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Show full PR text Kogan launches 5" Quad-core Smartphone for under £150 London, United Kingdom, 18 September 2013 - Direct to consumer technology manufacturer Kogan.com/uk which makes the latest technology more affordable for all Brits, today launched a brand new, affordable, powerful quad-core smartphone, beating the big brands at their own game. At just £149, the Kogan Agora Quad-core Smartphone boasts a stunning 5" HD IPS screen, a powerful 1.2Ghz quad-core processor, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, dual SIM capability, and a sharp 8 megapixel camera. Following the successful launch of the Agora Smartphone earlier this year, Kogan has upped the ante today with its new design. The Kogan Agora 5" Quad-core Smartphone is packed with features usually only found in smartphones four times the price. Ruslan Kogan, founder and CEO of Kogan, said British shoppers deserved an affordable smartphone that still packed a punch. "Some big tech companies think they can launch a phone for the budget-conscious consumer and still price it at over £450. At Kogan, we know better. "We think everyone should be able to afford a great smartphone that has all the main features that you want, without paying for features you don't need. "The launch of our first smartphone at CES this year was a roaring success, with many calling it the best bang for buck in the world. But, we know we can do even better. We've taken all the feedback we received and poured it into this new design. "We have a very active social media community who regularly provide us with suggestions on what they would like to see next in a smartphone. "Thousands of customers said they want a phone that looks stylish, but is also powerful and feature-packed - and that's exactly what the Kogan Agora Quad-core Smartphone delivers. "The team at Kogan has been working hard to create not just the best value smartphone the UK, but the best in the world," Kogan said. The Kogan Agora Quad-core Smartphone is available for £149, direct and exclusively from Kogan.com: kogan.com/uk/buy/agora-50-quad-core-smartphone/ Full specifications:

like the carbon tax. Otherwise, they may look good on paper but they won’t achieve the necessary results. 3. Does this plan balance climate action, job creation, affordability and economic growth? The Climate Leadership Team—a group of business, First Nations, community, academic and environmental leaders—developed a package of pragmatic recommendations that balanced economic growth, job creation and affordability with measures to reduce carbon pollution to a level that would put B.C.’s 2050 target within reach. Unfortunately, the plan the government came up with watered down those recommendations and threw off the balance the Climate Leadership Team worked so hard to achieve. British Columbians have seen first-hand the benefits climate leadership brings: international recognition, new clean technology jobs, investment in clean energy and technology, a low-carbon competitive advantage and a healthier environment. British Columbia’s early climate leadership helped create a thriving clean economy in the province that now employs 68,165 people and contributes $6.31 billion to British Columbia’s GDP. Clean technology companies thrive when faced with the challenge of developing a sustainable business that cuts carbon pollution. Lessons and technology learned at home can then be exported at a profit, in a growing cleantech market now valued at an estimated $2 trillion. As Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme said in a CBC interview earlier this year, “the future markets, the technologies, the energy systems will be low-carbon….Whether you’re building the next pipeline or not…the economy of Canada will not be centred around a fossil-fuel based extractive economy.” British Columbia was ahead of that curve, but the competition is now hot on our heels. Just when we needed a bold move to regain our lead, the B.C. government is pulling up lame. Today’s plan makes it clear that the B.C. government’s commitment to climate leadership has fizzled. It’s not too late to stage a comeback—but it will take a lot more ambition and effort than what this plan contains. With analysis by Jeremy Moorhouse. Note: For the above graphs, we used the climate leadership team business-as-usual scenario and then measured emission reductions in the B.C. plan against that baseline. Source of original graphic: “British Columbia’s Climate Leadership Plan,” Government of British Columbia.

think are simple now (like using fractions) were at one point in history heatedly debated as to their reality and usefulness. He put it very well: It’s not quite right to describe what the video does as “proving” that 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + …. = -1/12. When we ask “what is the value of the infinite sum,” we’ve made a mistake before we even answer! Infinite sums don’t have values until we assign them a value, and there are different protocols for doing that. We should be asking not what IS the value, but what should we define the value to be? There are different protocols, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The protocol you learn in calculus class, involving limits, would decline to assign any value at all to the sum in the video. A different protocol assigns it the value -1/12. Neither answer is more correct than the other. Nice. Though I’ll add that one answer has more use than the other in certain circumstances—the point I made above. This conversation led down the rabbit hole of how we use math and what for, and has inspired me to do some follow-up reading, more about the philosophy and development of various mathematical methods than the methods themselves. This is pretty cool stuff. Other Methods Finally, I got a lot of polite and informative notes from folks correcting me and pointing out details of all this, many of which overlapped with each other (including, interestingly, the last bit about the value assigned to a sum). Thanks to everyone who did so. Here are a few links I was sent for those who want to venture a few more terms down the series: Ron Garret’s page on manipulating series Colin Grove’s page If you want some hairy details, Terence Tao has ‘em. Bryden Cais goes through the steps with a clear (though technical) explanation Just to be sure they get seen again: John Baez’s page on the Euler method, and Riemann’s as well So: I made some mistakes, got other stuff right, could’ve been more clear, and learned a lot. Pretty much a typical day in anyone’s book. *Why yes, I did just squeeze an appropriate math pun into a hip reference.

.” Snowbowl supporters yelled racist statements at the group throughout the morning. As the group stood their ground holding banners and chanting, two Snowbowl supporters attempted to push through the crowd and assault the demonstrators. They responded quickly by defending their friends and chanting. “I experienced at this event so many levels of violence and oppression against people standing for their survival,” said Mary Begay, a lifelong Flagstaff resident and volunteer Mountain Protector. “We were walking through the desecration as we were restricted from our movement by law enforcement who were there only protecting the company and their profit. Mountain protectors were constantly being verbally assaulted by skiers and two female mountain protectors were assaulted physically by a man who forcefully swung the sharp edge of his snowboard at our faces and would have seriously injured them if they had not blocked it with their hands in time. We will not be intimidated by police or racist Snowbowl supporters. When sacred sites and cultural survival is under attack, we must fight back.” Snowbowl is the only ski area in the world to make snow from treated sewage. They are allowed to use 180 million gallons of treated sewage per season by the US Forest Service. The effluent is piped up the mountain from the city of Flagstaff who maintains a contract to sell the wastewater to the ski area. “That people are choosing to pay to ski on what amounts to a frozen river of treated sewage is ridiculous,” said Eva Malis. “This wastewater has been proven to contain harmful contaminants and cancer causing agents, and the EPA does not require testing or treatment for pharmaceuticals or hormones that have been found in this effluent.” Snowbowl has long been controversial because of its presence on the San Francisco Peaks. The ski area operates under a special use permit on public lands managed by the Forest Service. For decades, the resort has been subject to multiple lawsuits that have shaped legal precedent for indigenous religious freedom and sacred sites. The Forest Service approved ski area expansion and treated sewage snowmaking in 2005. Lawsuits by environmental groups and indigenous Nations ultimately failed and Snowbowl started making treated sewage snow in 2012. The Hopi Tribe is currently in litigation with the city of Flagstaff over the city’s contract to sell wastewater to Snowbowl with an Arizona Supreme Court decision on the case coming any day. More information is available at www.protectthepeaks.org Information provided by Protect the Peaks

Good news, OneDrive users: A mere three months after Microsoft doubled the free storage tier from 7GB to 15GB, the company's ready to double your gratis storage space yet again—but only if you act quickly. Playing off the social media whirlwind raging around iOS 8's need for 5GB-plus of hard drive space—forcing many iPhone users to delete apps and media in order to upgrade—Microsoft announced it will double OneDrive users' free storage capacity to a whopping 30GB if you enable the option to automatically back up your phone's photos to OneDrive by the end of September. (iCloud offers 5GB of free storage, in comparison.) "We’ve been listening to the commentary about storage on the new iPhones released today and we wanted to get you more storage right away," OneDrive group program manager Douglas Pearce wrote on the OneDrive blog. "We think you’ll appreciate having more free storage while setting up your iPhone 6 or upgrading to iOS 8." And Microsoft, no doubt, will appreciate you eating up your OneDrive storage with phone-uploaded photos, making it more likely you'll eventually become a paid OneDrive subscriber. It's still a stellar offer, sure, but one that's not entirely altruistic. How to get 30GB free OneDrive storage Don't let all the iPhone talk fool you: The offer also extends to Android, Windows Phone, and Windows users of the OneDrive app. You'll find the camera backup option in the Settings section of the OneDrive app, or by heading to Charms Bar > Settings > Change PC Settings > OneDrive > Camera roll on a Windows 8.1 device. The extra OneDrive storage space shows up in your account quickly. If you just want the free space and don't want to actually back up your photos to Microsoft's cloud—a perfectly reasonable precaution in these post-celebrity-photo-hack days—just back up all your photos to your PC, then delete them on your phone prior to enabling the OneDrive app's automatic photo backup option. Once you get your extra storage, simply disable the option again. (The additional 15GB showed up within minutes of my activating the feature on the OneDrive Android app.) Remember: You need to activate automatic photo backups by the end of September to get the extra free storage space. You can download OneDrive here if this offer is convincing enough to make you hop on Microsoft's cloud storage bandwagon.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of Americans traveling by car for the Memorial Day holiday will hit a 12-year high this year, fueled by a growing economy and relatively low gasoline prices, the nation’s largest motorists’ advocacy group said on Wednesday. The American Automobile Association projected 34.6 million people will drive 50 miles (80 km) or more from home during the end-of-month holiday period, the most since 37.3 million in 2005 and a 2.4 increase from last year. The expectation for high driving numbers is welcome news for U.S. gasoline refiners, who are banking on the summer driving season to draw down stubbornly high product inventories and resurrect margins. The Memorial Day holiday period is defined as Thursday, May 25 through Monday, May 29. Economic factors, such as increases in consumer spending and gross domestic product, are strong enough to overcome slight gains in U.S. gasoline prices, AAA noted. Drivers will pay the highest Memorial Day prices since 2015. The average U.S. price for regular gasoline was $2.36 per gallon on Tuesday, up from $2.22 a year ago, according to AAA. Airfares, car rental rates and mid-range hotels are all trending higher than last year’s Memorial Day. “Higher confidence has led to more consumer spending, and many Americans are choosing to allocate their extra money on travel this Memorial Day,” Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, Travel and Publishing, said in a statement. The overall number of holiday travelers, including by air, is expected to reach more than 39 million, the second-highest since 2005, AAA said. Driving activity in the United States is closely watched since the country accounts for about 10 percent of global gasoline demand. Motorists logged 272 billion miles (438 billion km) on U.S. roads and highways in March, a 0.8 percent increase year-on-year, according to the latest data released on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. vehicle miles traveled were up 1.5 percent year-over-year through the first three months of 2017. Despite the strong driving numbers, U.S. gasoline demand was down 2.1 percent from a year ago during the first two months of the year, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Andrew Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor who recently won Florida's Democratic gubernatorial nomination, likes to thank "everyday folks" for donating to his campaign. On Sunday he also thanked billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer. “I’ll tell you, I’m obviously deeply appreciative of Mr. Soros, as well as Mr. Steyer, both men whom I’ve known for some time,” Gillum said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. "I’ll tell you, I’m obviously deeply appreciative of Mr. Soros, as well as Mr. Steyer, both men whom I’ve known for some time." — Florida gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum In fact, the 39-year-old Gillum received an outpouring of support from liberal megadonors and groups associated with their vast network of affiliates, helping him emerge from a crowded Democratic field last Tuesday. In April, his campaign raised $450,000, with more than half of that coming from Soros in the form of a contribution to Forward Florida, a political action committee focused on getting Gillum elected, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Both Soros and Steyer, who’s been leading an effort to impeach President Trump, also directed $650,000 in the final two weeks of primary campaigning toward the same political group, according to Politico. Before the last-minute cash infusion, Steyer reportedly had already donated $500,000 to groups supporting Gillum, while Soros’ total contributions to the pro-Gillum group stood at $1 million. Despite the donations and criticism that the billionaires may have undue influence in politics, Gillum brushed off suggestions that his candidacy was bankrolled by billionaires, saying the campaign was led by donations from “everyday folks.” “[O]ur campaign was really propped up by a lot of small contributions, including my mother, who was on auto-deduct of $20 a month into our campaign,” Gillum said on the show. “In the first two days of this general election, our campaign has been buoyed this first week, raising over $2 million by everyday folks, not big contributions, but everyday folks sowing a seed into our race.” Gillum will face Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in November.

