclear - proposes to use at Bradwell began the GDA process in January. 9 Researched and written\n\nby World Nuclear News\n\nRelated topics"} {"text": " 25 This November, Beijing will host the APEC leader\u2019s meeting, the annual gathering of government leaders from the 21 APEC members. 18 China has not hosted the APEC leaders since 2001, when the summit was held in Shanghai. 52 Accordingly, Beijing is taking full opportunity of its role as host to engage in various diplomatic efforts \u2014 what we can call \u201cAPEC diplomacy.\u201d\n\nFor one thing, China\u2019s position as APEC host allows it to invite government leaders from non-APEC countries to attend the festivities. 19 Xi Jinping has already extended such invitations to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. 16 The invitations provide a major bilateral boost even beyond the normal exchange of top-level visits. 35 China\u2019s invitations to India and Mongolia demonstrate China\u2019s support for these countries\u2019 bids to join APEC \u2014 and both India and Mongolia take their bids for membership very seriously. 49 As Mongolian Foreign Minister Luvsanvandan Bold told officials at last year\u2019s APEC Ministerial Meetings, Ulan Bator considers it \u201cof vital importance for Mongolia to join APEC,\u201d as the trade bloc accounts for just under 90 percent of Mongolia\u2019s total trade. 32 Likewise, for India, which has been trying to join APEC for 20 years, membership is crucial to fulfilling Modi\u2019s goal of revitalizing India\u2019s economy. 20 By helping Mongolia and India achieve their own goals, China bolsters bilateral relations with two of its neighbors. 50 Importantly, by supporting India and Mongolia\u2019s bids, China can also stake a claim to being \u201cAPEC allies\u201d with New Delhi and Ulan Bator, allowing it to forestall concerns that India in particular would work against Beijing\u2019s interests in that forum. 19 The APEC meeting this November also offers unique opportunities for bilateral diplomacy between China and existing APEC members. 42 U.S. President Barack Obama will be in Beijing for the summit, marking only his second trip to China since he assumed office (and it\u2019s been five years since his last trip, which came in 2009). 24 China and the U.S. are already discussing the possibility of an informal bilateral meeting between Xi and Obama after the APEC summit concludes. 33 As my colleague Zach noted earlier today, such an informal meeting (in the vein of last year\u2019s Sunnylands Summit) would fit with the preferences of U.S. officials. 50 Senior State Department official Robert Wang talked about \u201chow effective it is to actually have smaller meetings where you can actually talk about issues in a more personal way.\u201d\n\nThis might be the U.S. preference, but it certainly isn\u2019t China\u2019s go-to option. 16 Chinese leaders place a great premium on the pomp and circumstance that accompany official visits. 27 In a now-infamous example, Beijing complained that the literal red carpet rolled out for Prime Minister Li Keqiang on his U.K. visit was too short. 37 Given this emphasis on the symbolism of political ceremony, some in China were offended that Xi Jinping was not offered the option of a formal state visit during his trip to the U.S. last year. 35 In 2006, Beijing was offended at the lack of pomp surrounding then-Chinese President Hu Jintao\u2019s visit to the U.S \u2014 and that visit was far more formal than the Sunnylands Summit. 24 Accordingly, at least some Beijing officials saw Washington\u2019s insistence on an \u201cinformal summit\u201d as a sign of disrespect. 38 Viewed in this light, from the Chinese perspective, the promise of an \u201cinformal summit\u201d with Obama might be less of an olive branch and more of a way of returning an old insult. 16 Wherever and however Xi and Obama do hold their summit, they will certainly meet. 30 It\u2019s far more questionable that Xi will personally meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will be attending the APEC summit on behalf of Japan. 24 Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda visited China in July, where he pushed hard for a formal summit between Abe and Xi. 72 China\u2019s official response has been cold \u2014 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang told reporters that China\u2019s position on China-Japan relations \u201cis consistent, clear and subject to no change.\u201d Beijing has repeatedly called for Japan to \u201ctake concrete actions\u201d to show its remorse for World War II atrocities, as well as to deal with present-day tensions stemming from the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute. 32 As Abe\u2019s government hasn\u2019t significantly altered its position, Beijing would have to back down from its ban on high-level bilateral meetings to agree to a summit. 15 Despite this, there has been some optimism that an Abe-Xi meeting might happen. 34 Japan\u2019s Asahi Shimbun reported earlier this August that Fukuda\u2019s visit to China had yielded \u201csigns of rapprochement.\u201d The paper speculated that a bilateral summit might be possible. 38 Still, as neither side has shown signs of compromise thus far, it will be difficult for China or Japan to make the first move without being branded as \u201cweak\u201d by hardline domestic elements. 16 In this case, it will take delicate diplomacy to even make a summit possible. 31 Finally, and perhaps most intriguingly, Taiwan\u2019s government has floated the idea of a Ma Ying-jeou and Xi Jinping meeting on the sidelines of the APEC meeting. 39 Taiwan is a member of APEC under the name of \u201cChinese Taipei,\u201d but to avoid political complications the island is traditionally represented at leaders\u2019 meetings by a retired politician rather than a sitting president. 30 Former Vice President and Premier Lien Chan attended on Taiwan\u2019s behalf from 2008 to 2012, and former VP and Premier Vincent Siew took over last year. 35 Taipei hopes to snag an historic invitation for its president to attend APEC, which would also involve the first-ever meeting between top Republic of China and People\u2019s Republic of China leaders. 37 With recent historic ministerial meetings taking place both in mainland China and on Taiwan, a full-on bilateral meeting between top leaders has never been more likely \u2014 but make no mistake, it remains far-fetched. 25 A Ma-Xi summit is far more unlikely than an Abe-Xi summit, even though Ma Ying-jeou\u2019s administration has repeatedly indicated its interest. 39 China does not want to make any moves that might be interpreted as legitimizing the ROC government, and inviting the ROC president to join other heads of state at an international meeting would send a dangerous signal. 37 Plus, despite Ma\u2019s interest, such a meeting would be hugely controversial in Taiwan as well, as many have deep reservations about the island\u2019s increasingly close ties with the mainland. 14 When it comes to APEC diplomacy, Beijing has quite a full plate. 25 Some of these meetings are already on the schedule, including talks with the leaders of India, Mongolia, and the United States. 15 Beijing can choose how much emphasis and prestige to give each of these meetings. 18 Other opportunities \u2014 for summits with Abe or even Ma \u2014 require careful risk-reward calculations from China. 21 Will Xi opt for grand, even historic, ice-breaking gestures or will he trod a more conservative diplomatic path?"} {"text": " 48 On a chilly afternoon in late November, 2014, a lightning storm of flashbulbs lit up the faces of Jian Ghomeshi and his lawyer, Marie Henein, as they tried to push their way through a crush of cameras at College Park in downtown Toronto. 35 It was Mr. Ghomeshi's first time in public after being fired by CBC the previous month, and he had just been charged at the courthouse upstairs with numerous counts of sexual assault. 27 But as the media zoomed in on the disgraced host and his glamorous legal team, another key player in the unfolding drama slipped away unnoticed. 47 On Monday, though, Crown counsel Michael Callaghan will be thrown into the spotlight with unusual force as he begins the prosecution of Regina v. Jian Ghomeshi before Justice William B. Horkins of the Ontario Court of Justice in courtroom 125 of Old City Hall. 48 Mr. Callaghan will carry not just the burden of proving the state's case on the biggest stage of his career, but also the expectations of many who hope the trial will reinforce rather than undermine the growing impetus for sexual assault victims to come forward. 28 \"His reputation could be made on this case,\" noted Constance Backhouse, a legal historian and professor of law at the University of Ottawa. 12 \"It's an opportunity, and it's pressure.\" 28 Story continues below advertisement\n\nJian Ghomeshi wtach: What you've missed so far\n\nMr. Ghomeshi is facing four counts of sexual assault and one of choking. 41 The incidents, which involve three complainants, are alleged to have taken place between December, 2002, and July, 2003, when Mr. Ghomeshi was the host of the arts show play on CBC-TV's Newsworld channel. 35 He will face trial in June on an additional charge of sexual assault stemming from an alleged workplace incident in January, 2008, when he was host of Q on CBC Radio One. 45 Mr. Ghomeshi's high-priced lawyer, Ms. Henein, has been extensively chronicled as a brilliant strategist, a sharkish defence counsel in stiletto heels who will stop at nothing \u2013 within the confines of the law \u2013 to advance her client's case. 8 Much less is known of Mr. Callaghan. 60 From interviews with Mr. Callaghan's colleagues conducted by The Globe and Mail, he emerges as Ms. Henein's modal opposite: a low-profile career prosecutor who is respected by the courts, considered to be firm but fair, and who displayed impressive sensitivity and compassion in his dealings with the mentally ill defendants he frequently prosecuted. 12 (Mr. Callaghan declined an interview request by The Globe.) 52 Born in Sarnia, Ont., to a father who was a teacher and a mother who was a nurse, Mr. Callaghan, 43, is the third of four children in a household that his brother Joseph, who is also a Crown prosecutor, characterized as academically inclined. 16 \"We read the paper from a very early age,\" Joseph Callaghan said. 9 \"We always discussed news, issues.\" 25 Michael Callaghan attended the University of Ottawa for a degree in political science, then went to Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law. 17 He graduated in 1996 and went straight into the civil service, articling for the Crown. 26 For a number of years, Mr. Callaghan was the head crown at College Park, where he oversaw the prosecutorial activities at the courthouse. 78 Story continues below advertisement\n\nStory continues below advertisement\n\n\"He's a very capable prosecutor, but he combines that with a real sense of fairness,\" said Mark Sandler, a well-known defence counsel who faced off against Mr. Callaghan in the so-called \"crossbow killer case\" in 2012, in which Mr. Sandler's client, Zhou (Peter) Fang, admitted killing his father after years of being abused by him. 64 Mr. Callaghan \"showed real sensitivity to the particular mitigating circumstances, and he worked very co-operatively in securing not only the conventional disclosure but also additional information that was relevant to the defence in the case, including medical records that came to the accused family, and the abuse that he had suffered in that case,\" Mr. Sandler said. 27 \"So I have a lot of respect for him and I know the court has a lot of respect for Michael, as well.\" 32 (At the trial's conclusion, Justice John McMahon praised both Mr. Callaghan and Mr. Sandler for their behaviour in what he termed \"an exceptionally difficult case.\") 33 Mr. Sandler and Mr. Callaghan are both members of the Attorney-General's Justice Roundtable, which is exploring issues of mentally ill individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system. 29 Colleagues say Mr. Callaghan is especially sensitive in this area, having served for many years as a prosecutor in the province's mental-health court at College Park. 13 \"He has a lot of empathy,\" Joseph Callaghan said. 29 \"Working in the business, especially at College Park, the population they serve, I just think the day-to-day reality brought home to him the issues. 29 In the criminal justice system, we're left to pick up the pieces after the rest of the social fabric, the safety net, has failed. 22 So, those who haven't gotten treatment or have refused treatment or whatever, are now in our court.\" 21 Another lawyer who has faced Mr. Callaghan noted that he took seriously his responsibility to strive for a fair outcome. 56 \"The Crown's role is not to simply get a conviction at all costs,\" said Alison Mackay, whose client, a Peterborough hockey coach, pleaded guilty in 2013 to child pornography charges and received a short sentence on Mr. Callaghan's recommendation, which took into account several mitigating factors. 9 Still, she warned against underestimating Mr. Callaghan. 10 \"He's not going to be a pushover. 25 Don't let the fact he's kind and reasonable be mistaken for someone who will not be a strong advocate\" for justice. 49 Story continues below advertisement\n\nOther cases prosecuted by Mr. Callaghan include those of a mother who had abducted her daughter and raised her under an assumed name for almost 20 years, and an arsonist with the mental capacity of a child who torched Toronto's Empress Hotel. 26 While Mr. Callaghan's highest-profile cases resulted in convictions, those defendants pleaded guilty: The Ghomeshi charges are expected to be contested in court. 73 (Asked about Mr. Callaghan's track record as a prosecutor of sexual assault cases, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Attorney-General wrote in an e-mail, \"Mr. Callaghan is an experienced prosecutor who has been with the Ministry for many years and has prosecuted a wide variety of cases, including sexual assault offences in both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice.\" 17 The spokesman did not respond to repeated requests for details on those sexual assault cases.) 16 Ms. Backhouse suggested that a track record prosecuting sexual assaults may not actually be necessary. 30 \"Lots of experience is really helpful, but so is preparation, intelligence and perseverance, and those qualities do not only belong to people with experience.\""} {"text": " 15 Paul Henare of the Breakers and Ronald Dorsey of the Taipans miss the ball. 17 Alex Pledger of the Breakers takes a shot under pressure from Ian Crosswhite of the Taipans. 24 Breakers forward Gary Wilkinson gets excited in game one of the NBL grand final series between the NZ Breakers & the Cairns Taipans. 20 Breakers forward Thomas Abercrombie pulls up for a three pointer over Cairns Taipans centre Ian Crosswhite in game one. 19 Breakers forward Mika Vukona shoots in game one of the NBL grand final series against the Cairns Taipans. 23 Breakers forward Gary Wilkinson fans in game one of the NBL grand final series between the NZ Breakers & the Cairns Taipans. 19 Breakers guard Kevin Braswell shoots in game one of the NBL grand final series against the Cairns Taipans. 19 Breakers guard Paul Henare shoots in game one of the NBL grand final series against the Cairns Taipans. 20 Breakers guard Kirk Penney in action in game one of the NBL grand final series against the Cairns Taipans. 17 The New Zealand Breakers take part in a parade along Auckland's Queen Street in May. 18 NUMBER ONE: The Breakers celebrate winning the Australian NBL grand final series against the Cairns Taipans. 19 Breakers Coach Andrej Lemanis speaks to the crowd at Aotea Square at the parade for the NZ Breakers. 21 New Zealand Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis gives the crowd at Aotea square two thumbs up at the NZ Breakers parade. 15 The Breakers are the champions of Australia - and the toast of New Zealand. 33 The New Zealand club last night defeated the Cairns Taipans 71-53 in a brilliantly one-sided deciding game three of the Australian NBL grand finals, and wrote themselves into Kiwi sporting history. 47 In front of a sell-out crowd of 4200 at a frenzied North Shore Events Centre, the Breakers mixed some fabulous defence with more than enough offence to leave the Taipans in their dust as they cruised to their second convincing home victory of this series. 36 MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times RUNNING FROM RUGBY: The Breakers will begin their bid for back-to-back ANBL titles in October with four successive games on the road to avoid a clash with the Rugby World Cup. 33 And didn't they celebrate it at the final buzzer as eight years of toil, disappointment, patient building and a false start or two finally turned into the prized championship. 23 At the end the players leapt into each other's arms and celebrated one of the special moments in New Zealand sport. 40 A Kiwi team - made up of nine New Zealanders, two international imports and a lone Aussie - has gone into an Australian league and beaten them in their backyard, in their competition, under their terms. 9 It does not get any sweeter than this. 44 The Cairns outfit simply could not handle the lock-down Breakers defence and struggled to put enough points on the board to stay in the race against a Breakers side who spread the scoring load splendidly and eased to a no-sweat victory after halftime. 22 It was fitting, too, that it was such a team effort on the night of nights for this club. 15 Perth coach Rob Beveridge had labelled them a one-man team during the semifinal series. 2 Rubbish. 52 Last night CJ Bruton - making his own slice of history by claiming his fourth title with his third club - led the scoring with 14 points (5/10 FG) that included four three-pointers, two of which were back-to-back fourth-quarter daggers as the Breakers put the issue beyond doubt. 30 Import Gary Wilkinson added 13 points and six rebounds, while Kirk Penney added 11 points (3/10 FG) and five boards to cancel out his five turnovers. 12 But the contributions came right down the line-up for the Kiwis. 57 Mika Vukona was painfully shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 big boards, Alex Pledger had nine points and six rebounds off the bench and Thomas Abercrombie weighed in with seven points, 10 rebounds and four steals, not to mention some of the best defence seen in the league this year. 12 Paul Henare bowed out in his 250th game in perfect fashion. 29 The foundation player now has that ring he can take into his retirement, and he played his part with four points, four assists and two steals. 13 Henare's energy from the off set the tone for his side. 50 The Breakers made history in so many ways as they lifted aloft the trophy they call 'The Doc' last night - not only securing their first title in their eighth season in the NBL, but making the long-awaited breakthrough for a Kiwi team in an Aussie league. 27 Including the Warriors, Breakers, one-term Sirens, the three football clubs and a lone water polo season there have been 35 seasons of futility. 4 Not any more. 37 The wait is finally over and the Breakers can now rightly be lauded as the first New Zealand club to crack the tough ask of crossing the Tasman and beating the Aussies in their own backyard. 24 But this has been a championship built slowly and steadily since owners Paul and Liz Blackwell took over the club six years ago. 50 Year by year they've added the pieces to the puzzle, till finally in 2010-11 they had the line-up not only to march through the regular season with the league's best record (22-6) but scrap their way through two tough, gruelling three-game playoff series. 65 Bruton became just the third player in league history to win titles with three clubs, while coach Andrej Lemanis - who deserves as much credit as anyone for this - is just the fourth person to win championships as both a player and coach, adding to the crown he lifted as a backup guard with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1992. 27 The Breakers made an electrifying start in front of their vociferous sell-out crowd, coming out with all the aggression to lead 11-2 inside four minutes. 19 But then the Taipans settled and the home team's shooting, and ball security, fell off. 19 A mere six points in the last 6:25 saw the Kiwis lead just 17-15 at the first intermission. 34 But with Vukona in to-the-rim mode early in the second period, and Abercrombie converting a three-point play off some excellent Braswell hustle, the Breakers sprung out by 11 (30-19). 44 Still they couldn't shake these sticky Snakes, and with Dusty Rychart (12 first-half points) keeping them in it with that solid mid-range game, the visitors had reduced the deficit to seven (30-37) by the major break. 45 The Breakers had played solidly rather than spectacularly through the first 20 minutes, shooting 43 percent from the floor (15/35 FG) and forcing the visitors into 13 turnovers, but never quite able to do enough to make a game-winning break. 24 However, when they extended their lead to 12 at the end of the third quarter they had one hand on the trophy. 38 By knuckling down and keeping the Taipans to just 15 points in each of the first three periods, the New Zealanders were able to keep chipping away at the lead with their more reliable offensive game. 23 And then when the Taipans kept missing and Bruton nailed those back-to-back triples in the final quarter, the celebrations could begin. 12 The lead was 21, and the rest was simply academic. 36 Abercrombie was named finals MVP at the post-game presentations, with the North Shore boy receiving a huge cheer from his home crowd as he stepped on to the podium to receive a deserved award. 