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Ever since Alex Chamberlain posted this great article at Fangraphs looking at how Cuban players have performed in the MLB, I was interested to see how the same process might apply for Japanese players. Examining transitions from Cuba to the USA by comparing a batter's last season in Cuba to their first season in the USA makes it easy to see how a player like Yasmany Tomas might struggle at first. His strikeout rate (K%) in Cuba was way above average and his walk rate (BB%) was well below average. Both statistics are likely to be exaggerated further in the MLB. In his article, Chamberlain contemplates the risk associated with the Cuban market and how the sudden boom in productivity will lead teams to overspend to acquire talent from the island. Japan may represent a similar profile. Unfortunately, rumors of more Japanese players making the journey to play in the MLB this year fizzled out after some speculation. In 2014, we saw pitching ace Masahiro Tanaka sign with the Yankees, but position players making the move have been more scarce. Norichika Aoki and Munenori Kawasaki were the last batters from the NPB to come over to the United States. They came over in 2012. There are obvious reasons for the lack of player transition. The Nippon Professional Baseball posting system is an arduous process for teams to go through, and understandably so. The NPB does not want to lose their baseball talent to the MLB before their own teams can have a run at a championship with their star players. So international dealing is very restricted. The restrictions work the other way as well. NPB teams cannot have more than four foreign-born players on their 25-man rosters. In addition to all of this, eligibility for international free agency requires nine seasons of service time in the NPB. This means that players cannot openly sign with an MLB team without undergoing the posting system unless they have met the required service time. After nine seasons, much of the talent has degraded. Despite all of the obstacles, twelve batters have bridged the leagues and been given at least 100 plate appearances in the MLB. Using those twelve players, I attempted to form a conclusion on the NPB to MLB transition. This chart, ordered by the change in K-BB% across leagues, contains the plate discipline data for the players in their last season in the NPB, first season in the MLB, and the change (MLB K-BB% - NPB K-BB%). Interestingly, the average strikeout rate doesn't change much at all. The change data vary widely, with a range of -5.63% to 4.04%, but it is not clear that there is a change in one specific direction. Different batters take to the MLB differently and the data have yet to (and perhaps never will) point to a drastic uptick like one might expect. Walks are a different story. On average, Japanese batters walked 2.9% less in their first season in the MLB, which is significant enough to have a profound impact on a batter's performance. Backing these data up is the fact that NPB batters walk more often than do batters in the MLB. In the US, pitchers had a 2.9 BB/9, but in Japan, pitchers had a 3.2 BB/9 in 2014. When these players were exposed to MLB pitchers their walk rates decreased accordingly. Nippon Professional Baseball is slightly more offensively skewed than the MLB, and so batting statistics have to be slightly downgraded when comparing the two leagues. On that note, many of Japan's teams are trying to boost their offensive performance. Home runs fill stadium seats and baseball plays a large role in the Japanese economy. For example, Jim Allen explains that the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are moving in their fences for the 2015 season in order to have more home runs during their home games. The chart below (sorted by change in isolated power [ISO]) compares the same sample of batters on measures of BABIP, HR%, and ISO for the seasons on either side of the transition. HR% is a measure of how many batted balls became home runs, excluding all forms of sacrifice hits. More trends become clear from this chart. On average, BABIP drops, HR rate drops, and ISO drops. It's hard to estimate why BABIP might drop from one league to another but I would guess that it is a result of the quality of defense. If you were to judge the two leagues by fielding%, you would come to the conclusion that they are about equal but fielding is so much more than simply errors and putouts. Range, arm strength, ball transfer, and ball tracking all play into defensive value. Deeper analysis of MLB-level defense awaits higher quality tracking software, but for now, I'd mark the drop in all three categories down to better fielding and perhaps weaker contact. All this being said, the observed drop in performance makes sense given that the NPB is referred to as a AAA-level league in comparison to the MLB. In the next part of the two part series, I'm going to use these findings to project what a couple of NPB players might produce in the MLB. I will be using Kazuto Yamazaki's NPB Prospect Rankings to determine which five batters will get tested. Stay tuned. (This is part one of a two part series. Check out part two here.) . . . All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference. Justin Perline is a writer for Beyond the Box Score and The Wild Pitch. You can follow him on Twitter at @jperline.
At least nine of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees will sit before Senate panels for confirmation this week. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Give credit where it's due: President-elect Donald Trump is changing the way Washington works – though not perhaps in the way most people understand that phrase. Typically that phrasing conveys the idea of toughening ethics standards in order to combat corruption and self-dealing. But in Trump's D.C. it's the near-opposite, with the emphasis on circumventing rather than bolstering such practices. How else to explain the extraordinary rush to speed through Trump's cabinet of billionaires before basic due diligence on them has been completed? The Senate is scheduled to hold a spate of hearings this week – including five on Wednesday – but the Office of Government Ethics, which conducts the background checks on nominees and handles their disclosure paperwork, hasn't finished its investigations on most of them. Walter Shaub, the director of the Office of Government Ethics, or OGE, sent a letter to a pair of Democratic senators Friday in response to their inquiries about the process. He was candid in a way one does not expect from a Washington bureaucrat: The announced hearing schedule for several nominees who have not completed the ethics review process is of great concern to me. This schedule has created undue pressure on OGE's staff and agency ethics officials to rush through these important reviews. More significantly, it has left some of the nominees with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues shortly before their scheduled hearings. I am not aware of any occasion in the four decades since OGE was established when the Senate held a confirmation hearing before the nomination had completed the ethics review process. Shaub argues that the Ethics in Government Act (which is to say the law) requires that his agency certify nominees' financial disclosure reports before hearings are held; but, he added, "OGE has not received even initial draft financial disclosure reports for some of the nominees scheduled for hearings." Cartoons on Trump Transition View All 44 Images This isn't a simple matter of paper-pushers and arbitrary deadlines. The agency doesn't just take a nominee's form and make sure the Ts are all crossed. Even under ordinary circumstances, as Shaub noted, the "financial disclosure process is complex" and "involves assisting the nominees to make complete and accurate disclosure of complex financial holdings and arrangements, identifying conflicts of interest uncovered through reviews of nominees' disclosures and developing comprehensive written ethics agreements that resolve all identified conflicts of interest." He adds that ordinarily his office vets candidates before they're even nominated – a practice with which Team Trump couldn't be bothered. This is a basic bulwark, in other words, against conflicts of interest. But no more, apparently. I get that Senate Republicans want to move Trump's nominees through expeditiously so he can have his team in place on day one. That's a laudable goal – but one which requires those same team members to do their part and, you know, actually fill out the damned forms. It doesn't seem especially onerous to hold nominees and the Senate majority to a standard which includes the stipulation that "the Office of Government Ethics letter is complete and submitted to the committee in time for review and prior to a committee hearing." One would think that would be common sense to the point where it needn't even be said; nevertheless Republican leader Mitch McConnell listed it as one of eight "best practices" whose "fair and consistent application" he and his GOP colleagues would "insist" upon. But hey, that was 2009 and Democrats ran the show. That's the same Mitch McConnell who's now scheduling hearings without the ethics office certifications. Last decade's "best practices" are today's lost practices, apparently. (Schumer, in a masterful bit of trolling, tweeted Monday that he was sending McConnell's letter back to him with only names and dates changed.) And there's a reason why then-McConnell described these things as best practices: Confirmation hearings are not simply shows but actually serve a substantive purpose – they're the fora in which senators do their constitutional advice-and-consent work and where the public learns about the incoming government. And the fact that due diligence investigations are incomplete puts the GOP's insistence on holding a hearing-palooza Wednesday into a different context. The schedule was deliberately set up to minimize the news which could come from any one hearing by flooding the proverbial zone. (In addition to the hearings, there will be Obamacare repeal votes and Trump is supposed to have his first post-election press conference.) But the revelation that Senate Republicans don't care about basic ethics rules moves the hearing-fest from polarized gamesmanship to derogation of constitutional duty. And it raises the question of what McConnell and his colleagues think the nominees have to hide. Trevor Potter, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission who has worked for GOP presidential candidates and Cabinet nominees, told The Washington Post that the push to hold hearings before the background checks are done is "unprecedented." He added: "This suggests that there has been a real breakdown between the transition and the Office of Government Ethics." A breakdown is right. In November, Shaub was emailing Trump aides that "we seem to have lost contact with the Trump-Pence transition since the election." We know this thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request from MSNBC and the Madison Project. Shaub warned that nominees who don't get the standard help from his office might without even knowing it violate conflict-of-interest laws. "If we don't get involved early to prevent problems," he wrote, "we won't be able to help them after the fact." 2016: The Year in Cartoons View All 104 Images Of course, none of this should come as any surprise. Trump refused to release his tax returns during the campaign, breaking with decades of tradition. And since being elected he's given every indication that he has no interest in meaningfully divesting himself of his business while in office, perhaps because he confuses the fact that conflict-of-interest laws don't apply to the president with the idea that presidents cannot have conflicts of interest. Now he seems poised to test federal anti-nepotism laws by appointing his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who brings his own set of conflict-of-interest problems, to a White House staff role. (Trump is reportedly contemplating hiring his daughter Ivanka as well.) And if the top man is above ethics standards, why should they apply to anyone else? Most charitably, the animating impulse of Trump's Washington, as Jonathan Chait has pointed out, seems best summed up by conservative economist Lawrence Kudlow's breezy assertion that, "Wealthy folks have no need to steal or engage in corruption." This may technically be true – they may not need to, but real life tells us they do anyway; and the chances of our becoming reacquainted with that lesson are only increased by the Senate's rush to confirm. House Republicans, who were poised to loosen their own ethical strictures last week before public outcry shamed them into backing off, must be watching the Trump transition with jealous wonder. And the episode bodes poorly for anyone who hoped that a Congress anxious to reassert itself might serve as some sort of check on Trump. I never had high hopes in that regard and no one expects the GOP Congress to start picking fights, but to see them bending over backward to accommodate President Second-place is dismaying if not surprising. As Brian Beutler points at at The New Republic, the Senate's Cabinet jam tactics "carry real downside risks for Republicans, who will likely end up rubber-stamping cabinet officials who turn out to be corrupt or incompetent or both, and ultimately damage the administration and the party." Finally, of course, this all belies Trump's campaign promise to "drain the swamp." It would be more accurate to say that he's making the swamp a federally-protected wetland.
For the third time this week, India's judiciary did itself proud when it convicted self-styled spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape on Friday. The CBI court, which found Singh guilty of abusing at least two of his women followers, reinforced for many Indians their faith in the law, after the rulings on triple talaq and the right to privacy by the Supreme Court earlier this week. But another kind of faith blinded hundreds of followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda, led by Singh, who took to the streets to protest against the verdict. In violent clashes with the police which took place over hours, at least 12 people are reportedly dead and hundreds are injured. The violence spilled over from Haryana into Punjab and Delhi as well. That's not all. Singh's enraged supporters have allegedly set fire a train in Delhi, burnt down buses, and attacked OB vans of television media. But as we take stock of the terrifying footage of destruction strewn over social media, the image that stands out most prominently is that of Singh, being ferried away in a helicopter, to a jail in Rohtak.
It’s been five long weeks since I’ve released a mock draft! Five. For an NFL draft site (or even a lone mock draft expert) to not offer a mock draft for over a month might seem like heresy, but believe! We had a plan. You see, if I had published a mock draft between now and the previous one, our users would have had a much clearer view of where my head was at, and this mock draft contest would have been a lot less fun. This method of revealing my mock draft only after the combine, after the start of free agency, after everything had changed, was necessary. It was necessary to try and replicate the drama that will come with entering your mock draft into contests built around the actual NFL draft results next month. So before you do anything else, download the app and join a free contest. The winner gets $50. So here we are. Because the draft order was set with the Colts picking 14 and the Eagles picking 15, I am going to push the draft results out to the app using that old order. But on my official mock draft here it will be accurate, with Philly picking at 14. The Patriots and Saints also pulled off a blockbuster deal, but that one is less important because, spoiler alert, someone new acquires that pick in my official mock draft. Because this is a LIVE mock draft, I will be publishing one pick every ten minutes, with an update on how the mock draft contest entrants are faring. To see how this might make for some real-world drama, check out the ending to our first mock draft contest. Go to the app to track your live score, and while you’re there, go ahead and join our other live mock draft contest, which closes Wednesday night at 8pm EST. Let’s get to it, shall we? 1. Myles Garrett, DE Texas A&M Whelp. The combine only confirmed what everyone everywhere already knew. Myles Garrett is the definition of a generational talent. I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but literally no football player ever has tested out as explosively as Garrett. Not J.J. Watt or Reggie Bush or Jadeveon Clowney or anyone at any position. He will be the top pick, he will be a Cleveland Brown, and he will be a force for years to come, on a Browns team that is reloading talent the right way, and fast. contest update As expected, most people had Garrett pegged to go number 1 overall. Let’s all make a concerted effort to get that number up to 100% before the next contest, shall we? 2. via Leonard Fournette, RB LSU Well it didn’t take long for our first trade of the mock draft contest! And it is a logical one for both parties. The 49ers have five thousand needs all over their roster, and without a sure-fire QB to take here, it is best for them to stockpile picks to start rebuilding. The Panthers are just one year removed from a Super Bowl appearance, and have a pretty stocked roster with one glaring hole. One glaring hole that matches perfectly with the talent available. Fournette was a man among boys in college, and will be electric in the pros, taking a huge amount of pressure off Cam. contest update Well I did not see that coming! Two participants (Reeuban and Kodathor) perfectly predicted that Carolina would trade up to pick 2 and grab Fournette. A few others predicted that pairing as well, but those two now have a commanding lead, after knocking that pick out of the park with the Trade Bonus. 3. Solomon Thomas, DE Stanford As much as I think the Bears would like to try and move back, this isn’t a great spot for them to do so. Solomon Thomas single-handedly destroyed UNC in last year’s bowl game, then showed up to the combine and proved his explosiveness was no mirage. He is a terror, inside and out, and he doesn’t stop. He’s what it would be like if the Terminator were fast and played D-line. They might hear the “r” word (reach) thrown around a bit in their post-draft grade, but in week 1 of the 2017 NFL season, everyone will take it back. contest update Neither of the top two on the leaderboard correctly guessed Solomon here, but Foss345 nailed the pick, gaining ground. 4. O.J. Howard, TE Alabama Last year the Giants went against popular wisdom to build their defense up through free agency, and were rewarded for it. The Jaguars emulated that strategy this offseason, addressing all their major defensive needs on day 1 of free agency, freeing them to take a playmaker that will transform their offense in the draft. There’s a good chance they will be disappointed when Fournette is drafted ahead of them, but for their consolation prize to be the best TE prospect to come into the draft at least since Vernon Davis, possibly ever, is still reason to celebrate. contest update Huh. Seems nobody has put the pieces together yet, pairing Howard with the Jags. The leaderboard remains the same, with Reeuban and Kodathor in the lead with 44 points. 5. via Jamal Adams, S LSU If this mock draft had been released before the start of free agency, you would have all called me mad for predicting the Titans would allow another team to trade up and select Jamal Adams. But there they go, bringing in a highly-drafted strong safety in free agency, allowing them the positional flexibility to trade back and acquire more picks. The Chargers though- they needed that strong safety, and could not count on such a talented player falling past the Jets pick at 6. It wouldn’t cost them too much to move up two spots and get the guy they needed to have. contest update We have another (mostly) correct trade prediction, with Sminch21 predicting the Chargers would trade up to pick 4 to grab Jamal Adams. It hasn’t vaulted him into first place yet, but with 40 points, he is only 5 points behind the leads. 6. via Malik Hooker, S Ohio State The Jets would be pissed about seeing Jamal Adams snatched out from under their noses, but they were too busy negotiating their own acquisition of draft capital, this time at the expense of those hard-luck Browns. But just how hard-luck can you be when you add the most explosive defensive player the NFL has ever seen, and the best free safety prospect to enter the draft since Earl Thomas, in the first hour of the draft. I imagine the price will be pretty steep to move up this far, but if any team can afford to give up multiple second and third round picks, it’s the Browns. They will be called the winners of day 1. contest update A separate Reeuban mock got the Cleveland trade up to 6 to select Hooker pick, right on the nose! Confirming the importance of entering multiple mocks into a contest, as Reeuban now is in first, second, and third place. But will it hold? 7. via John Ross, WR Washington I’m ready for the boos! I’ve handled them this entire offseason, sending John Ross to the Eagles, and I’m ready for them now that he broke the NFL record for fastest 40 yard dash. Do I think he is the best receiver in this class? No. But I think he is pretty close. And I also think his style of play compliments what this offense wants to achieve, which is pound it, pound it, pound it, then once the safeties are forced to cheat up against the run, heave the ball up to the fastest player in the NFL. He’s injury prone, but nobody can lift the lid off a defense like John Ross. contest update I didn’t think many players would predict this pairing, and so it was that not many did. Jed_keel did get the Titans-Ross pairing, but later in the draft. Still tight at the top! 8. via Reuben Foster, ILB Alabama How happy I hope I’ve made San Francisco fans. Rather than pissing them off by taking Reuben Foster, who I think is a perfect fit for this team, at pick 2, I trade back 6 spots and still land the same devastating defensive leader. He steps in as the quarterback- the identity- of this defense on day 1. Sure, they still need to give their offense a quarterback, but none of the prospects are good enough to justify passing on Foster, who I predict will fall down many mock drafts due to his outburst at the combine, but will still easily be a top-10 pick in the official NFL draft. contest update Considering how willing I was to mock Foster to San Fran in earlier iterations of my mock, it shouldn’t have surprised me. And yet, when Reeuban correctly predicted that the Panthers would trade up to take Fournette at 2, then nailed that San Francisco would take Foster at 8, my jaw dropped. It will take some major correct picks for anyone to come back from this amazing display of prognostication! 9. Haason Reddick, OLB Temple Poor Bengals. They were certain the 49ers would mess up and draft a QB, leaving Foster to fall into their waiting arms. Instead, they take an even more explosive player, but one who isn’t as proven at a college powerhouse. One scout claimed that he believes Reddick is the best player in this draft. While I wouldn’t go that far, I would agree with him that Reddick is a special talent, and will be drafted in the top-10. I think right now you will be hard pressed to find too much love for this pick, but once we get closer to draft day, I think this will be a common pairing in many mock drafts. contest update And now we are back to reality, with no one predicting Reddick’s meteoric rise into the top-10. The leaderboard stays the same for now. 10. Corey Davis, WR Western Michigan Sometimes the most important thing to do in the draft is just not overthink it. Just don’t mess it up. Here, the Bills have a gaping hole at WR, and the top WR in this draft class is on the board, just waiting for them to call his name. With Tyrod Taylor back in the fold, and if Watkins can stay healthy, the Bills offense might be one of the most surprising stories of 2017. Shady is already happy that they’ve added 2 fantastic blocking FBs, and now with two receivers to keep defenders off the line, it’s pick your poison in Buffalo. contest update Foss345 nails another non-traded pick, moving into third place as a result. Slow and steady, as they say… 11. Taco Charlton, DE Michigan This is a tough spot for me, because I want to send the Saints a cornerback here, but with how deep this CB class is and a pair of injuries to both of the top-rated cornerbacks on most boards, I give the Saints the defensive end they so sorely need. Now I have to admit, I’m not nearly so high on Charlton as most people are. In fact, I think he will be a total bust. But I am in the minority. Teams are drooling over his upside. And what my mock drafts do (and any mock draft entered into a mock draft contest should do) is to predict what teams will do. Not what they should. And I recognize what’s happening with Taco. The dude’s stock is soaring. contest update Everyone thinks the Saints go defense in round one, but most people predicted either Barnett or a CB. I think post-combine hype is sending Barnett in one direction, and Charlton in another. 