for? Chances are they’ll root for the team that feels more certain about winning, and they’ll feel social pressure to root for the team that is louder. But what makes a team more confident that it will win? Hope bias, sure, but also confidence in the ability of the team to perform well. In close elections, it’s easy to overstate the importance of voter enthusiasm in the presidential race, and in the past few elections, the more enthused side hasn’t always won, perhaps because both parties have gotten quite good at dragging their partisans out to vote, no matter their level of passion. A better measure: are partisans happy with their candidate? If you can determine whether Democrats in September 2016 will be happier that Clinton (or her alternative) is their nominee than Republicans are with Donald Trump (or his alternative), you’ll take a step in the right direction. In 2012, the GOP led just about every enthusiasm metric except for two: Far fewer Republicans strongly supported Mitt Romney than Democrats did Obama, and Democrats liked Obama more than GOPers liked Romney. There is some evidence that these two data points are worth more than merely determining who cheers more loudly. 5. And finally: Whom do voters think will win? In 2012, a majority of registered voters believed that Obama would win fairly consistently over time. In 2008, too, Obama was seen as the likely winner by a small but clear majority. In 2004, George W. Bush was the favorite to win re-election. In 2000, the perception of who would win flip-flopped. A subtle signal, sent to voters who don’t pay attention until late, that the candidate they favor is perceived as having a disadvantage can depress turnout. (There is evidence that voters’ sense of efficacy influences how likely they are to make it to the polls.) There are a number of other metrics we could look at, too. The point, though, is that presidential elections are run along many tracks. Some of these variables are static, but many change over time. When the media treats a single event or development as singularly critical, just remember that the election is more than a year away and keep these known unknowns in mind. And appreciate, too, that there are unknown unknowns — the stuff we don’t know we don’t know — that will influence who has an edge in 2016. Check out our live coverage of the second Republican debate.

It sounds as if South End’s on an upward trajectory as an arts neighborhood and NoDa’s on a downward trajectory. I don’t have longitudinal data. There’s no way to track the rise and decline in the number of galleries, because nobody compiled those. But my interviews suggest that NoDa is on the decline in terms of the arts, whereas South End is still flourishing. South End has the urban qualities, plus it’s close to affluent consumers. It’s more accessible to other areas like Myers Park and SouthPark. It’s in that wedge of wealth in South Charlotte – whereas NoDa is not. Your research seems to show that being near an affluent area helps galleries. But affluent areas tend not to have the funky, low-rent characteristics artists are attracted to. Is that a contradiction? Artist districts everywhere generally tend to experience some form of gentrification and displacement. In other cities what keeps that balance, and keeps the arts sustained, is when arts neighborhoods keep the raw industrial feel while staying affordable, yet accessible to a wealthier and educated clientele. I think about New York, there are some raw areas and a lot of rich people live in other areas, but there’s a lot of connectivity. In Charlotte it’s not all that easy to get around. That’s something that’s clear. Outside of the clusters in and around uptown, the galleries here are all spread out. Charlotte has experienced much suburbanized development. Maybe the diffusion of galleries prevents the development of a true, local arts district, but they’re spread out for a reason. There aren’t enough affordable spaces for artists to colonize due to the rapid development around uptown, and there aren’t enough remaining “authentic spaces” near the necessary client base. Plus we don’t really have strong public transportation or other urban amenities found in the big-time arts districts. So what we need is a big chunk of derelict industrial area next to Eastover – which of course we don’t have? What is industrial is being quickly swept away. One area that may attract artists is the west side – Freedom Drive and that area. A few artists I spoke to said they’ve tried it there, but it’s still so dangerous and too disconnected. It might start to happen there in the next five years or so.

In March 1888, when Chief Justice Morrison Waite died suddenly and unexpectedly — not unlike Justice Scalia — just as President Grover Cleveland was running for a second term, the president nominated a new chief justice, Melville W. Fuller, to replace him. The Senate confirmed the nomination at the end of July. Of course, none of these represents an exact parallel to today’s situation. In all but one of these instances, the president and Senate majority were of the same political party, unlike today. Only Mr. Cleveland (a Democrat) faced a Senate controlled by the opposition party, while President Hoover’s Republican Party held only a one-vote majority in the Senate. Still, in both of these instances, the nominees were confirmed by wide margins. In fact, the 1932 confirmation of Justice Cardozo was unanimous. Three times presidents who were on their way out of office — “lame ducks” in the truest sense — appointed justices to the court. In December 1800, the resignation of Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth allowed John Adams, who had already lost to Thomas Jefferson, the chance to select the justice’s successor. Mr. Adams chose John Marshall, who went on to serve 34 years as the nation’s fourth and greatest chief justice. In February 1845, a month before he left office, John Tyler nominated Samuel Nelson, who won Senate confirmation and served for the next 27 years. And when the resignation of Justice William Strong occurred after the 1880 election, the departing president, Rutherford B. Hayes — not his successor, James A. Garfield — nominated Justice Strong’s successor, Justice William B. Woods. In the Adams and Tyler examples, two unpopular departing executives carried out their constitutional duties and overcame political factionalism from inside and outside of their own parties. To be sure, the Senate has rejected nominees for political reasons, increased the size of the court (for instance, during the Civil War) or reduced it (immediately after the Civil War). But in cases when vacancies have arisen during election years, the weight of history is clearly on the side of the president naming a successor and the Senate acting on that nomination. The Republicans, who frequently cite the Constitution and look to historical precedent, have an opportunity to be true to their principles. They should ignore Donald Trump’s urging to “delay, delay, delay,” and help ensure our Constitution functions as it should — and as it has in the past.

Committee hears legislation on binding electoral votes to national popular vote CARSON CITY — The debate over the Electoral College has been at the forefront for a while, triggered again by the 2016 election, in which President Donald Trump lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote. A nationwide push for legislation committing electors to voting for the winner of the national popular vote has been taken up in statehouses across the country, with mixed results. And once again, Nevada lawmakers have taken up the debate in Carson City. A bill was brought before the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections Tuesday that would sign Nevada onto legislation pledging its six electoral votes to the national popular vote winner. The agreement has been enacted in 12 states and Washington, D.C., which have a combined total of 172 electoral votes, according to a nonprofit promoting the issue. Colorado Gov. Jared Pollis is expected to sign a measure bringing the state in line with the contract soon, bringing the vote tally to 181. For the laws to have any real effect, the states under the contract must have a combined total of 270 electoral votes — enough for a majority. The debate in the statehouse mirrored the nationwide debate. The bill’s opponents stressed their fears that locking Nevada’s electoral votes into the national popular vote would invalidate the votes of Nevadans and force the state into following the trends in larger population centers such as New York and California. The bill’s supporters listed concerns over the fairness of the Electoral College system and the perceived unimportance of votes in states with a clear partisan majority. Anthony Palmer, a Henderson resident, opposed the bill, saying it undercuts the importance of smaller states in the electoral process — he expressed concern over the influence of California and New York. “Currently the citizens of the state of Nevada determine how our state is represented in national elections with the Electoral College,” he said. “Individual votes count, but in a way that is represented by the states.” Molly Rose Lewis, a Reno resident, spoke in favor of the measure, calling the Electoral College a relic of an earlier time in government. “First, the Electoral College is arcane. It was founded when people of color could not vote, when women could not vote,” she said. “It was founded at a time when the logistics of counting ballots from across a vast geographic distance was simply inconceivable.”

Jim Eberlin, the founder of Gainsight (formerly JBara), will jump start his newest venture, TopOPPS by sponsoring the grand prize at GlobalHack 1, set to take place on January 31, 2014 through February 2, 2014 at Union Station in Downtown St. Louis, MO. At its core, TopOPPS helps sales teams forecast accurately by improving sales pipeline management with big data analytics. TopOPPS integrates with Salesforce.com and other top CRMs. GlobalHack 1 participants will be tasked with solving a technology-related problem for TopOPPS. In effort to level the playing field, the full details of the projects will not be released until an hour before the start of the event. The winning team will receive an offer from TopOPPS to purchase their code and intellectual property from the hackathon in exchange for $50,000. The organizers anticipate 50 teams and 250 participants from across the country will descend on St. Louis for the 48 hour event. Eberlin stated that when GlobalHack reached out to him about sponsoring their first event, he jumped at the opportunity stating, “GlobalHack 1 is the perfect forum to help accelerate the launch of TopOPPS. We get top tech talent from around the country working non-stop for 48 hours to help us take our prototypes to the next level.” Gabe Lozano, CEO of Lockerdome and Director of GlobalHack noted, “We are thrilled to work with Jim and TopOPPS. Jim is the real deal, a successful entrepreneur with a number of deals under his belt. Any team would be lucky to work with him, and I have no doubt in the success of this next venture.” Posted By Edward Domain Edward is the founder and CEO of Techli.com. He is a writer, U.S. Army veteran, serial entrepreneur and chronic early adopter. Having worked for startups in Silicon Valley and Chicago, he founded, grew and successfully exited his own previous startup and loves telling the tales of innovators everywhere. Follow on Twitter: @EdwardDomain Edward is the founder and CEO of Techli.com. He is a writer, U.S. Army veteran, serial entrepreneur and chronic early adopter. Having worked for startups in Silicon Valley and Chicago, he founded, grew and successfully exited his own previous startup and loves telling the tales of innovators everywhere. Follow on Twitter: @EdwardDomain You might also like

Electronics supplier Foxconn is churning out 540,000 units of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus every day from a factory in mainland China. But unfortunately for the country’s 700 million smartphone users, every single one of them is being exported. The sale of the new iPhone has been delayed in China, possibly because of regulatory hurdles from Beijing. The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the devices’ radios have not yet received the proper authorization from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, a process that typically takes one to two months. The delay is prompting no small amount of consternation among the consumers who make up Apple’s second largest market by revenue. Chinese Apple fans are known to go to extremes to get the latest products—0ne man in Shanghai is allegedly offering to share his girlfriend in exchange for the funds to buy an iPhone 6—and in the absence of legitimate sales channels they set to shell out several times the normal retail price to buy iPhones from Hong Kong’s flourishing grey market. Reuters/Adrees Latif Customers wait in line on the first day of sale for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus outside the Apple store at Grand Central Terminal in New York. Reuters/Tyrone Siu Customers stand in a line on the first day of sale for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, outside the Apple store in Hong Kong. Dealers in Hong Kong expect to sell the gold 128 gigabyte iPhone 6 Plus for about HK$20,000 ($2,580), more than twice as much what it is selling for on the Apple website. They’ve sent staff to buy handsets of the new iPhone in Tokyo, where dozens of Chinese shoppers were lining up outside of Apple stores yesterday. Similar lines were seen in New York, where the phone doesn’t go on sale until 8am EST, and in Singapore. Within China, some retailers on Taobao are selling what appear to be counterfeits. And some Hong Kong residents are planning to hawk their newly bought iPhones on streets of the nearby mainland city of Shenzhen. The smuggling is illegal on two counts—dealers are avoiding steep import duties and selling mobile phones that haven’t yet been approved by the Chinese government. Still, Neil Shah, a devices expert at Counterpoint Research in Mumbai, told Bloomberg he expects as many as 5 million iPhones could be smuggled into China before the official release date, which still has yet to be announced.

The cause of death for Keeven Robinson, a 22-year-old black man who died while four white police officers were arresting him just outside New Orleans, was “homicide by asphyxiation,” the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s office announced Monday. Robinson, who police were watching as the subject of an undercover narcotics investigation, suffered “significant traumatic injuries to the neck, the soft tissue of the neck,” Jefferson Parish Coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich said in a press conference Monday morning. “This initial medical classification does not take into account whether the homicide was an intentional act, accidental act, or an act incidental to a law enforcement action,” a spokesperson for the sheriff's office said in a statement provided to NBC affiliate WDSU News. But according to Cvitanovich, one of the officers likely squeezed, grabbed, or leaned on Robinson’s neck. “From a policy standpoint, we don’t train someone to hit somebody with a brick. But if you’re fighting for your life and a brick’s there, you hit somebody with a brick. The reality of it is, is those determinations are going to have to be made. But I’m not coming to the conclusion that this was a chokehold,” Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told reporters Monday when asked about the department’s policy on chokeholds. Lopinto also said that the state police, FBI, and a federal civil rights task force are all participating in the investigation into Robinson's death, which occurred on Thursday, May 10. He added that the four detectives involved were read their rights and questioned and have since been placed on desk duty. According to The Times-Picayune, the incident began when detectives spotted Robinson, who was suspected of dealing narcotics, at a gas station. Robinson fled, wrecked his car, hopped a few fences, and led the detectives on a foot race before he was caught in the backyard of a home. During the struggle in the backyard, Robinson stopped breathing. He was taken to the hospital where he could not be revived. “They were in a fight,” Lopinto said on Monday of the incident. “I mean, they were in a narcotics investigation. Narcotics was found. But the reality is that they were in a fight… There’s no doubt about that.”

, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. Believing Mateen would kill again imminently, police used explosives and an armoured vehicle to break through a wall of the building and survivors began streaming through the hole they had created. Mateen himself followed them out shooting and was killed, police say. Cities around the world have been flying rainbow gay pride flags and illuminating buildings in solidarity with the victims of the shooting in Florida. Who were the victims? Image copyright Reuters Image caption Clockwise from top left: Orlando shooting victims Edward Sotomayor, Stanley Almodovar, Luis Omar Ocasio-Ocampo, Juan Ramon Guerrero, Luis Vielma and Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera The names of 48 of the 49 victims have now been released: 41 men and seven women. They include: Edward Sotomayor, 34, who worked for a company that organised gay cruises , 34, who worked for a company that organised gay cruises Stanley Almodovar, 23, a pharmacy technician who was remembered as "kind and sassy" , 23, a pharmacy technician who was remembered as "kind and sassy" Kimberly Morris, 37, who had only recently moved to Orlando and worked at Pulse as a bouncer , 37, who had only recently moved to Orlando and worked at Pulse as a bouncer Luis Vielma, 22, who worked at the Harry Potter section at Universal Studios - author J K Rowling paid tribute to him online , 22, who worked at the Harry Potter section at Universal Studios - author J K Rowling paid tribute to him online Eddie Justice, 30, who sent his mother a series of text messages while inside the club - read more on him here , 30, who sent his mother a series of text messages while inside the club - read more on him here Akyra Murray, 18, who graduated from high school a week ago - her school described her as a "superstar" The Pulse nightclub was holding its Latino night when the attack took place and many of the victims have Latino or Hispanic names. Read more about the victims here LGBT community under siege Were you at Pulse nightclub or in the area at the time of the shooting? Did you know Omar Mateen? Please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. You can also contact us in the following ways:

WARSAW (Reuters) - A bill sponsored by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party will undermine the fairness of elections, opposition deputies said in parliament on Thursday. The proposal would introduce live web feeds from polling stations, but also replace all current members of the State Electoral Commission, a body responsible for conducting and overseeing elections, as well as all election commissioners, giving political parties more say in naming new ones. The PiS has said its bill would make voting more transparent, but critics said the real aim is to boost the electoral prospects of the party, which has been accused by the European Commission of eroding democratic standards. “This bill is a thuggish project. This is a mine placed under elections in Poland,” the head of opposition PSL party, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in parliament. The socially conservative PiS, in power since late 2015, is already at loggerheads with fellow members of the European Union over its push to bring the courts and state media under more direct government control, as well as over migration. According to the 72-page long amendment that did not undergo any public consultations, seven of the nine members of the State Electoral Commission would be chosen by parliament for 9-year terms, with PiS set to directly appoint three members and the remaining parties four. The remaining two members would be judges chosen by the head of the Constitutional Tribunal and the Supreme Administrative court. PiS deputies have already appointed the head of the Tribunal following changes in the law that opposition parties said violated the constitution, a charge PiS denies. “The changes proposed in the bill will destabilize the election system and are a serious threat to the effective carrying out of the local elections in 2018,” the State Election Commission said in a statement last week. Head of the Commission Wojciech Hermelinski said on Thursday the amendment would also give an advantage to political parties at the expense of independent candidates. The bill would require the newly-chosen Commission to appoint nearly 400 election commissioners within 60 days of the bill coming into force, removing the requirement for the commissioners to be independent from political parties. Lawmakers are expected to initially vote on the bill early on Friday. If finally passed by the PiS-dominated parliament, the bill would still have to be signed into law by President Andrzej Duda, who could potentially veto it.

By By Katerina Nikolas Feb 7, 2012 in World Oslo - Mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik appeared in an Oslo court on Monday, where he demanded his freedom. He also told the court that he deserved a medal of honour for combating "Islamic colonisation." The Norway Post reported that the Tingrett Court remanded Breivik in police custody for a further 12 weeks. Before a huge media audience who attended the hearing, Breivik also demanded his freedom, saying his killing spree had been an act of self-defence. Breivik said his actions constituted a "preventive attack against state traitors" who supported immigration, according to the The Australian reported that Breivik said those who support immigration promote “an Islamic colonisation of Norway.” He then told the judge that he deserved a medal of honour for the attacks. If found guilty at his trial in April Breivik could face 21-years in prison for murder of 77 people. Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who has admitted killing 77 people in the 2011 July 22 massacre in Oslo and on Utøya, appeared in an Oslo court on Monday to attend the final hearing before his scheduled trial in April. A smug smirk appeared on his face as he was led into the court in handcuffs.The Norway Post reported that the Tingrett Court remanded Breivik in police custody for a further 12 weeks. Before a huge media audience who attended the hearing, Breivik also demanded his freedom, saying his killing spree had been an act of self-defence.Breivik said his actions constituted a "preventive attack against state traitors" who supported immigration, according to the Telegraph. He went on to add "I acknowledge the acts but I plead not guilty. I do not accept imprisonment. I demand to be immediately released. We, the Norwegian resistance movement, will not just stand by while we are made a minority in our own country."The Australian reported that Breivik said those who support immigration promote “an Islamic colonisation of Norway.” He then told the judge that he deserved a medal of honour for the attacks.If found guilty at his trial in April Breivik could face 21-years in prison for murder of 77 people. More about Anders Bering Breivik, Norway killer, Islamic Colonisation, medal of honour, tingrett court More news from Anders Bering Breivi... Norway killer Islamic Colonisation medal of honour tingrett court

The Second Avenue Subway is the most expensive underground train line in history — but transit officials defended the $6 billion price tag Monday, blaming it in part on New York City’s fire code. The first phase of the line cost $2.7 billion per mile, while a forthcoming 1.5-mile extension to 125th Street is set to smash that record at $3.8 billion per mile. The costs far outpace those in cities around the world, but agency bigwig Janno Lieber insisted that comparing New York to other cities is unfair because it is “different.” “We have to have a longer conversation about the comparisons to other places,” Lieber, the agency’s chief development officer and capital construction president, said at a briefing on the agency’s new $51.5 billion capital plan. “There are a lot of things that make New York different.” Lieber cited just one example as proof — the MTA’s adherence to New York City fire code. He argued the subway’s packed trains compound the costs of emergency exits. “We comply with the fire code, which requires you to get people out — everybody who rides trains, and we have, 1,000 people plus on a train — to get them out of a station at [a] certain pace,” Lieber said. “Other systems which run trains that have fewer people on them don’t have some of the same costs associated with vertical circulation to get people out,” he added. In Los Angeles, officials plan to spend $1.1 billion per mile on a 2.6-mile-long subway extension, with six-car trains that can carry an average of 810 passengers. Riders advocates said Monday they hope Lieber and his team revisit their cost calculations. “If there are elements of the fire code that don’t make sense, then the MTA and the city of New York should rethink those things,” said Colin Wright of the Manhattan TransitCenter think tank. “There’s still time to review costs and make sure they’re in line with industry averages.” MTA officials are counting on the federal government to fund the Second Avenue Subway, Lieber said. President Trump tweeted last month that he was “looking forward” to helping get the project finished.

name attached to specific legislative language that is closely associated with putting people to work and tackling cyclical unemployment. Booker’s bill, first reported by Vox, would create a pilot program for a federal jobs guarantee initiative in up to 15 high-unemployment communities throughout the United States. It would create a three-year program in those communities ensuring that every adult living there can have a guaranteed job which will “ include a minimum wage phasing in to $15/hour, paid family and sick leave, and health coverage like that enjoyed by Members of Congress.” There are no concrete cost evaluations at this time but an estimate from experts published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities put it at $543 billion per year. As for Sanders, a draft outline of his bill, shared with The Daily Beast and first reported by The Washington Post, indicates that it could be much more expansive than what Booker is proposing. It would create a federal job guarantee with three categories of job and job training opportunities. To implement the jobs programs, Sanders proposes that the preexisting 2,500 American Job Centers around the country be used. In addition, there would be 12 regional offices and advisory boards to carry out projects and coordinate with a new national office within the Department of Labor. Workers would be hired and paid a minimum wage of $15 an hour and full-time employees would receive health care benefits equivalent to other federal employees. For the purpose of oversight, the Sanders bill would catalog the status of the projects on a website and would create a Division of Progress Investigation to monitor potential waste and abuse. On Tuesday, Sarah Treuhaft, senior director of the PolicyLink, a progressive research and advocacy organization, said that the organization had a conversation with Booker’s staff. She, along with Hamilton, Darity Jr. and Angela Glover Blackwell who founded PolicyLink, authored a set of ten principles for a federal job guarantee which were sent to Booker’s office. For people like her, no matter how the policy ends up taking shape, it’s a positive sign that the conversation is even happening at all. “I think that the political environment that we’re in is demanding bolder policy solutions to these long entrenched issues around racial inequities in the labor market,” Treuhaft told The Daily Beast describing the current moment. “There’s a hunger from communities for real solutions that produce tangible results.”

Louis Smith has been given a two-month ban by British Gymnastics after he appeared to mock Islam in a video that emerged last month. The four-time Olympic medallist has already apologised after a video, filmed by Smith that included his friend and retired fellow gymnast Luke Carson, mimicked Islamic prayer practices. The incident happened a month after Smith competed at the Rio Olympic Games, where he won a silver medal in the men’s pommel horse. He issued a statement soon after the video was leaked to the media to say he was “deeply sorry” for his “thoughtless actions”. The 27-year-old also said that his heavy training regime during his gymnastic career has not allowed him to “behave like an idiot” when he was younger, but accepted that his actions were inappropriate nonetheless. A statement from British Gymnastics read: “Formal disciplinary proceedings have been conducted with regard to a recent video which captured the behaviour of British Gymnastics members Louis Smith and Luke Carson, alleged to be a potential breach of the Standards of Conduct. “Louis Smith admitted his behaviour was a breach of the Standards of Conduct. The Panel upheld the allegation and taking into account a previous breach of the Standards of Conduct heard in June this year (where it also was made clear to Louis the consequences of any further breach), the Panel determined a cumulative penalty was appropriate and ordered a two-month period of suspension.” Louis Smith has been given a two-month ban from gymnastics after appearing to mock Islam in a video (Getty) Carson was issued a reprimand due to his clean record, which will remain for two years. Jane Allen, chief executive of British Gymnastics, said that while both men has shown “remorse” for their actions, the governing body had to take action which left a shadow over Team GB’s record-breaking performance at Rio 2016. "It is regrettable that following a historic summer of achievement, the organisation finds itself in this difficult position with two high profile members in breach of our standards of conduct,” said Allen. Smith apologised for his actions after the video was leaked to the media (Getty) “As the custodians of the integrity and values of the sport, we have had no choice but to act responsibly and refer this case to an independent Panel for their review and determination.