6 Doesn't it sound great? 12 The best team in Australian basketball is the New Zealand Breakers. 26 NZ Breakers 71 (CJ Bruton 14, Gary Wilkinson 13, Kirk Penney 11), Cairns Taipans 53 (Dusty Rychart 14). 12 1Q: 17-15; HT: 37-30; 3Q: 57-45."} {"text": " 54 You may have seen the recent photos of a mischievous octopus stealing a camera, turning the tables by snapping a few shots of the photographer.1 While it isn\u2019t known exactly why the octopus chose to nab the cam, not all instances of octopuses grabbing objects have such unclear motivations. 27 The veined octopus (also known as the coconut octopus) is well known for swiping large seashells and coconut husks to use as defensive tools. 16 Defensive tool use in octopuses is an interesting phenomenon from the perspective of invertebrate cognition. 28 Tool use is a cognitive behavior normally associated with advanced primates like chimpanzees, or crows and parrots, who are also famous for their high intelligence. 17 But octopuses boast impressive intelligence levels too, and are routinely documented exhibiting impressively clever behaviors. 34 In 2009, the Current Biology journal published a paper2 by researchers Julian Finn, et al., about this species of octopus and how it uses shells to set up protective shelters. 18 The paper\u2019s summary:\n\nThe use of tools has become a benchmark for cognitive sophistication. 28 Originally regarded as a defining feature of our species, tool-use behaviours have subsequently been revealed in other primates and a growing spectrum of mammals and birds. 19 Among invertebrates, however, the acquisition of items that are deployed later has not previously been reported. 21 We repeatedly observed soft-sediment dwelling octopuses carrying around coconut shell halves, assembling them as a shelter only when needed. 30 Whilst being carried, the shells offer no protection and place a requirement on the carrier to use a novel and cumbersome form of locomotion \u2014 \u2018stilt-walking\u2019. 70 See one of these shell-stealing octopuses in action in this video by Earth Touch News:\n\nThis article was written by Amanda Pachniewska, founder & editor of AnimalCognition.org\n\nSources\n\n1- Brian Koerber, \u201cOctopus steals GoPro, snaps photos of filmmaker\u201d\n\nhttp://mashable.com/2015/03/04/octopus-picture-camera/\n\n2- Julian K. Finn, Tom Tregenza, Mark D. Norman\n\nDefensive tool use in a coconut-carrying octopus\n\nCurrent Biology\n\nhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982209019149"} {"text": " 29 The battle for the election of a new President of India is all set with the opposition announcing former Lok Sabha speaker Ms. Meira Kumar as its candidate. 21 Earlier this week on Monday, ruling BJP had announced former Bihar governor Mr. Ram Nath Kovind as its candidate. 21 The voting will take place on 17th July and the counting of votes will be take place on 20th July. 43 This election, which will be the 15th Presidential election of India, is going to be one of the most keenly and closely contested elections in the recent past, although Mr. Kovind appears to have an upper hand right now. 23 However, as we will see, this might not be as close as once witnessed in the history of presidential elections. 48 So here are some bits of information about the Presidential elections and earlier incidents that we think you will find interesting:\n\nMLAs of different states have different values of their votes\n\n- Advertisement - - Article resumes -\n\nThis is something you must already be knowing. 39 When we common citizens vote in any general or assembly elections, our individual votes have the value of one vote each, but it is not the same when MPs and MLAs vote in the Presidential elections. 50 The President is elected through the votes of all MPs (of both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha) and MLAs (of all States and UTs of India), who are jointly known as the \u201cElectoral College\u201d and individually referred to as \u201cElectors\u201d. 45 While every MP has the same value of his or her vote (regardless of size of his parliamentary constituency) the value of the vote of an MLA depends upon the relative population strength and total number of assembly constituencies in that state. 62 The following formula is used to calculate the value of vote of an MLA:\n\nTo give an idea, value of a single vote of an MLA from Uttar Pradesh is 208, which is the highest, while the value of a single vote of an MLA from Sikkim is 7, which is the lowest among all India. 25 The total value of votes of all MLAs from all the States and UTs combined (4120 MLAs) comes out to be 549495. 56 The value of a single vote of every MP (543 Lok Sabha MPs and 233 Rajya Sabha MPs) comes out to be 708, based on the following formula:\n\nThus the maximum value of total votes polled in a presidential election is [549495 + 708x(543+233)] = 1098903. 63 The population strength of different states has been fixed as per 1971 census\n\nTo ensure that states performing better at population control are not \u2018punished\u2019, it was decided to fix the 1971 census data in the aforementioned formula to calculate the value of vote of an MLA till 2026, even though population figures have changed considerably over time. 41 For example, if we take the 2011 census data, the value of vote of an Uttar Pradesh MLA will become 259 (currently 208) while that of a Sikkim MLA will become 19 (currently 7). 33 Here is a table of 10 states, which indicates how strengths of different states could change if 2011 census data is used instead of the population recorded in the 1971 census. 32 Presidential election involves preferential voting system\n\nThis is another crucial difference between the way we common citizens vote in regular elections and how our elected representatives vote in the presidential elections. 29 While we are supposed to vote for only one candidate, electors in a presidential election are supposed to indicate \u2018preferences\u2019 against one or more candidates. 13 Yes, our presidential election follows a \u201cpreferential voting system\u201d. 55 Ever since the Presidential election of 1997, we have seen only 2 candidates fighting it out for the apex post, hence the preferential voting has not been in effect or action, but the electors are supposed to mark their preference \u2013 in digits only \u2013 against the names of the candidates. 25 Any other form of voting, say a tick mark or writing \u201cone\u201d in any language will lead to an invalid vote. 33 In the upcoming elections too, an elector will be supposed to write \u201c1\u201d against the name of Ram Nath Kovind or Meira Kumar to register his or her vote. 32 Writing \u201c2\u201d against the remaining candidate is not compulsory (and in the current case, where just two candidates are expected, it is not even needed). 24 According to the rules, marking only \u201c1\u201d is compulsory even if there are more than two candidates in the fray. 88 Theoretically, if no one gets more than half of the total value of valid votes with all the \u201c1\u201d preferences counted against their names, the candidate who got the least value of \u201c1\u201d preference is eliminated and it is seen as to which candidates were marked \u201c2\u201d in those ballot papers (if marked so); these values are then added to the rest of the candidates, and the sequence is repeated till we have a winner. 14 In one presidential election, there were 17 candidates in the final fray! 32 Although most of us would remember only 2 candidates (as has been happening in the last 20 years), there have been elections with over a dozen candidates too. 38 Yes, we are talking about final list of candidates who were listed to be voted for, not nominations/applications that usually run into scores (and most of them are rejected after evaluation of papers). 29 The record of maximum number of candidates was made in the fourth presidential election of 1967, when there were a total of 17 candidates in the fray. 14 Out of these, 9 candidates failed to get even a single vote. 34 Another 4 of them received votes whose value was less than 250 each, which means that no MP voted for them and there could have been a handful of MLAs voting them. 52 In the presidential election of 1969, which had to be held in just 2 years after the previous one as President Zakir Husain passed away while in office, there were 15 candidates again in the final fray, out of which 5 failed to poll even a single vote. 19 Rules were made tougher after this election to stop non-serious candidates from qualifying for the actual voting stage. 32 In 1974, it was mandated that a candidate will qualify for voting stage only if he or she is backed by 10 electors as proposers and another 10 as backers. 12 One elector was supposed to propose or back only one candidate. 15 As a result, there were only 2 candidates in the 1974 presidential elections. 20 Currently, this number is set to 50 electors each, and we will see when it was increased. 59 In 1977 election, there was just one candidate, and thus he won unopposed\n\nThe only President of India who was elected without voting was Mr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, who won in 1977 when the Janata Party was in power and Congress in opposition for the first time thanks to Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi earlier. 28 The Presidential election took place only 3 years after the previous one as the then President of India Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed had passed away while in office. 36 Congress decided not to give any fight in the Presidential election, possibly because of being low on confidence after losing power for the first time, and declared support for the Janata Party candidate. 9 As a result, Reddy was elected unopposed. 15 This was second time he had run for the office, earlier in 1969. 30 1969 Presidential elections were the most closely fought ever\n\nThe 1969 presidential election is the only election of India in which we witnessed the preferential voting system in action. 51 Ruling Congress was unable to decide its candidate on time and it resulted in two Congress leaders declaring their candidatures of their own \u2013 the then acting President of India V V Giri (who was made acting president due to death of Zakir Hussain) and Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. 39 V V Giri had to resign from his post of acting President of India and thus the then Chief Justice of India became the acting President for a little over a month till the presidential elections were over. 24 There was a third candidate too \u2013 Mr. C D Deshmukh, backed by some opposition parties like Swatantra Party and Jan Sangh. 41 A faction of Congress appealed to Swatantra Party and Jan Sangha electors to cast their 2nd preference votes in favour of Mr. Reddy \u2013 a step that was denounced by Indira Gandhi thus giving an indirect support to Mr. Giri. 27 It is speculated that many Congress members voted for Mr. Reddy, despite Indira\u2019s reservations, but Mr. Giri ended up winning the elections. 24 The results were decided after counting 2nd preference votes \u2013 the only time it has happened in the history of Indian presidential elections. 24 Reddy had received almost 5 times more value of 2nd preference votes than Giri, but he still lost by a narrow margin. 38 There is no option of NOTA in the elections\n\nApart from aforementioned major differences, a minor difference in the way we vote and our elected representatives vote in the elections is the option of choosing NOTA. 27 While we get the option of NOTA (None Of The Above), no such option is available for the electors in a presidential poll. 27 Nominated members of the house are not eligible to vote in Presidential elections\n\nYes, Sachin Tendulkar will not be voting in the Presidential Elections 2017. 49 Noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani also has been a candidate in one election\n\nAs we had seen earlier, to keep out non-serious candidates, it was mandated that a candidate must have the support of at least 20 electors (10 as proposers and 10 as backers). 20 But this proved to be less in the 1992 Presidential elections, when noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani could qualify. 27 Not that Jethmalani was exactly a \u2018non-serious\u2019 candidate, but it demonstrated that a well-connected and well-known person could get support of 20 electors. 27 Not just Ram Jethmalani, a person named Kaka Joginder Singh alias \u201cDharti-Pakad\u201d could also qualify for the final round in the 1992 elections. 20 Dharti Pakad, who is now no more, was famous for contesting hundreds of elections and losing them. 16 It can be argued that he fitted in the category of \u2018non-serious\u2019 candidate. 22 Ram Jethmalani got votes worth total value of 2704, and even Dharti Pakad got 1135 in a four cornered fight. 22 Both lost their deposits in an election that was won by Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma by defeating Mr. G G Swell. 18 Earlier in 1987 presidential election, another person named Mitihilesh Kumar had qualified for the voting stage. 21 He even demanded to make a pitch for his candidacy on Doordarshan and All India Radio, which was denied. 9 He had received 2223 votes in the election. 17 Mithilesh Kumar tried to contest 1992 presidential election too, but his nomination papers were rejected. 30 As a result, he went to Supreme Court and somehow argued that everyone\u2019s nomination papers, except that of Dharti Pakad, should have been rejected. 15 He demanded Dharti Pakad to be declared winner and the new President of India. 10 Supreme Court found his petition frivolous and dismissed it. 49 Taking lessons from these developments, it was decided to increase the number of electors from 20 to 100 (50 as proposers and 50 as backers) from 1997 onward, and ever since then, we have not seen a third candidate in the voting stage. 29 Secret ballot system is used for Presidential elections\n\nTill now we have seen how presidential elections voting system is different from ours, but this is a similarity. 21 Just like our vote is secret, the vote of an MLA or MP in Presidential elections is also secret. 34 This is unlike other voting \u2013 such as during law making \u2013 that happens in legislative houses, where the MLAs or MPs are supposed to follow the party whip and vote accordingly. 46 Anti-defection law doesn\u2019t apply during the Presidential elections\n\nIf an MLA or MP votes against the party whip, he loses his membership of the house, but since the presidential elections happen through secret ballot, anti-defection law is not applicable here. 44 This often results in cross voting, and thus a party\u2019s support can not be taken for granted in a presidential election, for the party members can always vote according to their individual wishes without having to face any consequences. 53 All MLAs or MPs have to use the same pen during the voting\n\nEven though anti-defection law doesn\u2019t apply, what if a political party gives a special colour pen to its members during the voting, so that they know how many did not vote according to party line? 22 They could guess the number of defectors or \u2018traitors\u2019 and accordingly try to zero on the \u2018culprits\u2019. 14 This possibility has the risk of a secret ballot no longer remaining secret. 30 As it happens during the counting of votes in assembly or general elections, the candidates and their representatives are allowed while counting of Presidential election votes is on. 35 The candidate and representative may make a note of this special colour and count the number of votes as per party lines, and conclude how many voted against the party line, right? 43 Although this sounds too Sherlock Holmes level, the Election Commission of India has factored in such possibilities and decided that everyone will use the same pen with common ink colour at every polling station (at Parliament or State assemblies). 24 A violet ink will be used in the upcoming elections, and votes registered by using any other pen will be declared invalid. 34 (sources: Election Commission of India handbook [pdf], FAQs by ECI [pdf], and a letter by ECI [pdf])\n\nShare This Post and Support:"} {"text": " 21 French multinational automobile and motorcycle maker Peugeot Citroen would be stopping production in one of its plants earlier than scheduled. 22 The Aulnay-sous-Bois car plant operations would be affected as most of its employees would be transferred to Peugeot's other facilities. 19 The Citroen C3 subcompact assembly held in the said plant would come to a halt early in November. 20 However, Peugeot said there would still be some portions of the production that would continue after that month. 21 The schedule to wind down manufacturing on the Aulnay-sous-Bois site this November came earlier than the 2014 initial time table. 16 Last July, the French carmaker had said that it would be restructuring its operations. 13 The production halt in Aulnay is one part of the restructuring plan. 5 Aulnay has 2,800 workers. 15 Half of them had already been moved to the carmaker's other production sites. 20 The company spokeswoman said, \"Soon there will not be enough staff left to sustain vehicle assembly.\" 16 After the Volkswagen Group, Peugeot Citroen is the second largest automobile maker in Europe."} {"text": " 18 This article is about a person whose name ends in a patronymic rather than a family name. 19 The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Kenenisa, and not as Bekele. 37 Kenenisa Bekele (Amharic: \u1240\u1290\u1292\u1233 \u1260\u1240\u1208; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner and the current world record and Olympic record holder in both the 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre events. 20 He won the gold medal in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. 47 At the 2004 Olympics he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m and the silver medal in the 5000 m. He is married to actress Danawit Gebregziabher and he has one younger brother, Tariku Bekele, who is also an accomplished world-class distance runner. 32 He is the most successful runner in IAAF World Cross Country Championships history, with six long (12 km) course and five short (4 km) course titles. 33 He won the 10,000 m title at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 (matching Haile Gebrselassie's four in a row win streak). 25 Bekele was unbeaten over 10,000 m from his debut in 2003 until 2011, when he failed to finish at the World Championships final. 26 At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics he became the first man to win both 5000 m and 10,000 m title at the same championships. 32 Over 5000 m he has also won an Olympic silver (2004), World Championship bronze (2003), two African Championship titles and one All-Africa Games gold medal. 14 He also won the 3000 metres title at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. 23 Bekele is considered one of the greatest distance runners of all time, owning several world records and an array of medals. 33 On 6 April 2014, he produced the sixth fastest marathon debut ever on a record-eligible course with his victory at the Paris Marathon, in a course record time of 2:05:04. 38 On 25 September 2016, Bekele won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:03, which set a new personal best time for him at the Marathon distance and is the third-fastest marathon of all time. 36 Career [ edit ]\n\nKenenisa Bekele was born in 1982 at Bekoji, Arsi Zone, the same town as the Dibaba sisters (Ejegayehu, Tirunesh and Genzebe) and their cousin Derartu Tulu. 19 In March 2001, he won the IAAF World Junior Cross Country title by a full 33 seconds. 26 [6] Five months later, in August 2001, he set a new 3000 metres world junior record, 7:30.67 minutes in Brussels. 22 The record lasted for three and a half years, being broken by Augustine Choge with a run of 7:28.78 minutes. 19 [7] In December 2000 and 2001 Bekele won the 15k roadrace Montferland Run in the Netherlands. 47 For five years in a row, from 2002 through 2006, he took both short (4 k m) and long (12 k m) races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, a feat no other runner has accomplished even once. 99 After the IAAF eliminated the short course race in 2007, Bekele won a final long course race in 2008, bringing his World Cross Country medal totals to 11 senior individual gold medals (6 long course, 5 short course), 1 senior silver medal (2001), 1 junior gold medal (2001), 2 team gold medals (2004, 2005), 3 team silver medals (2002, 2003, & 2008), and 1 team bronze medal (2006) for a grand total of 19 medals. 44 Bekele is renowned for his ability to accelerate very quickly at the end of a long distance race; in Oslo in June 2003, he chased after Kenyan Abraham Chebii and ran a 54.64 final 400 to win the race in 12:52.26. 36 Again in Lausanne on 1 July 2003, Bekele recorded a 200 m segment during the last lap in 24 seconds and a 100 m section in 12 seconds to run a 52.63 final lap. 25 He has faced his ethiopian fellow Haile Gebrselassie twice in road competition, once in cross country, and six times on the track. 113 Gebrselassie defeated Bekele on the track in the 2000 Nurnberg 5000 metres, the 2001 Great Ethiopian Run 10 km, and the Cross de l'Acier in December 2001, but lost to Bekele in Hengelo 2003 over 10,000 m (26:53 to 26:54), Rome 2003 over 5000 m (12:57 to 13:00), Paris 2003 World Championships over 10,000 m (26:49 to 26:50), Athens 2004 Olympic Games (27:05 to 27:27), in the 10,000 m in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (27:01 to 27:06), and in the Great North Run half marathon in September 2013 (60:09 to 60:41). 