12. via Mitch Trubisky, QB UNC This will hopefully keep Jets fans off my back for a little while. There’s a good chance my mock gets criticized for having the QBs go too late. That it’s not realistic. Well, this is a special year for defensive talent, and I think a lot of GMs will be really hard pressed to justify taking a flawed QB prospect over any of the previously drafted defensive stars-in-the-making. Except Charlton. I still say that guy busts. But here we are. The Jets take the first QB off the board, Mitchell gets to see the big city, and there is hope in Jetsville once more. Now, who’s he gonna throw to…? contest update BIG move up for Toogoodlynch, who predicted the Jets would trade for Trubisky. Now currently tied with Foss345 for second place, they still have a lot of ground to cover to reach first. 13. Patrick Mahomes, QB Texas Tech This one is just too easy. The QB with the biggest arm in the draft falls to Bruce Arians and his vertical offensive approach? Oh, and he is a little raw, so he should sit a year behind an established veteran on the back end of his career? Check. What’s that? You don’t have any major needs that go unaddressed here? Fantastic. The Cardinals probably feel like they won’t be picking this high again for a long time, and for a raw QB dripping with potential to be here for them is too good for them to pass up. This is another one that we will see more and more as the draft nears. contest update There was a lot of Mike Williams love for this pick, but not from my mock. No major changes in the leaderboard after this one. 14. Marshon Lattimore, CB Ohio State The slide ends. A CB is finally drafted. This should open the proverbial floodgates at the position. Lattimore is seen as the most gifted CB in this class, but he is also injury prone. And those soft tissue injuries like he gets- those repeat themselves. They linger. So I would be nervous about drafting Lattimore as the first CB off the board. But the devastating injury to Sidney Jones makes the gap between him and the second best corner a little wider. The Eagles have a desperate need at the position, so they take the best guy available and hope their training staff is up to the job of keeping his hammy loose. contest update Sminch21 pulls into second all on his own, by having the guts to allow Lattimore to fall to Philly. Well played! 15. T.J. Watt, OLB Wisconsin I actually think Watt could go even higher than this, and I wouldn’t consider it a reach at all. There is nothing not to like about this guy. I think people are nervous to mock him high because he will never live up to his brother, but I’m actually not so sure about that. As gifted as J.J. is for his body type and position, T.J. is not far behind in his own way. The length and massive hand size he has, to go with his incredible burst, instincts, and passion for the game make him a prospect with an incredible floor and an incredible ceiling. You know that position will be fine for you, for years. And that he plays in the same division as his brother? That’s a bonus. contest update Pretty sure nobody had this pairing, as not many people are as high on Watt as I am now. But they will be. They will be… 16. Garett Bolles, OT Utah What? There are offensive linemen in this draft too? Great. Baltimore, you get the first one off the board. At this point in the draft, most of the special defensive talent is already gone, but Bolles is a very alluring option for the Ravens. They just lost their starting right tackle to the Lions, and need to do something to rebuild this once-proud running game. Bolles is one of only three really physically gifted offensive linemen in the draft, and the only one who plays tackle. Yes, he is old at 25, but he is a bully and a ballerina- the kind of tackle prospect teams dream about, and if they have him for only 5 or 6 years, it’s still worth it. contest update Again, not much movement after this unpopular ick. It’s surprising to me that not many people have replacing Wagner as a high priority, especially considering how few later options there are in this draft class… 17. Christian McCaffrey, RB Stanford How do you even predict what the Redskins do here? They fire their GM and call him a drunk during combine weekend! We have absolutely no information to go on, other than team needs, positional value, and total dysfunction. What they need is a franchise-savior, and I can see someone thinking McCaffrey is that guy. While some fears about his top end speed were confirmed at the combine, so was his legendary agility. You put this kid in a phone booth full of defenders, and he’ll find his way out of it. He adds explosion to a plodding RB corps, and a level of intrigue to a horribly mismanaged receiving corps. contest update Not much to say after this pick, other than nobody agrees on who the Skins will take here, or even on who will be making the selection for the Redskins. Consensus will be hard to come by for them this year… 18. via Zach Cunningham, ILB Vanderbilt Oh those wily Titans, pulling another trade. Had Sidney Jones not torn his achilles, he would be going to Tennessee, but since Miami is desperate to get their LB and the CB position isn’t the huge need for Tennessee that it was a week ago, they trade down and add picks. Cunningham is a personal favorite, and I think he would be a really good get for a Dolphins team that needs a hot youth injection for its defense. They knew they would have to leapfrog the Lions to have a chance at him, and I believe the Titans would provide a willing trade partner. contest update A lot of players touched on this pick. Some of them paired Cunningham with the Dolphins, but others- most notably, our point leader, Reeuban- picked Cunningham to go at pick 18. Lots of action here, and it results in an extended lead. 19. via Ryan Ramczyk, OT Wisconsin I know the Giants just picked up D.J. Fluker, but no sooner was he added than the reports came out that he is being moved to guard, which makes sense considering his struggles at tackle. Flowers isn’t doing much better, and Hart really should be playing guard. The Giants move up past the Broncos to grab Ramczyk, assuming his recovery from hip surgery goes smoothly. He is really the last solid tackle in the draft, and should go a long way toward keeping Eli’s jersey clean for the last year or two of competitive play he can offer this team. contest update Once again, we had a few players on each end of the Ramczyk trade- some predicting he is drafted at 19 and some predicting he would go to the Giants- but nobody close enough to first place to really close the gap yet. 20. David Njoku, TE Miami Yeah, missing out on the top two tackles sucks for Denver, but I just don’t believe they will reach for a deeply flawed prospect like Cam Robinson over adding an exciting playmaker to the receiving corps like Njoku. His raw athleticism instantly creates mismatches for opposing defenses that are trying to contain Thomas and Sanders on the outside, and his feistiness as a blocker will help open things up for Anderson or whoever runs the ball for them. He’s not the best blocker in the world, but he brings some real grit to a Broncos offense that feels a little soft right now. contest update I thought this might be a popular pick, but apparently I’m the only one making mock drafts who is not locked in to the Broncos taking an O-lineman in the first round. 21. Jarrad Davis, ILB Florida Of course the Lions hated to see the Dolphins steal Cunningham away from them, but I get the feeling they would also be happy with Davis manning the middle. He is a prospect that is really growing on me as I watch more of his tape, and who I think could really excel in the middle of the field. The Lions have invested major bucks in the offensive line, which tells me they plan on running it more next year. Which tells me they plan on not playing catch up so much, which tells me they plan on drafting defense. The Lions must be sick of doing well early, then getting beat up once the weather turns cold in the NFC North. Davis adds a mauler to a team that needs to play hard in Green Bay, in Chicago, in the cold. contest update It was interesting that very few people actually predicted Detroit would make a trade here- everyone pretty much agrees they will stay put and draft someone at 21. But few also thought it would be Davis. No real movement. 22. via Quincy Wilson, CB Florida Just like I did with their first pick, I was able to trade back in the round and still land the player I wanted for this team. Despite having a relatively weak combine, I still see Wilson as the CB with the highest upside in this class. He can’t run with the fastest receivers like Lattimore can, but Lattimore doesn’t have the bulk or the physicality to dominate receivers at the line like Wilson does. I think he has much better football intelligence than he is given credit for, and that his athleticism is unparalleled at the position. His subpar combine showing is probably the best thing to happen to Tennessee. contest update MarChargersLA moves up the leaderboard as he correctly paired Quincy Wilson and the Titans, albeit at their original draft slot. He gains 5 on the field, but will need a lot more than that to approach first place. 23. via Derek Barnett, DE Tennessee Another team that benefits wildly from an average combine performance is Tampa Bay. I personally think Barnett is one of the ten best players in this year’s draft class. But I know a lot of teams are wary of investing high draft picks in 4-3 defensive ends that don’t show the elite burst needed to fly around offensive tackles. Forget how good his run defense has been his entire career at Tennessee and forget the variety of ways he’s proven he can beat tackles, if he ain’t fast, he ain’t good is the mentality of many front office types. The Buccaneers steal a great player at a position of need, and add an extra pick in the process. contest update Toogoodlynch gets a piece of this one, pairing Barnett with Tamps, moving into second place, though still sits 20 behind Reeuban, whose massive lead is being slowly, methodically, chipped away. 24. Takkarist McKinley, DE UCLA Here’s the weird thing about this draft… I like Takk McKinley! A lot! I think in an ordinary draft class, he would be seen as a top-15 talent. But man, there are just so many good players coming out this year, that a pretty stacked team like the Raiders make off like bandits and get a player they should never be allowed to have. Lining him up on the other side of Khalil Mack is unfair. What is the AFC West supposed to do about that? Yet here we are. The Raiders get a long, lean, explosive pass rusher to abuse tackles all day long, and don’t even have to trade up for him. contest update Kodathor nailed it in one mock, vaulting up to third place. There’s still a significant gap trailing Reeuban, but he is starting to sweat, after having not nailed a pick since those early trades. 25. Obi Melifonwu, S UConn I guarantee you, Pete Carroll is pissed. By now we’ve all seen that gif of Carroll reacting to Melifonwu’s 40 time. You could almost hear him saying, “Well, we’ll have to trade up if we want him now.” And while the Hawks were close to getting the athletic marvel, they did, in fact, miss out on him. The Texans are difficult to predict, because outside of QB their needs are hard to identify. This is why Obi is the perfect prospect for them. He is so talented, and has such positional versatility, he can be whatever they discover they need as the season wears on. Press corner? You got him. Slot defender? Sure thing. Strong safety? Sign me up. contest update The Texans break a lot of mock drafters’ hearts by passing on DeShone Kizer here. His stock has suffered so thoroughly since the combine, I doubt he remains in many first round mocks for much longer. 26. Kevin King, CB Washington Everyone in Hawk Nation is going to look at this and yawn. They’ve listened to Rob Staton- they know all about King. I’m sorry to bore you, but it just makes sense! With Sidney Jones going down, the top of the CB market has thinned out some, and grabbing an athlete of King’s caliber, who has been put through the fire like King has, is a gift. He is the prototypical fit to their physical profile, and plays with the kind of edge that Seattle loves to see in all its defensive players. Yes, the Hawks have greater needs, specifically at offensive line, but Cam Robinson is not their guy, and they’ve never been afraid to go out and get someone that fits who they are. King is who they are. contest update So few people picking Kevin King to the Hawks? What, does nobody follow seahawksdraftblog? Nobody in the top-20 got King to the Hawks, but it will happen much more on mock sites in the future. 27. Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State How far can I really drop Cook for that combine performance? In case you haven’t heard, Dalvin Cook, possibly the most explosive playmaker in all of college football last season, tested as a 9th percentile SPARQ athlete. You read that right. 9th percentile. For reference, Eddie Lacy tested in the 39th percentile and Karlos “pregnant” Williams tested in the 25th percentile. Dalvin freaking Cook was in the 9th. But! It might have just been one bad day. That’s what the Chiefs have to hope, when they stop Dalvin’s freefall and bring him in as the lightning to Spencer Ware’s thunder. contest update The two most likely reasons for nobody predicting Cook to the Chiefs are that 1) I am overreacting to the combine hype, or 2) not enough people heard about Dalvin’s combine performance. Guess we’ll see in the next contest… Reeuban holding strong to first place. 28. Mike Williams, WR Clemson Speaking of stopping a freefall that was caused by a poor showing at the combine, Dallas steps up to the plate and takes a chance on the supposedly sluggish Mike Williams. There is a lot of buzz going around right now that he is the second coming of Laquan Treadwell- a big jump-ball artist who cannot gain any separation from defensive backs, either through athleticism or the intricacies of route running. That remains to be seen. He was still highly productive in college, and fills a hole on the offense across from Dez Bryant. With Dak and Zeke and Dez already in the fold, perhaps a jump-ball artist is all Dallas really needs? contest update With every major player missing on this pick, there are really only three picks that will allow someone to mount their comeback. The Bears trading up to select Kizer, the Vikings trading up to select Foreman, or the two pick combo of Conley to the Packers and Lawson to the Steelers. Otherwise, this looks like a Reeuban win. 29. Forrest Lamp, G Western Kentucky This is about as boring as a first round pick can get. I understand your pain, Green Bay fans. Trust me- every time I saw Lamp go to the Hawks at 26, I would cringe and curse. It sucks to take a guard in the first round. But I’m here to tell you to embrace the pick. Lamp tested out as the runaway most athletic lineman in the draft. His tape backs it up. The only knock on him is that he has really short arms, which should limit him to playing guard in the NFL, but he can quickly become on of the best in the league. Green Bay just lost two interior linemen in free agency, so adding Lamp will help maintain stability and should even improve the running game. contest update With Green Bay opting to build up their line, the only way a player can catch up to snatch first place away from Reeuban is to get a trade right. That means Chicago trading up for Kizer or Minnesota trading up for Foreman. 30. Budda Baker, S Washington Picking for the Steelers is really difficult this year. I don’t know why, but I am really struggling to find someone who is a value at 30, that fits their team needs, and fits their team identity. This is the first time I feel really confident about that pairing, with Budda Baker. Budda Baker is more football than football. The dude is intense. He is a little undersized for a safety, but he makes up for it in his instincts, his savvy, and most of all, his ferocious edge. He is the defensive version of Doug Baldwin. He had a surprisingly good combine, and should be considered a first round prospect from here on out. contest update Another pick down, and another miss from most mock drafters. Two more picks with two more chances for a trade… but first place is looking pretty locked up at this point. 31. Jonathan Allen, DE Alabama Bet you thought I forgot about him, huh? Well, there’s a reason he’s down here in the muck and mire. The dude is barely 22 years old, and he has arthritis in both of his shoulders. This isn’t to say he isn’t a good football player. He is an amazing, dominant football player! But for how long? Arthritis is one of those things that you can’t surgically repair. There’s no recovery from it. It just gets steadily worse with age. And contrary to popular opinion, shoulders are pretty important for interior defensive linemen. So while I think the Falcons will be getting a steal for three or four years, that’s about it. They won’t be able to count on Allen as someone to build their team around. In that way, he’s almost more of an old free agent addition than a rookie draft pick. contest update And then there was one. One final pick that can undo Reeuban. I’ve already spoiled, early in this article, that this last pick will be a trade. The odds are incredibly low… but are they low enough? Will this final, traded pick send Kizer or Foreman to the NFC North? 32. via Deshaun Watson, QB Clemson You thought I was done trading, son? Hell no. Not when this supremely obvious pick is just sitting here. Of course some team who hasn’t figured out their QB situation would want to trade back into the round, one spot ahead of Cleveland (who has their own QB situation to figure out) and grab the last of the day 1 prospects. And of course the Saints would like to trade down 2 measly picks, with all this available CB talent, to pick up some more picks. Both teams make out like bandits in this scenario, leaving Cleveland as the only loser. But after the kind of first round the Browns enjoyed, I think they’ll survive missing out on Watson, who falls this far because he tested out as having no velocity on his passes. final contest results And there we have it! Reeuban surfed the typhoon of points he acquired in the first 8 picks, all the way to victory, with 96 points. I think we all learned today that the importance of accurately predicting trades cannot be overstated. Congrats, Reeuban, on a great win. There is $50 coming your way. You can track changes to my mock draft, as well as other mock drafts from around the web, at WalterFootball’s NFL Mock Draft Database.
The life of an author — particularly an author of fiction – is necessarily connected to that which is most dangerous: our consciousness. It is often through the exploratory process of creative literature that we touch the exciting possibilities and subversive consequences of our capacities as a species. Yet for all of the grandiose ways in which writers may achieve greatness, the flipside is a dangerous flirtation with the unknown, the unacceptable and the insane. 10. Leo Tolstoy Author of literary mainstays War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy was known for creating deep and far-ranging plots, whose casts of characters — numbering in the hundreds — were largely a way for him to escape the inner struggles he experienced when trying to reconcile the more difficult questions of the human condition. Tolstoy suffered from increasingly serious, frequent and suffocating depressive episodes, and finally resolved to become a wandering ascetic during the eighty-third year of his long life. Tragically, he only made it as far as an isolated train station before collapsing and dying from pneumonia shortly afterwards. 9. Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift, the Anglo-Irish author of the classics Gulliver’s Travels and A Modest Proposal, amongst others, led a life which slowly dipped into insanity over a fairly long period. In fact, while Will Durant has written that “[d]efinite symptoms of madness appeared in 1738,” there is no real consensus on when he crossed the threshold. What is certain, however, is that by 1742 his psyche had far exceeded the bounds of rationality and stability. Durant describes, for example, how “five attendants had to restrain him from tearing out his eye,” which was inflamed, an episode after which he fell silent for an entire year. 8. Philip K. Dick In late February of 1974, sci-fi writer and heavy amphetamine user Philip K. Dick, whilst resting in his home following the extraction of a wisdom tooth, experienced a set of powerful psychological visions. These continued throughout the following month — vivid geometric patterns intermingling with ecclesiastical imagery to create new and insightful interpretations of religious and literary history. “I experienced an invasion of my mind by a transcendentally rational mind, as if I had been insane all my life and suddenly I had become sane,” Dick said of the episode’s onset; also claiming that he began to lead a double life, with one half of him a persecuted Christian from Ancient Rome. This period of Dick’s life inspired writings such as Radio Free Albemuth and the VALIS trilogy. 7. H.P. Lovecraft Horror, fantasy and sci-fi writer H.P. Lovecraft’s mental state was conditioned by both internal and external influences. He suffered from a traumatic sleep disorder, thought now to be a rare variety of parasomnia, or night terrors. As well as experiencing these nighttime destabilizations, his finances were mishandled, leading to a steep and sudden decline in his family’s standard of living. Lovecraft suffered from extreme depression — he was suicidal for some time and suffered what he described as a “nervous breakdown” — and this tortuous life spun even further into the void when he was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and Bright’s disease, determining the intense pain in which he would spend the rest of his life. 6. Jack Kerouac When Jack Kerouac wrote his most famous work On the Road, it wasn’t a standard, ten-chaptered novel that he had in mind. What was produced was a continual stream of consciousness, typed on one continuous reel that runs the length of a large hall. This unique approach to literature is perhaps less surprising when you consider the fact that Kerouac was under the influence of a cocktail of mind-altering substances, among them alcohol, marijuana and the amphetamine benzedrine. Honorably discharged from the US Navy on grounds of a “schizoid personality,” Kerouac embarked upon the American highway for a lifestyle fueled by jazz and speed with the now-legendary Dean Moriarty. 5. Ernest Hemingway One of the canonical figures of modern American literature, Ernest Hemingway’s psychological well-being was fraught with problems. He indulged in infamously heavy drinking for the large part of his life, which likely led to his mental deterioration, as it has to so many creators of great art. Commentators have outlined several other probable diagnoses, from bipolar disorder to traumatic brain injury to narcissistic personality traits. After undergoing as many as 15 bouts of electroconvulsive therapy during 1960-61, Hemingway awoke early one July morning, picked up his favorite shotgun and blew his brains out. 4. Marquis de Sade The Marquis de Sade led an undoubtedly eccentric life. His cultural significance lies at the confluence of revolutionary ideas of total sexual and moral freedom, expounded on in many literary works exploring deviant, subversive themes of sexual domination — from which we bequeathed the term “sadism.” In 1803, not long after incarceration without trial on the order of Napoleon Bonaparte, he was declared insane and placed in Charenton asylum. However, ever the “libertine,” de Sade’s life in the asylum was not an uneventful period, as he was permitted to perform several plays and had numerous illicit sexual liaisons until his death in 1814. 3. Sylvia Plath Author of the roman à clef The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath depicted the descent into mental instability in her work in ways that strongly paralleled the vicissitudes of her own life. Her clinical depression resulted in her undergoing the rather unrefined electroconvulsive therapy techniques being used at the time. After her first series of treatments, Plath experienced a breakdown and attempted suicide. This attempt failed, ushering in a great deal more psychiatric intervention. Then, after a series of further attempts to take her own life, the thirty-year-old Plath was found dead in her flat, her head lain cold on the bottom of her kitchen oven, with the gas still flowing. 2. Edgar Allan Poe Known for elucidating the shadows of mankind with such macabre tales as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe’s work also parallels the demons he fought in his own mind. His self-declared tendencies toward insanity textured his life with an ominous refrain akin to that which we find in his most famous poem, “The Raven.” After his wife’s death, Poe declared: “I am constitutionally sensitive—nervous in a very unusual degree. I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” In October 1849, found in a state of delirium on the streets of Baltimore, unable to articulate anything with much meaning or explain how he had ended up there, Poe died in a local hospital in the early hours of the next day. 1. Virginia Woolf The scorching prose of Virginia Woolf foretells not just of a unique and creative spirit, but also of the tortuous spins and turns that her life underwent. Bereaved of her mother and half-sister Stella during her early teens, Woolf also faced subjection to sexual abuse by her half-brothers. Throughout her life she struggled with bouts of deep depression and several nervous breakdowns as her fate meandered through different hardships — famously, for example, losing her London home during the British Blitz of World War II. On 28 March 1941, packing her overcoat’s pockets with stones, she walked into the nearest river to her home and was lost to the world.