Rookies will report to Berea in just two more days, and the first open practice of the Browns’ 2016 training camp is next Friday. Fans will have 11 chances to witness practices in person for free, a tradition dating back to the early 1990s. The team has been working to move training camp to the Columbus area, but backlash ensued, and the notion didn’t reach fruition this year. While the Browns’ administrative offices and practice facility are likely to remain in Berea for years, it seems that the franchise remains very interested in some sort of deal to expand their footprint by moving training camp farther afield. One piece of evidence is the return to the Shoe (rather than First Energy Stadium) for the intrasquad scrimmage on August 6. Another: the Haslams have yet to monetize the naming rights for the Cleveland Browns Training Facility in Berea. Here’s a league-wide breakdown of teams’ training camp facility names: Corporate branding: 13. (e.g. the 49ers own the Santa Clara site of their training camp, the SAP Performance Facility) College/university: 10. (e.g. St. Norbert College has hosted the Packers during training camp since 1958, though the team commutes from there to Lambeau Field for practices and meetings) Team-based names: 6 (CIN, CLE, DEN, DET, SD, and TB). Private resorts: 2 (the Saints train at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, and the Raiders train in style at Napa Valley) Municipal: 1 (the Cowboys train at the city-owned River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, CA). Surely in the course of exploring and negotiating the Browns’ long-term training camp plans, they’ll be factoring in the potential value of the naming rights to the Berea facility. Probably as an opportunity cost. In the meantime, they’ve been sidetracked a little bit by the need for an astoundingly thorough overhaul of their front office, coaching staff, and roster. Minor snag, eh? So take this post as kind of an aside. Stick it in the back of your mind. And if you’re in the Cleveland area, maybe walk the Browns-striped Beech Street to get to one of those free practices in Berea while you still can.

As the studio behind League of Legends, a competitive MOBA with an average of 8 million concurrent players a day, Riot has battled in-game harassment, trolling, sexism and racism for more than 10 years. Over this time, League of Legends has earned a reputation as an explosively popular multiplayer game, and also as a hotbed of offensive language and negative behavior. In 2012, the studio launched a Player Behavior team whose sole focus was to use psychology tools to curb game-ruining experiences. The group rolled out items like the Honor system, which allows players to reward their teammates for positive behavior post-game. When the Honor system first went live, Riot was still using the word "toxic." In 2020, Riot is evolving the Player Behavior team and launching a new practice called Player Dynamics, which will study and develop communication tools for all of the studio's coming titles, not only League of Legends. "We've started trying to break down 'toxicity' by looking at it as 'disruptive behavior' because it gets us asking better questions," Hart said. "What's the intended experience and what are players' expectations? Now what's disruptive to these expectations? What are the root causes? If the root cause is mismatched expectations, for instance, we need to look at what can we do differently in design to help align expectations." The Player Dynamics team includes Hart and adviser Dr. Kimberly Voll, co-founder of Fair Play Alliance, an industry-wide initiative to encourage healthy communication in video games. Dr. Voll was involved in the Player Behavior group as well, and the new team will build on the research done there, drawing from cognitive science, anthropology and sociology. Player Dynamics won't necessarily focus on building concrete tools like voice chat or text commands in Riot's games -- instead, the group will study player interaction and infuse the studio's new games with anti-trolling tricks from the get-go. So, no, this doesn't mean League of Legends is getting full-team voice chat. "Poor communication is a common source of friction between people; this is only compounded by online spaces which lack the feedback of a real human presence," Hart said. "Throw competition into the mix and that friction can get worse. We need to learn to do better, but don't think full-team voice chat is necessarily the answer. This is more about identifying what we need socially as humans interacting in an online setting than any particular feature."

�ve done full-up integrated testing of those capabilities,” Gen. Hyten said in remarks covered by Defense News. Navy Adm. Philip Davidson, who will replace Adm. Harry Harris as head of U.S. Pacific Command, also expressed concern about China’s pursuit of hypersonic weapons. “It’s clear to me that some of our potential adversaries are innovating with weapons systems that we need to catch up on, in some cases, or advance the gap that we currently might hold over them,” he told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing last month. “I am highly concerned about China’s pursuit of hypersonics, and that is one area in which we need to get after quickly [and] allow us to innovate more quickly” to address the threat. The military blog We Are The Mighty reported this week that the Air Force is developing an aggressive timetable to design, test and deploy hypersonic weapons, including air-launched weapons and a conventional strike missile. Air Force. Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves, director of the Missile Defense Agency, told Congress last month that China and Russia are building missiles designed to defeat missile defenses, including hypersonic cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles launched atop ballistic missiles. “The combination of high speed, maneuverability and relatively low altitude makes them challenging targets for missile defense systems,” he said. Advances by potential adversaries in the field is one of the greatest threats to U.S. security, the general said. “We are executing the planning, and I expect to see a significant increase in the amount of time and resources that we will spend in that area,” he told a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing last month. The concern about a hypersonic missile gap is reflected in the Pentagon’s defense spending request for the coming fiscal year, which called for $256 million for hypersonics work at DARPA. On Friday, members of the House Armed Services Committee added $20 million to that figure in their version of the Pentagon spending blueprint for fiscal year 2019. It remains to be seen whether their Senate counterparts will follow suit when they mark up their defense spending bill later this month. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

000 apps in the US App Store. Swarm's ranks catapulted to a near-top spot in the US on the day it launched, and back up when Foursquare relaunched. But now it's sinking. App Annie In the social networking category however, Swarm is holding its position in the US top 100. App Store and Google Play store rankings aren't the only ways to measure the success (or failure) of Foursquare's relaunch. They don't show Foursquare's engagement metrics, or the number of mobile web visits Foursquare.com is getting. Foursquare's usage is now split 50/50 between its mobile app and mobile web products; mobile usage in general is up 60% year over year. Additionally, Foursquare's downloads, monthly uniques to Foursquare.com, number of API calls per day and revenue growth are all on the upswing, according to a Foursquare spokesperson. The decision to unbundle Foursquare seems to be validated. Foursquare is seeing one-third of users exclusively use Swarm, one-third of users exclusively use the new Foursquare, and one-third of its users using both apps. Those usage patterns are the whole reason Foursquare decided to split itself apart in December. "We constantly hear [people] use Foursquare for two things – to keep up and meet up with their friends, and to discover great places," Crowley wrote in May when Swarm was announced. "But, as it turns out, each time you open the app, you almost always do just one of those things." But Foursquare knows it needs to find a way to keep users hooked post-relaunch. The company says it's planning to focus more efforts on consumer marketing in the upcoming months to acquire new users. (Startups frequently spend marketing dollars to boost user metrics, which is a fine plan as long as users don't churn quickly, and the company doesn't spend too much money acquiring potentially-disloyal users.) "We've spent five years building Foursquare and eight months alone on developing Foursquare 8.0," A Foursquare spokesperson told Business Insider in an email. "We view the release of Foursquare 8.0 (and Swarm) as the beginning of a re-education and launch period, not as a final action."

Iris Goldsmith died when 'all-terrain vehicle' overturned Published duration 19 July 2019 image copyright Family Handout image caption Iris's mother she said was in an "ocean of grief" after her death The teenage daughter of financier Ben Goldsmith died when an "all-terrain type" vehicle she was driving overturned, an inquest heard. Iris Goldsmith, 15, died on her family's farm near the village of North Brewham, Somerset, on 8 July. Police are not treating her death as suspicious, the inquest in Taunton was told. Her family have released pictures of their "angel" following her funeral on Wednesday. Senior coroner Tony Williams adjourned the inquest, saying he had only limited information about the accident. "I understand she was the driver of a left-hand drive all-terrain type vehicle when it turned over for reasons that are yet to be established, and as a result it is believed she suffered fatal injures," he said. image copyright Family Handout/PA Wire image caption Iris was identified by her father Ben, the inquest heard Pathologist Dr Edwin Cooper of Yeovil District Hospital confirmed the cause of death was "not currently ascertained" and a post-mortem report had yet to be compiled, he added. A final inquest hearing is expected next year. A private funeral for Iris was held at St Mary's Church in Barnes, south-west London, on Wednesday afternoon. image copyright family handout/PA wire image caption The family has released pictures from the private funeral held on Wednesday In a eulogy, Iris' mother, Kate Rothschild, said: "I can't possibly begin to explain the ocean of grief we find ourselves in or the feeling of being shattered into a thousand un-findable pieces. "She was simply spectacular, her light was brighter than any I've ever known. "Iris was life-giving and free and fun and wild, but she also worked harder than any girl I've ever known and she cared, she cared so much about living her best life. "She had so many plans and dreams and ambitions and she was willing to put everything she had into reaching them." Iris was the first child of Mr Goldsmith and his ex-wife Ms Rothschild. Mr Goldsmith is the younger brother of Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith and Jemima Khan.

seals sensors Clive McMahon/The University of Tasmania Seals in tiny hats might conjure up images of the circus or Sea World, but, in Antarctica, elephant seals with hat-like sensors are helping scientists study melting ice. The project to study the temperature and salinity of Antarctica bottom water (AABW) is led by Dr. Guy Williams of the University of Tasmania, and is supported by an international team of researchers who hope to find clues into the immediate effects of climate change. Related: Taking selfies with seals really isn’t a good idea, wildlife officials warn “[Bottom water is] a key part of the global circulation,” Dr. Williams told ABC. “If you think of a conveyer belt, [bottom water] is really the gear that drives the engine that is pumping that circulation.” According to the researchers’ data, which they published in the journal Nature Communications, if ice shelves continue to melt at their current rate, the production of bottom water will be impacted and the pumping mechanisms Williams described will be restricted. “If we can anticipate this melting will increase in the future under global warming, if Antarctic bottom water is already being suppressed, it is likely to be further impacted by this down the track,” Williams said. Between 2011 and 2013, Williams and his team were able to grab data from 20 young male elephant seals, who stayed in the East Antarctica region of Prydyz Bay between March and October, a time when traveling by ship would be extremely difficult. The seals dove deep into the bottom water up to 60 times a day, gathering vital data for the researchers. “We’ve never really been able to get such amazing spatial and temporal coverage before,” Dr Williams said. “That’s a period of time where we would never get down with a ship. The last time we were there in a winter time … was 1999.” Thanks to the seals, Williams and his team made the first comprehensive analysis of Prydyz Bay’s shelf water. Unfortunately, the data wasn’t promising. “Given the growing number of reports of accelerating and irreversible mass loss from Antarctica’s major ice sheets linked to increased oceanic heat input, it is likely that Antarctica’s AABW production is already compromised and will decrease further into the future,” the authors write in the study.

After announcing new iPads and iMacs earlier this week, Apple has released details about its next-generation AirPods. The new wireless earbuds, which are available for preorder today starting at $159, come with an updated, Apple-designed chip, more battery life, and "Hey Siri" voice-command support. Apple also debuted a new wireless charging case for AirPods that can be charged with any Qi wireless charger. We didn't expect Apple to radically redesign the AirPods this time around, and they look nearly identical to the previous model. Inside, however, is a new H1 chip that Apple designed specifically for headphones. The company claims the new chip will provide up to 50 percent more talk time than previous models, faster connect times when switching between iPhone, iPad, and other Apple host devices, and general performance improvements. The new H1 chip also lets AirPods listen for the "Hey Siri" voice command. Previously, users had to touch the side of one AirPod before speaking a command to Siri, Apple's virtual assistant. Now, users can just say the waking command before asking Siri to do things like adjust the volume, play a different song, and more. The new AirPods will come with a standard charging case, or customers can opt to buy them with the new wireless charging case. Similar to the buds themselves, the wireless charging case looks identical to the previous AirPod charging case, but it has an LED indicator to show its charge level. The new case is Qi-compliant, so it will work with most wireless charging pads available today. Both the regular and wireless charging cases hold enough juice to power the AirPods for more than 24 hours. Everything announced today about the new AirPods has been anticipated for months now, but some rumored features, like water-resistance, did not make it into the newest earbuds. All of these new product announcements come the week before Apple's event scheduled for March 25. Instead of bogging down the spring event with product announcements, Apple will focus solely on the new services it will roll out this year, which include a TV streaming service as well as a news subscription service. The new AirPods with the wireless charging case cost $199 while AirPods with the standard case cost $159. Users can buy the wireless charging case separately for $79, allowing those with previous AirPod models to charge them wirelessly without buying a new set of buds.