30 Bekele's outstanding track career led to his involvement in a project to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon, though a number of factors undermined this effort. 51 [8]\n\n2004 season [ edit ]\n\nIn 2004, he broke the world records for the indoor 5000 m, outdoor 5000 m and outdoor 10,000 m. He won the short and long course world cross country titles, leading Ethiopia to the senior men's team title. 30 He also won a gold medal in the men's 10,000 meters and a silver medal in the men's 5000 meters in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. 32 2005 season [ edit ]\n\nOn 4 January 2005, Bekele's fianc\u00e9e, 18-year-old Alem Techale, died of an apparent heart attack while on a training run with him. 33 Although it was initially stated that no autopsy was performed, Alem and his manager, Jos Hermens, later said that an autopsy had revealed nothing conclusive about Techale's death. 17 She was the 2003 World Youth Champion in the 1500 metres and in excellent physical condition. 50 Bekele competing in the 2006 Golden League\n\nHe resumed racing on 29 January, and lost indoors over 3000 m to Ireland's Alistair Cragg after sprinting towards the line with one and a half laps to go, while thinking that there was only half a lap left. 18 [9] A few weeks later he lost to fellow Ethiopian Markos Geneti over two miles. 23 In March, Kenenisa lined up to defend his long and short course titles at the 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. 39 He won on the short course despite a fast pace set by Qatari Saif Saaeed Shaheen, and followed that win with a long course victory the next day over Eritrean Zersenay Tadese and Kenyan rival Eliud Kipchoge. 30 On 8 August 2005, Kenenisa Bekele won the gold medal in the 10,000 m at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki with a stunning last 200 m spurt. 50 [10]\n\nOn 26 August 2005, Kenenisa set the current 10,000 m world record 26:17.53 at the 29th Memorial Van Damme meeting in Brussels, slicing nearly three seconds off his previous world record 26:20.31, and running with 5000 m splits of 13:09 and 13:08 minutes. 28 [11] The race saw 6 runners finishing in less than 27 minutes, with Sammy Wanjiru dipping in 26:41.75, a new world junior record. 26 At the end of 2005 Kenenisa was voted the Track & Field News magazine athlete of the year for the second year in a row. 11 Bekele leading the way at the 2007 Cross de It\u00e1lica. 44 When Kenenisa won the 3000 m at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Moscow, he became the first athlete in history to be Olympic champion, world outdoor track champion, world indoor track champion, and world cross country champion. 31 In 2006 he won five out of six IAAF Golden League events (5000 m) in the same season, which earned him a total of US$83,333. 23 On 17 February 2007, he broke the indoor world record over 2000 m in Birmingham, with a time of 4:49.99. 16 His spectacular final 300 m aided this time which would be considered excellent even outdoors. 93 On 24 March 2007, however, his remarkable racing streak of 27 consecutive victories in cross country races (dating back to his last previous loss in December 2001) came to an end when after leading the race in the penultimate lap of the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa he succumbed to the very hot, humid conditions (which caused more than 1/6 of all competitors to drop out) and was passed by eventual winner Zersenay Tadese on the last lap before Bekele dropped out. 23 This was greeted with cheers by the Kenyan crowds, an occurrence which has been frowned upon by the wider athletics community. 29 He recovered from that rare failure to take the 10,000 metres title at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, once again besting his compatriot Sileshi Sihine. 39 During that race, he looked like he was going to be dropped several times over the last 800 metres, but recovered to overtake Sileshi with 150 metres to go and take his third straight world title. 21 On 18 November 2007, Bekele married Ethiopian film actress Danawit Gebregziabher at the Sheraton Addis, in Addis Ababa. 23 [12]\n\nBeijing Olympics and Berlin World Championships [ edit ]\n\nCelebrating his gold medal victory at the 2009 World Championships. 40 In Edinburgh on 30 March 2008, he won his sixth World Cross Country title (long course \u2013 12k), breaking the three-way tie of 5 wins he had previously shared with Paul Tergat and John Ngugi. 20 With this win, Bekele laid sole claim to most decorated athlete in IAAF World Cross Country Championships history. 43 He has won 6 long course (12k) individual gold medals, 5 short course (4k) gold medals, 1 junior championship (8k), and 4 team gold medals for a sum total of 16 gold medals. 25 His overall medal count (both individual and team results) stands at 27 medals: 16 gold, 9 silver and 2 bronze. 29 [13]\n\nOn 17 August 2008 Bekele won gold in the 10,000m finals with a time of 27:01.17, setting a new Olympic Record in the process. 69 In a race in which 20 men broke the 28 minute barrier and four finished under his 2004 Olympic record of 27:05.10, he needed his renowned finishing kick to pull out the victory, running a 53.42 second final 400 metres (similar to the 53.02 second final 400 meter sprint he used to win the gold medal in Athens in 2004 over the same distance). 33 [14]\n\nOn 23 August 2008 Bekele bested his competitors and won the 5000m finals, shattering Sa\u00efd Aouita's Olympic Record by almost eight seconds with a time of 12:57.82. 53 The race was remarkable for his manner of doing most of the pacing himself before accelerating to a scintillating finish: his last 3000 metres only took 7:35.53, his final 2000 metres 4:56.97, last 1600 metres 3:57.01 (=3:58.4 final mile) and his final lap a punishing 53.87 seconds. 53 By winning the 10,000/5000m double in the Beijing Olympics, Bekele joined another elite group of athletes: Hannes Kolehmainen (1912), Emil Z\u00e1topek (1952), Vladimir Kuts (1956), Lasse Vir\u00e9n (twice, in 1972 and 1976) and Miruts Yifter (1980). 18 Kenenisa Bekele won two gold medals at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, held in Berlin. 43 His double victories in 5000m (13:17.09) and 10,000m (26:46.31 \u2013 a World Championships Record) were unprecedented and by doing this became the first man to take both the long distance track gold medals at the same World Championships. 25 [15] His talent combination of endurance and speed has made it nearly impossible to defeat Bekele when he is at full strength. 48 During the 10,000m race in which he was running behind Eritrea's Zersenay Tadesse, the broadcaster declared \"it is over, in fact it was over from the start\" as the final lap began and Bekele turned an ostensibly close race into a blowout. 19 The IAAF announcer concluded, \"this man is probably the greatest distance runner we will ever see. 28 \"[16]\n\nIn spite of his unrivalled success in athletics, Bekele did not experience the mainstream appeal that others such as Haile Gebrselassie did. 20 His quiet demeanour and aversion to interviews did not make him a highly marketable athlete in the Western world. 21 Fellow world record holder Usain Bolt stated that Kenenisa Bekele's achievements had not received the recognition that they deserved. 26 [17]\n\nInjuries [ edit ]\n\nBekele pursuing the lead pack in the 10,000 meters Men's final event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. 40 Bekele made a disappointing start to 2009, finishing fourth in the Edinburgh Cross Country in a race he was favored to win \u2013 a trio of Kenyan athletes ran him out of the contest over the final lap. 17 He spent the entirety of the indoor and outdoor seasons out with a ruptured calf muscle. 23 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics [ edit ]\n\nKenenisa Bekele finally returned to training after a knee injury in March 2011. 19 [18] Having not raced on the track since 2009, Bekele returned for the World Championships. 14 [19] He dropped out of the 10,000m with 10 laps remaining. 43 [20] Bekele decided not to run the 5,000m and[21] returned to the Diamond League at the Ivo Van Damme Memorial in Brussels where he set the fastest time in the world for the 10,000 metres in 2011. 27 [22][23]\n\nBekele's 2012 did not start well, as he was a lowly eleventh place at the Edinburgh Cross Country. 42 [24] In April, he appeared to have returned to form by winning the Great Ireland Run in a new personal best time for a 10 km road race of 27:49, improving the course record by 46 seconds. 60 [25]\n\nIn the 2012 London Olympics 10,000m race he ran within the leading group for the whole race, but could not keep up with the Mo Farah's sprint in the last 150 meters and eventually finished fourth, with a time of 27:32.44, just 1.01 second outside the bronze medalist, his brother Tariku. 20 [26]\n\nIn his first race of 2013 he won the Great Ireland Run for a second time. 42 [27] Bekele then won the Great North Run half marathon in a time of 60:09, beating Mo Farah by just one second after making a move that Farah couldn't match with just less than 12 miles gone. 13 Marathon career [ edit ]\n\nKenenisa Bekele at the 2014 Paris Marathon. 17 2014\n\nKenenisa Bekele started his marathon career in the 2014 Paris Marathon on 6 April 2014. 36 His marathon debut was very successful as he bettered both the Paris course record and the debut marathon times of past legends Haile Gebrselassie, Paul Tergat and Samuel Wanjiru by running 2:05:04 to win. 19 [28]\n\nBekele then went on to compete in the 2014 Chicago Marathon on 12 October 2014. 14 He finished fourth in 2:05:51, 1min 40s behind Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge. 29 [29]\n\n2015\n\nOn 23 January 2015, Kenenisa Bekele took on the Dubai Marathon, where he had to retire from the race after 30 km. 28 [30]\n\nHe was planned to compete in the 2015 London Marathon but had to withdraw due to a persistent injury to his right Achilles tendon. 19 [31] Following 11 months of injury, Bekele returned to racing at the 2016 London Marathon. 15 Prior to the race he indicated he was only currently at 90% fitness. 18 Bekele finished in 3rd place behind winner Eliud Kipchoge and Stanley Biwott in a time of 2:06:36. 27 This performance was despite the fact he only returned to jogging in early 2016 following injury and had only completed 6 weeks of specific marathon training. 26 He was also hampered in the race by missing his drinks at 5 separate stations, due to them being used by the designated pacemakers. 39 2016\n\nOn 25 September 2016, Bekele won the 2016 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:03 which set a new personal best time for him at the Marathon distance and the second fastest marathon of all time. 36 2017\n\nOn 19 January 2017, attempting to break the world record, Bekele dropped out of the Dubai Marathon after the half way mark due to a fall at the beginning of the race. 24 On 23 April 2017, Bekele finished second in the London Marathon, finishing in 2:05:57, 9 seconds behind winner Daniel Wanjiru. 10 2018\n\nBekele ran the 2018 London Marathon in April. 13 Eliud Kipchoge won in 2:04:17, with Shura Kitata finishing after Kipchoge. 15 Mo Farah placed third with 2:06:21 and Bekele gained a sixth place with 2:08:53. 204 [32]\n\nStatistics [ edit ]\n\nPersonal bests [ edit ]\n\nBekele leading the 5000 m at the 2009 World Championships\n\nYearly progression [ edit ]\n\n5000 metres Year Best Location Date World rank 2012 12:55.79 Paris 6 July 9th 2009 12:52.32 Zurich 28 August 1st 2008 12:50.18 Zurich 29 August 1st 2007 12:49.53 Zaragoza 28 July 1st 2006 12:48.09 Brussels 25 August 1st 2005 12:40.18 Paris 1 July 1st 2004 12:37.35 Hengelo 31 May 1st 2003 12:52.26 Oslo 27 June 3rd 2002 13:26.58 Milan 5 June 71st 2001 13:13.33 Seville 8 June 29th 2000 13:20.57 Rieti 3 September 53rd 10,000 metres Year Best Location Date World rank 2012 27:02.59 Birmingham 22 June 3rd 2011 26:43.16 Brussels 16 September 1st 2009 26:46.31 Berlin 17 August 1st 2008 26:25.97 Eugene, Oregon 8 June 1st 2007 26:46.19 Brussels 14 September 1st 2005 26:17.53 Brussels 26 August 1st 2004 26:20.31 Ostrava 8 June 1st 2003 26:49.57 Paris 25 August 4th\n\nCompetition record [ edit ]\n\nMajor international competitions [ edit ]\n\nNote: XC stands for cross country\n\nWorld Grand Prix Finals [ edit ]\n\nWorld Marathon Majors results timeline [ edit ]\n\nCircuit honours [ edit ]\n\nCross country wins\n\nAwards [ edit ]"} {"text": " 10 Real-time view data is not available at this time. 3 Learn more. 33 NOFX's new song \"Oxy Moronic\" is an addictive punk rock anthem about the highs and lows of big pharma, from their upcoming album \"First Ditch Effort.\" 198 Actor Matt Besser Actor Betsy Sodaro Actor John Gemberling Actor Drew DiFonzo Marks Actor ToniCharline Actor Dan Lippert Director/Show Lead Brad Schulz Editor Brad Schulz Producer Eleanor Winkler Cinematographer Matt Sweeney Visual Effects keganswyers Animator Shawn James Animator Darryl Sharp Hair and Makeup Erin Blinn- Make up artist Hair and Makeup Erin Blinn- Make up artist\n\nStarring: NOFX\n\nFeaturing: Matt Besser, Betsy Sodaro, John Gemberling, Chris Reed, Drew DiFonzo Marks, Toni Charline Ramos, Bunny Gibson, Phil Painter, Greg Schindler, Dan Lippert\n\nDirector/Editor: Brad Schulz\n\nProducer: Eleanor Winkler\n\nDP: Matt Sweeney\n\nVisual Effects- Kegan Swyers\n\nGraphic Effects- Shawn James & Darryl Sharp\n\nStedicam: Chris Loh\n\n1st AC: Steven Kan\n\n2nd AC Sophie Bruza\n\nCamera Intern: Ryan Bender\n\nGaffer: Jenn Cohen\n\nKey Grip: Dominic D'Astice\n\nSwing: Kaiden Tremain\n\nSwing: David Gilmore\n\nProduction Designer: Cliff Collins\n\nArt Assist: Owen Cook\n\nArt PA: Doug Freedman\n\nWardrobe: Briana Jorgenson\n\nPlayback: Mike Robertson\n\nH&MU: Erin Blin\n\nProduction Coordinator: Glenn Fellman,\n\nPA: Elle Eckley, Zach Lutch, Mordy Tomobsky, Sam Maddox"} {"text": " 40 Eric Morgan is suing the board, former police chief Michael Metcalf and five Peel homicide detectives for about $25 million after he spent more than three years in pretrial custody before being acquitted of murder in 2013. 54 A Brampton man acquitted of murder after a judge raised serious concerns about the police tactics used during the investigation \u201cwas entirely the author of his own misfortune,\u201d the Peel Police Services Board, former police chief and lead detectives allege in a statement of defence in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. 130 Their defence claim emphasizes the results of a recent ruling by the Ontario Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) , which found there was insufficient evidence to lay any misconduct charges because the tactics officers used to pressure witnesses \u201cwere consistent with their training.\u201d\n\nBut in a statement of defence filed last month, the police board, Metcalf and the five detectives on the case claim Peel police were at all times acting \u201cin the interest of public safety.\u201d\n\nHis freedom came after Ontario Superior Court Justice Fletcher Dawson took the unusual step of instructing the jury to acquit Morgan after finding police had used \u201cabusive\u201d and \u201cthreatening\u201d tactics against key witnesses and \u201cmanufactured\u201d evidence incriminating Morgan. 33 \u201cSpeaking generally, complaints to the OIPRD are substantiated or unsubstantiated on reasonable grounds according to standards set out in the Police Services Act,\u201d Parker said in an email. 18 Rosemary Parker, spokesperson for the OIPRD, said the OIPRD does not comment on individual cases. 41 \u201cIt\u2019s a tacit, if not express, approval of the techniques resorted to by the police,\u201d Russell Silverstein, a Toronto lawyer and director on AIDWYC\u2019s board, said in an interview. 54 The latest condemnation of Reid-style interviewing comes from the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC), which this week criticized the OIPRD\u2019s handling of Morgan\u2019s case in a post on its website, saying the decision not to lay charges essentially endorses these interrogation tactics. 38 Those tactics \u2014 aggressive interrogation often referred to as Reid technique \u2014 have been the subject of a growing chorus of concern over what some experts say is an elevated risk of false confessions and wrongful convictions. 26 No physical or DNA evidence linked Morgan to the scene; Peel police made the arrest based predominantly on the testimony of two eye witnesses. 23 Morgan was arrested in 2010 and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Mervyn Spence, who was a casual acquaintance. 17 Spence was gunned down in November 2006 outside Brampton\u2019s Malibu Marie\u2019s nightclub. 18 A well-known events promoter, Morgan had thrown a party that night to celebrate his 39th birthday. 70 But Dawson \u2014 who oversaw Morgan\u2019s retrial, after the first resulted in a hung jury \u2014 expressed grave concern over what he viewed as problematic police actions used during interviews with key witnesses, including \u201coverly aggressive and abusive tactics.\u201d\n\nIn one interview, a detective used \u201cleading and suggestive\u201d questioning that showed he had an \u201cagenda,\u201d Dawson said. 41 In another, Dawson found Morgan\u2019s strongest alibi witness, Brian Cox, became \u201cpsychologically broken down\u201d after an eight-hour \u201crelentless onslaught\u201d by Peel police and recanted testimony that supported Morgan\u2019s innocence. 59 Dawson called Cox\u2019s story change \u201cthe direct result of threatening and oppressive police conduct.\u201d\n\nAt one point during the court process, Morgan was offered a one-day sentence for a guilty plea to manslaughter, but turned it down because he said he would not admit to a crime he didn\u2019t commit. 42 Morgan\u2019s lawsuit alleges Peel police used \u201chighly improper and negligent investigation tactics\u201d and that detectives had \u201ctunnel vision\u201d motivated in part by trying to achieve a 100 per cent homicide solvency rate for the year. 28 According to a 2009 statement by the head of Peel Homicide, Spence\u2019s homicide was the only 2006 case remaining for Peel police to solve. 33 But the statement of defence says Peel police had reasonable and probable grounds to arrest Morgan, and denies that investigators threatened, coerced, pressured or influenced witnesses in the case. 90 The defence claim alleges that any damages or losses allegedly suffered by Morgan are the result of \u201chis own negligence\u201d \u2014 including that he \u201cfailed to co-operate with the police investigation\u201d and \u201cperpetuated the culture of non-co-operation with police in his community.\u201d It also alleges Morgan \u201cmisled and/or lied to police during the course of their investigation,\u201d including that he and Cox, Morgan\u2019s alibi, lied to police about leaving the club together immediately after the shooting. 37 The defence statement also alleges that Morgan had gang connections that were relevant to the case and that police knew Morgan had been communicating with those gang members throughout the night of Spence\u2019s murder. 64 David Shulman, one of Morgan\u2019s criminal lawyers, calls the allegations wrong and \u201cvictim blaming.\u201d\n\nMorgan was the event promoter on the night of the murder, which meant he was in touch with virtually everyone who attended his party \u2014 including some people who became suspects, but also others who became Crown witnesses, Shulman said. 50 Immediately after his arrest, Morgan waived his right to silence, offered to take a polygraph test and gave police the names of seven individuals he believed could confirm that it was physically impossible for him to have been involved in Spence\u2019s death, Shulman said. 35 \u201cHe wasn\u2019t required to talk to police or give this information, but he believed that his arrest was a big misunderstanding that would be cleared up if he was forthcoming. 21 Eric trusted that the police would interview these witnesses fairly,\u201d Shulman said in a statement to the Star. 11 In addition to suing, Morgan complained to the OIPRD. 33 The probe, which included reviews of videos depicting the witness interviews in question and interviews with the officers, found the detectives used pressure tactics that were consistent with their training. 37 The report concludes the detectives had to \u201cwalk the line\u201d to learn the truth or convince a reluctant witness to talk and their tactics were in line with Peel\u2019s training and practices. 19 \u201cEach (officer) had extensive training and experience in interviewing,\u201d reads the investigative report. 29 The OIPRD\u2019s ruling points to a systemic issue, says Timothy Moore, a York University psychology professor who researches false confessions and the Reid technique. 33 \u201cIf abusive and oppressive tactics are consistent with how officers are being trained then the obvious inference to draw is that the training methods are at fault,\u201d Moore said. 30 The Reid technique police interrogation includes an aggressive, confrontational and accusatory style of questioning, and it is typically used on suspects to assess guilt or produce confessions. 34 The tactic assumes the subject of the interview is guilty \u2014 or that there is a strong likelihood of guilt \u2014 so the interview is conducted to obtain incriminating evidence or a confession. 14 Critics have said this technique can elicit false confessions when used on suspects. 21 Research inspired by Morgan\u2019s case has also shown forceful, Reid-style questioning on witnesses can produce false accusations. 21 During the OIPRD investigation, all the Peel officers involved denied they were employing the Reid technique during the interviews. 