The recall, which began Aug. 13, involves more than half a billion eggs from the Iowa operations of two leading egg producers, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. About 1,500 reported cases of Salmonella enteritidis have been linked to tainted eggs since the spring — the largest known outbreak associated with that strain of salmonella. The F.D.A. inspection reports portray areas of filth and poor sanitation at both operations, including many instances of rodents, wild birds or hens escaped from cages — all of which can carry salmonella — appearing to have had free run of the facilities. It was difficult to gauge from the report how extensive the problems were. Both companies operate vast facilities housing seven million hens. Wright County Egg says inspectors visited 73 barns on its five egg farms. Both companies said that they had acted quickly to correct problems and were continuing to cooperate with regulators. The reports cited numerous instances in which both companies had failed to follow through on basic measures meant to keep chickens from becoming infected with salmonella, which can cause them to lay eggs containing the bacteria. “That is not good management, bottom line,” said Kenneth E. Anderson, a professor of poultry science at North Carolina State University. “I am surprised that an operation was being operated in that manner in this day and age.” Inspection visits to Wright County Egg found barns with abundant rodent holes and gaps in doors, siding and foundations where rodents could enter. Inspectors spotted mice scampering about 11 laying houses. Inspectors said that many of the barns lacked separate entrances, so that workers had to walk through one barn to get into another — conditions that could allow workers to track bacteria between barns. In addition, workers were seen moving from barn to barn without changing protective clothing or cleaning tools. Photo The report on Wright County Egg also described pits beneath laying houses where chicken manure was piled four to eight feet high. It also described hens that had escaped from laying cages tracking through the manure. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Officials last week said that they were taking a close look at a feed mill operated by Wright County Egg, after tests found salmonella in bone meal, a feed ingredient, and in feed given to young birds, known as pullets. The young birds were raised to become laying hens at both Wright County Egg and Hillandale. The inspection report helped fill in the picture of the feed mill as a potential source of contamination, saying that birds were seen roosting and flying about the facility. (Officials said both wild birds and escaped hens were found at the mill.) Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Nesting material was seen in parts of the mill, including the ingredient storage area and an area where trucks were loaded. The report also said that there were numerous holes in bins or other structures open to the outdoors. That included the bin containing meat and bone meal that provided the feed ingredient sample in which salmonella was found. Officials said last week that they had found traces of salmonella similar to the strain associated with the outbreak in a total of six test samples taken from Wright County Egg facilities. That included the two feed tests and four tests taken from walkways or other areas. On Monday, officials said for the first time that they had also found salmonella at a Hillandale facility. The bacteria was found in water that had been used to wash eggs. The inspection report on Hillandale showed many problems similar to those found at Wright County Egg, including hens tracking through manure piles and signs of rodent infestation. F.D.A. officials said they were not permitted to discuss possible enforcement actions. But, according to Mr. Taylor, the law allows for civil actions like injunctions as well as criminal prosecution. “We are in the process of analyzing this evidence and considering what enforcement actions would be appropriate,” Mr. Taylor said. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Officials said their investigation was continuing and they were not yet able to say how the salmonella had gotten into the laying operations. Wright County Egg is owned by Jack DeCoster, who has a long history of environmental, labor and immigration violations at egg operations in Maine, Iowa and elsewhere. The inspection report identified Mr. DeCoster’s son, Peter DeCoster, as the chief operating officer of the Iowa operation. Both companies have stopped selling shell eggs to consumers from their Iowa facilities and instead are sending all their eggs to breaking plants where they are pasteurized, which kills the bacteria. The eggs would then most likely be sold in liquid form, possibly to food manufacturers. Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. The bacteria is killed by pasteurization or by thoroughly cooking the eggs.
The GOG.com Mac catalog just keeps on growing. With today's addition of 12 titles it now offers over 80 games, classic and new. This update focuses mainly on the classics. Theres something for the strategy fans, point-and-click adventurers, swashbuckling seadogs, and H.P. Lovecraft fans. There's also Puddle , a very recent title that is now available on Mac exclusively on GOG.com! Let's browse the games, shall we? Broken Sword 2 Remastered is the cult classic point-and-click adventure game that continues the story of George Stobbart and his beautiful journalist friend, Nico Collard. Only $5.99! Puddle , a unique puzzle game focusing on fluid dynamics and featuring a plethora of colorful, cleverly designed stages, is available on Mac exclusively on GOG.com. Get it for only $9.99! Alone in the Dark 1+2+3 , a bundle of all three classic entires in the famous survival horror games series, is available for only $5.99! Dragonsphere , a fantasy-themed point-and-click adventure that takes you for an incredible journey and deliver an original story, is another FREE game that can be added to your account. Master of Orion 1+2 , the pair of cult-classic turn based strategy games focusing on the development of your galactic civilization and its effort to dominate the known space, can be yours for only $5.99! Pirates! Gold Plus , the high-seas swashbuckling sim from Sid Meier, will turn you into a Caribbean pirate for only one piece of cursed Spanish gold--or $5.99! Star control 1+2 , the two unique space-faring titles that are considered to be the highlight of computer game space adventures, are available for only $5.99! Star Control 3 , the third installment in the cherished series, that focuses a bit more on the strategic side, can be yours for only $5.99That's it for our November Mac selection. We hope you enjoy it. We're continuing our work to bring more titles to your Macs, so expect to hear from us in December. Game on!
Oregon State has had an impressive run of success lately. Under head coach Scott Rueck the Beavers made a Final Four appearance last year. They have followed that up this year with an impressive season that included a Pac12 regular season title and a gaudy 31-4 record.They have compiled that record against good teams. They are 8-2 against Sagarin's top 25. OSU features All-Pac12 first team performer Sydney Wiese. The Coach discussed her game here. Suffice to say that Wiese is the first name on the scouting report. She will be a handful for FSU as she doesn't have many weaknesses. Gabriella Hanson was the Pac12 defensive player of the year. It will be interesting to see how she does when she gets matched up with Shakayla Thomas. Oregon State will have a size advantage in this game. All of the players who will receive significant minutes are at least 5'10. The size advantage is particularly acute in the frontcourt where OSU will start the 6'5 Marie Gulich and the 6'3 Breanna Brown. Neither player is a prolific scorer but they are both rugged rebounders and if FSU can't neutralize them on the glass it could be a long night. This game will feature a clash of styles. Oregon State is at .987 in offensive points per possession which is 56th in the nation. The Beavers are at .795 in defensive points per possession which is 12th in the nation. FSU is at 1.070 in OPPP (10th) and .782 in DPPP (7th). These numbers support the notion that FSU is a more balanced unit but Oregon State can get after you defensively. OSU will also try to control the pace. FSU ranks 58th in the nation in pace with 73.9 possessions per 40 minutes. OSU averages 66.9 possessions per 40 minutes which is 301st nationally. If the Beavers can turn this game into a grinder they have a better chance. The Noles have the superior athletes and OSU will not try to run with them. Both teams are excellent rebounding teams. OSU outrebounds their opponents by 10.9 a game while FSU outrebounds theirs by 10.2 a game. If either side has a significant advantage in that area it could be the difference in the game. The Beavers are the slightly deeper team but both coaches have shortened their benches a bit in the post season. This game will likely be won by whichever team can best minimize their weaknesses. For FSU that means avoiding a slow start and not allowing the Beaver defense to force scoring droughts. For Oregon State that means that they need to find ways to score. If the Noles are shooting well like they did in their last game against Missouri the Beavers may have serious problems keeping up. However, if FSU is cold Oregon State is easily talented enough to send the Seminoles packing. The game will tip today from Stockton, CA at approximately 6:30pm on ESPN. It will follow the South Carolina vs Quinnipiac matchup. Sagarin has the Noles as 4.5 point favorites.
MIAMI, FL, USA - Everyone needs a little bit of luck sometimes. For No.20 Timea Bacsinszky, she's had one of the best athletes in the world cheering her on in Miami and it's paid dividends. Bacsinszky backed up her big win over No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska with another stunner just 24 hours later, beating No.5 Simona Halep, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the semifinals of the Miami Open on Tuesday. In the stands supporting her all week was Switzerland's Lara Gut, the No.1 Alpine skier in the world, who just two weeks ago won the Alpine Skiing World Cup. The 24-year-old became the first Swiss woman since 1995 to win. "She wrote me the Friday before, so it wasn't official that she was going to be in Miami," Bacsinszky told WTA Insider. "But she finished her competition on Sunday for the Crystal Globes, and she wrote me on Friday like, 'Hey, it would be fun if I could come watch you in Miami,' so I knew she was coming to Miami anyway. It was actually a big thing in Switzerland; no one knew where she was, and I was reading Swiss news headlines that were asking, 'Where Has Lara Gone For Holidays?'" "I finished my season last Sunday and it was important for me to have a break," Gut told WTA Insider after Bacsinszky's quarterfinal win. "I decided to come to Miami and I found out there was a tennis tournament. So I contacted Timea and she got me a badge. I started coming the first day and I got interested and she was playing so well that I came the second day and she was still winning. I was supposed to fly home yesterday but since she won I tried to stay here for one more day. She's playing awesome and it's really fun to watch." Bacsinszky and Gut first met in 2009 but have become closer recently after Gut began working with Bacsinszky's manager. Gut was scheduled to leave for Switzerland after Bacsinszky's win over Radwanska but she knew she couldn't leave her friend out in the cold. "Yesterday after Timea's win I had to call Swiss Air to see if they could change my flight," Gut said. "I could stay here one day longer because I'm supposed to leave tomorrow for training. So it's going to be a bit stressful when I come home but it was more important to stay here and cheer on Timea than have more time to pack." "In Switzerland it's a small country. We have a chance to meet other athletes. We have such strong athletes like Timea, Roger, Stan, and Belinda. We were still kids when we first met. It's cool to see what she has done all these years and that she's still improving." Getting the credential for Gut proved slightly more difficult than Bacsinszky expected. Switzerland may be a skiing-mad country, but trying to explain the situation in Miami proved a little tricky. "In Switzerland, she can't walk around, everyone knows her," Bacsinszky said. "Here too, she didn't want to attract attention. I know Lindsey Vonn is well-known, but the No.1 [skier] is at your tournament and no one knows it. "When I asked for a badge for her at accreditation I said, 'You know Lindsey Vonn?' and they said, 'Yeah, yeah,' and I said, 'Well, the girl who's just in front of her in the rankings and just won the Crystal Globe is coming, so provide it now," she said laughing. "Just Google her name." Bacsinszky will play Svetlana Kuznetsova on Thursday for a spot in the Miami Open final. After a slow start to the season after rehabbing from a bad knee injury, Bacsinszky has played herself into form, reaching her best result since the China Open final last fall. A title in Miami would boost her back in the Top 10. It's all clicking for Bacsinszky and having a great champion in her box this week certainly hasn't hurt. "It's funny to talk about sport and to like exchange what you feel during a race, what do I feel during a match," Bacsinszky said. "We have so many things to talk about. It gives many, many new [perspectives], views on sports. It was really, really interesting for me. Yeah, lucky charm for sure."
You can learn thousands of Italian words but you will hardly ever use all of them. And yet, there will be some Italian phrases which you’ll hear all the time but won’t quite understand. Most of them just don’t make sense when translated directly in English, and a few others are just too rude to be included in your textbook (even though Italians use them all the time). That’s why I made this list of common Italian phrases which will help you better understand Italians speaking, and will make you sound more like a local whenever you use them. If you are not sure how to pronounce any of these, check this free lesson on Italian pronunciation. Italian expressions with fare Fare is by all means the most common verb in Italian. It means ‘to do’, and ‘to make’ but you can hear it all the time used in combination with other words and forming all sorts of Italian expressions. Basically, if you don’t know how to say something in Italian, you can most probably say it in another way using the verb fare. It is an integral part of so many Italian phrases, here are just a few of the most common ones. Fare la spesa – to do the shopping Vado a fare la spesa. – I am going to do the shopping. Fare rumore – to make noise, to be loud Non fare troppo rumore! – Don’t be too loud! Fare pace – to make one’s peace, to be reconciled Non abbiamo ancora fatto pace. – We are still not reconciled. Fare eccezione – to be an exception C’è tempo per tutto e l’amore non fa eccezione. – There’s time for everything, and love is not an exception. Fare amicizia con – to make friends with Abbiamo fatto amicizia con tanta gente del posto. – We made friends with lots of local people. Fare due chiacchiere – to chat, to talk (informally, with a friend) Ci siamo fermate per strada per fare due chiacchiere. – We stopped on the street to chat. Fare una (bella / gran / brutta) figura – to make a (good / great / bad) impression Volevo fare una bella figura. – I wanted to make a good impression. Fare un casino – to mess up, to make a mess Non fare troppi casini! – Don’t make a lot of mess! (Behave yourself! Don’t make a lot of trouble!) Fare la fila – to wait at a queue Ho dovuto fare la fila per mezzora. – I had to wait at a queue for half an hour. Fare il bravo / la brava – to be good, to behave oneself Lui ha sempre fatto il bravo. – He has always been good. Fare fronte a – to cope with, to face a problem Ho fatto fronte a molte difficoltà negli ultimi due anni. – I faced a lot of difficulties in the last two years. Fare tardi – to be late Mi raccomando, non fare troppo tardi! – Please, don’t come home too late! Fa bel tempo – the weather is good D’inverno faceva bel tempo. – In the winter the weather was good. Far sapere – to let someone know Fammi sapere quando vieni. – Let me know when you come. Far vedere – to show Adesso ti faccio vedere. – Now I am going to show you. Fare ridere – to make someone laugh Questo mi fa troppo ridere. – This makes me laugh a lot. Fare impazzire – to make someone go crazy Lui mi fa impazzire. – He drives me crazy. Fare stare male – to make someone feel bad Ci hanno fatto stare malissimo. – They made us feel so bad. Fare venire voglia di – to make someone want Questa storia mi fa venire voglia di viaggiare. – This story makes me want to travel. Fare tristezza – to make someone sad Questa foto fa tanta tristezza. – This photo makes me very sad. Fare paura – to frighten Lui mi ha fatto tanta paura. – He scared me a lot. Fare fatica a – to find it hard to Facciamo fatica a capirlo. – It is hard for us to understand him. Fare a meno di – to manage without, to be without Non posso fare a meno di Facebook. – I can’t stay without Facebook. Far finta di – to pretend to Lui faceva finta di non capire. – He was pretending that he didn’t understand. Fare da te – to do it yourself Una ricetta fai da te. – a do-it-yourself recipe Fare schifo – to be disgusting, terrible Questa casa fa schifo. – This house is terrible. Fare male a – to hurt Le gambe mi fanno male. – My feet hurt. Avere niente a che fare – to have something to do with Io non ho niente a che fare con questa gente. – I have nothing to do with these people. Fare caso a – to notice Non ci ho fatto caso. – I didn’t notice it. Farcela – to manage to do something Non so se ce la facciamo. – I don’t know if we’ll manage this. Come si fa a …? – How do you…? What should you do in order to…? Come si fa ad andare avanti? – What should you do in order to go ahead? Slang It is a fact that the words which you always learn first in a foreign language (especially, when you are exposed to native speakers) are swear words and other casual expressions. The ones below are not exactly the beautiful Italian phrases you associate with the language of love and arts but they are nonetheless important to everyday communication. Even if you prefer not to use offensive language, no list of common Italian phrases is complete without some rude but honest vaffanculo, or cazzo. Cazzo! – Fuck! Cazzo! L’ho dimenticato! – Fuck! I forgot it! Porco cazzo! – Fuck! Motherfucker! (literally: pig dick) Porco cazzo! Che vuoi? – Motherfucker! What do you want? Stare sul cazzo – to be annoying, intolerable Questa signora mi sta sul cazzo. – I cannot stand this lady. Incazzarsi – to get mad, to get angry Mi sono incazzato quando me l’hai detto. – I got mad when you told me this. Non (…) un cazzo! – I don’t (…) a fuck! Non ho capito un cazzo. – I didn’t understand anything. I didn’t understand a fuck. Non me ne frega un cazzo! – I don’t give a fuck! Che cazzo! – What the fuck?! Che cazzo stai facendo? – What the fuck are you doing? Che cavolo! – What the fuck?! Che cavolo vuoi? – What the fuck do you want? Stronzo / stronza – an asshole / a bitch Che stronza! – What a bitch! Dire stronzate – to say bullshit Non dire stronzate, non è mica vero! – Don’t say bullshit, this is not true at all! Rompere le palle – to annoy someone, to get on someone’s nerves (literally: to break the balls) Lei mi rompe le palle con questa musica. – She is getting on my nerves with this music. Rompere i coglioni – to annoy someone, to get on someone’s nerves (literally: to break the balls) Scusa, non volevo romperti i coglioni! – Sorry, I didn’t want to be so annoying! Coglione! – Asshole! Sei un coglione! – You are an asshole! Vaffanculo! – Go fuck yourself! (literally: go take it in the ass; this one is so common you can hear it all the time from anyone and it is even the title of a famous song by a popular Italian singer Marco Masini) Che figo! – So cool! Sei stato in Messico?! Che figo! – You’ve been to Mexico?! So cool! Che figata! / è una figata – So cool! / it is a cool thing Ieri è stata una figata. – Yesterday was really cool. sfigato – unlucky, a loser Sono sempre sfigato. – I never have any luck. Other common Italian phrases You can hear the Italian phrases below in almost all conversations between native speakers, and they can make you sound more fluent if you use them every now and then. Most of them are very simple and can be used in any situation. Insomma – In short Insomma, hai fatto bene. – In short, you did well. Un sacco di – A lot of (literally: a bag of) Abbiamo un sacco di tempo. – We have a lot of time. Magari – Maybe, hopefully Magari ci vediamo di nuovo. – Hopefully we’ll see each other again. Senza dubbio – Without any doubt Questo è il migliore, senza dubbio. – This one is the best, without any doubt. Comunque – Anyway / however Non lo so, comunque adesso chiedo a qualcuno. – I don’t know, however now I will ask someone. A questo punto / a quel punto / ad un certo punto – at this point / at that point / at some point A quel punto non ero sicuro di cosa si trattasse. – At that point I wasn’t sure what this was about. Assolutamente – absolutely Questa è stata una esperienza assolutamente positiva. – This was an absolutely positive experience. Meno male – It’s better this way Meno male che sei rimasto a casa. – It’s better that you stayed at home. Innanzitutto – First of all Innanzitutto ti ringrazio per l’aiuto. – First of all, thank you for your help. Dai – Come on Dai, siamo vicino al posto. – Come on, we are close to the place. Nel senso che – Meaning that Non so niente, nel senso che non ho mai saputo niente. – I don’t know anything, I mean that I never knew anything. Però vabbè – But okay / anyway, it doesn’t matter Non è la stessa cosa, però vabbè. – It’s not the same thing but okay. In realtà – In reality, actually In realtà, è la prima volta che sono in Italia. – Actually, it is my first time in Italy. Praticamente – practically Praticamente non c’è nessuno. – Practically there is noone. A quanto pare – apparently A quanto pare stiamo per partire. – Apparently we are about to leave. Mi sa che – I think that Mi sa che lei è già uscita. – I think she already went out. Secondo me – in my opinion Secondo me, non si può fare. – In my opinion, it cannot be done. .. e basta – and that’s it, that’s enough Dobbiamo compilare il modulo, e