Aug 27, 2016; Vancouver, BC, Canada; Paige Vanzant (red gloves) reacts during her fight against Bec Rawlings (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports Should Leonard Fournette sit out rest of season? by Charles Rahrig V UFC strawweight Paige VanZant will be featured on Criss Angel’s upcoming television series Trick’d Up UFC strawweight Paige VanZant has become one of the UFC’s go-to fighters in regards to making guest appearances on television shows. The 22-year-old Sacramento native is scheduled to appear on Criss Angel’s upcoming television show, Trick’d Up, which premieres on Oct. 12 on A&E Network. In a recently released sneak preview, fans witness the popular magician performing a gruesome magic trick on VanZant. In the clip the UFC fighter is completely ripped in half, much to the shock (and horror) of the crowd around them. The entire stunt is complete with blood, guts and intestines hanging from VanZant’s seemingly eviscerated torso. In terms of competition, VanZant (7-2), who finished runner-up on the most recent season of Dancing With The Star, is coming off a thrilling flying switch kick knockout win over Bec Rawling at UFC on FOX 21 last month. This not only earned VanZant her first Performance of the Night bonus but also marked just her second career (T)KO victory. Prior to this win, ’12 Gauge’ saw her perfect UFC run come to an end at the hands of former title challenge Rose Namajunas at UFC Fight Night 80 last December. VanZant also holds notable stoppage victories over Kailin Curran and Alex Chambers Since defeating Rawling, the Team Alpha Male product has continued to shine as the media darling. Appearing on shows such as LIVE with Kelly and TMZ. There is currently no word on who she will be challenging next. However VanZant has made it known she is hoping for a spot on the UFC’s upcoming card in her hometown later this year. “I want to get in that Sacramento card in December,” revealed VanZant. The entire event will go down at soon-to-be opened Golden 1 Center on December 17 in Sacramento.

Before Kevin Feige became president of Marvel Studios and overseer of the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men movie franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner promoted her then-assistant to associate producer on the mutant super team's 2000 big screen debut. Feige then served as co-producer on X2 and executive producer on X-Men: The Last Stand before landing his Marvel Studios role in 2007 and blazing a new path with 2008's Iron Man, launching an interconnected universe of films — what is now the highest-grossing franchise of all time. "I’m not surprised—I’m just so proud," Shuler Donner tells Vanity Fair in a piece celebrating Feige's success with the groundbreaking Marvel Studios, who decided to self-finance and produce their own films after selling the screen rights to their biggest characters to studios like Sony and Fox. "When we were developing the X-Men movies, he and I had laid out a plan where the X-Men franchise should go," said Shuler Donner, who has produced every X-film, including spinoffs Deadpool, Logan and the upcoming The New Mutants. "Fox picked another route. I’m not surprised he kept that [comic book] aesthetic, and decided he would take the Marvel world and join them together and make five-year plan after five-year plan." Fox has found success with the X-Men franchise — the series has pulled in a cumulative and unadjusted $4.9 billion worldwide across 10 films and counting — but Feige's Disney-owned Marvel Studios could reclaim the rights to Marvel's premiere mutant team in a deal that could be announced as soon as next week. Though Feige admits to Vanity Fair there's no movement towards bringing the X-Men into the fold, a new report from Deadline says Feige is "eager" to get his hands on the A-list Marvel property. Fox just released first look photos and plot details from X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which continues the adventures of Professor Xavier (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and a young team of X-Men (Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Evan Peters and Kodi Smit-McPhee). Dark Phoenix is one of three X-franchise films released in 2018, alongside Untitled Deadpool Sequel and The New Mutants.

Lane Lambert, a former Nashville assistant under Barry Trotz, is expected to join the Washington Capitals to work with the forwards and penalty kill, an individual with knowledge of the situation confirmed Thursday afternoon. After Nashville dismissed Trotz following the 2013-14 season and later hired Peter Laviolette, who soon began hiring his own coaching staff, it seemed like Lambert’s time too was running out, despite being under contract for 2014-15. But he appears to have found a new home in Washington, following Trotz and goaltending coach Mitch Korn, both of whom were with the Predators for all 15 seasons in franchise history. According to a league source, current Capitals assistant Blaine Forsythe is expected to be welcomed back for a ninth season with the organization. He had previously worked with the forwards, the same role Lambert served, as well as the power play. That would give the Capitals three assistants under Trotz — Forsythe, Lambert and Todd Reirden — as well as Korn handling the netminders. Forsythe’s revised role with the Capitals is currently being finalized. He joined the Capitals as a video coach in 2006-07 and was later promoted to amateur scout before moving to the bench, where he coached the forwards and power play. Even alongside Reirden, the former Pittsburgh Penguins assistant who replaced Calle Johansson in coaching the Capitals defensemen and also worked with the power play at his previous stop, Forsythe could still keep directing Washington’s power play, while forwards duties transition to Lambert. Last season, the Capitals led the NHL with 68 goals in man-up situations. General manager Brian MacLellan is expected to be made available to the media following the completion of the first round at Friday’s NHL draft in Philadelphia, so at the very latest we’ll know more then. A team spokesman declined to issue comment on Lambert’s status. The news was first reported by CSNWashington and the Tennessean. The former NHL forward — he once fought former Capitals GM George McPhee twice in one game — and AHL head coach with Milwaukee joined Nashville in June 2011 and was a trusted assistant under Trotz for several seasons. Recently, Lambert’s wife underwent chemotherapy treatment while battling cancer that led to Lambert missing a road trip and the following quote from Trotz, who has long maintained that Lambert will become a head coach some day. Via the Tennessean:

On July 13, 'Samsung Galaxy' once again defeated 'SKT T1'. Using the exact same team comp for both games of the series, SSG showed why they made that choice with two convincing victories. Through this win, SSG climbed back up to the no.1 spot in the LCK leaderboards. The midlaner for the team, Crown, played Taliyah for both games. With not a single speck of bad on his performance, his contribution eventually led the team to victory. The following is an interview that took place after the game. That win must've been very important for SSG We won with a score of 2:0 against them. Our individual performances were also clean. It was very satisfying. Did Blank's huge win streak spark fear into anyone in the team? Now that I think about it, no one even thought of it. We just kept our focus on our individual performances. You guys had the Baron stolen during the 1st set. How did the team respond? Although we had it stolen, we all assured each other that it was okay. We didn't panic because all we needed was a good teamfight. On SSG's second attempt at Baron, you guys were once again put under. Can you explain what happened? Although it was an overall loss for the team, we only had one member caught out - so it was okay. Because we maintained the Baron buff, it came back as an advantage later on. What made you feel certain that you were going to win set 1? When I killed both the ADC and support under the outer turret. Reasons for picking Taliyah for both games? I can't disclose too much information regarding it. I can only say that she is a great champion for this meta and that we practiced her a lot. Your team used the exact same team comp for both games. Were you guys predicting SKT's draft? I thought they would at least ban one of our key champions. But they didn't. They allowed us to build the same team comp. SSG has recently been showing great performance against SKT I don't think there is a big reason for it. It's rather simple. They played worse, and we played better.

SAGE 50 Accounting Software Hosting, previously known as Peachtree Accounting Software Hosting is a business management software tool created and owned by the Sage group with its major target audience in Canada and the US. Majorly, it caters to small and medium businesses by propagating an easy-to-comprehend formula, which in turn gives you the freedom to access full-proof core business management and accounting services on-the-go. It significantly improves your time utilization by readily adapting to your requirements and taking full control via its highly customizable interface. We at Real Time Cloud Services have successfully managed to further enhance the efficacy of this software application by hosting it in our cloud computing system in turn providing a larger client base with a secure platform to get hands-on experience of its ever increasing utilities. Sage 50 Software Hosting’s Impeccable Services and Features: Follows the anytime – anywhere accessibility mantra! Optimum focus on Cost reduction – Fixed monthly rentals, reduced personnel, hardware, upgrade and maintenance costs. The power of multi-user access. On-the-go scalability. A single log-in allows you to access as many files as you want. Healthy and reliable data security – It is automatically integrated with periodical checkups, 2 level authentication process, encryption and screen level security. 24*7*365 days a year customer service absolutely free of charge. Automated backup and recovery schemes reinforced by multiple redundancies, dual backups and local user backup. Freedom to choose any SAGE 50 software hosting version. Automatic provision of the latest hosting technology. Sage 50 is compatible with most of the current popular operating systems such as Windows, Mac and Android. Sage 50 is a perfect match for the underlying situations: The end user is devoid of any robust infrastructure, capital or IT support. The end user demands freedom from the daily operational tussle and wants to shift this responsibility to the hosting service provider. When your business requires a quick-fix and needs to be setup with minimum deployment time. When the user wants to implement the software effectively without any time or geographical bounds simultaneously invoking multi-user access. Sage 50 lays down a solid foundation for all small-medium sized businesses and gives them that need push or trigger to have a healthy operational life. And so, it has widely been recognized as one of the best in the business when it comes to Accounting Software Hosting applications and together with our reliable cloud computing solutions, they make a formidable force.

cnogenol for 7 consecutive days, starting 2 days before their flight, which is inconsistent with how 1Above recommends their products be used. This is just one more company basing their marketing on preliminary trials instead of using them as the basis for research that could actually answer the question of whether or not a product is useful. Worse than Tuatara Natural Products, they even go so far as to consider clinical trials “not necessary” and apparently intend to rely on testimonials instead. It would be much more appropriate for them to spend some of their $2.4 million annualised income on researching their product rather than paying for a sporting celebrity to endorse them. I try to make my rants constructive, so I want to end this article with the question “What can we do about this?”. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them in the comments section. I think the most important thing that anyone can do to address this problem is to ask for evidence. If you see a claim made about a product that you think you might buy, then get in touch with the company selling it to let them know you’re considering buying it and to ask for evidence. If they don’t have a good enough answer, then let them know that’s why you won’t be buying their product. If they give you evidence to back up their claim, then great! The UK organisation Sense about Science has created a website for just this purpose: www.askforevidence.org Asking for evidence doesn’t have to be a big deal, involving a formal letter or anything like that. When you see a weight loss product advertised on a one day deal site, a copper bracelet that apparently offers pain relief advertised on a store counter, or a jet lag cure promoted on Twitter, make your first response be to politely ask for evidence. This isn’t a problem that’s going away any time soon. As consumers, we deserve to be able to make informed decisions about the products we buy, and when companies put marketing before research it becomes harder to make these informed choices. But if we work together then we can encourage companies like Tuatara Natural Products and 1Above to improve their behaviour and attitudes toward marketing and research. Let’s turn “what’s the evidence?” into a frequently asked question for all companies that sell therapeutic products.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest 722 shares I’ve rounded up the best drugstore eyebrow products to help you get the perfect brows. These products prove that you don’t need to splurge and you can get a great result by choosing some cheaper pencils! This pencil is the best one at the drugstore. It has a small tip that is very easy to use. The formula is not too creamy but not too waxy. It glides on easily and it helps defining the eyebrows very smoothly. It’s also very long lasting. I’ve done a full review on this pencil here along with the L’Oreal brow stylist definer gel! Another nice option is the NYX pencil. It has a very smooth and pigmented formula. It helps defining the eyebrows and it doesn’t drag on the skin. It’s not as long lasting as the L’Oreal one and it’s not waterproof so it might last for 4 hours on a sweaty day. Maybelline Tattoo Studio Waterproof Brow Gel This gel comes in a tube and an applicator but I’ve found that it works best when applied with a brush. The best way to use This product is by using a thin angled brush. This way you can build up the color little by little and define your eyebrows a lot easier. Once it dries,This gel makes the eyebrows look more full and defined. It’s Smudge proof and transfer proof which makes it work great on the summer time! I’ve done a full review on this gel here and it’s absolutely worth checking out! Etude House Drawing eyebrow This pencil has a slanted tip and it blends so easily giving the eyebrows a fuller look that still appears natural. It’s also long lasting and the formula is more waxy than the L’Oreal pencil. Elf instant lift eyebrow pencil This product is only 2$ and it’s great for someone who has thick brows with sparse areas. The tip of this pencil is not as thin as the L’Oreal or NXY ones so it’s less precise. The formula is easy to use and it glides on easily into the skin. The spoolie is also nice and easy to use! So these were my best drugstore eyebrow products! what are your favorites?