42 The investigation also found only one of the officers connected to the case had any training in the Reid technique, and that officer\u2019s involvement was limited to one interview that Dawson said was conducted in a fair manner. 30 Joseph Buckley, president of John E. Reid and Associates \u2014 the company that teaches the Reid technique \u2014 denies criticism that the interrogation style leads to false confessions. 80 Among the guiding principles of the technique is to \u201calways conduct interviews and interrogations in accordance with the guidelines established by the courts.\u201d\n\n\u201cFalse confessions are not caused by the application of (the Reid) principles, they are caused when investigators \u2018step out of bounds\u2019 and engage in behavior that is inappropriate \u2014 threats of harm, promises of leniency, etc.,\u201d Buckley said in an email to the Star. 25 The OIPRD report stated that Peel did not perform its own internal investigation into Dawson\u2019s critical comments about its officers\u2019 conduct. 21 Peel would not confirm to the Star that no internal review was done, citing Morgan\u2019s ongoing lawsuit. 22 One of the detectives named in the suit, Daniel Johnstone, has since been promoted in rank to Detective Sergeant. 9 Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca"} {"text": " 29 President Obama and other world leaders gathered at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, this week to address threats posed by unsecured nuclear material. 35 If Mr. Obama is truly concerned about nuclear safety, he should seriously consider doing away with the 450 inter-continental ballistic missiles deployed and ready to fire at Russia on a moment's notice. 46 Last month we were among 15 protesters who were arrested in the middle of the night at Vandenberg Air Force Base, some 70 miles north of Santa Barbara, Calif. We were protesting the imminent test flight of a Minuteman III inter-continental ballistic missile. 35 The Air Force rationale for doing these tests is to ensure the reliability of the US nuclear deterrent force; but launch-ready land-based nuclear-armed ballistic missiles are the opposite of a deterrent to attack. 27 In fact, their very deployment has the potential to launch World War III and precipitate human extinction \u2013 as a result of a false alarm. 6 We\u2019re not exaggerating. 22 Here\u2019s why: These nuclear missiles are first-strike weapons \u2013 most of them would not survive a nuclear attack. 37 In the event of a warning of a Russian nuclear attack, there would be an incentive to launch all 450 of these Minuteman missiles before the incoming enemy warheads could destroy them in their silos. 36 If the warning turned out to be false (there have been many false warnings), and the US missiles were launched before the error was detected, World War III would be underway. 18 The Russians have the same incentive to launch their land-based missiles upon warning of a perceived attack. 19 Both US and Russian land-based missiles remain constantly on high-alert status, ready to be launched within minutes. 51 Because of the 30-minute flight times of these missiles, the presidents of both the US and Russia would have only approximately 12 minutes to decide whether to launch their missiles when presented by their military leaders with information indicating an imminent attack (after lower-level threat assessment conferences). 20 That\u2019s only 12 minutes or less for the president to decide whether to launch global nuclear war. 33 While this scenario is unlikely, it is definitely possible: Presidents have repeatedly rehearsed it, and it cannot be ruled out due to the graveness of its potential consequences. 18 Russia came close to launching its missiles based on a warning that came Jan. 25, 1995. 20 President Yeltsin was awakened in the middle of the night and told a US missile was headed toward Moscow. 25 Fortunately, Yeltsin was sober and took longer than the time allocated for his decision on whether to launch Russian nuclear-armed missiles in response. 27 In the extended time, it became clear that the missile was a weather sounding rocket from Norway and not a US missile headed toward Moscow. 6 Disaster was only narrowly averted. 55 Here is the really compelling part of the story: If all 450 US land-based Minuteman III missiles with thermonuclear warheads were ever launched at Russia \u2013 with many of the targets in or near cities, as now planned \u2013 most Americans would die as a result, along with most of humanity. 26 Our own weapons would contribute as much or more to these deaths in America and the rest of the globe as any Russian warheads launched. 43 This is because smoke from the enormous nuclear firestorms created by even a \u201csuccessful\u201d US nuclear first-strike would cause catastrophic disruption of global climate and massive destruction of the Earth\u2019s protective ozone layer, leading to global famine. 52 Recent peer-reviewed studies, done by atmospheric scientists Alan Robock (Rutgers), Brian Toon (University of Colorado-Boulder), Richard Turco (UCLA) and colleagues, predict that such an attack would create immense firestorms that would quickly surround the planet with a dense stratospheric smoke layer. 29 The black smoke would be heated by the sun, lofted like a hot air balloon, and would remain in the stratosphere for at least 10 years. 19 There it would block and prevent a large fraction of sunlight from reaching the Earth\u2019s surface. 15 The sharp reduction of warming sunlight would rapidly produce global Ice Age weather conditions. 23 This would eliminate or dramatically reduce growing seasons for a decade and would likely cause the starvation of most or all humans. 49 SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts\n\nAlong with other effects \u2013 including prolonged destruction of the ozone layer \u2013 most complex life on Earth could be destroyed. 35 Scientists say the process would be similar to when an asteroid hit the Earth some 65 million years ago, raising a global dust cloud that reduced sunlight, lowering temperatures and killing vegetation. 17 That caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and 70 percent of the Earth\u2019s species. 37 The cause of extinction in our case would not be an external, celestial event, but rather the launching of thermonuclear weapons we had created by our own cleverness, supposedly for our own security. 21 The Minuteman III missile tests from Vandenberg Air Force Base are thus really tests of an American Nuclear Doomsday Machine. 13 Nuclear weapons do not make the US or the world more secure. 31 In particular, the Minuteman III missiles \u2013 land-based, vulnerable, on high alert, and susceptible to being triggered by a false alarm \u2013 make us less secure. 35 Anyone who cares about humankind having a future should protest these tests and call for the elimination of all nuclear-armed inter-continental ballistic missiles as an initial step toward the total abolition of nuclear weapons. 39 If the US did away now with its nuclear-armed land-based missile force, it would still have 288 invulnerable submarine-launched ballistic missiles (armed with approximately 1,152 warheads) to act as a retaliatory threat to nuclear attack. 30 But it would no longer have tempting targets for the Russians to strike preemptively in a time of tension or in the event of a false warning of attack. 27 It would still be imperative to reduce US (and Russian) total warheads to levels that do not threaten the possibility of causing human extinction. 15 And even the smaller existing nuclear arsenals of India and Pakistan threaten global disaster. 60 Professor Robock and his colleagues have estimated that in a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan in which each side used 50 Hiroshima-size bombs (each side now has more than that number), the smoke rising into the stratosphere could cause a global reduction of sunlight and destruction of ozone leading to crop failures and global famine. 29 By comparison, the launch-ready thermonuclear forces of the US and Russia contain roughly 500 times the explosive power of the 100 atomic bombs of India and Pakistan. 54 Now is the time for the people and nations of the world to stand up against the potential extinction of the human species and demand that political leaders pursue the path to zero nuclear weapons, a path mandated by the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Court of Justice. 11 Until then, protest and civil resistance will be necessary. 55 We should seek two principal goals: first, a commitment by the existing nuclear weapon states to forego launch-on-warning and first use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances; and second, good faith negotiations for a new treaty for the phased, verifiable, irreversible, and transparent elimination of nuclear weapons. 48 It is our hope that by committing nonviolent civil resistance, being arrested, going to federal court, and explaining our actions to the public, we will help to awaken and engage the American people on this issue of utmost importance to our common future. 10 This op-ed first appeared at the Christian Science Monitor."} {"text": " 46 Image copyright AFP Image caption Nafta has led to a huge increase in trade between the US, Mexico and Canada\n\nEnding the North American Trade Agreement (Nafta) would break relations between Mexico and the US, the Mexican foreign minister has warned. 22 Luis Videgaray was speaking ahead of a new round of trade talks this week between the US, Mexico and Canada. 25 The talks to update the 1994 deal have become increasingly acrimonious, with Mexico and American business groups saying US proposals would hurt trade. 13 This week, President Donald Trump repeated threats to scrap the deal. 15 He has pointed to the trade deficit with Mexico as unfair to the US. 20 His administration has said it was seeking to reduce it and called for a major overhaul of the agreement. 25 The head of the US Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donahue, warned that scrapping the deal would endanger $1tr in annual trade. 31 Mr Videgaray said Mexico was preparing for \"different scenarios\" the talks might produce and would not remain within the agreement if it was not good for his country. 54 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Luis Videgaray says his priority is to defend Mexico's interests\n\nHe warned that ending the regional trade pact would hurt relations between the US and Mexico and damage their co-operation on other issues such as fighting drug-trafficking and stopping illegal immigration across the US's southern border. 9 What's at stake with the Nafta talks? 21 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting Mr Trump on Wednesday and their discussions are expected to focus on Nafta. 14 The US has recently slapped duties on Canadian Bombardier airliners and wood exports. 14 Mr Trudeau then flies to Mexico for discussions with President Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto."} {"text": " 37 Plenty of NBA players have had something or another to say about the sleeved uniforms they\u2019ve had to wear this year, and now Cavs guard Jarrett Jack can be added to that list. 13 Jack says the NBA should customize the jerseys to tailor-fit each player. 21 Via The Plain Dealer:\n\nJack remembers feeling off on his shot when he wore the jerseys with Golden State. 22 \u201cPerformance-wise, at times, under the arms, it felt a little snug on you,\u201d he admitted. 15 Jack made a good point that sleeves are going to fit many players differently. 23 James is 6-feet-8, and Oklahoma City\u2019s Kevin Durant is 6-9, but their arms have a slightly different circumference. 13 \u201cWhat if they both put on 2XL,\u201d Jack posited. 57 \u201cIt\u2019s going to be baggy on KD, but it\u2019s going to be skintight on Bron\u2019s arms.\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s why Jack has a suggestion for anyone listening in the NBA\u2019s merchandising department: Get individual player measurements and tailor the sleeved jerseys to each player. 52 It seems as if that would be a hefty undertaking, but Jack counters that if the league already has provided some players with tighter jerseys (see Houston\u2019s Dwight Howard), it wouldn\u2019t be that much of a leap to tailor jerseys to each player. 12 \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t take long,\u201d he said. 18 \u201cIf you went and got everybody\u2019s measurements, it\u2019d take five minutes. 21 And you made those jerseys specific to everybody\u2019s exact needs, it\u2019d save everyone headaches.\u201d"} {"text": " 38 Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project #7\n\nGet excited as Andy Daly & Matt Gourley present a love letter to waterskiing & Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll\u2019s Sha Na Na hosted by Wolfman Hot Dog. 55 Join aspiring Sha Na Na member Wolfman Hot Dog as he shares a portion of his Dreams and Aspirations journal, chats with waterskiing legend Ahi & his cousin Penny about the golden age of waterskiing, and asks former Sha Na Na member Slammin\u2019 Oliver Rothwell about his time in the band. 19 Plus, the biggest Sha Na Na fan Veronica Melcher drops by for some Sha Na Na Trivia. 26 Featuring: Mara Bamford, Sean Conroy, Julie Brister\n\nThis episode is brought to you by Mack Weldon (www.mackweldon.com code: ANDY). 13 Listen to Season 2 starting Thursday, March 8th on Stitcher Premium! 17 For a free month trial, go to stitcherpremium.com/andy and use promo code \u2018ANDY\u2019."} {"text": " 24 Morehead State suspended coach Sean Woods for one game on Friday after he pushed an Eagles player during Wednesday's loss at No. 3 8 Kentucky. 21 Woods will sit out Monday night's home game against Norfolk State while assistant Dylan Howard coaches in his place. 16 Morehead State athletic director Brian Hutchinson suspended Woods on Friday after meeting with the coach. 43 \"This will allow Coach Woods to consider his action and behavior, and allow him time to contemplate the appropriate way to conduct himself with his players and on the sideline,\" Hutchinson said in statement released by the university. 30 The first-year Eagles' coach pushed Morehead State's Devon Atkinson in the back as the senior point guard walked toward the bench after fouling out with 5:51 remaining. 15 Woods said in a statement that the situation \"will not happen again.\" 20 \"My behavior during Wednesday night's game was inappropriate and unacceptable,\" Woods said in the statement. 7 \"I am truly sorry.\" 27 The former Kentucky guard rarely stood still during the 81-70 loss to his alma mater, pacing the sidelines and getting in Eagles players' faces. 20 Morehead State responded with a physical game in which the Eagles held the lead against Kentucky in both halves. 23 After the game, Woods defended his coaching style, saying he wanted his team to reflect his passion for the game. 7 \"How did they look tonight? 9 They look just like me, right?\" 3 Woods said. 18 \"They see me every day and that's how we're going to be every day. 6 We're going to fight. 31 ...\n\n\"Every day we step out in practice and in games, we have got to have a chip on our shoulders that we have something to prove.\" 8 But Woods crossed the line against Kentucky. 13 It was his second intense sideline encounter with a player this season. 30 During a 67-45 loss at Maryland on Nov. 12, Woods was seen yelling in the face of Chad Posthumus while the junior center was sitting on the bench. 17 Eagles junior forward Drew Kelly said that Woods' behavior doesn't make the team uncomfortable. 19 \"We can handle it and it makes us better,\" Kelly said after the Kentucky game. 11 Friday's statement was Woods' second apology this week. 21 On Monday he criticized some of the current Wildcats' attitudes and for their limited knowledge of Kentucky basketball history. 30 It bothered him that Wildcats freshman center Willie Cauley-Stein was unaware of Christian Laettner or \"The Shot\" that beat Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA East Regional final. 28 \"They don't get it,\" said Woods, a point guard on that Kentucky team and whose jersey hangs from the Rupp Arena rafters. 15 \"They play basketball, but they don't know what basketball really is. 8 And they're very, very fortunate. 22 We live in a microwave society now, and it's a shame that kids don't know the history.\" 9 Woods later apologized for those comments via Twitter."} {"text": " 17 Hell, Mich. is seeing a price drop a year after its attempted sale fell through. 15 Unofficial Mayor John Colone lowered his asking price from $999,666 to $900,000. 43 Photo by Go to Hell, Michigan/Facebook\n\nHELL, Mich., March 11 (UPI) -- The unofficial mayor of Hell, Mich., is lowering the asking price of his property after it spent a year on the market unsold. 30 John Colone told the Livingston Daily that he would lower the price of his five-acre plot of land in the devilishly named town from $999,666 to $900,000. 12 \"It's open to any offers,\" he said. 10 \"We're willing to work with anyone.\" 35 Colone owns several businesses on the property, including Hell's Chapel of Love and Screams Putt-Putt Golf Course, as well as a gift shop dedicated to selling all kinds of Hell merchandise. 38 His new asking price will not affect the price of an individual square inch of Hell and the accompanying deed which is conveniently priced at $6.66 or $8.66, including shipping, for online orders. 33 Colone wanted to sell the property in 2015 to a group known as Damned, but its attempt to fund the purchase through Kickstarter came up short, raising only $77,000. 22 The deal with Damned was also set to include the rights to Colone's \"Hell\"-branded merchandise and slogans. 27 While he is looking to attract new buyers by lowering the price of Hell, Colone said he enjoys running his various businesses in the area. 17 \"It's not for the money, it's for enjoyment,\" he said. 11 \"It gives an old man something to do.\""} {"text": " 27 Just when you think that Republican officials can\u2019t do anything more self-destructive to their own party, they prove that we have underestimated them. 39 How did RNC Chairman Reince Priebus respond to this recent avalanche of bad GOP conduct, ranging from a congressman threatening to throw a reporter off a balcony to insensitive comments about women, gays, and blacks? 12 Did he become outraged with the people who committed these wrongs? 2 Nope. 9 Instead, he announced a boycott of MSNBC. 2 Why? 64 Because Priebus was allegedly upset over this MSNBC tweet: \u201cMaybe the rightwing will hate it, but everyone else will go awww: the adorable new #Cheerios ad w/ biracial family.\u201d\n\nThis tweet didn\u2019t even mention the Republican Party, but I guess Priebus has become the protector of all things \u201cright wing\u201d in America. 7 (MSNBC did apologize Thursday.) 14 So what\u2019s Priebus\u2019s real goal with the MSNBC boycott? 38 To me, it\u2019s twofold: first, to get the media glare off the Republican hit parade of asinine blunders; and second, to get MSNBC to stop its daily skewering of Gov. 3 Chris Christie. 23 Keep in mind, this wouldn\u2019t be the first time Priebus tried to bully the media into altering its content. 30 In August, Priebus threatened to ban CNN and NBC from sponsoring any GOP presidential debates in 2016 unless they dropped their plans to broadcast programming about Hilary Clinton. 11 Both networks did ultimately surrender to Priebus\u2019s demands. 29 If Priebus truly wants to help his party, he should think beyond politicals and address the psychological problems that are causing the self-destructive behavior by certain Republicans. 10 Maybe an intervention or GOP group therapy is needed? 7 And I\u2019m being serious. 19 In fact, I reached out to Dr. Jack Foehl, a Boston-based psychoanalyst about this very issue. 23 Dr. Foehl was generous enough to offer his professional opinion regarding whether the GOP is manifesting symptoms consistent with a psychological disorder. 29 Before I reveal the doctor\u2019s diagnosis, let\u2019s take a quick look at just some of the recent antics by several Republican elected officials. 38 On Tuesday, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) threatened to injure, and arguably even kill, NY1 reporter Michael Scotto, who asked a question about a federal investigation into Grimm\u2019s 2010 campaign. 13 In response to this question, Grimm stormed out of the interview. 58 Moments later, he returned and angrily told the reporter, \u201cLet me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I\u2019ll throw you off this fucking balcony.\u201d Keep in mind that Grimm is a former Marine and an ex-FBI agent, so his threats must be taken seriously. 23 (Of course, this type of behavior may make Grimm a good match for VP with Chris Christie in 2016.) 22 The day before, Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL) resigned from Congress after his recent guilty plea to cocaine possession. 19 Radel, who has sought counseling, had been arrested for buying drugs from an undercover DEA agent. 10 Of course, we can\u2019t forget Gov. 12 Christie and Bridgegate, which also implicates numerous New Jersey Republicans. 47 And, as I wrote this week, we have seen a gaggle of random self-destructive comments by GOP officials since December, from Mike Huckabee\u2019s remarks about women\u2019s libidos to Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) advocating discrimination against gay Americans. 7 So what did Dr. Foehl conclude? 64 Well, he noted that \u201cthe Republicans have a masochistic relationship with the media,\u201d and they keep repeating the very \u201cthing that brings them pain.