basta. – We have to fill in the form, and that’s it. Non è che… – It’s not that …, it is not as if… Non è che hai tanto da fare. – It is not as if you had a lot to do. È tanto che non… – It’s been a long time since… È tanto che non ci sentiamo. – It’s been a long time since we last spoke. Per carità! – For God’s sake! Please! Per carità, non farlo! – Please, don’t do it! Man mano – Slowly, step by step, gradually Man mano ci siamo riusciti. – Slowly we managed to do it. Pian piano – Slowly, step by step, gradually Siamo arrivati pian piano alla lezione finale. – We got step by step to the final lesson. Stare simpatico – to be liked (for a person) È vero che mi sta simpatico. – It is true that I like him. Vero e proprio – true, proper Lei vuole avere una vera e propria famiglia. – She wants to have a proper family. Andare in giro / fare un giro – to go around, to hang out Andiamo a fare un giro. – Let’s go around (for a walk / ride). The following fixed expressions in Italian are the ones you could never think of unless you actually knew their meaning. So next time someone says they don’t see the hour to do something, you won’t be staring at them silent and confused. Fixed expressions Non vedo l’ora di – I can’t wait to (literally: I don’t see the hour to) Non vedo l’ora di tornare. – I can’t wait to come back. Lascia stare – Let it go, let it be Non è importante, lascia stare. – It is not important, let it go. Rendersi conto – to realize, to get to understand Appena adesso mi rendo conto della situazione. – I get to understand the situation just now. Andare storto – to go wrong C’è qualcosa che va storto. – There is something (that goes) wrong. Andare a trovare – to go and visit (someone) Sono andato a trovare i miei in Francia. – I went to visit my parents in France. Dare per scontato – to take for granted Non dare nulla per scontato. – Don’t take anything for granted. Avere in testa – to have in mind Non so che cosa hai in testa. – I don’t know what you have in mind. A buon mercato – cheap, inexpensive, a good deal Cercavo un ristorante a buon mercato. – I was looking for an inexpensive restaurant. Tanto per cambiare – for a change (usually used ironically) Stasera non esco, tanto per cambiare. – Tonight I’m not going out, for a change. Stare zitto – to stay silent, to keep your mouth shut Devi stare zitto, non riesco a sentire nulla. – You have to be silent, I can’t hear anything. Prendere in giro – to be kidding with, to be making fun of Hai capito che volevano prenderti in giro? – Did you understand that they wanted to make fun of you? Vuol dire – it means Che cosa vuol dire questo? – What does this mean? Prestare attenzione – to pay attention to Dovete prestare attenzione ai segnali stradali. – You need to pay attention to the road signs. D’accordo – alright, agreed D’accordo, vengo subito. – Alright, I am coming right away. Mettersi d’accordo – to agree with Ci siamo messi d’accordo all’inizio. – We reached an agreement at the beginning. È uguale – it is the same, never mind Prendi quello che vuoi, per me è uguale. – Take whatever you want, for me it’s the same. Non importa – it doesn’t matter Non importa da dove vieni. – It doesn’t matter where you come from. Qualcosa del genere – something like that Ci sarà una festa, o qualcosa del genere. – There will be a party, or something like that. Non è un granché. – It is not a big deal. It is not anything special. Ho visto il film però non è un granché. – I saw the movie but it’s not anything special. Non c’entra niente. – It has nothing to do with it. Non chiedere a lui, lui non c’entra niente. – Don’t ask him, he has nothing to do with it. Vale la pena – it is worth it Era un viaggio lungo però ne valeva la pena. – It was a long journey but it was worth it. Dare fastidio – to be annoying for someone Questo rumore mi da fastidio. – This noise annoys me. Which is the most common Italian expression that you hear all the time in conversations? Share it in the comments below.
Bringing back a familiar name with a new product, Colt introduced the new Colt Trooper on Tuesday, a direct gas impingement semi-auto AR loaded with M-LOK. The new Trooper may have the name of the classic wheel gun marketed to law enforcement from the 1950s to the 80s, but the moniker takes on a new meaning as a patrol carbine in today’s offering. Equipped with a 16.1-inch 1-in-7-inch twist barrel, the Centurion Arms fore-end has a Picatinny top rail for optics and M-LOK mounting slots at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock for accessories. Loaded weight is 6.5-pounds and both the upper and lower are black hardcoat anodized 7075-T6 aluminum. A single-stage trigger, A2 style grip, and 30-round black Magpul PMAG complete the rifle, which has an overall length of 32-35.5-inches depending on the M4 style stock. “The Trooper offers a really great opportunity for fans of the Colt AR-15 platform,” said Justin Baldini, product director for Colt, in a statement. “We set out to create something that is right in line with what today’s Colt M4 customer wants, so we started with our industry-standard LE6920 and worked with Centurion Arms to develop a new M-LOK capable free-floated forend just for the Trooper.” The Trooper, LE6920-R for Colt nerds, retails for $1,049.
TEENAGERS are learning how to iron, sew and make the bed as part of a school curriculum designed to turn boys into men. St Augustine's College in Brookvale on Sydney's northern beaches has introduced grooming and etiquette classes as part of efforts to engage its Year 9 students during the tough middle years of high school. Boys are taught to master life's daily duties like table setting, phone etiquette, basic food preparation and how to give a good handshake. They even learn the answer to the age-old question of who pays for dinner on the first date. (Answer: Modern couples split the bill.) Middle School dean Peter Nolan created the Unitas program of 10 subjects to give students something exciting and different. "We often find that boys lose their way at school - the novelty of Year 7 has worn off and the focus of the senior years isn't quite in their reach yet," he said. "Education is about opening doors. It's not just about getting a great result at the end of Year 12. It's about developing character and building individuals." TAKE OUR SURVEY - IS YOUR TEEN SON A BOY OR A MAN? In addition to grooming and etiquette, students learn about healthy relationships and how to perform CPR and also assist with reading and sport activities with infants at Brookvale Public School and pre-schoolers at Brookvale Children's Centre. A unit in positive psychology helps students identify their "signature strengths" and a "taste of TAFE" introduces boys to motor mechanics, basic cooking and horticulture. Parent Rina Cipri said teaching life skills was a "fantastic idea". She said girls could also benefit from basic life skills. "You need to learn how to do this stuff because you don't know what will happen," she said. Ms Cipri said she had noticed small changes in her son Vincent's habits - but she continues to iron his shirts, despite him being four weeks into the course. "In my house it's always a mad rush every morning. We have breakfast and get dressed and we're rushing out the door," she said. "I always ask if he's wearing deodorant - maybe it's my son, maybe it's all boys - but it's good to have assistance." Vincent, 14, said at first he was not thrilled with the initiative but had found the classes to be fun.
METRO VANCOUVER — Mayor Derek Corrigan has had his day in court — it just wasn't a good day as he was found guilty of distracted driving. On Wednesday, Corrigan unsuccessfully disputed his July 2013 distracted driving ticket at Robson Square Provincial Court. He was ticketed for using an electronic device while driving southbound on Willingdon Avenue near Sanderson Way. Const. Jonathan Gillis, a six-year peace officer with the Burnaby RCMP, testified that at 7:25 p.m. on July 11, 2013, Corrigan was holding his cellphone in his right hand and touching the screen with his thumb while driving his black Kia Sorento past BCIT. Gillis, who was driving an RCMP motorcycle in the right HOV lane, said he pulled up along the passenger side of the Sorento and motioned for Corrigan to pull over, at which point he issued the ticket. But Corrigan claimed the phone was inoperative, saying he realized the battery had died before getting into his hands-free-equipped crossover. The mayor said he was coming from an event at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and had tried to call his wife to say he was running late, only to find the phone had no power. "Because I was in a hurry, I didn't take it out of my hand," he said. Corrigan, who once was a defense lawyer, questioned if Gillis mistook glare from the screen for proof of the phone being on, and argued that the officer may not have gotten a good enough look at the dead phone. "I suggest it must've been a very brief opportunity that you had because you dropped back to the right rear of the car," said Corrigan. Gillis responded, saying he only dropped back after getting the mayor's attention to give him room to pull over. Corrigan also claimed he offered to show the officer that the phone was dead, but said Gillis declined to look at it, saying holding it while driving was enough to warrant a ticket. "At no time did I intend to use the telephone while I was driving," said Corrigan. "At no time did I use the telephone while I was driving. I tried to have the officer look at it so that he would be able to ascertain that." In the cross-examination period, Gillis pointed out that to get from the Delta to where he was pulled over, Corrigan would have held the phone through a left turn onto Canada Way, a right turn onto Willingdon and through the lights at Goard Way. "Do you normally hold a dead cellphone in your hand while driving?" asked Gillis. The mayor reiterated he was in a hurry and attributed holding the phone to absent-mindedness and a lack of knowledge that he could be ticketed simply for holding a dead phone in his hand. He likened holding a dead phone while driving to holding a wallet or a brick. In his submission, Corrigan said he understood the seriousness of the offence — despite calling it a "minor infraction" when he spoke to the Burnaby NOW in June — and noted he is sometimes reluctant to even use his hands-free device while driving. Nonetheless, he argued that the phone, being inoperative, could not have been distracting. Judicial Justice Brian Burgess summarized the testimony before quoting the Motor Vehicle Act, highlighting that the definition of using an electronic device while driving includes "holding the device in a position in which it may be used." He referenced Corrigan's brick/wallet analogy and noted they are dissimilar to a cellphone. "There is a difference between a cellphone — even a cellphone that has a dead battery — and a wallet or a brick, and that is that there is legislation prohibiting a driver from using a cellphone while driving." Based on the evidence, Burgess handed down a guilty verdict and upheld the penalty. Holding a cellphone while driving is worth a $167 fine and three driver penalty points, according to ICBC. Click here to read more stories from The Burnaby Now. === Click here to report a typo or visit vancouversun.com/typo. Is there more to this story? We'd like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. CLICK HERE or go to vancouversun.com/moretothestory
More retailers dropping Ivanka Trump products Copyright by WWLP - All rights reserved Video Christina Alesci - (CNN) - More trouble for the Trump brand. Sears and Kmart are just the latest major U.S. retailers to announce they are dropping some Trump brand products. This comes after president Trump blasted Nordstrom on twitter last week for the company's decision to discontinue Ivanka Trump's line which they blamed on slumping sales. CNN explores if is this more about politics or brand performance? This may not have been the publicity Ivanka Trump was looking for. Nevertheless, the biggest audience in years tuned in to Saturday night live after T.J.Maxx and Nordstrom distanced themselves from the first daughter's fashion line. Over the weekend, Sears and Kmart also dropped Trump's home brand. A highly controversial plug for Ivanka's label from the white house and an attack on Nordstrom from the President himself come as sales of Ivanka's brand drop. According to one retail analysis firm, online sales for Ivanka's fashion brand were down 26% in January compared to the same time last year. A spokesperson for Ivanka Trump's line tells CNN, "We've seen our brand swept into the political fray, becoming collateral damage in others' efforts to advance agendas unrelated to what we do" adding that the brand saw increased sales last year. Jamie Turner, CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com said, "So there are two ways to look at sales data, one is the full year versus trends. You might see a pattern that is not positive and as a result you might pull the product off the shelf." Nordstrom says the choice to drop Ivanka's line was based on performance, not on politics. The decision doesn't seem to hurt Nordstrom: the company's stock jumped immediately following the controversy. Celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell and Chelsea Handler taking to social media to troll Trump with photos of their purchases. Turner said, "The Donald Trump brand skews older, they focus on older males who might not be as sensitive to the things he's saying, The Ivanka brand is aimed at urban millennial. They are sensitive to what he's saying, and as a result, they're pulling back what they're purchasing on the Ivanka brand." It was still a busy weekend for at least one Trump brand. President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, which has recently doubled its membership dues. Provided the high profile backdrop for a visit with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. A presidential product placement unlike any other.
Terrorist mastermind Mohammad Zkharna was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and an additional 40-year sentence for recruiting and operating the terrorists who carried out the attack that claimed the life of Gregory Rabinowitz in May 2009. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The three members of the cell Zkharna operated were given life sentences for their part seven years ago. Zkharna was convicted recently of planning the attack, recruiting the three members, operating them and instructing them on how to behave after the attack. He was also convicted of murdering—along with others—a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel and of 37 other security offenses. Victim Gregory Rabinowitz (Photo: Gadi Kabalo) The members of the cell—Mahmoud Ouda, Muhammad Khaledi and Ahmed Abu Hanini—came to Ashdod and tried hailing a taxi with the intention of robbing its driver. Many drivers refused to serve them, however, as they could not produce IDs. The three were eventually able to board Rabinowitz's cab and asked him to take them to Gan Yavne. When they arrived there, they directed him to a side dirt road, and when he stopped the vehicle, they jumped him and beat him into unconsciousness. They then tied his hands and feet, placed him in the car's trunk and drove off. Rabinowitz came to a short while later and tried untying himself, at which point the three stopped the taxi, took him out of the trunk, and Ouda began throttling him with a shoelace he tightened against his neck while his friends shoved pieces of cloth into his mouth. Two of the terrorist group's members The three did not relent and after a few minutes turned Rabinowitz onto his back, with one of them strangling him with his bare hands until he died. The three then covered the body with branches and cardboard boxes they found nearby and escaped. They admitted to the crime after they were arrested and said they entered Israel illegally, randomly found Rabinowitz and murdered him after leading him to an isolated locale.
Tooele, UT - A man was taken to a hospital last weekend after his head and neck got stuck between the door and door frame of his vehicle while at a McDonald's drive-thru in Tooele County, and police have released video showing responders working to free the man.Tanya Turnbow, Tooele Police Department, said a 19-year-old man from Tooele was paying at the McDonald's drive-thru, 970 North Main Street, when the money fell to the ground. As the man opened his door and reached down for the money, he inadvertently hit the accelerator andsent the vehicle forward, colliding with the building.The man became trapped as a result, with his head between the door and the door frame and the door wedged tightly against the wall. Turnbow said the man was unresponsive and was not breathing when officers arrived on scene.Police broke out a window in order to get into the vehicle and shift it out of gear, and first responders were eventually able to push the car away from the building and free the pinned victim.The man, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital, and Monday he was upgraded to stable condition.
Well-endowed men of New York, take note. The state health department is preparing to purchase 720,000 Trojan condoms — 440 cases of Magnums, 280 cases of the ENZ variety — to replenish its contraceptive supply, which goes to organizations and medical centers that then distribute the products to the public for free. In total, the New York State Condom Program dispenses about 12 million male condoms a year, according to Mark Hammer of the department’s Division of HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Prevention. More than half of the state’s rubbers end up in New York City, where condom users have complained that the city health department’s widely distributed NYC Condom is inadequate to meet larger men’s needs. Enter the state’s most popular offering: the Trojan Magnum, which is about 15 percent larger than a standard-size condom — 205 mm in length verses about 180 mm, according to Internet reviews, though width only varies by a couple of millimeters. It’s just one of an assortment of protective products that the state has offered through its program since late 2007. The NYC Condom is a standard LifeStyles prophylactic packaged in wrappers inspired by the MTA and modern technology. Its 2007 debut was greeted with criticisms that the city’s single size did not fit all. Two years later, the city health department began to offer an additional Durex option to organizations that serve individuals at high risk for HIV and other STDs. According to the Mayor’s Management Report released earlier this month, the city distributed 36 million male condoms through its program in fiscal year 2012, nearly a 14 percent decrease since 2009. The city did not respond to questions for this story, though it did send along a statement noting that the NYC Condom was the first “municipally branded condom” and that it has its own Facebook page. While this campaign is new, the city health department has been handing out condoms since 1971, initially in clinics treating sexually transmitted diseases. An interactive map and mobile app shows current condom distribution locations and lists the products on offer. In addition to health clinics and advocacy groups, these include retail stores, bars and the occasional hair salon — more than 3,900 sites total, according to the city. Organizations and clinics in New York City that receive city condoms can turn to the state for additional products, Hammer said. About 52 percent of the male condoms distributed through the state go to sites in New York City, he said. The focus, as with the city program, is on high-risk areas and populations. Offering a wider selection of condoms with varying attributes can help encourage more people to use them, Hammer said. Some gangs, for example, take issue with the color of certain condoms, he noted. And everything from texture to packaging can play a role. “People generally want to have a choice,” he said. Providing free condoms relieves individuals of the stigma or expenses that could keep them from purchasing them, said Lynnette Ford, director of the David Geffen Center for HIV Prevention and Health Education for Gay Men’s Health Crisis. It is also a way to raise awareness about prevention, since lack of knowledge is often part of the problem, she said. The center distributes male and female condoms provided through the city program — a shipment of about 600 condoms a month — in prominently displayed dispensers at its facilities. It’s been more than three years now since it started offering the NYC Condom, Ford said, though the GMHC has always provided free rubbers. In the past, the nonprofit had to purchase them itself. For a Magnum brand, she said, this could cost about $300 a case. And though the city supply doesn’t include Magnums, Ford said the center’s visitors seem to be satisfied with what is available. “We’ve had no complaints,” she said. UPDATE October 1, 2012: In an interview this morning, Monica Sweeney, assistant commissioner for New York City’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, provided a breakdown of the types of condoms distributed through the city program last year: 29.7 million standard NYC LifeStyles condoms, 1.3 million female condoms and 6.3 million alternative male condoms — which include extra-large, extra-thin, extra-sensitive, extra-strong, flavored and studded options. This selection was informed by a 2007 city survey that asked New Yorkers what choices they would like to see, she said. Another round of surveying is expected for later this year or early next year. “We are committed to making sure people have their needs met,” she said. Sweeney described a couple of factors that have led to recent declines in her agency’s distribution of condoms. Many small businesses that used to hand out the NYC Condom have been forced to close because of the ailing economy, she said, and local agencies that helped with outreach have had to reduce their staffs for the same reason. The city has also adjusted the number of condoms they give to some vendors, who in the past may have received too few or too many, she said. The city and state have a highly collaborative relationship, Sweeney said, both working to ensure that people use condoms. As for the popular Trojan Magnum offered by the state, “The fact is that the vast majority of men don’t need Magnums,” she said. For the 95 percent who are smaller-size, a condom that is too big could slip off, defeating the point of using one.
Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. HOW, if at all, will the 1990s be remembered? The Internet rose and the Soviet Union fell. Mammals were cloned, Bosnia broke up, and peace came to Ireland, maybe. Something happened in Canada, though no one was sure precisely what. On the whole it has been a decade like any other, agreeably dull. In a thousand years, or in ten thousand or a hundred thousand, what will matter? Mainly an event which hardly anyone noticed at the time: the first, tentative sprouting of an idea which can transfigure humanity. Thank—if you think it cause for thanks—Les U. Knight of Portland, Oregon. Great ideas sometimes have peculiar beginnings, and Mr Knight is a case in point. He knows that the idea for which he acts as principal spokesman is featured in a book called “Kooks: A Guide to the Outer Limits of Human Belief”, and on a related website called “Kooks Museum”. This does not trouble him, since he is lucky to be listed in any sort of reference work at all. “I don't mind being considered a kook; somebody's got to do it,” he says in his gentle, almost musical baritone. “This is the natural progression of ideas. First we have to be ridiculed.” In that, if in nothing else, the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement looks set for creditable success. Mr Knight is a middle-aged substitute teacher in Portland's secondary schools, but it is for his avocation that history should remember him. Around 1970, when he was back from service in the Vietnam war and was finishing university, he became interested in the environmental movement, which was just celebrating its first Earth Day. This sparked a number of changes in his personal philosophy (and also the insertion of the “U.” into his name). “It took a very short time to see that all of the environmental solutions were linked to the number of people on the planet,” he says. He joined a group called Zero Population Growth, but soon saw that this was no permanent solution. “That's when I realised that the best thing for the planet would be for us to phase ourselves out completely.” In his imagination, if nowhere else, Mr Knight became the founder of the Human Extinction Movement; but over time he realised that the name he had chosen missed the central element which sets his vision apart as both liberal and sublime. “It's got to be voluntary,” he says—a Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT, pronounced, he intones, “vehement”, because that is what they are). There is more than enough coercion in the world already, he reckons, and in any case governments that cannot manage forests should not be expected to manage people. Since 1991 he has used newsletters to ask people to become Movement “volunteers” by forswearing procreation. The task, he concedes, is difficult, but the longest journey begins with a single step. “I consider it a success every time one more of us decides not to add one more of us.” The movement has no organisation or membership list, and consists of anyone who supports the idea. How many followers it boasts is impossible to say. In 1995 Daniel Metz, a Willamette University researcher, counted close to 400 people on Mr Knight's mailing list, and even managed to survey them. The supporters tend to believe two things: that humans will soon face a massive “die-off” as population surges past the planet's carrying capacity, and that humans would do the world a favour by going away, because their continuation obliterates so many other species. “In a short time,” says a middle-aged New Yorker, in an e-mail to your correspondent, “we'll see the unmistakable signs of the next big population crash.” Meanwhile, so long as humans continue, we wreak destruction. “We can't help it,” avers a vehement woman from Jersey City, “and we can't stop ourselves—we simply must strip the earth of all natural resources, and drive other species to extinction, for our own short-term benefit.” It must be said, with all respect, that neither rationale is quite compelling. The notion of a growing number of people fighting over a fixed resource pie is Malthusian bosh, as this newspaper has argued in the past. Human ingenuity, energised by sensible policies, creates resources faster than people use them; people learn to substitute sand (in the form of microchips) for sweat, and fuel cells for petrol engines. The second contention—that humanity owes it to other species to die off—is a little harder to dismiss. The egalitarian premise that Homo sapiens has no innate moral precedence over other species, which human activity does indeed obliterate at an impressive rate, is one you must simply take or leave. If you take it, then at a minimum humans should find ways to leave a smaller footprint. Still, that argues for better conservation, or perhaps for fewer humans. It is not a compelling argument for no humans at all. At about this point in the article, the clever reader begins to wonder why a serious newspaper is wasting ink on such silly ideas. The answer is that once in a while someone comes up with the right idea for the wrong reasons. Mr Knight's notion of voluntary human extinction is one of those profoundly right ideas. Consider, in this connection, a question so obvious, and so important, that it has rarely if ever been posed: Why should there always be a next generation? Of course parents will make one, at least for the foreseeable future, but to say they have no choice in the affair is a reply suitable for a bacillus or a slime mould or a tumour, not for a thinking being. The command to make children and grandchildren, to be fruitful and multiply for ever and ever, is an imperative of the genes, not the mind. Humans will be the slaves of two little coils of nucleotide bases so long as they fail to take into their own hands the ultimate question, which is how long the People Show should go on. An exit chosen, not ordained It is clear that human history will end; the only mystery is when. It is also clear that if the timing is left to nature (or, if you prefer, to God) and humans hang on until the bloody end, the race's final exit will be ignoble. If future generations escape the saurian agony of extermination by a wandering chunk of rock or ice, the sun's unavoidable growth to gianthood will still incinerate their last successors: only cinders and gases and dust will remain. Far future generations might prolong the process by posting colonies beyond the earth's orbit, but these would be sad outposts at the end of the solar system's long day, clutching memories of a lost planet and of billions of immolated souls. The difficulties—fantastic difficulties—of interstellar travel might be overcome, but the mightiest of starships could do no more than defer the dies irae. An ignoble existence hopping from planet to planet—clinging to each clod until it, in its turn, was vaporised or frozen—might still be bearable were it not for the knowledge of its final futility. In the end, there is only death by gravity or entropy, the fiery quantum pit or the heatless grey soup. The great violinist Jascha Heifetz was great not least because he quit the concert stage at his peak, before the show became stale or the audience drifted away. To exit gracefully is sublime, as Heifetz understood. And only one species is capable of choosing a similarly graceful exit; all others march on like robots. To call time on the human race by choice, not necessity, would be the final victory of the human spirit over animal nature, an absolute emancipation from the diktat of DNA. Precisely because no other known life-form could do or even conceive such a thing, humanity must. More: science has revealed only one place in the universe that is hospitable to intelligent life, and humans are the only intelligence that, as far as is known, has ever enjoyed the opportunity to occupy it. If people left the stage after a reasonable run, in the fullness of time intelligence could evolve again (dolphin-people? chimp-people? orchid people?). And then, in due course, when this new species deciphered human books or reached the marker that might be left for them on the windless moon, they would know that man ended his dominion so that theirs might begin. Imagine, then, how they will regard us. It is, far and away, the greatest act of goodness ever contemplated, the ennoblement of a whole species; an act, almost, of angels. By departing the scene humanity will leave much undiscovered, much unexplored and unfinished. Perhaps in the reaches of space there is life, or even intelligence: a pity to extinguish the race before meeting it. Yet the future is always an unwritten page, and the nobility of voluntary extinction resides precisely in shutting the book at a time of our own choosing. To make contact with an alien race while still alive would be interesting, for a while; but mankind will doubtless make a better impression posthumously. Then the aliens will know the ancients of earth as a legendary race that gave itself back to the dust and the stars. They will speak of us with awe to their children for as long as, ignoring our example, they continue to have any. Imagine the poetry, the music, of those last few human generations; imagine the moral exaltation of those last few souls, the pregnant richness of sound and light and colour and even of thought in the last months of humanity's twilight. Who would not give everything to know the ineffable sadness and nobility of being among the last? Then, at last, the lights will go out, and the world will begin anew, and the sand will cover our name. That would be a finale worthy of a great race. It is hard, indeed, to imagine any reason to be against voluntary human extinction. The tricky question is not whether to extinguish, but when. Certainly not right away, if only because, as yet, we can't. As Mr Knight himself says, “Convincing 6 billion people to stop breeding is indeed a daunting task.” But there need be no rush. Look at it this way. For humans to reach a state of such collective rational consensus that they become capable of choosing their end may take a few millennia, or a few dozen or a few hundred millennia; but this decision need only be made once. When even the last few men and women left holding out answer the call to the sublime, and choose to bear no more children—then that will be the species' finest hour. And so that will be the time to leave. The timetable of voluntarism is perfect: it provides ample time, but not a day too much of it. Let this article be a hopeful obituary, then, for a race that may yet hurl its defiance into the teeth of the cosmos, and surpass itself as no earthly creature has ever done before. Let Homo sapiens' epitaph say that nothing in our career became us like the ending of it.
Martine Rothblatt raked in a cool $38 million last year, according to The New York Times. Rothblatt tops the list as the highest-paid female CEO in 2013. Twenty years ago, Rothblatt would not have been able to claim this title—Martine was born Martin. The 59-year-old founder and CEO of publicly traded pharmaceutical company United Therapeutics transitioned from male to female in 1994. Rothblatt made her first fortune as a founder of Sirius radio in the 1990s when she was still living as a man, New York magazine reports. She launched her current endeavor in 1995, shortly after her transition. Only 11 women made it onto the list of the 200 highest-paid CEOs. Rothblatt clocked in at No. 10. Yahoo President and CEO Marissa A. Mayer is the next woman on the list, about 24 slots lower and earning roughly $13 million less than Rothblatt. “I can’t claim that what I have achieved is equivalent to what a woman has achieved. For the first half of my life, I was male,” Rothblatt told New York. Rothblatt’s hurdles might be different from those born female, but life as a transgender woman is far from trouble-free. Transgender and gender-nonconforming people face a barrage of employment-based discrimination, and it’s hard to imagine how much worse the situation must have been for Rothblatt when she transitioned two decades ago. Transgender workers have an unemployment rate of 14 percent—that’s twice the rate of the rest of the population, according to a 2013 study. For Rothblatt, gender is more fluid than identifying as male or female. Even after deciding to undergo a sex-change operation, she prefers to use “Pn.,” for “person,” rather than “Mr.” or “Ms.” Rothblatt remains married to her devoted wife of 33 years, Bina Aspen. They have four children, who call her “Dad,” and grandkids who have nicknamed her “Grand Martine.”
More than 300,000 people are making their way to Las Vegas for labor day weekend. Those are the same people developers hope will pay for the proposed $1.9 billion NFL stadium. 13 Action News did the math to figure out how much would be generated by the proposed .88 percent increase to the room tax. Let's assume all of the 307,000 tourists are sharing a room with someone. That means 153,500 rooms booked each night. On an average $109 room, the increased room tax would add an extra 96 cents. That would generate $147,360 dollars a night for the stadium. If those tourists stay three nights, that number jumps to $442,080. Some have said the increase could deter people from coming to Las Vegas. Everyone 13 Action News spoke with at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign Friday said they wouldn’t notice the change. When it comes to big cities, Las Vegas is currently on the lower end when it comes to room taxes at 12.9 percent. That number is only slightly higher than our biggest convention rival in Orlando at 12.5 percent. Chicago, Houston and Indianapolis lead the nation all at or above 17 percent. If lawmakers approved the room tax increase for the stadium and another half percent increase for convention center expansion, Las Vegas rate would move to 14.28 percent. That would move Sin City into the company of cities like New York City (14.75 percent), Los Angeles (15.5 percent) and San Francisco (16.64 percent). Stadium developers say a full year of the increased room tax would generate $50 million for the stadium.
Since October 1, 2016 — the first day of Fiscal Year 2017 — 2,959 Somali refugees have been admitted into the United States. According to Breitbart, Somali refugees first started seeking asylum in the United States in 1986, yet the rate at which they are entering the country — across the first two months of the fiscal year — has never been higher. The FY2017 figures — taken from the State Department’s continually updating online database — mark a more than 30 percent jump from the previous, highest rate, recorded in FY2005 when 2,171 refugees entered the country across the same timeframe. If the refugee influx continues at the current rate — more than 42 per day — the United States can expect to welcome 15,652 Somali refugees to its shores for the entire year. Furthermore, 764 Somali refugees have entered the United States since November 28, 2016. In other words, roughly 25 percent of all Somali refugees entering the country in FY2017 did so in the 10 days after a Somali refugee went on an Islam-inspired stabbing spree at Ohio State University. (RELATED: Everything We Know About Abdul Razak Ali Artan) An overwhelming majority of the refugees said they were of the Muslim faith, with 2,840 self-identifying themselves as non-denominational followers and 117 as Sunni Muslims. So far in FY2017, Somali refugees have been settled in 39 states and Washington, DC, with Arizona (161), Kentucky (198), New York (313), Ohio (192), Texas (145) and Georgia (107) being the heaviest hit. United States intelligence agencies have maintained that terrorist groups will try to smuggle operatives into refugees seeking asylum in the West. (RELATED: CIA Director Warns ISIS Plans To Exploit Immigration System) CIA Director James Brenna testified before Congress in June that the United States had not diminished ISIS’ “global reach,” and that the terrorist group “has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks” abroad. Follow Datoc on Twitter and Facebook
Elizabeth Warren wins Mass. Senate race GOP incumbent Scott Brown, left, and Democrat Elizabeth Warren are competing in a tight Senate race in Massachusetts. (Photo11: Elise Amendola, AP) Democrat Elizabeth Warren has won Massachusetts Senate race and turned GOP incumbent Sen. Scott Brown out of office. On a night when up to a dozen Senate races were in play, the Massachusetts race was the premiere contest in the battle for majority control. Brown shot to national fame in January 2010 when he won a special election to succeed Democratic icon Edward Kennedy, who died in August 2009. The former state senator became an instant Democratic target for defeat in this election cycle. Warren, a Harvard University law professor, has become a liberal darling in her first race for elected office. She helped President Obama create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and won a featured speaking slot at the Democratic convention in Charlotte. "Progressives just won our marquee race of 2012 and elected a leader who will shake up the corridors of power from Washington to Wall Street," said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, one of Warren's earliest supporters. The group raised more than $1 million for Warren. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/RTkAeW
Compiz Fusion and X.org MPX and Input Redirection Patches are now out! So, I figured that I should publish these before murphy’s law ensures that I either have a 1% chance of living the next day, or that the Australian Government censors me. So, as previously said, the patches are now out today. Here is a list of what they contend of: All plugins that used mouse input can use input from all devices, not just the master device Fixes for the Input Redirection patches in the X Server Input Redirection support in shift, scale, freewins, shelf and ring (Expo and Ezoom are not included because they were difficult for me to do mathmatically, volunteers welcome) So, wihout further ado, the patches are retrievable from my git repository, located at git://git.compiz-fusion.org/users/smspillaz/compiz-mpx-ir Inside you will find three directories, xorg, compiz and fusion. You shoud apply the patches in that order. In the xserver directory, there is a second patch for you to use if you use proprietary video drivers which don’t like the new function signatures. Of couse, credit where credit is due: Peter Hutterer for: Adapting the base of Compiz for X Input 2 Support (the core patches are mostly based on his original work) Getting MPX Support into the X Server David Reveman for: Creating Compiz, which I’m sure we all can’t live without Creating the Triangular Co-ordinate mesh input redirection system in XComposite Joel Bosveld (b0le) for: Updating the X Server Input Redirection patches to be more relevant with the current X Server Showing me how the X Triangle Mesh works Helping me in implementing the meshing interface in Compiz-Core Dennis Kaspryzyk (onestone) for: Helping me to understand some of the mathematics behind expo and others (although, I was unable to use the methods that he suggested, perhaps one day I will find a way) And thanks to all of you who were patient in waiting for me to release these patches. Hopefully, with this work done, more people will be able to have input redirection in their servers, and the X.org team will consider input redirection to be an important item on their agenda in future X server releases. I have also stickied a thread on the C-F forums, ‘Input Redirection Reliant Ideas‘. Please, feel free to post away. There is no tutorial on how to apply the patches at the moment, I will make one soon. – SmSpillaz Advertisements
Photo: Flickr: Drew Tarvin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 6, 2016 Contact: Daniel Stevens, [email protected], 202.780.5750 Expensive travel, alcohol, and prohibited lobbying all apparently billed to Utah taxpayers WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a letter to the chairs of the Utah Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands and the director and legislative general counsel of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, Campaign for Accountability (CfA) called for a full accounting of the nearly one million dollars the commission has spent to date to develop a lawsuit to compel the federal government to transfer national public lands to the state. Read the Letter here. CfA’s review of the hundreds of pages of invoices from Davillier Law Group and Strata Policy for work done by outside lawyers, public relations firms, and polling experts reveals apparent prohibited lobbying expenditures, luxury travel, and significant billing discrepancies — all at taxpayer expense. Despite contracts that required coach travel and standard hotel room rates, CfA uncovered evidence of first-class air travel and numerous stays at an exclusive private club. “This is at best a case of sloppy accounting and at worst a serious abuse of public resources,” said Anne Weismann, CfA Executive Director. “Either way, Utah taxpayers deserve a full accounting of the expenses. If there is a good reason for these lawyers to bill the state of Utah for luxury hotels, let’s hear it.” While the potential lawsuit itself has drawn significant public scrutiny and criticism, the commission’s use of the $2 million appropriated by the legislature for a lawsuit has been largely overlooked. CfA’s review shows that an audit and reconciliation of the many billing irregularities is long overdue. The total cost of the lawsuit is estimated to exceed $14 million, with the $2 million appropriated so far serving only as a down payment. The attorney general and governor have not yet formally approved any lawsuit. Issues CfA uncovered include: Almost $1,300 for a three-night stay at Salt Lake City’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel, the Grand American Hotel; Over $1,300 for two separate stays at the exclusive private Alta Club in Salt Lake City, including one stay that included lodging on Saturday and Sunday; and Meals for three totaling $366, mileage for two totaling $278, and a $21 charge for beer reimbursed by the Utah taxpayers. The meals did not include itemized receipts, making it impossible to know if Utah taxpayers paid for additional alcohol, which would have been in clear violation of a contractual provision barring the expense of alcoholic beverages. Despite a prohibition on lobbying expenditures, one week after the Public Lands Initiative draft was released, the lead attorney billed the State to “review[] and analyze[] PLI further,” and spent the next two days meeting with Utah legislators, including Rep. Bishop on January 29, 2016, charging more than $4,200 for these meetings. While the contracts provide that legal services are charged at a higher rate than relations services, lawyers routinely billed at their higher rates for public relations work, including: Conducting an interview for a Heritage Foundation video; Reviewing and responding to comments from the Los Angeles Times, reviewing an op-ed, and reviewing correspondence concerning a video. All expenses can be seen here at the “Related Links” tab. Read the letter below. CfA is nonprofit watchdog organization that uses research, litigation, and aggressive communications to expose misconduct and malfeasance in public life and hold those who act at the expense of the public good accountable for their actions.