Contrast between background and foreground colors should have contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text. 3:1 for large text (24px equivalent or 19px equivalent and bold). There are many tools for checking color contrast, like contrast ratio checker. You’ll find more information in articles such as this one on use of colors and color contrast as requirement for accessibility ready themes. With 4.5% of the global population experiencing color blindness, 4% suffering from low vision, and another 0.6% being blind, visual difficulties with using... Accessibility 7. Remember Skip Links A “skip to content” link enables a way of jumping past all extra elements before the main content, and heading right to the content. You might be wondering why landmark <main> is not enough since AT users can navigate to main content using landmarks? In fact, the skip link’s main target group is keyboard users, who probably don’t use any AT devices. So they don’t have shortcuts to <main> or other landmark regions. In any case, AT users still use skip links according to this screen reader survey: “It is important to note that while usage has decreased among screen reader users, "skip" links still provide notable benefit for other keyboard users.” Read more on how to use skip links in the handbook. 8. Avoid Repetitive Link Text Try to avoid repetitive link texts like “Read more” or “Learn more”. For screen reader users who navigate using links the result can look like this: List of read more links doesn’t help navigating The Twenty Seventeen theme has good examples of how to add the post title in the excerpt: For screen readers, the link text would then read out as “Continue reading post title”. Here is similar example for the content: Class screen-reader-text hides the post title visually but screen reader users can still access the text. Check the latest code example of screen reader text in the handbook. Conclusion We’ve only touched the surface of accessibility in WordPress themes, but hopefully this will get you started. Semantic HTML and wise use of CSS go a long way. Remember to check all the accessibility guidelines for themes and read more tips in the accessibility handbook.

Credit Suisse agreed to pay $77 million in criminal and civil penalties to settle charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in order to win business in Asia. The Hong Kong-based subsidiary of the Swiss bank hired unqualified friends and family of Chinese officials to net at least $46 million in profits over a six-year scheme ending in 2013, the Justice Department said Thursday. Credit Suisse agreed to a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department and to pay a $47 million criminal penalty. In one instance, Credit Suisse accelerated the hiring of the daughter of a high ranking official at a state-owned enterprise to win a contract with the company, according to the Justice Department. A banker cautioned “not too many interviews” when reviewing the applicant, noting that she was “a princess [who was] not used to too many rounds of interview [sic],” according to emails the Justice Department reviewed. The applicant’s lackluster application required the handiwork of Credit Suisse employees to be presentable, with employees needing “to be a bit ‘creative’ in filling” in details, according to the Justice Department. The “princess” received several promotions during her five years at Credit Suisse and earned more than $1 million in compensation despite failing to attend a mandatory boot camp, bringing her mother to training events, and leaving work early, the Justice Department said. “Trading employment opportunities for less-than-qualified individuals in exchange for lucrative business deals is an example of nepotism at its finest,” Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Thursday. A separate $30 million civil penalty payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission was also announced Thursday. “Credit Suisse’s practice of engaging in these hiring practices violated the law, and it is now being held to account for having done so,” Charles Cain, chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s FCPA Unit, said in a statement Thursday. Credit Suisse said Thursday that it has implemented several compliance enhancements to its operations and that the settlement “represents no material impact” to the bank. “No criminal charges were brought, and there is no allegation that any clients, investors or counterparties were harmed by the conduct involved in the settlements,” a bank spokeswoman said.

Cyclist Killed in Staten Island — Becomes 16th Victim This Year A tow truck driver ran over and killed a teen cyclist on Tuesday afternoon in Staten Island — making him the 16th cyclist to die in an already bloody year. According to the NYPD, the 38-year-old tow truck driver was heading south on Clove Road and 17-year-old Alex Cordero was on a mountain bike was traveling westbound on Castleton Avenue in the West Brighton section of the Rock at around 12:03 p.m. when the two collided. The NYPD did not have any additional details about the crash, except that the driver remained on the scene. Cordero was taken to Richmond University Hospital, where he died. The truck in question apparently belongs to International Auto Sales, which is near the crash site. The truck has been nabbed by cameras four times since January of this year — twice for running red lights, twice for speeding. The victim is the 16th cyclist to die in 2019 — making an already deadly year even worse. Last year, 10 cyclists were killed. The tow truck which appears to be involved in the crash today in Staten Island belongs to a company at 34 Rector St., just around the corner from the crash. pic.twitter.com/2Tc6DhRHl4 — Liam Quigley (@_elkue) July 23, 2019 Last year, there were nine crashes at the intersection of Clove Road and Castleton Avenue, causing four injuries. In the larger 120th Precinct, which covers the northern part of Staten Island, there were an astonishing 4,410 crashes between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, resulting in injuries to 47 cyclists, 190 pedestrians and 816 motorists. Three pedestrians and two drivers were killed. Mayor de Blasio later tweeted his condolences — and used the occasion to mention a forthcoming bicycle safety initiative that he ordered up after the 15th cyclist of the year, Devra Freelander, was killed on July 1. Terrible news from Staten Island today. Our hearts break for this young man and his family. These deaths are preventable. The City is about to lay out a new action plan that will make streets safer for cyclists and everyone on the road. https://t.co/iSceReWPsn — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 23, 2019 This story was updated to include the victim’s name.

Some time ago I published a page on what I called sustainable taxation. I want to draw attention to a key idea in this post. TL;DR: don’t tax businesses that are barely bringing in any money. The Problems with Taxing Very Low-Revenue Businesses: If the government taxes in such a way that hinders the early stages of business (for example, putting heavy taxes that affect start-up businesses or struggling businesses) it can be the final straw that makes a lot of businesses go under, or it can create a barrier to people starting successful businesses. An example of taxes that have this effect would be the payroll tax, which impacts ALL employees and contractors, harming both business and employees, and has no deductions or exemptions. This means, if you’re making no income and you start a business on the side and it nets $2000 revenue in the first year, you’re paying that 12-15% payroll tax (counting employer’s + employee’s share) in full…no matter how low-income you are. Another example of taxes like this would be flat-rate licenses and fees. Most states have flat-rate LLC filing fees. A fee of $200 is a drop in the bucket if you’re making a million in revenue, but if you’re that startup netting $2000, it’s enough to put you out of business or make it not worthwhile to incorporate. Many cities and states also have various licensing fees slapped on various types of businesses. My Model I believe in not taxing businesses at all until they have enough revenue for the tax to only be a small portion of their total expenditures. This will help more businesses get off the ground and get financially stable…and then when they’re thriving they can give back lots to society by paying a slightly higher tax rate, but one that would be a much smaller total portion of expenditures. Would it matter if that LLC fee were doubled for the high-income businesses, if it helped all those other startups get off the ground? This might create an environment where more businesses broke into the high-earning zone, and the total tax revenue increased! This is what I call sustainable taxation. Don’t tax businesses and individuals who are barely making any money–and don’t tax anyone enough to put them out of business. Tax moderately and tax only the businesses that can afford to pay.

Ghanaian students benefiting from a Hungarian government scholarship have been compelled to call on the government for support to cater for their basic needs because their stipends are inadequate. The students, numbering over 40, are beneficiaries of the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship for 2016/2017. The beneficiaries currently receive monthly stipends of 40,460 HUF (Hungarian Forint) for Undergraduate and Masters students and 140,000 HUF for doctorate students from the Hungarian government. But in a letter sighted by Citi News from the students to the Scholarship Secretariat, the students decried this amount as insufficient given the high cost of living in Hungary. “It is sad that our situation keeps worsening day by day and we are therefore pleading with you, to use your high office to call on our government to come to our aid,” the students implored the Scholarship Secretariat. It is undoubtedly highly difficult to put a 3-square meal on our tables, not to talk of other expenses such as transportation, books and clothing. To mention a few, an average meal cost 1,500 HUF, a proper winter cloth sells between 20,000-30,000 HUF, a pair of shoes 20,000-35,000 HUF and a t-shirt averagely 4,000 HUF.” “Our health insurance only covers consultation fees and excluding medications. Currently, a majority of us are forced to use part of the stipends to supplement our accommodation allowance to hire apartments since there are limited hostel facilities on most of the various campuses.” As it stands now, the students also fear they will not be able to afford return tickets back home to Ghana. Their situation is seemingly made harder by the fact fellow students from around the globe on the same scholarship get adequate support from their governments and can focus on their studies. The students say colleagues from other countries benefiting from the scholarship are given support from their governments. Nigerian students, for instance, are supported with $300 to $500 dollars a month from their government, according to the Ghanaian students. “We are faced with a very tough reality of competing with our colleague students from across the globe, who unlike us have sound minds to concentrate on their studies because they receive additional support from their respective governments.” – By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan would like to avoid additional stimulus but is keeping an "open mind." "I'd like to avoid having to take further action but I think I'm going to have an open mind about taking action over the next number of months if we need to," Kaplan told CNBC's Steve Liesman on Thursday from the Federal Reserve's economic policy symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Kaplan said the Fed's GDP forecast of 2% growth this year has risks to the "downside." "Even though the consumer is very strong and a key underpinning to the economy, manufacturing sector is weak and probably weakening and global growth decelerating is probably finding its way to seep into the U.S. economy," said Kaplan. U.S. manufacturer growth slowed to the lowest level in almost 10 years in August, according to data released Thursday. The U.S. manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers' index) was 49.9 in August, down from 50.4 in July and below the neutral 50.0 threshold for the first time since September 2009, according to IHS Markit. Holding up is the consumer economy, the biggest part of the economy. In the second-quarter, personal consumption expenditures rose 4.3%, the best performance in six quarters. "As long as the consumer stays strong we are going to have solid growth," said Kaplan. Kaplan also addressed concerns about the inverted yield curve. He said he is less "obsessed" with the little movements in the curves "back and forth." "I'm more focused on the fact that the whole curve has moved down over the last three and a half months and the Fed funds rate at two to two and a quarter is now above every rate along the curve which to me is a bit of a reality check that says it's possible our monetary policy stays a little tighter than I would have thought three or four months ago," he said. Earlier on Thursday, Kansas City Fed President Esther George said the July rate cut "wasn't required" and Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker said he doesn't see the case for additional stimulus. Following their comments, the bond market's main yield curve inverted briefly for the third time in less than two weeks on concern that maybe the Fed wouldn't do enough to save the economy from a recession. Kaplan is a nonvoting member this year of the Fed's Open Market Committee.

replayability. There's more to Everest VR than just climbing the mountain, though. Before we landed at Mount Everest's base and took our first steps — actual, real-life steps, thanks to the precision and head tracking afforded by the Vive hardware — we were treated to a sort of informational slideshow about Everest. This is both an emotional and educational experience, the demo's director told us, one that makes just as much sense in the living room as the classroom. Everest VR is filled with facts about its titular mountain, like its height and most dangerous spots. This is taken further, in a way, in the "diorama mode," which allows you to get a closer look at different peaks and valleys. The player becomes a sort of omniscient giant, and the wand controllers change from gloves to magnifying glasses. Zooming in and out around different parts of the mountain reveals just how far up you actually are, as campers and base camps adjust for scale. That part might be the most nausea-inducing for the player who refuses to fathom ever being up so high. However, it also granted us agency over our surroundings, giving us control over the world's tallest summit in a way we'd never had before and will never have again. It was a powerful moment, even if it was at times clunky and the exploration afforded to us was a bit more limited than we might have liked, having grown fond of our impossible control over Everest. Both an emotional and educational experience Situations like these are the core of Everest VR, ones that are both emotional and revelatory. They might be fleeting, but the detailed, lifelike imagery — coupled with the HTC Vive's — ensures there's a lasting impression in your muscle memory. Everest VR will launch on other virtual reality hardware, too, although Sólfar plans for the title to arrive around the time the Vive does. Something will likely be lost with the experience on other platforms, though, as they won't afford the same physicality as the Vive does. Regardless, Everest VR is a technical marvel more than a game, and one that can be appreciated for its imagery as easily as its ability to grant the player a real sense of presence. There's no release date set yet, as Sólfar is waiting for HTC to confirm the Vive's launch. But expect this one to be a Vive mainstay, even if for just a few brief, memorable hours.