\u201d From a clinical point of view, Dr. Foehl opined, this behavior would be labeled as a \u201cself-defeating personality disorder.\u201d\n\nWhy do so many Republicans do this, you ask? 62 Dr. Foehl explained that certain people thrive on \u201cnegative attention,\u201d adding that \u201cthey have learned that the way to connect to other people is through their suffering, through doing just the thing that will bring them ridicule or pain.\u201d (Sounds like Doc just described Sarah Palin, Louie Gohmert, and Michele Bachmann.) 8 Is there any hope for the Republicans? 9 Well, Dr. Foehl offered a guarded prognosis. 50 He explained that this condition is \u201cvery difficult to treat\u201d because many become attached to just the kinds of painful relationships that keep them in trouble.\u201d He concluded ominously: \u201cIn short, they are help-rejecting.\u201d\n\nBut all is not lost for the GOP. 33 Bottom line: If Reince Priebus truly wants to help the Grand Old Party, he needs to encourage Republican leaders to act and speak more responsibly\u2014not blame others for their mistakes. 26 And if GOP leaders need motivation to change, all they need to do is take a look at the polls regarding generic congressional matchups. 12 In mid-December, polls found the Republicans with a five-point lead. 17 But since Bridgegate and the rash of idiotic comments, guess what happened to that lead? 5 It\u2019s gone. 22 New polls show it\u2019s now a dead heat and one recent poll even found the Democrats with a lead. 22 It\u2019s time for Priebus and the Republican Party to stop living in denial and take responsibility for their actions. 34 If not, the GOP\u2019s chances for electoral success in the 2014-midterm elections will be gone quicker than Rep. Grimm after being asked about a federal investigation into his 2010 campaign."} {"text": " 30 In good news for those looking for reliable live streaming of the NRC for 2015, Fox Sports will stream every game of the 2015 National Rugby Championship live. 23 The games will not be free, with users needing to be a Foxtel subscriber or News+ digital subscriber to watch games. 26 However, it does mark a significant leap from last year, where clubs organised the live streaming of games with their own media teams. 36 Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share\n\nFox Sports\u2019 online coverage will ensure there\u2019s a commentary team at the ground for every game played, and will be streamed to mobile and web. 19 Full replays of every game will be posted on the NRC and club websites within 24 hours post-match. 39 Fox Sports CEO Patrick Delany, said the first NRC was a valuable addition to Fox Sports\u2019 rugby coverage, \u201cproviding entertaining viewing with the new rules delivering a faster paced game with more exciting tries. 41 \u201cThis year we will take our coverage to new heights showing all 39 games including a weekly match live on Fox Sports and the remaining 27 streamed, all with multi-camera coverage and full commentary,\u201d Delany said. 26 Rob Clarke, the ARU\u2019s General Manager of Professional Rugby said it was a step forward for the competition in its second year. 27 \u201cThe NRC is a fantastic chance for Australian Rugby fans to watch both current superstars and future stars of the game on their own doorstep. 26 The TVC reflects both the hard work these players put in off the pitch while also the fun that can had at an NRC game. 25 Advertisement\n\nAdvertisement\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re all excited at the prospect of the 2015 NRC being unleashed to a bigger audience than last year. 34 Fans now have the opportunity to watch all 39 games through FOX SPORTS various platforms.\u201d\n\nThe 2015 NRC kicks off on Thursday, 20 August with a grand final rematch at Ballymore."} {"text": " 86 In an email to Clinton\u2019s top staffers and advisors, speechwriter Dan Schwerin offers a draft of opening remarks for Hillary Clinton to deliver to the House Committee on Benghazi in October 2015 where the cost of Clinton\u2019s actions during the Benghazi incident was measured in \u201cdead Americans.\u201d Those copied in the email exchange include John Podesta, David Kendall, Cheryl Mills, Jennifer Palmieri, Huma Abedin, Brian Fallon, Mandy Grunwald, and Philippe Reines. 24 The email is one of thousands released by WikiLeaks from the email account of Hillary Clinton\u2019s campaign director, John Podesta. 22 The first to answer in the email thread was attorney David Kendall, of the prominent Williams & Connolly law firm. 24 He quibbled over the use of \u201cindependent\u201d to describe the review board enlisted to examine the events of the Benghazi fiasco. 57 Referring to her \u201cHard Choices\u201d memoir, Kendall wrote that Clinton had not referred to the review board as \u2018independent\u2019, and added, \u201csince it\u2019s appointed by and responsible to the Secretary, I think we open an avenue of attack by calling it \u2018independent\u2019\u201d. 19 He also advised that she bring up the deaths of other Americans in diplomatic service since the 1970s. 64 Further up the thread, Jennifer Palmieri wrote that she was not happy at all with a reference to the \u201cbacks of dead Americans,\u201d fearing that using it would \u201csplash back on her as appearing to exploit their deaths.\u201d\n\nMandy Grunwald -- a Democratic Party media advisor -- then responded, \u201cI also think it's strong. 20 I don't mind the \u2018backs of dead Americans\u2019 because we need a bit of moral outrage. 67 I suppose we can dial the language back, but the sense of outrage should remain.\u201d\n\nFrom there, the trail led back to Schwerin who admitted the \u201cbacks of dead Americans\u201d was taken from Clinton\u2019s \u201cHard Choices\u201d memoir, and offered to \u201ctweak\u201d the statement for the hearing before the committee and thus offer alternative language. 57 Ultimately, in the attachment to the email with the draft statement, the resulting language was as follows:\n\n\u201cTo those who seek to exploit the tragedy of Benghazi for political gain, let me be clear: I will not be a part of a partisan slugfest disrespecting the memories of dead Americans. 15 It\u2019s wrong, and it\u2019s unworthy of our great country. 24 \u201cSo my challenge to you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, is the same challenge I put to myself. 16 \u201cLet\u2019s be worthy of the trust the American people put in us. 6 They expect us to lead. 6 To learn the right lessons. 9 To rise above partisanship and reach for statesmanship. 16 \u201cThat\u2019s what I tried to do every day as Secretary of State. 60 And it\u2019s what we should all strive for here today and in the future.\u201d\n\nHillary Clinton wrote in her memoir, \u201cHard Choices,\u201d that she had no regrets over stonewalling the Senate\u2019s hearings on her conduct of the crisis in Benghazi, Libya, that yielded the deaths of four Americans. 75 It was there that she pounded the table before her and cried out, \u201cWhat difference does it make?\u201d She wrote in her memoir, \"There is a difference between unanswered questions, and unlistened to answers...I will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead Americans.... Those who insist on politicizing this tragedy will have to do so without me.\""} {"text": " 37 ADVERTISEMENT\n\nFor weeks, the conventional wisdom in Washington has been that the federal government will default on its debt if the congressionally mandated limit on the nation's borrowing isn't raised by Aug. 2. 43 But with Democrats and Republicans still struggling to reach a deal on hiking the debt ceiling, a new option is emerging: Democrats might simply declare that the debt ceiling is unconstitutional, scrapping the need for a deal at all. 28 According to the 14th Amendment, \"The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law... shall not be questioned.\" 31 That means the Obama administration can keep on racking up debt, even if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling, says Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). 7 Could this new approach really work? 20 Absolutely: The language in the 14th Amendment is \"extraordinary,\" says Garrett Epps at The Atlantic. 32 Its wording is \"unqualified and sweeping,\" which means that the Constitution places debt payments and the payment of already-appropriated funds \"above the vagaries of congressional politics.\" 32 If the Obama administration adopted this broad reading of the Constitution, using it in their political favor, it \"would be bold\"\u2014but it wouldn't be wrong. 43 \"Our national debt 'shall never be questioned,' the Constitution says\"\n\nStill, this is uncharted territory: \"The 14th Amendment's Public Debt Clause has never been tested in court,\" says Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress. 32 And if the White House declared the \"unspeakably stupid\" notion of the debt ceiling unconstitutional, it's hard to know exactly how a court case would play out. 24 Someone would have to sue, alleging that they've been personally injured \"by the continued viability of the American economy.\" 25 Furthermore, the Supreme Court has typically considered matters like this to be \"political questions\" that should not be resolved by judges. 14 But with today's court, \"it's anyone's guess.\" 41 \"Senators float constitutional solution to debt ceiling\"\n\nAnd we shouldn't enter it: \"Layering a constitutional crisis over political gridlock\" would get the Obama administration its victory, says Ezra Klein at The Washington Post. 22 \"But it\u2019ll fail terribly in terms of sustaining the market\u2019s confidence in our political system.\" 31 The danger behind failing to raise the debt limit has never been about whether our country can pay back its debts \u2014 we can, and the market knows that. 43 Instead, it's the \"brutal,\" \"irresponsible\" fight over the debt that would cause the market to \"re-evaluate the faith\" it has in our ability to make \"sound economic decisions\" in the future. 26 A court case spotlighting our political system's inability to reach compromises on these economic issues would be \"a step towards total breakdown.\" 18 \"The debt ceiling might be unconstitutional, but now is not the time to find out\""} {"text": " 44 More than 80,000 people flee Fort McMurray in procession of cars and mass airlift of evacuees\n\nMore than 88,000 people have left wildfire-ravaged Fort McMurray in western Canada, as authorities warned the blaze could double in size by the end of Saturday. 31 Police and military oversaw the procession of hundreds of cars and a mass airlift of evacuees as flames and smoke continued to play havoc with efforts to get to safety. 14 Residents were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday after the fires breached city limits. 32 Most went south, but about 25,000 were directed north, spending the past three days stranded in oil sands work camps, their supplies dwindling as the wildfires grew tenfold. 23 Wary of the fires\u2019 unpredictable spread, officials decided to move them south, where they could better access support services. 37 Led by Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruisers and monitored overhead by helicopters, the convoy took residents through the remains of their city where flames engulfed neighbourhoods and destroyed at least 1,600 homes and other buildings. 26 About 1,200 vehicles had passed through Fort McMurray by late afternoon on Friday, despite a one-hour interruption due to heavy smoke, authorities said. 19 One resident Jim Dunstan was in the convoy with his wife, Tracy, and two young sons. 18 \u201cIt was shocking to see the damaged cars all burned on the side of the road. 15 It made you feel lucky to get out of there,\u201d he said. 16 The extent of the destruction was evident in a video uploaded to YouTube on Thursday. 26 Apparently shot by a firefighter, the footage shows a devastated landscape dotted with piles of blackened rubble and the burned-out skeletons of pickup trucks. 31 A thick haze of smoke still hangs above the scene, while small fires flare among the ruins\n\nOne of the firefighters can be heard to say: \u201cCrazy. 44 A whole neighbourhood just lost last night.\u201d\n\nSome of the evacuees stranded in the north were also evacuated by plane, with thousands of residents flown to Alberta\u2019s major cities in a series of mass airlifts that began on Thursday. 27 In Edmonton, between 4,500 and 5,000 evacuees arrived at the airport on at least 45 flights on Friday, according to airport spokesman Chris Chodan. 17 In total, more than 300 flights have arrived with evacuees since Tuesday, he said. 8 Alberta remains in a state of emergency. 38 More than 1,100 firefighters, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 air tankers were fighting a total of 49 wildfires across the province, with seven considered to be raging out of control. 47 In Fort McMurray, the heart of Alberta\u2019s oil sands region, firefighters were still working to save the city\u2019s homes and businesses \u201cThe beast is still up,\u201d the local fire chief, Darby Allen, said on Thursday. 84 \u201cIt\u2019s surrounding the city and we\u2019re here doing our very best for you.\u201d\n\nThe evacuation has forced as much as a quarter of Canada\u2019s oil output offline according to estimates and is expect to impact on a country already hurt by the dramatic fall in the price of oil\n\nJustin Trudeau, Canada\u2019s prime minister, described the week\u2019s harrowing events as the largest fire evacuation in Alberta\u2019s history. 25 The images emerging from Fort McMurray looked \u201clike a war-torn corner of the world instead of our own backyard\u201d, he said. 6 \u201cHomes have been destroyed. 11 Neighbourhoods have gone up in flames,\u201d he added. 75 \u201cThe footage we\u2019ve seen of cars racing down highways while fire races on all sides is nothing short of terrifying.\u201d\n\nUnseasonably hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions and winds of up to 70km/h (44 mph) helped fuel the fire\u2019s spectacular growth to 101,000 hectares \u2013 an area more than 10 times the size of Manhattan, and up from just 10,000 hectares earlier in the week. 26 With temperatures expected to hit 27C (80F) on Saturday, officials said the fire could double in size by end of that day. 21 Officials said at this point that a change in the weather offers the only possible hope of halting the fire. 29 \u201cLet me be clear: air tankers are not going to stop this fire,\u201d said Chad Morrison, Alberta\u2019s manager of wildfire prevention. 40 \u201cIt is going to continue to push through these dry conditions until we actually get some significant rain.\u201d\n\nEnvironment Canada said it could be Sunday before a 40% chance of rain is expected in the area. 15 Winds helped to shift the fire south-east and away from Fort McMurray on Thursday. 23 The change in direction, however, put the nearby communities of Anzac and Gregoire Lake Estates \u201cunder extreme threat\u201d. 9 The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 19 As it started in a remote forested area, Morrison said it may have been sparked by lightning. 15 The fire started on Sunday, sending thick plumes of smoke over the region. 27 A sudden shift in winds brought the fire to the city\u2019s doorstep on Tuesday, forcing more than 80,000 residents to flee the city. 15 \u201cIt was something out of a movie,\u201d said resident Erica Decker. 73 \u201cIt was absolutely apocalyptic, there were vehicles stranded everywhere, the sky was black and orange, there were \u2013 and are still \u2013 so many people trapped.\u201d\n\n'Nothing short of terrifying': Alberta wildfires grow eight times in size Read more\n\nMinutes before she and her family were evacuated from their house, she had spotted a small circle of orange flames flickering in the trees outside. 32 \u201cAs we pulled out of the driveway, we could see the flames reaching our front lawn,\u201d said Decker, her voice shaking as she fought back tears. 37 \u201cWe knew we wouldn\u2019t have anything to go back to.\u201d\n\nShe worried it would be the last time she would ever see the house she had always described as her dream home. 25 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Evacuees from the Fort McMurray wildfires rest on a hockey rink at the evacuation center in Lac la Biche, Alberta. 13 Photograph: Jeff McIntosh/AP\n\nSoon after, her worst fears were confirmed. 32 Images from Fort McMurray showed an empty space where her home once stood in the neighbourhood of Beacon Hill, the scorched front steps the only trace of the bay-windowed house. 20 \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything for me to return for,\u201d she said. 14 Beacon Hill was among the first neighbourhoods to be swallowed by the fire. 11 The building where Decker worked also burned to the ground. 17 \u201cI don\u2019t have a home, I don\u2019t have a job. 11 Our community, it doesn\u2019t exist any more. 5 It\u2019s gone. 49 We\u2019re not even sure if there is going to be a city to return to.\u201d\n\nOn Thursday, Rachel Notley, the Alberta premier, said it was impossible to map out a timeline of when residents might be allowed to return to the city. 24 \u201cThe damage to the community of Fort McMurray is extensive and the city is not safe for residents,\u201d she said. 24 \u201cIt is simply not possible, nor is it responsible to speculate on a time when citizens will be able to return. 35 We do know that it will not be a matter of days.\u201d\n\nHer words came as a tough blow to the tens of thousands of Fort McMurray residents now scattered across the province. 20 Frustration among those stranded up north was growing, with some venting on social media sites, demanding answers. 17 One Twitter user posted a message saying: \u201cNO ONE IS TELLING US ANYTHING!! 14 We\u2019re just sitting in a camp praying to get out!! 6 Give us answers!!! 14 Please.\u201d\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest A huge wildfire raging near Anzac, Alberta. 38 Photograph: Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta/EPA\n\nFor some, such as Rula Labak, a refugee who fled Syria in 2011 and moved to Fort McMurray two months ago, the idea of rebuilding again is traumatising. 17 \u201cMy kids, mom say, \u2018What [do] we have to do? 14 You said to us we will live there, we will live happy. 18 Why that happened to us?\u2019\u201d Labak told the Globe and Mail in halting English. 7 \u201cThat\u2019s very bad. 34 I can\u2019t answer to them anything.\u201d\n\nThe family made it to Edmonton after fleeing a scene hauntingly reminiscent of the bombs that had rained down on their home near Damascus. 39 When she and her family first arrived at a work camp that had been turned into an impromptu shelter, her two teenage children burst into tears as the rows of cots triggered their memories of refugee camps. 34 Wildfires in Canada force evacuation of Fort McMurray \u2013 in pictures Read more\n\nThe risk posed by the fires curbed oil production in the region, helping to drive up global oil prices. 29 At least 680,000 barrels per day \u2013 roughly 20% of Canada\u2019s crude production \u2013 was offline by Thursday evening, according to calculations by Reuters. 33 Athabasca Oil Corp said on Thursday that rapidly advancing fires in the south of the city were behind its decision to shut down its Hangingstone oil sands project and evacuate all personnel. 24 In a statement, the company estimated that the fire front was just three miles (5 km) away from its facility. 37 No direct casualties from the blaze itself have been reported, but the 15-year-old daughter of a local firefighter and her 19-year-old male relative were killed in a vehicle crash during the city\u2019s evacuation. 18 Relatives of the 15-year-old shared their grief after one of the most trying weeks of their lives. 32 \u201cHow could we possibly lose a nephew, a granddaughter and our entire home all within 24 hours \u2026 devastating,\u201d the girl\u2019s grandmother wrote on Facebook. 10 \u201cI have quite literally nothing left to give. 23 I do not know what else this fire could possibly take from my families,\u201d the girl\u2019s sister wrote. 18 \u201cWe have given homes, hours, and now a beautiful, book-loving, quirky angel. 5 It is not fair. 15 We are devastated \u2026 I am so angry, I am so hurt.\u201d"} {"text": " 35 Rory Keane reports from Port Elizabeth\n\nJARED PAYNE WILL miss Ireland\u2019s series decider against South Africa at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday [KO 4pm Irish time]. 10 Payne misses out in a big blow for Ireland. 66 Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO\n\nThe Ulster fullback has taken a limited part in training this week due to a calf injury, with Joe Schmidt opting to hand Connacht\u2019s Tiernan O\u2019Halloran his first Test start in the 15 shirt, having made his debut from the bench in the dying minutes of last weekend\u2019s 32-26 defeat at Ellis Park. 22 Connacht flyer Matt Healy is in line to make his Test debut having been named on the bench as backline cover. 18 Leinster scrum-half Eoin Reddan, who announced his retirement earlier today, is also among the replacements. 30 Luke Marshall returns to the starting line-up, having sat out the second Test at Ellis Park, and forms a new-look midfield partnership with Ulster team-mate Stuart Olding. 25 Keith Earls is recalled to the left wing in place of Craig Gilroy while Paddy Jackson and Conor Murray continue their partnership at half-back. 28 Mike Ross comes back in at tighthead and links up with Rory Best and Jack McGrath while Iain Henderson moves from blindside to lock alongside Devin Toner. 