A book called The Black Witch is making a name for itself, and not necessarily because of the writing. You see, the book uses prejudice as a theme within the book, where characters of the protagonist's race are the top dogs and they look down on everyone who isn't like them. As such, it should be unsurprising that the protagonist espouses some pretty problematic views during her character arc, particular in the early parts of it. Yet, for the social justice jihadis of our world, this kind of thing can never be included in a book, especially if it's the protagonist saying it. They despise it so much that they're trying to destroy the book. Via Vulture: The Black Witch centers on a girl named Elloren who has been raised in a stratified society where other races (including selkies, fae, wolfmen, etc.) are considered inferior at best and enemies at worst. But when she goes off to college, she begins to question her beliefs, an ideological transformation she’s still working on when she joins with the rebellion in the last of the novel’s 600 pages. (It’s the first of a series; one hopes that Elloren will be more woke in book two.) It was this premise that led Sinyard to slam The Black Witch as “racist, ableist, homophobic, and … written with no marginalized people in mind,” in a review that consisted largely of pull quotes featuring the book’s racist characters saying or doing racist things. Here’s a representative excerpt, an offending sentence juxtaposed with Sinyard’s commentary: “pg. 163. The Kelts are not a pure race like us. They’re more accepting of intermarriage, and because of this, they’re hopelessly mixed.” Yes, you just read that with your own two eyes. This is one of the times my jaw dropped in horror and I had to walk away from this book. To be sure, that quote is certainly not a good thing. But there's something in fiction called "the character arc" — the change that the story creates within the character. Sinyard is looking at a character in a fairly early part of the book — page 163 of a 600-page book, so not even a third of the way through — and has judged the entire character arc. Does the character continue thinking that way? Does the character look at other races differently by the end? These are questions to be answered. Yet the problem was that a protagonist espoused the views at all, which is forbidden. It's fine for a villain to speak them, but the hero? That can only happen because the author endorses this kind of thought (rather than what the character thinks at the end of the book).
You may have noticed it last week. Anonymous claimed the scalp of yet another a major government agency. Supporters of the the online movement of activists and internet trolls said they'd stolen 1.7 GB of data from an agency within the Department of Justice that aggregates crime data. They claimed to have nabbed "lots of shiny things such as internal emails and the entire database dump." They branded the heist as "Monday Mail Mayhem," said it could help people "know the corruption in their government." They posted it on Pirate Bay as a torrent, for anyone to see -- and 1.7 GB was just the size of the zipped file. Not many people bothered to check what was actually in the huge file. Step in Identity Finder, a software security firm. Privacy officer Aaron Titus downloaded the payload last week and sifted through it all, checking out the veracity of the claims by Anonymous. Turned out they were overhyped. The zipped file contained 6.5 GB of web server files and "does not appear to contain any sensitive personal information, internal documents, or internal emails," according to Titus. A folder named "Mail" was mostly empty, though it contained two administrative email addresses. There were also no personal details (social security numbers or credit card numbers), and the worst the breach had done was reveal the site's web server file, which could be leveraged by other hackers for future attacks. It looked like the breach had done more to grab attention from the media and the Department of Justice than do any real damage. Surprised? You shouldn't be. This was another illustration of the power of Anonymous as a continuing online insurgency: not in hacking per se, but its constant ability to grab eyeballs, project power, and give followers a voice and sense of purpose unlike any they've experienced before. What's important for companies and policy makers (the typical targets) to note is that it's oftentimes more a tease than anything else. Other examples: 1) Earlier this month Fox News reported that an online group called TheWikiBoat, aligned with Anonymous, planned to bring down the websites of 46 major companies on Friday May 25. TheWikiBoat said in a public statement that it had "no motives other then [sic] doing it for the lulz," (ie. for shits and giggles). The FBI's Cyber Division was concerned enough to send an email to the likes of Apple Computer, McDonald's and ExxonMobile warning them of a potential attack -- which didn't happen. 2) Around this time last year, a single supporter of Anonymous managed to grab global headlines when he tweeted that he had a cache of bank of America emails. What he eventually released was an e-mail exchange between himself and a BofA ex-staffer who made (what admittedly looked like valid) complaints about the bank's management. But it did nothing to the bank's stock price, and the news agenda quickly moved on. 3) In December 2010 Anonymous claimed responsibility for taking down the websites of PayPal, MasterCard and Visa after these firms nixed online donations to WikiLeaks. How? Supporters implied it was thanks to thousands of volunteers who had become part of an cyber army by downloading a software tool called LOIC. What really happened: a couple of supporters with botnets temporarily took the sites down -- but the notion that Anonymous was an international "army" of hacktivists was left floating around the Internet. Time and again, online supporters have laid claim to the brand power of Anonymous, invoking its name, imagery such as the Guy Fawkes logo and headless, suited man surrounded by olive leaves, along with the tag line, "We are Anonymous… Expect us." The result: news outlets and policy makers sit up and listen, more so than they would if those supporters used their real names, or were literally anonymous. The power of Anonymous is propagated by the continued use of a name wrapped in hype and disinformation, more than the occasional real hacks. The Anonymous "brand" gets street cred from cyber attacks carried out by a minority of hackers who know how to use SQL injection techniques or who know people who control botnets. The additional hype comes from the impassioned, sometimes-threatening rhetoric of less-skilled-but-enthusiastic followers on Twitter or the imageboard 4chan. Why do these supporters join in? Everyone has their own reasons -- something to do, the engaging community of people to talk to, the thrill of being part of a secret crowd. Sources in Anonymous that I have spoken to over the last year often speak to a sense of purpose they get from Anonymous, and sometimes the justification to do the subversive, often-illegal things online that they would not otherwise do. It's mob mentality with a twist -- the activist element of protest, twinned with the culture of trolling and exaggeration that runs through image boards like 4chan. For law enforcement, who happen to chase anarchists with particular zeal in the United States, there isn't so much a criminal organization to rope in as the mirage of one. No system with leaders and rules, but a culture and etiquette that is changing all the time. Many of the figureheads who organized the Anonymous attacks against Scientology in 2008 have left the community to focus on college or full-time jobs, many happy to break away from the frenetic pace of operations and the constant paranoia about getting doxxed. Those who've been arrested are upheld as martyrs within the network, and there are many more who are joining, and who think they can do a better job of hiding from the police. Anonymous will continue to exist for some time, taking new followers, changing tactics, and often staying one spontaneously-placed step ahead of the police. They'll fight for the right to their anonymity, to expose other people's information, or anything they want, and they'll come and go from the headlines. But these chaotic actors will stick around, and their greatest power will continue to be not their skills or abilities, but the very name that they can invoke. For more details on how Anonymous works and the real, human stories behind it, check out my forthcoming book, "We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World Of LulzSec, Anonymous and the Global Cyber Insurgency." Or follow me on Twitter: @parmy
While I know I'm in the minority, I use the Perl debugger quite a bit. In fact, I've hacked on perl5db.pl more than I can to admit and it's a mess. However, on a day-to-day basis, I use it constantly and have it bound to ,d in my vim setup. Unfortunately, I also write a lot of Moose code and that's when I invariably hit things like this: Class::MOP::Method::Wrapped::CODE(0x62b0250)(/usr/local/lib/perl/5.10.1/Class/MOP/Method/Wrapped.pm:91): 91: sub { $modifier_table->{cache}->(@_) }, auto(-1) DB<2> v 88 }; 89: $_build_wrapped_method->($modifier_table); 90 return $class->SUPER::wrap( 91==> sub { $modifier_table->{cache}->(@_) }, 92 # get these from the original 93 # unless explicitly overridden 94: package_name => $params{package_name} \|\| $code->package_name, 95 name => $params{name} \|\| $code->name, 96 original_method => $code, 97 That's not code I've written; that's code that you get when you use Moose and it makes debugging much harder than it needs to be. Today I decided to do something about that, but I was very pleased to see that Christian Walde already did it for me. Now debugging Moose is a breeze. The first thing you do is install DB::Skip. This module uses a minimally invasive monkey-patch to the debugger to allow you to ignore packages or subroutines in the debugger. For some reason I couldn't install it directly with the cpan or cpanm clients, so I downloaded and tried to build it manually, but it hung on t/basic.t . I popped it open in vim, hit ,t (my binding for running the current test in verbose mode) and it passed just fine. Weird, but I didn't look into it further. I simply installed it and the altered my $HOME/.perldb file. If you're not familiar with $HOME/.perldb , this file is documented in perldoc perldebug and let's you run code before the debugger and do all sorts of interesting customizations. For example, you could bind a key in your editor to insert $DB::single = 1; before the current line, set the DEBUGGING environment variable and then have this in your $HOME/.perldb file: sub afterinit { push @DB::typeahead, "c" if $ENV{DEBUGGING}; } That would cause your debugger to automatically c ontinue until the first break point (in other words, run until it hits the $DB::single your editor just inserted). Previously, my rc file looked like this: sub DB::afterinit { no warnings 'once'; # give me a window of lines instead of a single line push @DB::typeahead => "{{v" unless $DB::already_curly_curly_v++; } Now it looks like this: my $skip; BEGIN { $skip = '^(?:Moose\|Eval::Closure\|Class::MOP)' } print STDERR <<"END"; Debugger skipping: /$skip/ See ~/.perldb if you don't like this behavior. END use DB::Skip pkgs => [ qr/$skip/ ]; sub DB::afterinit { no warnings 'once'; # give me a window of lines instead of a single line push @DB::typeahead => "{{v" unless $DB::already_curly_curly_v++; } That DB::Skip setup automatically skips any packages in the following namespaces: Eval::Sandbox Moose Class::MOP Now when I try to debug my Moose classes, the debugger just shows me code that I wrote, not any of the Moose internals. While I'm sure I may find some other packages I'll want to add to my setup, this has tremendously sped up my code debugging. Thanks Mithaldu! If you'd like to learn more about using the debugger, though it's brief, I do give an introduction to it in my book, Beginning Perl.
Atomic Bomb Game The Atom Bomb Game event at the Imperial War Museum in London, for the 60th Anniversary in 2005. Under the glass is the position of the board at the time the bomb was dropped. The 106 moves from the first two days had just been replayed on the board at the time. The board here belongs to T. Mark Hall. Just visible on the other side is Mark's diploma signed by Iwamoto Kaoru, a survivor of the Atom Bomb game. The Atomic Bomb Game was a game played 4-6 August 1945 as the second game of the third title series for the Honinbo title, which was held at that time by Hashimoto Utaro. The challenger was Iwamoto Kaoru. The venue for game 1 (23 to 25 July 1945) was the house of Fujii Junichi, Nakajima-Honcho, Hiroshima City. But game 2 was moved to the Chugoku Sekitan (a coal company, president: Tsuwaki Kan'ichi) employees' dormitory in Yoshimi-en, Itsukaichi-cho, Saeki-gun (Yoshimi-en, Saeki-ku, Hiroshima City today). Go had continued all through the war years in Japan, in reduced form. The story of the game has been told often. The game recorder was Miwa Yoshiro, and the official observer/referee Segoe Kensaku, whose birthplace was Hiroshima. The second game was played on the outskirts of the city because propaganda leaflets had been dropped, concerning a new powerful bomb (it seems the move was at police insistence). The location was about 10 kilometres from the eventual centre of the explosion. The blast from the atomic bomb "Little Boy" above Hiroshima interrupted the game in its third day. It came at 8.15 am and at a point where the players had replayed the position - but had not yet started the game again. There were injuries to some of those there caused by flying glass, and damage to the building. Hashimoto was blown off his feet. The game wasn't resumed until after lunch. The game was then played to a conclusion, Hashimoto winning by five points with White (there was no komi). This tied the match 1-1. People at Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo thought all had been killed by the explosion, before Miwa came back to report the story. An early Magic of Go column by Richard Bozulich provides more details on this event. The game itself may be viewed here.
SOUTHAMPTON, England, April 16 (UPI) -- A British father of two decided to start doing something a little different for Easter and came up with the a tasty treat that has nothing to do with bunnies and everything to do with pigs -- the bacon Easter egg. Mike Gurman created the exceptional egg by weaving 24 pieces of bacon together into an egg shape and dressing it up with a bow. The 47-year-old got the idea when he heard his colleagues talking about giving up chocolate for Lent and began considering alternatives. Easter is NOT only about chocolate. It is also about bacon. Behold the bacon Easter egg. pic.twitter.com/jBSD6OjHRw — Evil Chris Priestly (@TheEvilChris) April 16, 2014 "The Internet has an obsession with bacon and in my brain I wondered if someone had already made an Easter egg out of bacon,” Gurman told the Daily Star. "I couldn't really find anything that was anyway similar to what I had in mind." Since his bacon creation was hollow, Gurman figured out a way to fill it up. "The egg conceals a couple of nice Cumberland sausages and some fried slices of black pudding,” he wrote on his blog. The innovative chef has cooked grasshoppers, Mac N Chocolate, and bacon waffles in the past. "I had a kind of mid-life crisis when I hit 40 and realized I did not have to have someone telling me what to do,” Gurman said. "I am a grown up. I can make a mess. I can use whatever ingredients in my cooking." [The Daily Star] [Atomic Shrimp]
A Georgia grandmother who came under suspicion because all five of her husbands had died was released Thursday from a North Carolina jail where she had been held on charges in one of their deaths. Betty Neumar, 76, posted $300,000 bond late Thursday morning at the Stanly County jail, where she's been held since her arrest in May, Sheriff Rick Burris said. Neumar is charged with solicitation to commit first-degree murder in the 1986 death of her fourth husband, Harold Gentry. "I can't believe they let her out. It's just wrong, flat out wrong. I don't understand," said Gentry's brother, Al, who pressed law enforcement for more than two decades to get the case reopened. Tried to hire killers? Prosecutors allege Betty Neumar tried to hire three people to kill Gentry in the six weeks before his bullet-riddled body was found in his rural North Carolina home. Since her arrest, police in Florida and Ohio have begun to re-examine the deaths of her first child — Gary Flynn, whose 1985 death was ruled a suicide — and three of her other husbands, though she faces no charges in those cases. Georgia police recently closed their re-examination of the death of her fifth husband, John Neumar, saying they have no evidence she was involved. His son, John K. Neumar, was also shocked to find she was out of jail: "I've lost all faith in the legal system," he said from his Georgia home. Neumar's attorney, Charles Parnell, said the case has "been blown out of proportion." He said evidence continues to be released that shows his client wasn't involved in her husbands' deaths. Parnell said he expected Neumar to return to Georgia, where she lives with her daughter. 'My back has a big target' Al Gentry said law enforcement officers have told him to be careful since he was instrumental in Neumar's arrest. "Now my back has a big target on it," said Gentry, who said he regularly carries a gun for protection. Burris said he was surprised Neumar was able to post the bond, recently lowered from $500,000, but confident in the prosecution's case. He said it will likely take several months for prosecutors and defense attorneys to review all the court documents. Parnell said he assumed family helped her pay the required portion of the $300,000 bond. Burr Bail Bonds, which she used to post bail, did not return messages left at its Albemarle office.
Moments after Governor Robert Bentley ordered the removal of Confederate flags from Capitol grounds, the state of Alabama unanimously agreed to secede from itself. In an unprecedented move, Alabama declared that it wants nothing more to do with itself on the basic principle that a state’s wrongs should never trump states’ rights. “Up until now, I was proud that we’d become one of the top 50 states in the whole country,” stated Brian McGowan, an avowed Alabama spokesman. “But taking down the Confederate flag was an affront to our unfounding fathers.” “Besides,” he added, “the Civil War wasn’t about slavery so much as it was about maintaining white supremacy. Anyway, I don’t know what happened to us.” Alabama’s long list of self-directed grievances includes stolen valor, historical de-revisionism and the forced separation of church and hate. “One day I wake up in a state that’s always said my race is better than everyone else’s, and the next I’m forced to drive to work without seeing government-sanctioned reminders of that claim,” said Gary Adney, a resident of Mooresville. He sighed and added, “It’s starting to feel like Americans don’t appreciate the value of race-based caste systems anymore.” While Alabama has yet to announce a plan for how its government will operate without itself, insiders expect the now-stateless state to thrive on a robust economy fueled by Kickstarter donations from the same benefactors who funded George Zimmerman. Interested in more news on America’s indignant white men? Check out Newly Discovered Disorder Prevents White Men From Understanding The First Amendment.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry says he’s preparing to meet with the 51 American diplomats who signed an internal State Department cable slamming the Obama administration’s Syria policy and calling for U.S. military strikes against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad. Mr. Kerry, who’s mainly been silent on the cable since it was leaked to a reporter and made headlines last week, said Monday morning that he’s read the document and felt that it “was very good.” “I’m going to meet with them,” Mr. Kerry said of the diplomats — mostly midlevel career State Department officials — who pushed the cable through the department’s so-called “dissent channel,” an established, albeit secretive, medium for Foreign Service officers to challenge existing U.S. policy. The cable, first reported Thursday by The New York Times, urges the U.S. to carry out “targeted” strikes against the Assad government to stop its persistent violations of a cease-fire negotiated by Washington and Moscow, and warns that American policy has been “overwhelmed” by years of unrelenting violence in Syria. The document’s emergence marked the latest in a pattern of frustration from current and former U.S. officials since 2013, when Mr. Obama asserted that the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime would represent a “red line” that could trigger U.S. military retaliation. The president later appeared to back off the threat in a favor of pursuing a peaceful political transition away from Mr. Assad in Syria. Some argue that such an approach indicates Washington is working tacitly with the Assad regime to battle the Islamic State group and other extremists in the war zone. Mr. Kerry and his predecessor under Mr. Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have long been said to be frustrated by the president’s reluctance to authorize force in the Syrian conflict. Former ambassador to Syria Robert Ford has also been critical, publicly lamenting that the administration had “consistently been behind the curve” in crafting a coherent and effective policy in response to the multi-front war that has spawned millions of refugees. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. John McCain today finally denounced and rejected the endorsement of fundamentalist Pastor John Hagee. It wasn’t Hagee’s comments on the Catholic Church “the great whore”) or gays (God sent Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans as punishment for a gay pride parade) that went too far for McCain. It was Hagee’s claim on a 1990s television show that Hitler was doing “God’s work” during the Holocaust by setting in motion events that forced Jews to return to Israel. Now what about Rod Parsley? This political ally of McCain has decried Islam as a “false religion” and says it’s the historic mission of the United States to eradicate Islam. McCain has yet to reject the endorsement from Parsley, with whom he campaigned in February. It’s tough to figure out McCain’s moral universe. Attributing Hitler’s mass-murder of Jews to God–that’s a no-no. Calling for the destruction of an entire religion? So far, that’s no reason for McCain to reject an endorsement. UPDATE: After McCain rejected Hagee’s endorsement, Hagee withdrew his endorsement of McCain. In other words, you can’t fire me, I quit. BTW, McCain is also finally releasing his medical records–after postponing doing so for a year. But he’s making these records available for only three hours on a Friday before a holiday weekend–to guarantee less media coverage–and his campaign has sort of banned New York Times reporter Lawrence Altman, one of the leading medical reporters in journalism, from reviewing the records. Only a handful of media outfits selected by the campaign will be permitted to send reporters to a conference room in Phoenix to examine the records. And the Times was not chosen. None of the reporters will be allowed to make any copies of the records.