Y (TV series) type TV Show network FX genre Sci-fi Shortly before FX was set to begin production on Y, the long-awaited live-action adaptation of the critically acclaimed comic series Y: The Last Man, showrunners Michael Green and Aida Mashaka Croal announced they were departing the project. “Sad news for fans of Y: The Last Man today. FX has decided not to move forward with our series in its current form,” Croal wrote in a statement signed by her and Green. After thanking the writers, producers, and cast members involved in the show, Croal’s statement continued, “We hoped to reward their talent and their trust not just with success but with a show that had something to say, in a time when things must be said. As Y fans ourselves, we hope the future allows just that.” Some fans of the property took this unexpected tweet as an indication that FX had canceled Y, but the statement’s wording was slightly misleading. FX has confirmed to EW that the network is moving forward with Y, but that Green and Croal were moving on “due to creative differences with the network.” The search for a new showrunner is now underway. Originally created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra in the early 2000s, Y: The Last Man told the story of an apocalyptic plague that wipes out every mammal with a Y chromosome. Well, almost everyone — somehow, an unassuming wannabe escape artist named Yorick Brown becomes the last man on Earth. His monkey Ampersand is the only other surviving male mammal. Back in February, FX released a first photo featuring Barry Keoghan as Yorick, wandering corpse-filled streets with a hoodie-and-gas-mask outfit that readers will surely remember from the comic. Diane Lane is set to star as Yorick’s politician mother, Senator Jennifer Brown (in the original comics, Jennifer is the highest-ranking U.S. politician left alive after the male pandemic). Imogen Poots, Lashana Lynch, Juliana Canfield, Marin Ireland, and Amber Tamblyn are also in the cast. The new development is merely the latest obstacle in Y‘s years-long journey to the screen. A decade ago, Shia LaBeouf was attached to star in a film version. Y is set to debut in 2020. Related links:

and brother played played guitar and drums. I play piano, clarinet, guitar, I’ve sung and played drums as well. The musical history is there, but I want her to be able to make the choice.” As far as the next few months are concerned, aside from the album, what else does the rest of 2014 look like for you? “I’m working on a compilation, most of those featured artists will be those people from my label ‘In My Opinion.’ There will always be tour stops in The States and Asia, and of course Europe festival season is coming along nicely, Ibiza is always fun. Summer is always madness. I might as well just say bye to sleep. I live in planes…I LOVE it (laughs).” The last time I personally saw you, was at TomorrowWorld, you’re sporting a bit of a newer flashy hairdo, buzzed on the sides with a few designs. Is this the style of “new trance?” “(laughs) I have an amazing stylist in my hometown, and she has all these crazy ideas, and I’m just her guinea pig. I remember this one time I had this really dark black hair, and then on the sizes she put together a chessboard. Even going through customs, I’m here walking through the airport and everyone is stopping me and saying “heyyyyy cool man.” She is amazing, and was offered a job in Paris by Schwarzkopf. She likes our hometown so she stays and I get to reap the benefits.” You’ve been exposed to a lot of different venues as of late, you’re playing a pool party today, the ASOT stage Sunday. Do you tend to cater your style to the different venues, or do you stick to a “signature style?” “By now, most people know who I am, and know my tracks. Sometimes though, these smaller venues, or pool parties are fun because they offer you the opportunity to change things up a bit. Its about a 50/50 chance that the people will actually like it when you change things a lot (laughs). This being said, it is a bit tough when you have so many sets and such small time between them, you’ll probably see a few similarities, but not too many (laughs).”

A woman who shaved her bikini area while driving caused a car crash in Florida Keys, prompting police to issue fresh warnings about safe driving, MyFox National reported Monday. Megan Mariah Barnes, 37, crashed into another vehicle on Cudjoe Key after giving her ex-husband the wheel as she shaved her private parts. Barnes was driving to meet her boyfriend in Key West and told authorities she wanted to be “ready for the visit,” WJZ.com reported. But Florida Highway Trooper Gary Dunick was not surprised when he came to the scene of the crash. Dunick has had some crazy experiences pulling over drivers but said “If I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have believed it. About 10 years ago I stopped a guy in the exact same spot … who had three or four syringes sticking out of his arm. It was just surreal and I thought, ‘Nothing will ever beat this.’ Well, this takes it.” Barnes crashed into the back of a 2006 Chevrolet truck being driven by David Schoff, KeysNews.com reported. Schoff had slowed down to make a right hand turn when Barnes’ 1995 Thunderbird hit it at 45 mph – within the speed limit. FHP spokesman Alex Annunziato said that Barnes then allegedly drove a half mile further down the road where she switched seats with her ex-husband Charles Judy so that it looked like she had not been driving. Dunick said that Judy had burns from the passenger side air bag that proved he had not been in the driver’s seat. The air bag in the driver’s seat had not deployed. Barnes should not have been driving in the first place. The day before the accident, she had been convicted and sentenced to nine months of probation for DUI and driving with a suspended license. Her license was revoked for five years and she was ordered to get her car impounded. Dunick said, “My phone has been ringing off the hook all day, and I know there’s a funny side to this, but it’s also deadly serious. This is a scary road and a lot of bad wrecks are caused by dumb stuff like this. It is unbelievable. I’m really starting to believe this stuff only happens in the Keys.” Read more at MyFoxNY.com.

in Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton received 7 percent fewer votes in counties that used electronic-voting machines compared with counties that used other methods. If that discrepancy is an error, Mrs. Clinton could win the state. But even that would not win Clinton the Electoral College, and there’s no evidence of similar discrepancies in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Even one of the University of Michigan researchers said: “Were this year’s deviations from pre-election polls the results of a cyberattack? Probably not.” The left-leaning Daily Beast went further, saying in a headline: “Sorry, Hillary Clinton Fans. There’s ‘Zero Evidence’ of Election Hacking.” Likewise, advocates for women’s issues are seeking to calm women who are going out and stocking up on birth control, fearing the worst. “It was really interesting how that took hold in the atmosphere, this kind of panic,” says Heather Boonstra of the Guttmacher Institute, an advocacy group for women’s reproductive rights. “But I don’t think there’s a reason to panic quite yet.” 'I hope it's just a lot of talk' Admittedly, Trump has presented a moving target for those hoping to read meaning into his most inflammatory campaign statements. Officials seeking cabinet positions have advocated restarting a registry for Muslims in America, but Trump has also backed off promises to deport all unauthorized immigrants or wholly repeal the Affordable Care Act. Last week, for example, he told The New York Times that he may rethink his vow to torture captured terrorists. Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy “I hope it’s just a lot of talk,” says Erica Moore, a 20-something mortgage lender in Oakland, Calif., who is particularly worried about women’s issues. “Some of the things he said, he said to get a rise and to get people. Once he actually gets into office, he’ll realize a lot of people will not want Planned Parenthood defunded.” And that might be the greatest counterweight to any political swing: Americans themselves. Polls consistently show that majorities of Americans support gay marriage, women's reproductive rights, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and marijuana legalization, suggesting that Washington may have limited room to maneuver.

President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE lashed out again at wind farms on Saturday, claiming that the production of wind turbines causes a large carbon footprint. During a speech to the conservative student group Turning Point USA, Trump told attendees that he "never understood" the allure of wind power plants, according to a report from Mediaite. “I never understood wind,” Trump said, according to Mediaite. “I know windmills very much, I have studied it better than anybody. I know it is very expensive. They are made in China and Germany mostly, very few made here, almost none, but they are manufactured, tremendous — if you are into this — tremendous fumes and gases are spewing into the atmosphere. You know we have a world, right?” ADVERTISEMENT “So the world is tiny compared to the universe. So tremendous, tremendous amount of fumes and everything. You talk about the carbon footprint, fumes are spewing into the air, right spewing, whether it is China or Germany, is going into the air,” the president added. Critics of wind power plants frequently point to the carbon emissions from concrete and other manufacturers involved in the production of wind power farms as a reason against further construction of wind farms. However, the American Wind Energy Association found that wind farms around the world generated enough energy to avoid 200 million tons of carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels last year and estimates that most wind power plants repay their own carbon footprints within six months of operation. Trump also claimed during his speech that wind power plants are responsible for killing birds, including bald eagles. “A windmill will kill many bald eagles,” he said, according to Mediate. “After a certain number, they make you turn the windmill off, that is true. By the way, they make you turn it off. And yet, if you killed one, they put you in jail. That is OK. But why is it OK for windmills to destroy the bird population?” A study earlier this year found that about 150,000 birds are affected by wind turbines in some way every year in the U.S., a number that remains far lower than the number killed by domestic animals each year.

anthropomorphism is to start down the road of de-personalizing God. The end point is Tillich’s Ground of Being or Being Itself. (Of course, conservative evangelicals never arrive there, but sometimes what they say about God’s attributes leaves one cold as ice with God seeming to be unfeeling and anything but relational.)I’ve taught Christian doctrine and systematic theology for thirty-two years now and I have one recurring experience when introducing students who grew up in evangelical Christian homes and churches and are themselves biblically literate to standard conservative evangelical teaching about God’s attributes. They usually say something like “I’ve never heard anything like that.” And often “where’s that in the Bible?” I have to agree with them that much of it is foreign to the Bible, alien to Christian experience, and spiritually deadening. How does one relate to a God “without passions?”No doubt many conservative evangelical theologians (and others) think they are honoring God by paying him metaphysical compliments derived from Greek-inspired philosophical theology, but what they are really doing is making God very much unlike Jesus who wept, was provoked to anger, rejoiced, etc. Scholastic theology tends to say those were only possible for the Son of God in and through his humanity—as if emotions are ungodly. Interestingly, virtually all theologians who portray God as unemotional are men and men are often inclined to view emotions as feminine and therefore unworthy of God. Could it be that traditional scholastic theology is infected with a tendency to justify male aversion to emotions, especially those associated with tenderness, by denying that the God of the Bible has such emotions?This is where narrative theology (about which I have posted here before) can be helpful. Our doctrine of God should not be derived from philosophical presuppositions about what is appropriate for the divine but should be derived primarily from the biblical story of God—beginning with Jesus Christ as the fullest revelation of God’s person and character and spreading out from there to embrace the passionate God of the Bible who dared to open himself up to pain and peace, sorrow and joy in relation to the world and who could do that because feelings and emotions are part of being personal and God is eternally personal. Having appropriate emotional feelings is part of being in the image of God whereas scholastic theology tends to portray the image of God as reason ruling over emotion, being apathetic.

Since 1900, just three candy bars have carried the Hershey name. Now there's a fourth. Meet Hershey's Gold, the first new Hershey bar since the chocolatier debuted the Cookies 'n Creme variety in 1995. The original milk chocolate Hershey's bar first went on sale in 1900. Hershey's Special Dark debuted in 1939. Hershey's Gold is a "caramelized creme" bar with pretzels and peanuts baked inside. Notice the missing ingredient? Yeah... there's no chocolate in this Hershey's bar. If you're wondering what caramelized creme is, that's because it's not something Americans have seen before: Hershey says Gold is the first mass-market, golden creme confection in the United States. (Creme is the mostly-sugar-non-dairy-white-stuff filling in Oreo cookies.) Hershey says it turns the white creme gold by browning the sugar inside. That gives Gold bars a "sweet, buttery taste" topped with a creamy finish. The peanuts and pretzels add a crunch that Hershey says candy customers are longing for. "Consumers favor a complex combination of ingredients, which led to the unique variation of sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy," Hershey said in a press release. For example, Hershey recently made a big advertising push for Reese's Outrageous (peanut butter cups with caramel and Reese's Pieces inside). It also launched Hershey's Cookie Layer Crunch, Popped Snack Mix and Chocolate Dipped Pretzels in the summer. Last week, Hershey posted decent third-quarter sales growth and expressed optimism that its new candies -- including Gold -- would boost consumers' candy demand. Hershey said its profit this fall would hit the high end of its previous forecast. Related: Hershey's bitter news -- 2,000 job cuts Hershey (HSY) plans to advertise Gold heavily during next year's Winter Olympics. (Gold, get it?) The company said it hired American speedskater Apolo Ohno, gymnast Simone Biles and Paralympian Rico Roman to hawk the new candy bar. Hershey's Gold will go on sale nationwide December 1. If you can't wait, you can pick one up now in Hershey's Chocolate World theme parks in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Las Vegas.