30 Quinn Roux, who made his Test debut in Johannesburg last Saturday, drops out of the matchday 23 as Ultan Dillane comes back onto the bench as cover. 52 Having served his one-match ban for a collision with Pat Lambie in the opening Test at Ellis Park, which earned the Munster flanker a red card, CJ Stander is handed the number six shirt, with the recalled Jordi Murphy and the ever-present Jamie Heaslip completing the back row. 4 Ireland:\n\n15. 6 Tiernan O\u2019Halloran\n\n14. 4 Andrew Trimble\n\n13. 4 Luke Marshall\n\n12. 4 Stuart Olding\n\n11. 4 Keith Earls\n\n10. 4 Paddy Jackson\n\n9. 4 Conor Murray\n\n1. 4 Jack McGrath\n\n2. 7 Rory Best (captain)\n\n3. 4 Mike Ross\n\n4. 4 Iain Henderson\n\n5. 4 Devin Toner\n\n6. 4 CJ Stander\n\n7. 4 Jordi Murphy\n\n8. 6 Jamie Heaslip\n\nReplacements:\n\n16. 4 Sean Cronin\n\n17. 4 Finlay Bealham\n\n18. 4 Tadhg Furlong\n\n19. 4 Ultan Dillane\n\n20. 4 Rhys Ruddock\n\n21. 4 Eoin Reddan\n\n22. 4 Ian Madigan\n\n23. 15 Matt Healy\n\nReferee: Glen Jackson [New Zealand]\n\nThe42 is on Snapchat! 10 Tap the button below on your phone to add!"} {"text": " 58 Caught on video: Publix brawl over chicken wing sends one man to jail\n\nA man was arrested after a fight broke out in the deli of a Tampa area Publix.A woman recorded the fight at the Temple Terrace grocery store.Witnesses said a customer got into a verbal altercation with a deli employee about a chicken wing. 32 Another customer stepped in to defend the employee, and a fight ensued.The two shoppers were wrestling and throwing punches while Publix employees tried to break them up.One man was arrested. 28 No one was hurt.Watch the brawl caught on video here35460810\n\nA man was arrested after a fight broke out in the deli of a Tampa area Publix. 12 A woman recorded the fight at the Temple Terrace grocery store. 19 Advertisement\n\nWitnesses said a customer got into a verbal altercation with a deli employee about a chicken wing. 14 Another customer stepped in to defend the employee, and a fight ensued. 17 The two shoppers were wrestling and throwing punches while Publix employees tried to break them up. 5 One man was arrested. 5 No one was hurt. 8 Watch the brawl caught on video here\n\nAlertMe"} {"text": " 72 Even if it\u2019s made by another brand, most bartenders still refer to the stand-up mixer as, simply, the \u201cHamilton Beach.\u201d While they might seem dated by today\u2019s standards, these mid-century, malt shop-style mixers are increasingly becoming a common sight in bars, where they\u2019re used to make a variety of modern cocktails, especially in the tiki tradition. 32 Gone to the Beach Smuggler's Cove's Zombie Adapted from Donn Beach\u2019s Zombie, Martin Cate\u2019s version of the classic tiki cocktail hews close to tradition. 24 Mystery Gimlet Garret Richard's gin-based tiki drink is blended in a Hamilton Beach stand-up drink mixture, which better aerates the cocktail. 27 Rum Flip This is a Smuggler\u2019s Cove adaptation of a classic, which illustrates how flash blending whips up egg-based cocktails to frothy perfection. 57 More Recipes \u2192\n\nAccording to tiki expert Martin Cate, who dedicates an entire section of his book, Smuggler\u2019s Cove, to the stand-up mixer (also known as the spindle blender, milkshake machine or flash blender), the device first started to come into use for cocktails in the 1920s. 28 It enjoyed nearly two decades of popularity before being replaced by the Waring blender (today\u2019s standard-issue blender), which was introduced in 1938. 14 The two designs have very different effects on the outcome of a drink. 38 Whereas Waring blenders work from the bottom up, turning crushed ice into a frozen-style cocktail, drink mixers blend from the top down, which leaves much of the ice intact while offering aeration and dilution. 84 \u201cIn just three or four short seconds of \u2018flash blending\u2019 it will effectively chill, perfectly dilute and aerate your cocktail, making it frothy, waking up the citrus and pushing the aromatics to the surface of the drink as the air rises,\u201d explains Cate, who typically blends with a combination of crushed ice, plus a few larger \u201cagitator cubes,\u201d then pours the entire contents of the mixer directly into the glass. 50 \u201cIn the tradition of the exotic cocktail,\u201d he adds, \u201cthe technique makes sense for a few reasons, including the use of heavy syrups that require additional dilution.\u201d\n\nGarret Richard, a New York-based tiki bartender, formerly of Slowly Shirley, agrees. 39 He points to the classic Pearl Diver cocktail, as well as his own Mystery Gimlet (both of which include Gardenia Mix, made with honey and butter), as prime beneficiaries of the stand-up mixer. 44 Whereas standard-issue blenders will often result in a drink that\u2019s either too thick or too thin, something that bartenders typically compensate for by adding additional spirit or sweetener, that\u2019s not the case when using a stand-up mixer. 61 \u201cFlash blending gets you right in that sweet spot; you\u2019re not over-sweetening or over-boozing your drinks,\u201d says Richard, adding that the technique results in a texturally \u201clighter, more palatable drink.\u201d\n\nAnother application that has even non-tiki bartenders integrating these mixers into service is for frothy egg- and egg white-based cocktails. 109 It\u2019s been spotted at the Jerry Thomas Project in Rome for that purpose, as well as in New Orleans at Cane & Table, where partner Nick Detrich says the drink mixer will cause a cocktail to foam up so aggressively that it creates \u201ca Ramos Gin Fizz with a Ramos back.\u201d\n\nAt Pouring Ribbons in New York, Joaqu\u00edn Sim\u00f3 uses a stand-up mixer for fizzes and has also relied on it to incorporate heavy miso-butterscotch syrup into the Takashi Murakami cocktail, a Scotch-based drink mixed with pineapple and sherry that was part of the recently-retired \u201cRevolutionary Artists\u201d menu. 53 As for which mixer to buy, Cate recommends three road-tested models\u2014the Hamilton Beach 760C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer, the Waring PDM series Drink Mixer and the Hamilton Beach Single-Spindle Drink Mixer HMD200 Series\u2014though he cautions that these \u201ccommercial, weapons-grade\u201d versions aren\u2019t must-haves for home bars. 22 Richard agrees, and suggests using an immersion blender, also known as a hand blender, instead for similar results. 46 In fact, he once watched Bologna-based \u201ctiki maestro\u201d Daniele Dalla Pola \u201crocking a hand blender\u2026 like the kind you use in a kitchen to make soup\u201d when they worked together at the Hukilau tiki festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 39 \u201cA hand blender is a more economic way to do this,\u201d says Richard, who estimates that the smaller, easy-to-carry tool can offer 70 to 80 percent of the power of a stand-up mixer. 20 Plus, he says, \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to carry a Hamilton Beach in a suitcase.\u201d"} {"text": " 42 Not to be confused with the MTAR-21\n\nThe ST Kinetics SAR 21 (Singapore Assault Rifle - 21st Century) is a Singaporean bullpup Assault Rifle developed in the early 90s and later adopted by the Singapore Armed Forces in 1999. 37 Designed to counter weaknesses of the SAF's former M16S1 rifle, the rifle uses a modified Stoner operating system with higher reliability and lower recoil than the M16 and is constructed out of high-impact polymer. 21 The SAR is also exported to the United States for police and civilian use by ST's subsidiary VT Systems. 36 The SAR 21 MMS (Modular Mounting System) variant appears in the Battlefield series, which replaces the SAR's built in sight with a Picatinny rail to allow mounting of various other optics. 32 Contents show]\n\nBattlefield 4 Edit\n\nSingleplayer Edit\n\nTheis an assault rifle featured in\n\nThe SAR-21 is unlocked by completing the Bronze assignment in the mission Singapore by scoring 11,000 points. 12 It is equipped with a Coyote, Magnifier and Heavy Barrel. 7 It sports an ERDL Woodland finish. 29 Multiplayer Edit\n\nThe SAR-21 is the third unlockable assault rifle for the Assault Class, after the M416 and before the AEK-971, requiring 19,000 Assault Rifle score. 16 It has the highest base stability and lowest recoil of any weapon in the game. 50 To compensate for this, however, it also has the lowest rate of fire of any weapon in the Assault class, and one of the lowest in the entire game, behind the U100 MK5 and the M60E4 making the SAR-21 more difficult to use up close. 36 This low rate of fire does have a few advantages, though; the ADS spread takes much longer to reach its maximum spread, allowing for a longer duration of sustained, accurate fire. 18 The low firerate also conserves ammo, making the SAR-21 best suited for medium to long-range engagements. 21 It can equip the UGL Rail to allow to mount the M320 grenade launcher, but not the M26 MASS. 20 The SAR-21 has very light recoil which makes it one of the most stable Assault Rifles in the game. 17 Any inaccuracies lie within its side-to-side recoil, which can be mitigated using the compensator attachment. 44 Due to the barrel whip already being low, a muzzle attachment may be not needed, and this can free up a slot for a Suppressor or Flash Hider, but some players might find it suitable to have a stock barrel. 13 It is quite usable with any optic, including the longer-ranged options. 12 Which one the player chooses is all based on personal preference. 55 Any foregrip option also works very well with the SAR-21, as the recoil and spread is low enough to not worry about first shot recoil, so a Stubby Grip is a good choice to mitigate what very little recoil there already is, effectively making the SAR-21 have almost none at all. 47 Due it having low RPM means it can be outpaced in close quarters by many high fire rate weapons such as the AEK-971 or the FAMAS, but at longer ranges it easily outclasses most weapons in the game, barring DMR's and Sniper Rifles. 29 After the Fall patch, the missing bullpup modifier is added to the SAR-21, allowing tighter hipfire accuracy and increased movement speed when aiming down the sights. 53 Gallery Edit\n\nBattlefield Hardline Edit\n\nSAR-21 Kit Operator Inventory slot Primary weapon Progression Unlock cost $50,000 Handling Firemodes Single\n\nBurst Rate of fire 650 Effects Damage 24 Range and Recoil Range 60\n\nThe SAR-21 is a weapon featured in the Battlefield Hardline: Getaway expansion, exclusive to the Operator kit. 14 Gallery Edit\n\nTrivia Edit\n\nThe SAR-21 shares its iron sights with the M416. 34 The SAR 21 portrayed in Battlefield 4 is similar to the Modular Mounting System (MMS) variant, but it has longer overall length and longer barrel compared to its real-life counterpart."} {"text": " 40 The NFL has found no evidence of bias in Pete Morelli's officiating crew toward the Philadelphia Eagles, a league spokesperson confirmed to ESPN, a signal that they will be allowed to work Eagles games moving forward. 34 The Eagles were penalized 10 times for 126 yards in a win over Carolina on Oct. 12, while the Panthers were called for just one penalty, resulting in 1 yard lost. 35 According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first game in NFL history in which one team had at least 120 penalty yards and its opponent had fewer than 10 penalty yards. 48 The discrepancy led to criticism of Morelli and his crew and prompted one Eagles fan to start an online petition calling for Morelli to be banned from working future Eagles games, citing bias by his crew in the past four Eagles games those referees have officiated. 21 The penalty disparity is 40-8 in favor of the opposition in the past four games Morelli's group has officiated. 21 The NFL Referees Association released a statement on Thursday denouncing \"recent media reports alleging bias in NFL officiating.\" 36 The NFLRA's statement didn't identify the reports that prompted the statement but acknowledged to ESPN that it was, in part, a response to commentary in Philadelphia related to the Panthers game. 25 \"Claims like these demonstrate a fundamental lack of knowledge about NFL officiating,\" NFLRA executive director Scott Green said in the statement. 13 \"NFL officials are graded on every call made in every game. 24 Missing a single one can hurt his or her ranking and may be the difference between working in the postseason or not.\" 36 Green said that \"recent attempts to sensationalize statistics and create click-bait headlines lack important context\" and \"the information being pushed is completely misguided\" when presented \"without the proper perspective.\" 24 Eagles coach Doug Pederson said that the team would be sending clips to the league office for review at his day-after press conference. 15 He had not heard back from the league as of Thursday, he said."} {"text": " 24 Six people will say \u201cI do\u201d to complete strangers in a new Channel 4 reality series, Married at First Sight. 40 Advertisement\n\nLike an in-depth dating website, the series will match three couples on the basis of scientific and sociological criteria before bringing them together to get married in front of friends and family without ever having met before. 44 Billed as a \u201cground-breaking social experiment\u201d, Married at First Sight aims to discover whether science can produce a successful relationship and whether the very act of marriage can itself help to create a psychological bond that leads to true love. 44 Chosen from an initial pool of over 200 applicants, six single people each seeking long-term love will be matched by a panel of experts from the fields of psychology, psychotherapy, theology and social/evolutionary anthropology before entering into a legally-binding marriage. 24 Cameras will follow the couples for the first six weeks of their relationship as they each share their daily lives with a stranger. 24 At the end of the filming period they will be asked to decide whether they wish to stay together as husband and wife. 20 Married at First Sight is based on a Danish format which has been sold to countries around the world. 4 Advertisement\n\nFollow @RadioTimes"} {"text": " 2 U.S. 31 Congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks during the Tea Party Patriots American Policy Summit at the Phoenix Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, in Phoenix. 41 David Wallace,AP Photo/The Arizona Republic\n\nLibertarian-leaning Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul has formed a so-called \"testing the waters\" fundraising account ahead of a possible 2012 presidential run, Paul aide Jesse Benton confirmed to CBS News. 29 According to Benton, Paul \"is close to making a final decision and it is better than 50-50 that he will enter the race in May.\" 24 A run by Ron Paul would almost surely mean that his son, GOP Sen. Rand Paul, will not seek the presidency. 26 Rand Paul, who shares many political beliefs with Ron Paul, has been considering a run if his father does not seek the nomination. 53 Benton said that Ron Paul has already raised more than $1.2 million through his political action committee \"to help him weigh his political options,\" adding that \"he has the structure in place to hit the ground running if he makes the decision to run next month.\" 13 Benton is the director of Paul's political action committee, LibertyPAC. 25 Money from Paul's testing the waters account could be transferred into a campaign fund if he decides to move forward with a run. 38 The Texas Republican, who attracted a small but passionate level of support in his 2008 presidential run, has made repeated stops in the key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire in recent months. 26 A testing the waters account is not the same as a presidential exploratory committee, which requires candidates to file with the Federal Election Commission. 38 A candidate who is merely \"testing the waters\" cannot publicize an intent to campaign for president, raise excess funds or talk about himself as a candidate - though these lines can be murky. 24 Rick Santorum, who is widely expected to run for president, announced the formation of a testing the waters committee on Wednesday. 22 Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney have filed paperwork for presidential exploratory committees, though they have not officially announced presidential runs."} {"text": " 11 Odds are, someone you know has resting bitch face. 29 Heck, you might even have it, and that\u2019s OK. RBF is nothing to be ashamed of\u2014even scientists are interested in learning more about it. 41 In fact, RBF is the subject of a new study from research firm Noldus Information Technology that attempted to figure out the difference between having zero expression and RBF (because they are so not the same thing). 30 For their study, behavioral scientists Jason Rogers, Ph.D., and Abbe Macbeth, Ph.D., used software that analyzes 10,000 different human faces to ID facial expressions. 69 Using its stored data, the FaceReader, as it\u2019s called, assigns one of eight different human emotions\u2014happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt, and neutral\u2014to a face\n\nBeing the good scientists that they are, Rogers and Macbeth added in images of famous RBF-ers like Kristen Stewart and Kanye West to see what they\u2019d get. 45 Here\u2019s what they discovered: People with resting bitch face were more likely to register for a secondary but lesser emotion\u2014contempt\u2014in addition to neutral, thanks to subtle facial signals like a slight snarl, squinted eyes, and a furrowed brow. 21 However, the FaceReader didn\u2019t pick up so much contempt that it actually IDed the faces as contemptuous. 45 It was really subtle, more along the lines of the expression you\u2019d throw your parents as a pissed-off teenager to let them know you were annoyed, but not in so obvious a way as to get called out on it. 26 Macbeth and Rogers also found that RBF is picked up equally in men and women, making it a gender-neutral expression\u2014despite the totally sexist name. 19 So\u2026RBF is a real, scientific thing and not just something made up for meme\u2019s sake. 20 If you have RBF, you\u2019re part of a legit phenomena\u2014your RBF makes you special\u2014so embrace it. 26 Want actual proof that you\u2019re an RBF-er (or to prove once and for all that you don\u2019t have RBF)? 14 Macbeth and Rogers are encouraging people to submit their \u201cneutral\u201d photos. 24 Just email Jason (at) noldus (dot) com with your pic, and let us know what the verdict is! 7 All animations created and/or downloaded via giphy.com"} {"text": " 23 One of the most spectacular visual treats that divers can encounter in Cayman, or anywhere in the world, is back. 35 For only a few weeks each year, schools of tiny silversides form massive pulsating clouds in the caves, tunnels and swim-throughs around Devil\u2019s Grotto and Eden Rock in George Town. 27 The spectacle makes the shore dives off the Eden Rock and Don Foster\u2019s dive shops in George Town especially popular whenever the silversides return. 30 Large schools of silversides are often also visible at offshore dive sites like Big Tunnels and can be encountered during wreck dives at the Oro Verde and the Kittiwake. 19 Huge groups of the fish were alternating between Devil\u2019s Grotto and Eden Rock in recent days. 12 The display is a draw for divers and especially underwater photographers. 39 Rays of sun piercing through small cracks in the caves\u2019 rock ceilings and the movements of the silversides make for a perfect combination to capture the reflection of sunlight off the silver scales of the tiny fish. 18 Silversides are only a few inches long, narrow-shaped with two dorsal fins and a silvery sheen. 21 They are found at depths from 10 feet to 100 feet and feed on plankton and other small marine animals. 17 Silversides is a generic term for about 10 species of small, silver-colored, fork-tailed fish. 15 They typically form large schools and fill caves and other enclosed areas like wrecks. 24 Silversides are common in the Caribbean, where they are a major food source for reef predators like tarpon, jacks and groupers. 45 At Devil\u2019s Grotto and Eden Rock, tarpon will often dart through the silversides, causing a constant ebb and flow as the tiny fish move as one unit, creating small openings and shifting directions to confuse and evade the predators. 16 Diving directly through a school of silversides can easily emulate what a tarpon must feel. 32 A diver might experience a brief loss of orientation as groups of fish part close to the diver\u2019s mask only to reveal hundreds and thousands of shiny silver specks."} {"text": " 15 This article will appear in the Winter 2016 issue of The American Prospect magazine. 3 Subscribe here. 48 \u201cThis is a distress call from a ship of 3.5 million American citizens that have been lost at sea,\u201d Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garc\u00eda Padilla said on December 1, begging the Senate Judiciary Committee to help protect his homeland from an unspooling disaster. 37 After issuing bonds for over a decade on everything not nailed down, Puerto Rico now carries $73 billion in debt, a sum that Garc\u00eda Padilla had termed \u201cnot payable\u201d in June. 24 Successive governments have enacted punishing austerity measures to service the debt, despite a stubbornly depressed economy and poverty rates near 50 percent. 41 Now, after defaulting on smaller loans, it\u2019s likely that much of the $957 million due January 1 will go unpaid, bringing more chaos and suffering at the hands of Puerto Rico\u2019s creditors. 36 In many ways, the Puerto Rico situation is sui generis, resulting from a patchwork of laws and obligations on an entity that is not really a country and not really a U.S. state. 