New FCC Broadband 'Advisory Panel' Stocked With Telecom Consultants, Allies & Cronies from the parade-of-yes-men dept On the one hand, FCC boss Ajit Pai proclaims to be a man dedicated to hard data, transparency, and closing the digital divide. But we've repeatedly highlighted how his public rhetoric is miles from his actual policies, which by and large focus on making life easier than ever for the nation's entrenched, uncompetitive broadband mono/duopolies. From gutting broadband privacy and net neutrality protections, to protecting the cable industry's monopoly over the cable box, Pai's actions consistently reveal anti-competitive intent, while his words gracefully try to imply another, artificial artifice. This stage play has apparently extended to Pai's creation of a new Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC), which at an event earlier this year the FCC insisted would provide the agency with well-rounded input on how to improve broadband deployment: "The BDAC's mission will be to make recommendations for the Commission on how to accelerate the deployment of high-speed Internet access, or "broadband," by reducing and/or removing regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment. This Committee is intended to provide an effective means for stakeholders with interests in this area to exchange ideas and develop recommendations for the Commission, which will in turn enhance the Commission's ability to carry out its statutory responsibility to encourage broadband deployment to all Americans." Laying the blame for the broadband industry's issues exclusively on "regulatory barriers" is already a telltale bit of over-simplification. While there certainly are some regulations that could be streamlined to improve broadband deployment (like utility pole attachment rules), the real problems in the industry have a notably larger origin: namely entrenched duopolists that relentlessly lobby government to help keep real, vibrant competition at bay. These lobbying tendrils run deep, with ISPs using hired academics, economists, PR reps and consultants all with one goal: protect the profitable, but often anti-consumer and dysfunctional status quo. In a speech (pdf) given earlier this year, Pai proclaimed that his new advisory panel would be "forward-looking and fair, balancing the legitimate interests of municipalities with the ever-growing demands of the American public for better, faster, and cheaper broadband." Odd, then, that the Daily Beast recently dug through the panel and found that 28 of the 30 panel members have direct financial ties to telecom operators: "Instead the FCC loaded the 30-member panel with corporate executives, trade groups and free-market scholars. More than three out of four seats on the BDAC are filled by business-friendly representatives from the biggest wireless and cable companies such as AT&T Inc., Comcast Corp., Sprint Corp., and TDS Telecom. Crown Castle International Corp., the nation’s largest wireless infrastructure company, and Southern Co., the nation’s second-largest utility firm, have representatives on the panel. Also appointed to the panel were broadband experts from conservative think tanks who have been critical of FCC regulations such as the International Center for Law and Economics and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University." In other words, not so much a "balanced" group of diverse stakeholders as much as an echo chamber filled with industry allies who'll all happily stay on message, working in polite unison at reducing oversight and accountability for one of the most regulatory captured, least competitive markets in America. And while it's important to have companies on the panel that have expertise building large networks, so too is it important to have an equal weight given to consumer activists, objective external experts, and folks that operate outside of the box when it comes to improving American connectivity. Like Gary Carter, who runs one of the oldest municipal broadband networks in America (in Santa Monica, California). Carter says he was one of several representatives of municipal broadband providers hoping to be chosen for the panel, since they have a unique perspective on connecting communities incumbent ISPs have long refused to. But Carter says when he called the FCC to check up on the panel member selection process, he was literally laughed at: “When I called [the FCC] to check on the status of the BDAC selection process [earlier this year] and identified myself as an employee from the City of Santa Monica, the gentleman on the phone laughed hysterically,” Carter said. “At first I didn’t get the joke. When I saw the appointees for the municipal working group—only three out of 24 positions were from local government—I got the joke.” You'll of course recall that incumbent ISPs have worked tirelessly to pass protectionist state laws in more than twenty states hamstringing local communities' ability to build their own networks or work with private partners. Why? They don't want to serve many of these areas -- but they don't want anybody else to either -- lest it ultimately blossom into something that resembles competition and challenges their regional monopolies. As such, including municipal broadband builders on the panel might just raise questions Pai and friends aren't particularly interested in answering. So again, while Pai's rhetoric consistently focuses on his supposed dedication to the digital divide, in practice he's simply engaging in wave after wave of anti-innovation, anti-competitive, and anti-consumer policies, then surrounding himself with industry allies who'll do little more than pat him on the back for his remarkable "leadership." Pai's going to promise this all ends with miraculous innovation and broadband expansion, but the history lessons we like to ignore suggest it's more likely the net result will simply be more apathetic companies like Comcast, with zero competitive or regulatory incentive to improve. Filed Under: advisory panel, broadband, fcc, regulatory capture
Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF The lifespan of software is a curious thing. Unless a program is deemed irreplaceable by an industry (like Photoshop), most die out or are succeeded by a better—or cheaper—option a few years later. Even games, outside of retro collectors’ items or unicorn hits (Diablo II), lose steam. After the downfall of Napster, Kazaa, Limewire and the rest of the early file-sharing clients, most people assumed that single source peer-to-peer (P2P) piracy programs—the kind where you download music or other files from exactly one user—died out. But one of them, Soulseek, weathered three of file-sharing’s mass extinctions, and has quietly remained one of the best sources of obscure music. Soulseek is the creation of Nir Arbel, a programmer who worked on the development team behind the original release of Napster, and it functions in similar ways. What started in 1999 as a means of trading techno and dance tracks grew to encompass rare and obscure music of all genres, slowly becoming an audiophile’s paradise. Vinyl rips of unknown soul groups? Cassette-only harsh noise? Rare compilations from a long-dead black metal label? It’s all there. You can also download the new Justin Bieber album, but with a glut of legal ways to listen to Purpose, it’s certainly not where Soulseek shines. Advertisement “A lot of the music I am into is old, pre-war blues and old folk music,” Soulseek user Raul the Goat, a 28-year-old Detroit resident, told Gizmodo through the software’s chat client. “A lot of it is out of print or extremely expensive. Music is one of the ways that culture can transmit itself, which is why I think that it should be free.” Raul has been using Soulseek for over 10 years, and is sharing over 32,000 files, including a copy of my former band’s self-released first album (An impressive feat: in two years, we never played to more than 50 people). Other users are known to share several hundred thousand files. User [InFineO[IoN], who identified himself as Matt, had over 600 gigabytes available for download, almost all of which was music. Preservation is one of the more common goals cited by Soulseekers. A 34-year-old Floridian machinist who uses the handle Icepick Method explained: “Once I discovered music zines in the mid-90's it opened up an entire world to me that I didn’t know existed, beyond MTV and radio music—like an audio archaeologist.” Advertisement But the depth and breadth of Soulseek’s catalog isn’t the only reason it’s hung on so long. One of its core features is its community, powered by maddeningly simple IRC-like chat windows that lack any of the modern conveniences like read receipts or embeds. That has allowed the emergence of a tight-knit community that shares recommendations and in-jokes, or rants about a new band’s terrible sophomore release, without intervention from any chatroom overlord. The absence of moderation is an increasingly rare phenomenon online, and Soulseek’s public chats—like the infamous +Blackmetal+ room—are a cacophonous mix of spam links, shit-talking, harassment, and, occasionally, genuine music discussion. Advertisement Private rooms are invite-only, and are where many of the truly dedicated users spend time, cloistered away from the noise and visual deluge in the few public rooms that remain active. “I’ve met a few life long friends on Soulseek, people who traveled from all over the country to come hang out for a couple days a year,” Icepick Method wrote. “I know people who have gotten married because they met on Soulseek.” As Tomcat Ha, a 27-year-old from the Netherlands, put it, “Soulseek in many ways is a throwback to old internet culture: more interesting, more anarchistic times when being involved with something online was still something novel and interesting things still happened regularly.” Soulseek’s relatively small size has also allowed it to fly under the radar while its larger brethren fell one by one. Near the height of its popularity in a 2003 interview, Mr. Arbel estimated that 100,000 users were logging in to his “largely overlooked” service at peak hours. Compare that to Kazaa’s 60 million estimated users from the same year—a number which undoubtedly grew before its well-publicized demise at the hands of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “Seeing as the system is pretty small to begin with,” Nir said in the same interview, “it’s likely we’re not even on the RIAA’s radar.” (Nir did not respond to repeated interview requests.) Advertisement The mid 2000s also saw second generation P2Ps and early Bittorrent indexes land in the crosshairs of trade organizations like the RIAA —and the majority went belly-up. Their replacements were blogs that used file storage services like Megaupload and Rapidshare to disseminate obscure music, and Grooveshark-style unsanctioned streaming sites for more populist tastes. By 2012, Megaupload had been taken to court, Rapidshare was neutered, and niche blogs had no reliable way to share their prized collections. Between 2014 and 2015 just about every streaming service that wasn’t legally buttoned up either shut down or was acquired and revived under corporate auspices. Sexier options and a split in the core client meant Soulseek’s user base declined significantly during this time, but it wasn’t enough to fell it completely. Soulseek isn’t the only P2P to survive these major crackdowns, but where single source P2Ps are concerned, it essentially stands alone—a living fossil. Former competitors that still receive software updates are prohibitively difficult for many users to configure, have transitioned away from their old protocols to become Bittorrent-only, or are virtual ghost towns. The closest extant audiophile community to Soulseek is What.cd, an obsessively curated invite-only torrent sharing community. The site’s usage rules—when pasted into a Google doc—span 77 pages and users are commonly banned for relatively minor infractions. For many, What.cd is the oppressive late-stage capitalism to the anarchy of Soulseek. Advertisement Whether as a rebellion against data-hungry services like Spotify, the desire to discover truly weird music, or a thirst for the bad old days of the wild west internet, several Soulseek users I spoke to feel that there’s a renewed interest in the service. There is a small Soulseek subreddit which averages around one post a week, and a cursory search through Tumblr’s tags will reveal a trickle of both new Soulseek recruits and established users reaching out for a larger and more diverse community. A handful of users also sing the service’s praises on 4Chan’s /mu/ board. But the fact is that it doesn’t matter if there’s a revival happening: Soulseek was never destined or intended for the level of popularity that sank similar services. It’s a niche community, made further niche because it’s one of the few pieces of software that still looks like America Online 2.0 but functions on a modern OS. As long as just enough new users (who donate money to maintain the server) replace those abandoning it, and as long as Nir continues to update the software, Soulseek will neither thrive nor die. Even if record stores have largely shuttered and Blogspot’s heyday is behind us, music obsessives will always find somewhere to call home. “That’s why SoulSeek is so precious,”[InFineO[IoN] said. “You can hear all kinds of rare and awesome music that you wouldn’t even know existed.” Advertisement All chat quotes heavily corrected for readbility
STS-127 astronaut Dave Wolf (top right) detailed his method for space sneezing in a July 21, 2009 Q and A session with people on Earth. Astronauts Julie Payette (top left of Canada), Mark Polansky (bottom left) and Doug Hurley were also onhand. This story was updated at 4:16 p.m. EDT Sneezes canpack a wallop on Earth, but for an astronaut in a spacesuit they can also makea mess of things, a veteran spacewalker said Tuesday. Six-timespacewalker Dave Wolf, currently flying on the International Space Station,said astronauts can?t stop fromsneezing inside their spacesuits, and there?s no way to blow your nose. ?That?s avalid question because I?ve done it quite a few times, most recently yesterday,?Wolf said, as he answered a video question sent to NASA via YouTube. The trick,Wolf said, is havinggood aim, something every spacewalker learns in training. After all, no one wants to sneeze on their spacesuit helmet. ?Aim low,off the windshield, because it can mess up your view and there?s no way toclear it,? said Wolf, who spent nearly seven hours working outside the stationon Monday and will do it again tomorrow. ?That?s how you do it.? Quizzing astronautsin space Wolf?streatise on space sneezing was part of a high-tech question-and-answer sessionby Endeavour shuttle astronauts currently working at the International SpaceStation. The shuttle launched to the station last week. The questions weresubmitted well in advance to shuttle commander Mark Polansky and his crew viaYouTube and the microblogging Web site Twitter. Polanskygoes by the name @Astro_127 on Twitter as part of an effort to engage thepublic about Endeavour?s 16-dayflight to the International Space Station. Questions were sent in from allover the world from schoolchildren, teenagers and adults alike. ?I?ll bethe first to admit that I didn?t know a tweet from a Twitter,? Polansky said ofhis tweeting before flight. ?I?ve learned that there?s a whole community outthere that loves this stuff.? He is thesecond astronaut to tweet from space, but others have promised to follow onfuture flights. Polansky and his crew are working through a marathon flight todeliver an experiment porch and new crewmember to the space station. The bestjob on Earth DuringTuesday?s question and answer session, Polansky and Wolf were joined byCanadian astronaut Julie Payette and shuttle pilot Doug Hurley. Olivia, 15,from Connecticut asked the astronauts if they liked their job and what it wasreally like to livein space. ?It isgreat to be an astronaut. It is essentially is the bestjob on Earth,? said Payette, adding that astronauts spend most of theirtime training and supporting missions from Earth. ?When we do get to go, it?s extraordinary;it is a real privilege.? Astronautshave to put up with living with a lot of people in a confined space - there are13 people aboard the station now, the most ever - but floating inweightlessness and the views of Earth more than make up for it, she said. Theastronauts were also asked if they would ever want to take their families alongfor a ride in space if it was safe to do so. ?We?d be sohappy if we could take them with us,? said Payette, who has two young sons. ?Ifit was a possibility, we?d really like to have our kids playing in microgravitywith us and our friends to share and watch the Earth pass by.?
There's a quote by writer Flavia Dzodan that says "my feminism will be intersectional or it will be [BS]." This basically means that in order for feminism to be really, truly feminist, it has to include all women of all backgrounds, races, cultures, religions, classes, abilities, sexual orientation, and gender identities. White women often fail to make their feminism intersectional, creating what's known as "white feminism" — or the misguided system of belief that doesn't take multiple systems of oppression into consideration. A new report shows how white women may turn a blind eye in situations where black women are at risk of sexual assault, even though they would help other white women in the same situation. A study published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly found that white women in college may be less likely to intervene when they see a black woman at risk of being sexually assaulted than they would if there were a white woman in danger, even though they recognize the risk in both cases. According to PsyPost, researchers presented 160 white female college students with a scenario in which a sober man was taking a clearly drunk woman into a bedroom during a party. In some cases, researchers told the subjects the name of the woman in danger was Laura or Teresa, while they told other subjects that the woman's name was LaToya or Tanisha. The subjects who were presented with a generic name felt personal responsibility to intervene, while those who were presented with a name that they perceived to be associated with a black woman said they felt less personal responsibility to help the woman stay safe. In other words, the white college students seemed more likely to help another woman at risk of sexual assault if they thought she was white, but not as likely to intervene when they thought she was black. "We found that although white students correctly perceived that black women were at risk in a pre-assault situation, they tended not to feel as personally involved in the situation," researchers Jennifer Katz and Christine Merrilees of the State University of New York at Geneseo told PsyPost. "In broader terms, it seems as if bystanders need to psychologically identify with the potential victim in order to feel they have an obligation to become involved, and racial/ethnic differences impede this identification." According to a pamphlet from the Women of Color Network, women of color are more at risk for sexual violence because of the racist attitudes that have held strong for decades. The pamphlet notes that sexual assault is underreported, particularly for black women. And because of their race, black women who are sexually assaulted may have a hard time accessing resources and support services. At the Women's March, some were quick to point out that white women have not always stood up for black women. Ijeoma Oluo, editor at large at the site The Establishment, called this out on Twitter: "For all my black and brown women who can't help but look at crowds of millions of women and wonder, Where were you when our babies were being shot in the streets, locked away in prison, deported away from the only home they've known?" Oluo writes."For all my black & brown women who can't help but imagine how many of their brothers & sisters and sons & daughters & husbands and partners could have been saved if our oppression and our murder could have inspired 1/10th this level of action and care." It shouldn't take a study to make people aware of an issue that black women have been talking about for a long time, but the study's authors hope that those who might not have listened before will now take heed.
On its face, Google’s new service — available on dozens of mobile systems — is simply a way for friends to keep track of one another and meet up, for families to stay in touch or for parents to find comfort in knowing where their children are. But it will generate a gold mine of new information about where millions of people travel each day, and there is no doubt that Google and others are planning to dig in that mine. “Everyone is watching Google, and this will open a floodgate of location-oriented applications and services,” said Greg Skibiski, the chief executive of Sense Networks, a New York City firm that mines the millions of digital trails left by cellphone users for marketing purposes. It was the arrival of the so-called WIMP interface — for windows, icons, menus, pointer — in the 1980s on both the Apple Macintosh and computers using Microsoft Windows that made personal computers personal and moved them beyond the world of hobbyists and business. Now many of the software designers who created those interfaces say they see a change of similar magnitude with phones and maps. “We’re way early on, and we don’t know what the Macintosh of maps will be yet,” said Paul Mercer, a former Apple Computer software designer who more recently worked on the development of the Palm Pre smartphone. “But because of their relationship to the real world, maps will be a metaphor for a huge swath of mobile computing.” Indeed, a new generation of smartphones like the G1, with Android software developed by Google, and a range of Japanese phones now “augment” reality by painting a map over a phone-screen image of the user’s surroundings produced by the phone’s camera. With this sort of map it is possible to see a three-dimensional view of one’s surroundings, including the annotated distance to objects that may be obscured by buildings in the foreground. For starters, map-based cellphones simply translate paper maps into a digital medium, but future systems will probably begin to blur the boundaries between the display and the real world. “I always said the next interface would be Quake,” said Steve Capps, one of the designers of the original Macintosh interface, referring to the popular video game. “How long will it be before you come out of the subway and you hold up your screen to get a better view of what you’re looking at in the physical world?” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Increasingly, phones will allow users to look at an image of what is around them. You could be surrounded by skyscrapers but have an immediate reference map showing your destination and features of the landscape, along with your progress in real time. Part of what drives the emergence of map-based services is the vast marketing potential of analyzing consumers’ travel patterns. For example, it is now possible for marketers to identify users who are shopping for cars because they have traveled to multiple car dealerships. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “When I go from point A to point B with my feet, there is something of real value there,” said Tony Jebara, a Columbia University computer scientist who is a co-founder of Sense Networks. A full-blown map-based, location-aware mobile world would entail rethinking basic American notions of privacy. For a generation of older Americans, exposing their precise location around the clock to an army of little brothers for marketing and advertising purposes is a privacy invasion. Today the vast majority of cellphone users in the United States still use the devices primarily for just one function: talking. About 10 percent of cellphone users take advantage of map features, according to the market research firm M:Metrics. But the number is growing, the company said. And a survey by another market research firm, LJS, showed that 24 percent of those interviewed wanted GPS mapping capabilities on their next phone, but only 19 percent wanted an Internet connection. On the other hand, there is a generation of smartphone users in their 20s that has grown up sharing the most intimate details of their lives on MySpace and Facebook. They may have a different point of view. Recently, for example, Sam Altman, a 23-year-old Stanford University computer science graduate and the founder of Loopt, a pioneering friend-finding service, was having dinner in Palo Alto, Calif., when he noticed from the screen on his phone that his freshman college roommate was having dinner just two restaurants away. The two met after dinner at a bar, where they were joined by another former Stanford student who noticed on his display that they were socializing together. Mr. Altman said his willingness to display his location was just as valuable in his business dealings. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, he turned on a feature that broadcasts his location and his name. He had more than a dozen business contacts as he traveled around the vast trade show, and he said he was able to kick off four deals from his random contacts. The map interface even seems to have a biological basis, as suggested by new brain studies showing how the world is represented in brain maps. “Humans evolved with amazing navigational abilities in our brains from an evolutionary perspective,” said Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive. He argues that the correlation between the map on the phone and the internal map in your head is a natural way to navigate all kinds of information. Advertisement Continue reading the main story For example, neuroscientists have discovered that people who have occupations that require them to maintain complex mental maps of the world, like London taxi drivers, have an enlarged hippocampus. What happens when our hand-held computers become extensions of the way we think? “I have wondered about the fact that we might as a culture lose the skill of mapping our environment, relying on the Web to tell us how to navigate,” said Hugo Spiers, a neurobiologist at University College London. “Thus, it might reduce the growth of cells in the hippocampus, which we think stores our internal maps.” Among cellphone makers, the map metaphor has been adopted most aggressively by Nokia, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones. The company has acquired digital maps of 69 countries and is now rushing to deliver to developers the tools to create software for Nokia phones oriented toward maps and navigation. In many ways this is similar to the tool kit that early computer designers gave programmers to develop Windows applications. “This is a new metaphor upon which others can build,” said Michael Halbherr, Nokia’s vice president for social location services.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee stands next to a photograph of President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 17, 2017. Alex Brandon/AP WASHINGTON (AP) — As congressional investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections wear on in the Capitol, some lawmakers are starting to wonder when — and how — the probes will end. After months of clandestine interviews and a few public, partisan committee clashes, some Republicans on the House intelligence panel have been pushing for their probe to wrap up by the end of the year. And Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., is signaling he wants his more bipartisan investigation to finish in the next several months, before the 2018 elections get into full swing and the Russians have a chance to again interfere. It's still unclear whether the congressional committees looking into the interference will come to firm conclusions about whether President Donald Trump's campaign was involved, or if they have found any direct evidence of any collaboration with Russia. Those involved say it's too early to know if they will be able to issue bipartisan reports, and whether those reports will have firm conclusions or just be a series of findings. Richard Burr. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images With no ability to do criminal investigations and difficulty in getting some witnesses to appear, the panels could leave some of the more controversial assessments to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is also investigating the meddling and the question of whether Trump's campaign was involved. Mueller has the ability to prosecute, and Congress must refer any criminal findings to him. "I think there are lots of Republicans who just want this to go away, and I think the White House very much wants it to go away," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said Tuesday. "So I don't think it's necessarily the easiest call in the world for our Republican colleagues." Trump made his views clear, again, at a Monday news conference, saying "the whole Russian thing" is an excuse for Democrats who lost the presidential election. "So there has been absolutely no collusion," Trump said. "It's been stated that they have no collusion. They ought to get to the end of it, because I think the American public is sick of it." In the Senate, Burr has worked closely with the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner. Burr said Tuesday that the committee "needs to have some conclusion in time to get ready for the 2018 elections ... that gives you a window of somewhere between the end of the year and maybe February." Burr said the panel's timeline is unrelated to Mueller's probe. Alex Wong/Getty "They're on a criminal investigation and we're looking at Russian influence in the election," Burr said, adding that he hopes his probe will be done before Mueller's. At a news conference with Warner on Oct. 4, Burr said the issue of collusion is "still open." He has said repeatedly that the committee has continued to find new threads, and that a firm timeline isn't possible. He said the committee has 25 interviews this month, including two public hearings related to the investigation. "We've still got a fairly long list of people to see, and it's more of a mathematical equation now," Burr said. The head of the House intelligence probe, Republican Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, has similarly said the committee is continuing to follow leads and he has declined to set out a timeline. He took over the investigation after the GOP chairman of the intelligence committee, California Rep. Devin Nunes, stepped back amid criticism that he was too close to Trump's White House. Some other Republicans on the House panel have questioned how long it should go on. "It's getting old," said Republican Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida, a member of the intelligence panel. He said the committee should not "prolong the investigation for the sake of prolonging it. Those days are going to come to an end here soon." Rooney said the panel should stick to witnesses that are directly related to the meddling and to the intelligence community, which is the committee's jurisdiction. He said once the committee has interviewed enough pertinent witnesses he'd recommend to Conaway and House Speaker Ryan that the panel write a final report and conclude the probe. FILE PHOTO - Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during a press briefing in Washington Thomson Reuters Democrats on the House intelligence committee are trying to head off calls to end the investigations. California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said in a Washington Post op-ed over the weekend that, unlike with Mueller's probe, the point of the congressional investigations is to "tell the American people what happened or prescribe remedies." Congress also could serve as a conduit for some of Mueller's findings, if he declines to issue his own report. But it's unclear whether the Justice Department will share that information with Capitol Hill. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, believes that it's too soon to wrap up. The Judiciary panel is also doing an investigation, but its probe has moved slowly amid negotiations over witnesses. "I feel the pressure to move forward at a better pace, but not necessarily to finish," Blumenthal said, adding: "The Russians are going to do it again ... unless they pay a price they will heighten their interference in our elections."
Stocks continued their ascent Friday, capping the week at new all-time highs, as lawmakers took a critical step toward cutting taxes. Continue Reading Below The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 165 points, or 0.71%, to 23,328.63. The S&P 500 rose 13 points, or 0.51%, to 2,575.21. The Nasdaq gained 24 points, or 0.36%, to 6,629.05. All three major indices posted fresh records, and the Dow had its best week in more than a month. The blue-chip index has booked 52 record closes since the start of the year, extending its third-longest bull market in history. For the week, the Dow rose about 2%. The S&P gained 0.86%, while the Nasdaq was up 0.07%. The bull market has enjoyed a long run, fueled by corporate earnings growth and upbeat views on the U.S. economy. Stocks got an extra boost Friday after the Senate approved a budget resolution for fiscal 2018, paving the way for Congress to pass a large tax-cut package backed by President Donald Trump. Investors are keeping a close eye on developments in D.C. in anticipation of tax cuts for large and small businesses, as well as individual earners. However, stocks don’t necessarily reflect the belief that tax reform is coming, according to Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group. He noted that corporations are already reporting strong earnings, so a lower tax rate isn’t essential to move markets forward. “I don’t think tax reform is in the market, because it hasn’t happened yet,” Cox said in a recent interview, adding that tax cuts will spur economic growth. “A lot of times, tax cuts come when the economy needs a jolt. That’s not the case here.” Advertisement Financial and industrials stocks propelled the market’s rally Friday, while technology names such as Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Paypal (NASDAQ:PYPL) also performed well. Paypal jumped 5.5% after beating Wall Street’s estimates for third-quarter earnings and revenue. General Electric rose 1%, reversing earlier losses. The conglomerate cuts its 2017 financial projections. In economic news, existing home sales posted a surprise increase in September. The National Association of Realtors said home resales improved 0.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.39 million units. Supply fell 6.4% compared to last year. Housing inventory in the U.S. has dropped in recent years, and a shortage of available homes has supported higher pricing. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond rose to 2.385% from 2.323%. U.S. oil futures climbed 18 cents to settle at $51.47 per barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading 61 cents higher at $57.84 per barrel.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, we talked to two moms that are celebrating for the first time this year with their newborn baby. TNF: How does it feel to finally be a mom? Christina: We LOVE it! Yes, every night is a sleepless night but she is worth it. TNF: Did you and your wife always know you wanted to have kids? Christina: I always wanted to have kids. My wife Katie didn’t want any until she met me. It was our dream for her to carry my egg so we were both part of the making of our child. TNF: How has having a baby changed your life? Christina: Having a baby definitely changes many things. I used to work out every single day and I haven’t worked out since she was born. It is a whole new routine but I am always on my feet doing something for both of them. Having a baby is a lot of work so it is very important to work together as a team. TNF: What does motherhood mean to you? Christina: Motherhood to me means making my life complete. I can’t imagine us not sharing our lives with a child. She makes us a family. Before she was born I always felt like something was missing. TNF: Tell us about your family creation process? Christina: We did Reciprocal IVF. We used a donor sperm from a clinic, my egg, and Katie’s body. We felt this was a way for both of us to be a part of the process of making her. Research shows that women who carry babies, even if they aren’t genetically theirs, inherit genes from growing inside. TNF: Who carried? Was that a tough decision? Christina: Katie carried. It wasn’t a tough decision since we had it planned for a while. We don’t know what will happen in the future but we do know there will be siblings (I want 2 more but Katie wants 1 more). We still have 11 embryos in the freezer. I loved watching her stomach grow. I will admit there is a part of you that feels left out when some people around you don’t see you as having a baby since you aren’t the one pregnant. There are also people who refer to our daughter as “Katie’s baby” and it’s rough. You just have to keep in mind the baby is both of yours, regardless of genetics, and that you are a family. TNF: Any advice for prospective parents? Christina: My advice is to be aware of all the things that can go wrong. The whole process is so exciting that you forget it might not work. We were very motivated and thought nothing would go wrong because of how young we both were. We didn’t think we would even try IVF for a second time because of the emotional and financial aspect of it. I am so glad we did though because we got our beautiful daughter Kennedy. Make sure you also save, save, save. This will be one less thing to worry about it when it comes to paying all the IVF bills. You don’t need to stress about money because there will be plenty of other things to worry about. Whatever it is you go through in making a baby, remember that you are a team and you can get through anything together. The journey of making Kennedy made us a stronger couple. TNF: What do you wish for your child? Christina: I wish for our child to have a happy life. She has two parents who love her dearly. She is surrounded by family and friends that love her and support our life. I think that is all she needs. Our society is more accepting of our life now than it was even a few years ago. TNF: What is the best advice you have been given about being a parent? Christina: The best advice I have been given as a parent is to love your child unconditionally. You can do anything as a parent when you set your mind to it. My mom did an amazing job with me and I look up to her as my role model. I hope to be as amazing of a mom as she is to me. Thank you Christina and Katie for sharing your story. Happy Mother’s Day to both of you from our family to yours.
There can only be one … more. Fresh off reinventing the Transformers, G.I. Joe and other Hasbro franchises with its Revolution miniseries, IDW Publishing has announced that it will be reviving another fan-favorite SF property in 2017, with Highlander set to return as a comic book miniseries early next year. The new series will take place before the original 1986 feature, which starred Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery as two long-lived warriors locked in a centuries-old battle to become the last living immortal on the planet … as long as they can escape being decapitated by the villainous Kurgan along the way. Written by Scottish fantasy novelist Brian Ruckley, the series will include flashbacks to Civil War-era Pennsylvania and mid-20th century New York as the reader gets to follow Connor MacLeod — Lambert's character in the movie — as he settles in the U.S. and hides his true immortal nature from those around him. "In the 30 years since its release, Highlander has inspired a massive cult following that craves new stories based on the original film," editor Denton Tipton said in a statement about the project, which follows multiple movie sequels and both animated and live-action TV spin-offs. "Brian has crafted an exciting narrative that will honor and bolster the underpinnings of [the original story]. Also, epic sword fights!" The series will be illustrated by Rebels artist Andrea Mutti (responsible for the portrait artwork seen in this story; Dan McDaid is responsible for the There Can Be Only One promo image above) and will debut in February. Nov. 14, 4:03 p.m.: Updated to add Dan McDaid's art credit.
Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, asked to respond to my column last week, “Easing test pressure won’t save kids.” I said eliminating high-stakes tests was not a realistic response to the outbreak of cheating by educators. Pressure is a necessary part of school, or any human endeavor, I said. If we eliminated the standardized tests that upset many people, we would have to use something else, like inspections or portfolios, that would create new pressures and temptations to take shortcuts. Schaeffer is smart and erudite. I wanted more from him than a response. So I talked him into a debate on the blog. Here it is, the result of e-mails exchanged the past several days: Schaeffer: Your opinion about the root cause of the Atlanta cheating scandal is contradicted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. In addition to citing “unreasonable” score gain targets and “unreasonable pressure on teachers and principals” to achieve results, the “Why Cheating Occurred” portion of their report found that “meeting ‘targets’ by whatever means necessary became more important than true academic progress.” That’s clearly a systemic problem, not one that can be blamed solely on front-line educators who crossed the ethical line. No question their behavior was wrong. But character flaws were not the primary reason so much cheating occurred. The problem was accurately predicted by social scientist Donald Campbell 35 years ago. In what is called “Campbell’s Law,” he wrote, “the more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures.” He continued: “When test scores become the goal of the teaching process, they both lose their value as indicators of educational status and distort the educational process in undesirable ways.” That’s precisely what happened in Atlanta and elsewhere. Overhauling assessment, not more security, is the solution. Mathews: You are absolutely right. It is the way the assessment was used, the illogical targets and cruel harassment, that was bad. We have some school districts doing better at that, raising few if any of those red flags. I am thinking of Arlington County, Va., where former superintendent Rob Smith made it his priority to reduce the achievement gap between whites and Asians on one side and blacks and Hispanics on the other. He got good results. Andres Alonso seems to be doing the same thing in Baltimore, and handling his own cheating scandal well. Can’t we keep ambitious goals for improvement, but urge school boards to appoint smart leaders like Smith and Alonso to manage them? Schaeffer: Hoping that “smart leaders” will compensate for the improper use of politically mandated high-stakes tests is unrealistic. Remember that Atlanta’s Beverly Hall, who was in charge during that city’s cheating scandal, was named national “Superintendent of the Year” by her peers. In Baltimore, when Andres Alonso spent $400,000 on test security, scores dropped significantly for the first time in six years. The problem remains systemic — putting so much weight on standardized exams virtually guarantees that some school employees with try to boost scores “by hook or by crook.” This problem is not confined to education: When bankers were judged primarily by their short-term profits, many made fraudulent loans to boost their compensation. That scandal nearly wrecked the U.S. and global economy. It’s time to admit that test-and-punish school “reform” strategies are failures, as the recent National Academy of Sciences report Incentives and Test Based Accountability in Education documented. “No Child Left Behind” has been law for 9 1/2 years, but academic performance has improved more slowly than in the pre-NCLB era. And progress toward narrowing achievement gaps is stalling. The U.S. needs to overhaul assessment in the direction outlined by the Forum on Educational Accountability and others. Mathews: I am delighted you provided the link to the Forum on Educational Accountability statements. I urge everyone to get a look at them. You are a strong writer who likes specifics, so I am sure you had the same reaction I did to the vague and jargonistic nature of the forum’s prose. But any effort to summarize the views of many educational professionals shares those flaws. Let’s look at the one statement that seems to address our issue. This is from their most recent statement on what should be done: “13. Rate of improvement: Evidence of a school’s learning outcomes shall be evaluated in light of expected statewide rates of improvement. The expected rates of improvement, to be specified by a formula in ESEA, must be rooted in actual levels and rates of improvement that are attained by the more successful Title I schools and for which evidence indicates that these rates can be sustained over time. Aspects of improvement can be combined into a comprehensive indicator system with a composite expected rate of improvement.” ESEA, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, has to be reauthorized by Congress. Congress tends to go for ambitious targets, as they did with No Child Left Behind (which was also part of ESEA), because they want to protect themselves from election opponents who might say they are crippling our nation by accepting learning targets that are too low. Once again democracy will intrude on the dreams of sweetness and light from reformers like these. That will lead to more test pressure and more work for you. Beyond the failure of this group to say anything specific about how they want to measure progress and what tests, if any, they would trust, doesn’t this take us back to square one? Schaeffer: You cherry-picked through a number of online documents to criticize a summary of the Forum on Educational Accountability’s detailed proposals for replacing the test-and-punish regime of No Child Left Behind. In fact, the current NCLB law takes more than 1,000 pages to lay out its mandates and formulas. Suggesting that assessment reformers should be able to describe their alternative system in one simple paragraph is as ludicrous as NCLB’s requirement that all children score proficient on standardized exams before 2014. The failure of NCLB and its state-level clones cannot be reversed by “staying the course,” “raising the bar” or any of the other faith-based notions frequently invoked by high-stakes testing true-believers. As I noted above, Donald Campbell foresaw the problems more than 35 years ago. It is impossible for a nation to test its way to academic success. The elements of better assessment systems — including tools for evaluating classroom portfolios, verification by school inspectorates, and periodic low-stakes external testing — already exist. Before we can debate the details, however, the Obama Administration, leading Members of Congress, think tanks, and large dollar campaign contributors who have driven the current round of counter-productive education “reforms” have to recognize that their strategy is not working. More importantly, they must understand that high-stakes testing cannot work no matter how much they try to refine it. Mathews: Oh dear. That’s not going to work, Bob. I am not asking that a reasonable alternative be summarized in one paragraph, but I think a writer as skilled as you could do it in three or four paragraphs. There will be no incentive, and indeed no reason, for the many influential groups you name to “recognize that their strategy is not working” if there is no alternative that makes sense to the voters, taxpayers and parents who decide if we are going to drop the current system. Schaeffer: Are you seriously arguing that the U.S. should continue a high-stakes testing regime that barely one fifth of Americans believe is helping improve public schools (see annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup poll) until there is widespread agreement about the details of a better alternative? Did such a public consensus exist when “No Child Left Behind” was written behind closed doors on Capitol Hill in the fall of 2001? In fact, true assessment reformers including FairTest, the Forum on Educational Accountability and the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education have repeatedly offered outlines of a better system, one that is more consistent with what schools in the world’s best-performing nations do. It would include: * Classroom assessment by better trained teachers who evaluate what their students know and can do using portfolios, projects and exhibitions as well as their own quizzes, mid-terms, and final exams. * External checks by some combination of state-level “inspectorates,” panels of educators from other districts, or community leaders. This “Trust but verify” approach would assure that teachers are grading fairly, accurately and to high standards. * Periodic low-stakes external testing (a la NAEP) as a further barometer of academic learning. * A process for reviewing data on classroom, school and district performance, perhaps similar to college accreditation, with mechanisms for intervention that focus on identifying the source(s) of problems and providing the assistance needed to overcome them. A supposed lack of better models is not the reason why politicians have not yet overhauled “No Child Left Behind.” Rather, their faith in high-stakes exams blinds them to the evidence that their strategy is a failure. Parents, teachers and other public school stakeholders need to let their elected officials know that continuing the current testing status quo is unacceptable for our children and our nation’s future. Mathews: Thanks Bob. You get the last word. We will have to do this again.

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