34 But looked at another way, Puerto Rico is just the latest battlefield for a phalanx of hedge funds called \u201cvultures,\u201d which pick at the withered sinews of troubled governments. 45 In Greece, Argentina, Detroit, and now Puerto Rico, vultures have bought distressed debt on the cheap, and then used coercion, threats, and legal action to secure a massive windfall, compounding the effects on millions of citizens. 36 The legal wrangling masks an irony: As creditors demand that Puerto Rico pay back everything it owes, hedge fund managers have used the island as a tax haven to avoid their own responsibilities. 27 Wealthy investors don\u2019t just want to make money in Puerto Rico; they want to use their leverage to effectively buy an island playground. 19 PUERTO RICO HAS LABORED under colonial rule since Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493 and claimed it for Spain. 26 After the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States acquired Puerto Rico in the Treaty of Paris, and ruled it as a territory. 23 Since then, Puerto Ricans are considered natural-born citizens, but must abide by U.S. laws without a voting member in Congress. 22 For decades, the island was a jewel of the Caribbean, with the highest per capita income in Latin America. 48 But in his December 1 testimony, Garc\u00eda Padilla pinpointed the beginning of Puerto Rico\u2019s troubles: 1996, when a Republican Congress and the Clinton administration agreed to a ten-year phase-out of Section 936, a tax exemption for U.S. manufacturing on the island. 23 Clinton supported it as a deficit reduction measure, promising it would save the federal Treasury $10.5 billion over ten years. 20 But Congress did not replace Section 936 with an economic development plan for Puerto Rico to offset the impact. 31 Nelson Torres-R\u00edos, an attorney and professor at the City University of New York\u2019s Hostos Community College, believes that letting Section 936 go was a political gambit. 24 Puerto Rico\u2019s political parties are aligned with options for future status, with pro-commonwealth and pro-statehood parties being the dominant factions. 30 In the 1990s, the pro-statehood party then in power thought shedding Section 936 would eliminate the economic viability of the commonwealth arrangement and increase support for their position. 12 \u201cIn actuality, the opposite happened,\u201d says Torres-R\u00edos. 17 Washington had no interest in taking on a 51st state, especially one in economic crisis. 33 In an era of massive offshoring to destinations with even cheaper labor, Section 936's expiration led to recession, as manufacturers fled Puerto Rico, leaving few job-creating industries behind. 26 According to World Bank data, after Section 936 was established in 1976, Puerto Rico enjoyed 28 out of 29 years of economic growth. 31 Since 2005, as the tax credit faded away, the island has experienced negative growth eight out of ten years, with its gross national product falling 10 percent. 38 The recession, combined with the broader economic downturn (Puerto Rico, like warm-weather U.S. states, experienced a housing bubble and collapse), exposed structural problems derived from the island\u2019s unique status. 24 Though Puerto Ricans pay the same payroll taxes as mainland workers, the island receives sharply lower reimbursement rates for Medicare and Medicaid. 12 Its poorest citizens are ineligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. 27 A monopolized power company derives nearly all its electricity from diesel fuel, despite trade winds and sun being the most plentiful resources on the island. 37 With few exploitable natural resources, Puerto Rico has to import oil (giving it some of the highest electricity rates in the United States and loads of unpaid bills) and most of its goods. 20 And a 1920 law called the Jones Act restricts cargo carriage between two U.S. ports with a foreign-flagged ship. 32 This means that foreign ships carrying U.S.-bound goods must stop at a U.S. port, transfer goods headed to Puerto Rico to a separate U.S. ship, and send them along. 11 These shipping costs result in an exorbitant cost of living. 25 The Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory near Puerto Rico, have an exemption from the Jones Act; Puerto Rico doesn\u2019t. 25 AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo This July 16, 2014, phoro shows an aerial view of the financial district in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 17 As unemployment soared and the economy crashed, Puerto Rico papered over problems by issuing debt. 26 Wall Street asset managers and investors egged them on, because Puerto Rican municipal bonds are free from federal, state, and local taxes. 19 Usually Americans must reside in the state whose bonds they purchase to get \u201ctriple tax-exempt\u201d status. 14 But anyone from Arizona to Maine can buy triple tax-exempt Puerto Rican bonds. 25 Wall Street also covets the bonds because of a 1984 congressional amendment denying Puerto Rico\u2019s municipalities access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. 23 Plus, under the territorial constitution, general obligation debt gets a senior position above virtually all other items in the budget. 23 So investors receive all the upside benefit of tax-free bonds with little downside risk\u2014except, of course, the risk of default. 15 The commonwealth\u2019s government created 18 different vehicles to issue Puerto Rican debt. 44 They linked bonds to nearly every available revenue source, from the Highway and Transportation Authority to the Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority to a government-owned corporation called COFINA, which links bonds to sales-tax receipts. 41 \u201cThey [the government] haven\u2019t come up with any solutions besides issuing more debt for the past 15 years,\u201d says Carla Minet, a reporter with the Center for Investigative Journalism in Puerto Rico. 22 Public debt increased every year since 2000, according to a government report from former World Bank Chief Economist Anne Krueger. 29 Debt levels expanded from $25 billion in 2000 to $73 billion today, totaling more than 100 percent of the island\u2019s gross national product. 12 One-third of all Puerto Rican revenue now goes to debt service. 60 To pay back the debt, Puerto Rico has delayed tax refunds and payments to suppliers, cut back on health care and public transportation services, fired 30,000 public-sector workers, closed 100 schools, increased the sales tax by more than 50 percent, and even forced community credit unions to take IOUs in exchange for cash. 23 The poverty rate on the island is around 45 percent, and only 40 percent of the labor force has a job. 29 Trapped in an economic death spiral, the tax base has eroded, amid massive out-migration to the U.S.: Puerto Rico has lost 300,000 citizens since 2006. 26 \u201cIn Puerto Rico today, the hardest thing to find is a suitcase,\u201d says Eric LeCompte of the faith organization Jubilee USA. 50 \u201cThey can\u2019t keep them on the shelves.\u201d\n\nPUERTO RICO'S CREDITORS initially consisted of traditional municipal bond investors; mutual fund managers like Oppenheimer and Franklin Templeton remain major bondholders (one Franklin Templeton fund is actually called the \u201cOpportunistic Distressed Fund\u201d). 30 But starting in December 2012, credit rating agencies began to downgrade Puerto Rican debt, leading to a fire sale, with many investors heading for the exits. 16 For the last year, Puerto Rico has been locked out of international credit markets. 21 Benchmark bonds currently trade as low as 30 cents on the dollar, with interest rates up to 11 percent. 21 This was when \u201cvulture\u201d hedge funds like Fir Tree Partners and Appaloosa Management and Och-Ziff made their move. 50 \u201cThey started to buy debt on the secondary market at 30, 40, 50 cents on the dollar, and tried to get a complete dollar [repayment] plus interest,\u201d says Manuel Natal, an at-large member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives. 37 \u201cThey see Puerto Rico as an opportunity for huge earnings, just like in Greece.\u201d Poor performance by other recent hedge fund plays makes them even more desperate for a payday from Puerto Rico. 47 Hedge funds also became the sole investors willing to lend to the commonwealth, making up nearly all the participants in the 2014 sale of $3.5 billion in low-rated, 8.7 percent general obligation bonds, the biggest U.S. municipal junk bond sale in history. 26 Hedge funds were prepared to lend even more to Puerto Rico in the summer of 2015, until the governor warned about inability to pay. 19 But vulture funds DoubleLine Capital and Avenue Capital were still buying up discounted debt as recently as November. 17 Jeffrey Gundlach of DoubleLine recently called Puerto Rican debt his \u201cbest idea\u201d for investors. 20 The situation is similar to vulture investors who bought Argentina\u2019s discounted debt and tried to force repayment. 13 Argentina refused, despite a U.S. court order, creating a stalemate. 34 But a newly elected conservative government in Argentina will likely renegotiate a debt deal, giving the vultures their windfall of close to full valuation of debt bought for pennies on the dollar. 34 AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo A private security guard sits in front of a closed down business in the colonial district of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday, August 2, 2015. 13 Unlike Argentina, Puerto Rico has scant opportunity to avoid its creditors. 21 Because of the constitutional guarantee on general obligation bonds, vulture funds could secure a claim on Puerto Rican revenues. 20 The commonwealth must follow orders from the U.S. judiciary, where vulture funds could appeal to recoup their money. 32 Puerto Rico\u2019s municipalities and public corporations cannot access Chapter 9 bankruptcy, and they have no alternative lender available to sovereign nations, like the International Monetary Fund. 10 Talk of a federal bailout elicits laughter in Washington. 33 And an out-of-court settlement would require wide participation from creditors; even if vulture funds control a fraction of the debt, they can hold out for better terms and upend negotiations. 69 Marc Lasry of Avenue Capital recently said about Puerto Rican debt, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to get hurt now.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s nearly impossible to get good information about the magnitude of this scheme; hedge funds don\u2019t have to report their bond purchases to the Securities and Exchange Commission, whether bought directly from the issuer or traded on the secondary market. 31 In August 2014, the Fitch ratings agency claimed hedge funds owned 24 percent of the debt; a June article in Fortune put the number closer to 50 percent. 38 \u201cThis is a $3 trillion industry that operates largely in the shadows,\u201d says Democratic Representative Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez of New York, who has introduced legislation to bring more transparency to hedge fund operations. 30 Even as hedge funds became a fixture on the island, meeting with lawmakers and suggesting policies to free up funds for debt repayment, their names remained secret. 31 \u201cWe started doing interviews with public officials and legislators,\u201d says journalist Carla Minet, whose Center for Investigative Journalism devoted several months to identifying the hedge funds. 68 \u201cThey said, \u2018We have been meeting with them, we had them in our offices.\u2019 But when you ask who they were, they say they couldn\u2019t recall their names.\u201d\n\nMinet and her colleagues discovered that the Puerto Rican government contracted a private company called BondCom to identify debt holders, but the government refused to give up the information. 21 The Center for Investigative Journalism sued the government in July to release the names; the case is under appeal. 41 In the meantime, between press reports, off-the-record conversations, and an inadvertently released document that named all PREPA (the electric power utility) bondholders, the center verified 36 firms with some share of Puerto Rican debt. 22 Since then, additional media reports uncovered eight others involved in Puerto Rico, for a total of 44 known firms. 30 Incredibly, 22 of the center\u2019s 36 named hedge funds had additional holdings in other distressed countries and cities, like Argentina, Greece, and Detroit. 19 Three hedge funds\u2014Aurelius Capital Management, Monarch Alternative Capital, and Canyon Capital\u2014bought debt in all four cases. 16 So lending to Puerto Rico is no accident; it\u2019s an investment strategy. 48 Michael Novogratz, formerly of Fortress Investment Group, active in Puerto Rico, Greece, and Argentina, calls the countries they invest in \u201cso bad, they\u2019re good.\u201d\n\nSeveral informal creditor groups have formed, based on the debt they hold. 23 The Ad Hoc Group of reportedly 34 hedge funds owns about $4.5 billion, mostly in constitutionally guaranteed general obligation bonds. 11 The PREPA Group has holdings in the Electric Power Authority. 14 There are also groups for the Government Development Bank and bondholders in COFINA. 28 Three vulture funds have acquired almost all of the debt of the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, believing that high water costs on the island assure profits. 23 In public, the hedge funds claim that Puerto Rico\u2019s problems are manageable as long as they repay the debt. 28 \u201cIt\u2019s a willingness to pay problem, not an inability to pay problem,\u201d Knighthead Capital Management co-founder Tom Wagner recently told Bloomberg. 18 In fact, Puerto Rico could pay only by destroying what\u2019s left of its economy. 10 Behind the scenes, creditors have prepared for war. 35 They have hired high-powered law firms, like Davis Polk, Quinn Emanuel, Venable, Gibson Dunn, and Robbins Russell, which won the Supreme Court case on Argentina\u2019s debt. 19 This signaled that the vultures would sue to compel repayment, using favorable debt terms to their advantage. 20 The PREPA Group successfully overturned a Puerto Rican law that would have allowed public corporations to restructure their debt. 31 BlueMountain Capital Management, active in the Ad Hoc and PREPA Groups, filed the suit; they hired Ted Olson of Bush v. Gore fame to argue the case. 40 BlueMountain and other firms, including Marathon Asset Management and Angelo, Gordon & Co., have also lobbied to stop Congress from allowing Puerto Rican municipalities to access Chapter 9 bankruptcy to restructure a portion of their debt. 19 Ad Hoc Group leaders include Aurelius Capital Management, one of the largest holders of general obligation bonds. 20 Founder Mark Brodsky has been nicknamed \u201cThe Terminator,\u201d because he just keeps coming after distressed debt. 27 Brodsky was one of the biggest holdouts in Argentina negotiations, and made a side deal with Ukraine that paid back his bonds at 100 percent. 28 With skills honed by working with noted vulture fund manager Paul Singer, Brodsky is known for his unyielding approach, refusing to compromise or even negotiate. 13 The vultures have deep political ties, amplifying their voice in Washington. 11 Most hedge fund managers are major donors to both parties. 25 Former Obama Treasury official Lee Sachs runs an asset management firm funded by BlueMountain; one of their lobbyists is Republican ex-Representative Connie Mack. 10 Obama/Clinton economist Larry Summers used to work for D.E. 12 Shaw, a member of PREPA Group and Ad Hoc Group. 15 Chelsea Clinton worked previously at Avenue Capital, which recently walked away from negotiations. 28 Chris Christie\u2019s wife worked for Angelo, Gordon & Co. Centerbridge Partners owner Mark Gallogly sat on President Obama\u2019s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. 7 Summers, now away from D.E. 76 Shaw, ominously referenced the hidden power of the hedge funds in The Washington Post, arguing that the Puerto Rican case represents \u201can important test of whether Washington is, as some allege, controlled by financial interests.\u201d\n\nAP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo This July 16, 2014, photo, shows an aerial view of people enjoying the pool and beach area of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 21 PUERTO RICO HAS ALREADY defaulted once, missing a $58 million payment on Public Finance Corporation bonds in August. 18 A more consequential $354 million payment on December 1 included constitutionally guaranteed Government Development Bank bonds. 38 Puerto Rico made the payment, but only after an executive order redirected money earmarked for $7 billion in non-guaranteed public corporation bonds, including those for highway, general infrastructure, and the convention center. 13 The January 1 payment will almost certainly not be paid in full. 25 \u201cIn simple terms we have begun to default on our debt,\u201d Garc\u00eda Padilla told the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 1. 10 Several options exist to resolve the Puerto Rican crisis. 26 Clearly, a bankruptcy write-down of unpayable debt\u2014the remedy available to distressed corporations via the more familiar Chapter 11\u2014is the sensible solution for Puerto Rico. 24 That way, the pain would be spread around, bondholders would take some losses, and the island could begin economic recovery. 13 But this is the one solution vulture hedge funds have united against. 47 The White House road map for Puerto Rico identifies multiple congressional actions, including giving municipalities and public corporations Chapter 9 bankruptcy authority, extending the Earned Income Tax Credit to Puerto Rican citizens, equalizing Medicaid and Medicare treatment, and instituting strong fiscal oversight. 13 But while Democrats support the changes, congressional Republicans have been unmoved. 33 They have mostly stressed the need for budget transparency in Puerto Rico as a prerequisite to action, in contrast to the complete lack of transparency on the part of the creditors. 21 \u201cIn Congress, we\u2019re hearing more posturing than solutions,\u201d says Eric LeCompte of Jubilee USA. 25 Despite the White House\u2019s focus on Congress, many believe they could use executive action or Treasury Department intervention to compel negotiations. 124 Senator Elizabeth Warren raised this in an October hearing, relating the situation to the 2008 federal bank bailout: \u201cI urge Treasury to be just as creative in coming up with solutions for Puerto Rico as it was when the big banks called for help.\u201d In a December 9 speech at the Peterson Institute, Antonio Weiss, a counselor to the Treasury Department who is coordinating federal efforts on Puerto Rico, said the administration has convened an interagency council to develop a solution, but that \u201cresolving Puerto Rico\u2019s crisis requires congressional action.\u201d With each branch of government insisting that the other help Puerto Rico, the likely outcome is no help at all. 14 Many activists believe the Federal Reserve could extend emergency financing to Puerto Rico. 15 Mindful of this, hedge funds have strengthened ties with former Federal Reserve officials. 20 Ex-Fed Governors Donald Kohn and Jeremy Stein are advising Alliance Partners and its main investor BlueMountain Capital, respectively. 11 Former chair Alan Greenspan advises hedge fund manager John Paulson. 23 The Advisory Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York includes managers of five funds with bond holdings in Puerto Rico. 29 Puerto Rico did catch a break on December 4, when the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that could allow the commonwealth to restructure some debts. 31 The Puerto Rican government adopted a bankruptcy law for its public corporations in 2014, but bondholders sued, arguing that federal restrictions on Chapter 9 preempted the territorial statute. 13 Lower courts agreed, but the Supreme Court will take the appeal. 28 Conservatives who control the Court must choose between competing ideological imperatives: support for federalism and a weak central government, or support for creditors over debtors. 23 Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from the case, because he owns tax-free municipal bond funds from Puerto Rico creditor Franklin Templeton. 19 Without a federal response, the only option is direct voluntary negotiations between Puerto Rico and its creditors. 25 While the Supreme Court threat of debt restructuring could push bondholders to the bargaining table, so far talks have been scattered and unproductive. 41 After a year of negotiations, PREPA announced a debt exchange on $5.7 billion in bonds in November, with creditors taking a 15 percent \u201chaircut\u201d (capital loss) in the largest municipal bond restructuring ever. 28 But this has not been consummated because bond insurers are still deciding whether to insure the new bonds, allowing them to achieve the required investment-grade rating. 31 A similar debt exchange offer to consolidate general obligation, COFINA, and Government Development Bank debt into a new \u201csuperbond\u201d yielded some positive responses from hedge funds. 21 But COFINA bondholders, secured by sales-tax revenues, warned that any deal involving their funds would violate creditor rights. 8 The difficult discussions reflect divergent creditor incentives. 46 Mutual funds like Franklin Templeton and Oppenheimer, which together own $10.8 billion in Puerto Rican debt, bought the bonds at 100 percent and want to limit any losses, whereas vulture funds with discounted debt have more wiggle room to extract profits. 39 Bond insurers like Assured Guaranty, National Public Finance, and Ambac cannot afford payouts on a broad-based default; when Governor Garc\u00eda Padilla called the debt \u201cnot payable\u201d in June, bond-insurer stocks sunk. 7 And hedge funds have different strategies. 22 Some want to force a haircut on less-senior public corporation debt, to free up money to pay general obligation bonds. 26 Others with larger holdings in public corporations fight any changes, even attempting to secure side deals as a condition for allowing restructuring to advance. 8 \u201cEveryone\u2019s out for themselves. 25 \u2026 They don\u2019t really care who they take advantage of as long as they make a profit,\u201d says Eric LeCompte. 20 This, of course, is why bankruptcy was invented, to reconcile divergent interests in a general settlement. 36 APPhoto/Ricardo Figueroa A large banner draped over a building reads \"This is your Bank\" in the Hato Rey banking district in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Friday, April 6, 2000. 21 The hedge funds\u2019 main plan for a resolution appears to be sticking it to the island\u2019s citizens. 26 In July, they hired former IMF official Claudio Loser to write a paper suggesting that Puerto Rico can fix the debt crisis without defaulting. 34 The recommendations in the paper included firing teachers, increasing regressive sales taxes, rolling back labor laws like overtime and vacation benefits, slashing the minimum wage, and privatizing public assets. 23 Loser threatened lawsuits and \u201ca long period of uncertainty\u201d for Puerto Rico if they tried to avoid paying their debts. 14 Future access to financing for the island may depend on crushing austerity today. 17 IN AN OCTOBER HEARING, Senator Bernie Sanders addressed a more obscure option for Puerto Rico. 42 \u201cI\u2019ve heard that some of the debt was incurred in an unconstitutional way,\u201d Sanders noted, echoing a sentiment for nullifying some debt that has been proposed by academics and a handful of Puerto Rican lawmakers. 13 This may sound far-fetched, but it rests on solid constitutional ground. 19 Puerto Rico has two constraints on how it can spend: a balanced-budget amendment and a debt limit. 15 Debt payments must not exceed 15 percent of internal revenues in a given year. 13 In 2016, the government projects that number to reach 42 percent. 17 This resulted from off-budget public corporations that issue bonds indirectly, paid for with government revenue. 38 For example, in 2006, to resolve a budget crisis between the pro-commonwealth and pro-statehood parties, the government created COFINA, and used it to issue debt against the island\u2019s new sales tax. 46 The government gave itself away by calling the COFINA bonds \u201cextra-constitutional debt.\u201d\n\nAn 1885 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Litchfield v. Ballou found that bonds created in violation of a municipal debt limit were unenforceable, and did not have to be repaid. 25 Adherents of this theory aren\u2019t merely depending on century-old jurisprudence; Litchfield v. Ballou was actually trotted out recently, in Detroit. 24 Creditors ended up losing $1.2 billion in an out-of-court settlement on debt similarly issued to skirt that city\u2019s debt limit. 18 At the least, raising the nullification issue could give Puerto Rico more leverage with the creditors. 19 \u201cI would urge the Puerto Rican government to examine this issue,\u201d says U.S. Representative Vel\u00e1zquez. 31 Puerto Rico Representative Manuel Natal has been pushing the government to use the unconstitutionality argument to nullify at least the $15.2 billion in COFINA debt, if not more. 18 \u201cWe believe 72 to 75 percent of the outstanding debt is unconstitutional,\u201d Natal says. 41 But while Garc\u00eda Padilla agreed with Sanders in Senate testimony that unconstitutional debt should not be repaid, a November 6 government financial report said they have no reason to believe there was any violation, barring an investigative audit. 25 Natal actually passed a bill through the Puerto Rican legislature in July, signed into law by the governor, authorizing a full audit. 25 Since then, Garc\u00eda Padilla has only installed one of nine audit committee members, despite being required to name them within ten days. 9 Natal attributes the delay to Wall Street pressure. 29 \u201cYou can see them in the halls of the Capitol building; you can see them in the meetings with the executive branch,\u201d Natal says. 34 \u201cTheir presence is everywhere.\u201d\n\nAttorney Nelson Torres-R\u00edos was invited to a panel discussion on the island\u2019s finances at a meeting of the Puerto Rican diaspora in Orlando in October. 9 He was told not to talk about constitutionality. 40 \u201cA lot of people are afraid to go down that route; people [in the government] may have been involved in the creation of COFINA, there would be a few arrests,\u201d Torres-R\u00edos says. 19 He decided to bring up constitutionality on the panel anyway; observers claim that his microphone was cut. 38 But one panelist, Judge Steven Rhodes, who oversaw the Detroit bankruptcy and now advises the Puerto Rican government, responded that debt nullification was a reasonable strategy that improved the terms of settlement in Detroit. 11 Despite this, the government refuses to address the issue. 16 \u201cThere\u2019s blame to go all over the place,\u201d Torres-R\u00edos concludes. 31 WHILE HEDGE FUNDS COAX, threaten, and demand Puerto Rico meet its obligations, they\u2019ve figured out how to use the island to shirk their personal obligations. 23 Puerto Rico\u2019s idea of economic development in recent years has been to bribe the wealthy to come to the island. 34 Acts 20 and 22, passed in 2012, tax corporate profits on hedge funds at just 4 percent, and grant personal tax exemptions on dividends, interest, and capital gains. 34 Because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, Americans seeking the benefits don\u2019t have to renounce their citizenship; they just have to spend over half their time on the island. 33 AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo, File In this July 29, 2015 file photo, the U.S. flag flies in front of Puerto Rico\u2019s Capitol in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 82 More than 200 traders have already moved to Puerto Rico, and the biggest evangelist for this scheme is hedge fund manager John Paulson, who has called the island \u201cthe Singapore of the Caribbean.\u201d Paulson\u2019s investments in Puerto Rico include Banco Popular, the island\u2019s largest bank, and more than $1 billion in beachfront resort property, including the Condado Vanderbilt, the La Concha Renaissance, and the St. Regis Bahia. 17 Paulson & Co. has expressed interest in constructing additional resorts on what are currently parking lots. 9 Other funds have followed Paulson\u2019s lead. 25 Stone Lion Capital, which raised $500 million to invest in Puerto Rico, has considered opening an office in the tax haven. 10 Fortress Investment Group already has an investment company there. 45 Knighthead Capital\u2019s Tom Wagner told Bloomberg, \u201cPuerto Rico is really an amazing untapped resource that should be attracting a lot of capital.\u201d Real-estate agents claim there are not enough high-end properties to satisfy demand from the new millionaire invasion. 10 Financial interests are also trying to purchase the government. 32 \u201cThey\u2019re contributing to political campaigns of people that don\u2019t believe in Chapter 9, don\u2019t believe in restructuring the debt,\u201d says Natal. 27 \u201cThat\u2019s the last piece of the puzzle.\u201d\n\nAs the hedge funds move in, Puerto Rico\u2019s citizens have moved out. 27 \u201cMore people have left Puerto Rico over the last two years than all of the 1980s and 1990s,\u201d says LeCompte of Jubilee USA. 12 Austerity measures hurt the poor much more than the nouveaux riches. 25 And this suffering creates a vicious cycle: Puerto Rican out-migration erodes the tax base and causes a severe talent drain, increasing desperation. 14 \u201cA doctor a day has left the island,\u201d says Torres-R\u00edos. 39 \u201cI was at an emergency room, someone said \u2018I\u2019ve been waiting 13 hours.\u2019 There\u2019s no staff to handle it.\u201d\n\nWashington calls the situation in Puerto Rico a humanitarian crisis. 22 But the crisis has been roiling for close to two decades, a function of the island\u2019s colonial status. 20 Without some change in the dynamic, political power will shift even further from citizens to hedge fund expats. 32 \u201cBringing in millionaires from the U.S. that create three jobs and get all these benefits is not going to work,\u201d says Minet of the Center for Investigative Journalism. 18 Even if Congress won\u2019t fix Puerto Rico now, they might change their opinion later. 29 Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, eligible to vote as soon as they arrive in America, and 850,000 have already settled in the swing state of Florida. 16 Outrage at the abandonment of their homeland is sure to reverberate at the ballot box. 31 As one labor leader told Democracy Now!\u2019s Juan Gonzalez: \u201cWe\u2019re planning to register 200,000 more Florida Puerto Ricans in the next six months. 11 Then we\u2019ll see if they ignore us.\u201d"} {"text": " 29 While Donald Lee\u2019s Chinese restaurant could have been described as a \u201chole-in-the-wall,\u201d he certainly didn\u2019t appreciate having one in his kitchen. 44 Caused by fire crews trying to rescue a man who got wedged between his building and the one next door, the 77-year-old retired restaurateur is finally getting the gaping hole fixed \u2014 and the city\u2019s going to pay for it. 46 After the Toronto Sun ran a story on Sept. 8 that documented how the city\u2019s insurance company, ClaimsPro, refused to pay for the damage \u2014 which Lee estimated was about $12,000 \u2014 the decision to deny his claim was reversed. 18 The Sun\u2019s story prompted city officials to request ClaimsPro to review Lee\u2019s claim. 33 \u201cI\u2019m very happy,\u201d said Lee, who lives in the building at 123 Sherbourne St. with his wife, said Wednesday in Toisan, a Chinese dialect. 38 On July 11, Toronto fire crews pulled off a dramatic three-hour rescue after a man allegedly fell from the roof of Lee\u2019s building and wound up stuck in the 20-centimetre crevice between the buildings. 17 In order to reach the man, firefighters needed to bust through Lee\u2019s wall. 43 A letter dated Aug. 14 from ClaimsPro stated \u201cthere is no liability on the part of the fire department and/or the city of Toronto for this situation, that entirely rests with the person who was stuck in between your residence. 43 Please take the necessary steps to proceed with repairing the damaged area as if there is no recourse for reimbursement.\u201d\n\nLee said he signed a confidential agreement with the city, so he can\u2019t reveal details of the settlement. 25 But he expressed relief now that he can remove the sheets of styrofoam, plastic bags and bricks used to temporarily fill the hole. 6 \u201cThis is much better. 15 We were surprised they agreed to pay to fix it,\u201d he said. 24 City spokesman Jackie DeSouza confirmed that ClaimsPro met with Lee last week to discuss a settlement of his claim and he accepted it. 3 \u201cMr. 29 Lee will receive a cheque within the next couple of weeks to cover the costs of repairing the damaged wall,\u201d she said in an e-mailed statement. 48 \u201cThe city considers the matter resolved.\u201d\n\nLee, who receives a $900 monthly pension cheque, said he couldn\u2019t afford to pay for the damage \u2014 nor would he even if he had the cash as the hole was not his fault. 11 His fire insurance policy didn\u2019t cover the damage. 3 jyuen@postmedia.com"} {"text": " 23 HSBC Monday unveiled a raft of new commitments to fight climate change and cut the climate-related risks in its own business model. 40 The U.K.-based bank, whose operations are increasingly concentrated in Asia, said it will make up to $100 billion available for financing low-carbon projects, while stopping the financing of mines that produce coal for power generation. 15 It also promised to get all of its power from renewable sources by 2030. 30 It\u2019s the latest attempt by the world\u2019s biggest banks to respond both to the phenomenon itself and to investors\u2019 concerns about the associated risks. 20 JPMorgan Chase made a similar commitment in July, promising $200 billion of finance for clean energy projects. 48 Read: U.S. Companies Are Leading the Way in Setting Climate Change Policies Despite Trump\n\nHSBC also said it will adopt the recommendations made by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, which was set up by Michael Bloomberg and Bank of Englan Governor Mark Carney. 57 Daniel Klier, HSBC\u2019s head of strategy, told the FT that HSBC would \u201cdisclose [its] carbon footprint and stress test [its] lending book against carbon pricing.\u201d\n\nNevertheless, HSBC hasn\u2019t gone as far as some other banks who have adopted a worldwide ban on coal. 22 It will continue to finance new coal-fired power stations in developing countries (which is where all the demand is). 24 Since virtually no developed country is building coal-fired plants any more, the promise not to finance such projects is no great sacrifice. 46 According to the NGO EndCoal, the U.S. and EU together have brought next to no new coal-fired capacity came online since 2015, And the EU, North America and Australasia account for only 2% of all the coal-fired plants currently being planned. 28 HSBC didn\u2019t immediately respond to a Fortune question asking how much it has in loans outstanding to existing and planned coal-fired stations and coal mines. 40 Read: The World\u2019s Largest Chocolate Maker Is Committing $1 Billion to Fight Climate Change\n\nA third tenet of Monday\u2019s announcement was a pledge to source all HSBC electricity from renewable sources by 2030. 37 The FT reports that the bank currently gets only 24 percent of its electricity from renewable sources today, and would increase this number by directly investing in green power projects or through power purchase agreements."} {"text": " 33 Loach's Casting Corner\n\nFor those of you who don't know me here is a brief intro:\n\nI'm a 22 year old Uni student living in Canberra, Australia. 37 I'm a master league Zerg player and an active member of the sc2sea.com community (recently became a part of the news team on the site (= )\n\nWhat is Loach's Casting Corner? 43 Loach's Casting Corner (LCC) is going to be a show in which I am hosting on my stream (see link at end) every second week which will be an interactive hour or 2 of casting sc2 games! 5 How will LCC work? 34 I'll start with a series (BO3 or something) of games that I have pre-selected and will cast, probably from a recent tournament or some amazing games from a showmatch. 57 After these games are cast is when the audience interaction begins - I will ask the stream chat to send me a link to a replay download and I will then cast the game (naturally I will put restrictions on casting the same match-ups over and over again, as well as game length). 27 In addition to this, to keep humor at an acceptable level, I will ask the stream chat for a restriction whilst casting (e.g. 45 : Cast like Kermit the Frog for the next 3 mins), much like Day[9] did during one of his Funday Monday's (sorry I couldn't find the exact one )= )\n\nWhy are you doing LCC? 16 The main motivation behind LCC is to improve my casting and stamina for longer tournaments. 38 However, I would also love to give exposure to players who might not normally have their games casted and the SEA region in general could always use more exposure (=\n\nWhy should I watch LCC? 13 I have a knife and I'm not afraid to use it! 43 Seriously...\n\nLCC is an opportunity for people to get their game casted; they also get to see it viewed from a different perspective, which at times is extremely helpful for players with tunnel vision (a common problem). 14 Fun times and fun learning for all involved (=\n\nThis sounds GREAT! 6 Give us the deets!! 3 ...... ok.... 22 Stream:\n\nE-Mail:\n\nTwitter: @loachsc2\n\nYouTube:\n\nEvery fortnight on Thursday nights, starting at 8pm my time! 38 Starting NEXT THURSDAY (2nd August)\n\nPlease don't hesitate to ask any questions, follow my pages, send me an email with concerns or replays you want on the show or any other requests! 20 Thanks for reading and hope to see you all next week for the 1st edition of LCC!!! 46 Quick Comments deL: use your imagination to pretend this gives you +1 rep Hey all,For those of you who don't know me here is a brief intro:I'm a 22 year old Uni student living in Canberra, Australia. 107 I'm a master league Zerg player and an active member of the sc2sea.com community (recently became a part of the news team on the site (= )Loach's Casting Corner (LCC) is going to be a show in which I am hosting on my stream (see link at end) every second week which will be an interactive hour or 2 of casting sc2 games!I'll start with a series (BO3 or something) of games that I have pre-selected and will cast, probably from a recent tournament or some amazing games from a showmatch. 83 After these games are cast is when the audience interaction begins - I will ask the stream chat to send me a link to a replay download and I will then cast the game (naturally I will put restrictions on casting the same match-ups over and over again, as well as game length).In addition to this, to keep humor at an acceptable level, I will ask the stream chat for a restriction whilst casting (e.g. 55 : Cast like Kermit the Frog for the next 3 mins), much like Day[9] did during one of his Funday Monday's (sorry I couldn't find the exact one )= )The main motivation behind LCC is to improve my casting and stamina for longer tournaments. 87 However, I would also love to give exposure to players who might not normally have their games casted and the SEA region in general could always use more exposure (=I have a knife and I'm not afraid to use it!Seriously...LCC is an opportunity for people to get their game casted; they also get to see it viewed from a different perspective, which at times is extremely helpful for players with tunnel vision (a common problem). 11 Fun times and fun learning for all involved (=...... 28 ok....Stream: www.twitch.tv/loachsc2 E-Mail: loachsc2@gmail.com Twitter: @loachsc2YouTube: www.youtube.com/loachsc2 Every fortnight on Thursday nights, starting at 8pm my time! 58 Starting NEXT THURSDAY (2nd August)Please don't hesitate to ask any questions, follow my pages, send me an email with concerns or replays you want on the show or any other requests!Thanks for reading and hope to see you all next week for the 1st edition of LCC!!! 101 \"There's a reason everybody shortened it to TOSS and not PRO...\"\n\n/\n\ntwitch.tv/loachsc2\n\nyoutube.com/loachsc2\n\n\"Surfing reddit reminds me of going to the zoo.. u see some cool stuff that u dont normally see... but its mostly just monkeys throwing poo at each other\" ___________________________________\"There's a reason everybody shortened it to TOSS and not PRO...\"twitch.tv/loachsc2youtube.com/loachsc2\"Surfing reddit reminds me of going to the zoo.. u see some cool stuff that u dont normally see... but its mostly just monkeys throwing poo at each other\""} {"text": " 29 Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian woman who fired on a police base in southern Israel, officials say, in the second fatal clash within hours. 15 No Israelis were reported hurt in the incident, near the town of Beersheba. 26 The woman's death came hours after two Palestinian militants were shot and killed by Israeli troops as they approached Gaza's border with Israel. 19 Palestinian emergency service workers said they had recovered two bodies from the scene and taken them to hospital. 21 One of the militants was reportedly a member of Islamic Jihad while the other belonged to a renegade militant group. 35 Both Israel and the main Palestinian militant group in Gaza, Hamas, declared unilateral truces following Israel's three-week Gaza offensive on 17 January that killed more than 1,100 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. 21 That invasion, Israel said, was meant to stop rocket attacks from the coastal enclave on nearby Israeli communities. 22 But dozens of rocket strikes and other attacks from Gaza have been reported since then, apparently involving smaller militant groups. 7 Israel has responded with air strikes."} {"text": " 16 I\u2019ve just finished a Flash adaptation of my Time Management for Anarchists seminar. 56 I started doing the talk a year and a half ago at Canzine and have done it a half-dozen times since, mostly at infoshops and political bookstores (Austin, Montreal, Berkeley, Vancouver) and also at a couple of events (New Orleans Book Fair, the Vegetarian Food Fair). 41 It\u2019s based on the paradoxical notion that anarchists have to be more organized than average if they don\u2019t want to depend on power structures, and presents some ideas on how to kick the boss habit. 17 To see the eight-minute presentation\u2013complete with cartoon sounds, fake graphs and historic guest stars\u2013click on. 13 Feel free to add your tips and opinions to the comments afterwards. 6 Click here for the presentation. 35 It has a Creative Commons licence, so if you want to expand it somehow or simply improve on my extremely rudimentary Flash, feel free to grab the .fla file and remix away. 16 Let me know afterwards and I\u2019ll be happy to link to your version."}