Lake Sørvágsvatn or lake Leitisvatn, located on the island of Vágar, the biggest lake of of the Faroe Islands. Faroe Island is situated in center the ocean of Norway and Iceland. Vágar island is the most impressive in size throughout the Faroe archipelago. As for the body of water, it is just by the ocean on a separate platform on height of 30 meters. Significant elevation changes in the are, creating the impression that the lake is literally hanging over the sea. The steep cliffs of water flows out of the lake into the ocean, forming a waterfall of the same name. The lake size in 3.4 square kilometers, more than three times the size of the second biggest lake Fajallavatn, which also lies on the island of Vágar. In fact, in the world there are so many similar reservoirs. the lake has two names because it is located near the tow village, village Miðvágur called lake Letisvatn because the land near the lake they call Leite, and the village Sørvágur, which is just closed from the lake requires that the name of the lake was in honor of their village, because it is based Midvagsa much earlier. The locals mostly calling it the lake Vatni. There lake another side name — "Hanging lake" it is because of the fact that its water surface comes close to the ocean a if hanging over it. the lake is situated in a deep depression, and its towering headland on the 252 and 376 meters on the left and right sides. And when you look form a distance, the cavity itself is not visible, and it seems that the lake is on the platform. Optical illusion creates in impression that the reservoirs is located at the height of not less than one hundred meters above sea level! In fact elevation difference between the lake and the ocean is about 30 meters. When viewed from afar, its seem that lake is tilted towards the ocean, breaking all the laws of physics. Lake on the edge of the Cliff - Sorvagsvatn or leytisvatn, Faore Island. During the II world ware the British army built the airfield and a station for seaplanes on the lake. The first aircraft landed at RAF Sorvagsvatne in 1941. Image credit Caroline Image credit Caroline Source — Wikipedia

Almost a year after we heard the last episode of Serial season one, the first episode of the podcast's second season is now online. The episode — titled "Dustwun" — is available to download from SerialPodcast.org and iTunes, and can also be streamed via Pandora. (Be warned though, at the time of writing, Serial's site seems to have been crushed by the traffic, and while there are links to the podcast's second season on iTunes and Pandora, they don't seem to be working in all regions.) The second season focuses on the story of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl As previously rumored, Serial's new season will focus on the controversial story of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl — the American soldier who left his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was subsequently captured by the Taliban. "Dustwun" begins with host Sarah Koenig describing Bergdahl’s return to the US in May 2014, when he was swapped for five prisoners from Guantánamo Bay. It then moves onto the unfolding reaction in the US, as questions arose as to whether or not Bergdahl was a deserter. In March this year Bergdahl was officially charged with desertion and "misbehavior before the enemy," although a decision about whether he will go before a court-martial has yet to be reached. In the new episode of Serial, Bergdahl tells his story publicly for the first time, speaking to screenwriter Mark Boal. According to Vanity Fair, there will also be a "movie component" to the new season, with episodes of the podcast reportedly leading to a film by Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow. (Although a film by Bigelow — and a rival project by director Todd Field — will have to wait until Bergdahl's case is resolved before going forward.) Some of Bergdahl's fellow soldiers are not happy about the story being examined in this way. Speaking to Maxim in September, one former member of Bergdahl's unit said: "Anyone who tries to benefit from Bowe's situation has little interest in the truth [...] What happened in 2009 is both troubling and politically incorrect." Another, also speaking under the condition of anonymity, added: "I get it that Boal wants to make a movie and Serial is trying to make a nifty diorama for hipsters to marvel at, but I think it's the height of crassness for them to do this when it could potentially affect the legal proceedings."

Here are three things that NBC prevented their public from being able to watch on network television so far this Olympic Games: live footage of the opening ceremony; live footage of Saturday's swimming showdown between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte; live footage of the USA men's basketball "dream team." A fourth thing they do not want people to see is the email address of Gary Zenkel, the executive responsible for this shambles. And a fifth thing is my Twitter feed, which over the weekend contained a couple of dozen occasionally uncouth observations about their coverage, several of which were accompanied by the trending hashtag: "#NBCfail." As a journalist, you know you are doing your job properly when you manage to upset rich, powerful and entitled people who are used to getting their own way. And you know you've really got under their skin when they pursue censorship, the avenue of last resort since time immemorial. The internet era is meant to be different, though. Thanks to Twitter, and Google and every other medium dedicated to the free exchange of information, the world is supposed to have changed. That's why the Arab Spring happened; it's why Justin Bieber happened. And its why, regardless of its comparative frivolity, NBC's successful attempt to suspend a journalist from a social networking site sets an ugly precedent. Twitter's guidelines forbid users from publishing what they call "private" information, including "private email addresses". There is plenty of sense in this. But I did not Tweet a private email address. I Tweeted a corporate address for Mr Zenkel, which is widely listed online, and is identical in form to that of tens of thousands of those at NBC. I was not contacted by NBC or Twitter before my account was suspended. If they had dropped me a line, I might – might! – have quietly deleted the offending Tweet. Instead, they wandered into a PR controversy which has resulted in hundreds of thousands more people being made aware of its existence. Like any right thinking-person, I take the issue of online bullying seriously. I would hate for anyone to come to harm as a result of something I uploaded to the internet. But I'm at a loss to see how a bit of forthright correspondence from a disgruntled public could be anything more than a minor annoyance to a power-broker of Mr Zenkel's lofty status. I'm still awaiting a detailed explanation from Twitter as to why my account was immediately suspended. On the face of it, their reaction seems heavy-handed.

After eight years away, Fry rejoined the Woking outfit last year on what was a short-term contract while it needed extra input as it awaited the arrival of James Key, who had been recruited from Toro Rosso as technical director but was on a lengthy gardening leave of his own. Fry contributed to the development of the MCL34, working alongside performance director Andrea Stella. Both men have been reporting to Key since the latter was finally able to take up his role earlier this season. It’s not yet clear whether the 55-year-old has a firm offer from elsewhere. Although his gardening leave would potentially stop him from joining another team before its 2020 car is designed and almost ready to hit the track, Fry’s speciality is engineering and development, and he could be available before testing gets underway next year. One logical candidate is Williams, which is now officially able to pursue potential new recruits for its top technical job after the legal situation with Paddy Lowe was resolved last week. Asked in Austria if her team would now look for a direct replacement for Lowe, Claire Williams said: “We’re happy with the technical management team that we have, and we’re looking at the options that are available to us now, and what would fit most appropriately with our structure. As soon as we make a decision and we can make an announcement, we’ll share it.” Fry has an impressive CV. He started his F1 career with Benetton in 1987, and was Martin Brundle’s engineer before starting his first spell at McLaren in 1993, just at the end of the Ayrton Senna era. He worked as a race engineer with both Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard. He was also chief engineer on cars that raced in odd-numbered years as McLaren used a system of alternating the role, and was thus responsible for the 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 cars, although he left to join Ferrari before the latter actually raced. Initially he was deputy technical director and head of race engineering at Maranello, and later technical director, before leaving after a shake-up at the end of a difficult 2014 season that saw Ferrari only fourth in the championship. He then had a brief spell at Manor before returning to McLaren last September. Asked about Fry’s situation, a McLaren spokesman said that the team doesn’t comment on matters related to personnel.

WASHINGTON — Benjamin Crump, the high-profile attorney who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, has endorsed Hillary Clinton, two sources told BuzzFeed News. The Clinton campaign confirmed the news Friday. "Crump will talk to South Carolina voters about what's at stake in this election and Hillary Clinton's strong record of fighting for families," a Clinton aide said. "He will highlight how Clinton is the only one who will stand up to the gun lobby, has a plan to reform our criminal justice system, and understands the issues that keep families up at night." Crump introduced Clinton at the National Bar Association's event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Montgomery, Ala. in December. Clinton delivered an address which celebrated the achievements of the legal community in the protest. “So even as we celebrate all that our country has achieved in the past 60 years, we must, in keeping with the legacy of those who have gone before, look to the future and the work that is left to do," Clinton said, highlighting the need for an overhaul of the criminal justice system. “We can’t go on like this. We’ve got to change." Crump is among the civil rights leaders who will meet with Clinton on Feb. 16th in New York to discuss issues facing the black community, including voting rights, poverty, unemployment, mass incarceration, the campaign said Friday. Other attendees include Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Marc Morial of the National Urban League, Rev. Al Sharpton; Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; and Wade Henderson, the outgoing president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "Clinton has laid out key proposals to reform our criminal justice system, restore voting rights and strengthen the economy so that African American families can get ahead and stay ahead," a Clinton aide said. Clinton has also secured the endorsements of mothers of black men who lost their lives due to police violence. Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, and Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, have both endorsed her. Said Clinton in December: “I’ve met with too many mothers who have lost their children – lost to senseless, incomprehensible violence. My heart breaks for them. Many of these women are doing something quite remarkable: they are turning their grief into a powerful call to action for our nation."

US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to the Mid-East may have ended without any obvious results, but official sources involved in the preliminary talks said Thursday night that "eventually the negotiations will resume. Israel is expected to quietly freeze construction outside of the major settlement blocs in order to resume bilateral talks." A few days ago Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demanded that Prime Minister Netanyahu present a permanent agreement border outline. Related stories: Netanyahu, supported by his senior ministers refused the demand as well as any other demands for Israeli gestures. Yet a senior official told Ynet that "while there won't be a de jure freeze, but quietly, quietly – construction outside the major blocs will be halted in order to resume negotiations. Israel will not make an official declaration but the move will be carried out on the sly as part of understandings between Israel and the US." Jerusalem says that Kerry is determined to renew talks between the two sides and Netanyahu sees resumption of negotiations as a strategic move. "It will take a while, but eventually talks will resume. Now they are looking for a solution that will allow Abbas to save face. There is a great deal of American pressure and Netanyahu is very interested in resuming talks following Obama's visit." Nevertheless, On Wednesday night senior officials in Jerusalem who were present during talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel does not intend to present any confidence building measures towards the Palestinians. The sources claim that the "preliminary demands presented by the Palestinians attest to the fact that they are peace refusniks. We on the other hand are not presenting any pre-conditions, not even recognition of Israel as the national home of the Jewish nation." US Secretary of State John Kerry is attempting to renew talks between the two sides but it is not going to be simple. Possible gestures like releasing prisoners or withdrawal from Area C in order to enable the Palestinian Authority to carry out projects were rejected outright. "There will be no response to any demand where the purpose (of the demand) is to supply appease the Palestinians and make them come to the table," an Israeli source noted. "Ministers are unanimous over the decision of not giving in to any pre-condition. They present conditions in order to make the process of renewing direct talks difficult. There will be no gestures, especially not land withdrawals." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

Yemen conflict: Deadly attack on wedding party Published duration 28 September 2015 Related Topics Yemen crisis At least 38 people are reported to have been killed in an air strike on a wedding party in south-western Yemen. Medics said women and children were among those who died in Wahijah, a village near the Red Sea port of Mocha. The Saudi-led coalition, which began an air campaign in March to defeat the Houthi rebel movement, denied it was responsible for the attack. However, witnesses said warplanes targeted the celebration and Yemeni officials acknowledged a "mistake". The UN says almost 4,900 people have been killed in the past six month, including 2,200 civilians. 'False news' A resident of Wahijah told the Reuters news agency that two tents where a wedding for a local man affiliated with the Houthis was being celebrated were targeted in the air strike. Many of the victims were women and children, the resident added. Yemeni security sources told the Associated Press that the coalition had targeted the wedding, and the agency quoted a senior government official as saying the strike was "a mistake". image copyright AFP image caption The Saudi-led coalition is supporting President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi "This is a new crime that is added to the massacres committed by the Saudi regime against the people of Yemen," said the rebel-controlled Saba news agency. However, the coalition subsequently denied being behind the attack. Spokesman Brig-Gen Ahmed al-Asiri told Reuters: "There have been no air operations by the coalition in that area for three days. This is totally false news." Coalition warplanes have previously bombed non-military sites, killing dozens of civilians. An attack on a bottled-water factory in northern Hajja province in August killed 17 civilians and 14 rebels. The previous month, an air strike near a power plant in Mocha reportedly killed 65 civilians. Wahijah is located in Taiz province, where militiamen loyal to the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi have been battling Houthi rebels and allied army units loyal to ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Earlier this week, Medecins Sans Frontieres said only seven of Taiz's 21 hospitals were still open. They were "totally overwhelmed" by casualties and have run out of essential medication, it warned.

6.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Advertisements House Republicans are admitting that the clean Continuing Resolution that passed the Senate would pass the House, but John Boehner won’t allow a vote on it. Senate Democrats put out a video of Republicans admitting that the Senate bill would pass the House if Boehner would allow a vote on it. Video: Advertisements The video clip features NBC’s Chuck Todd saying that the group of House Republicans who would vote in favor of the Senate passed bill that would fund the government without touching the ACA is growing. The clip featured Republicans Raul Labrador of Iowa and Tom Cole of Oklahoma admitting that their are enough Republican votes in the House to pass the Senate’s version of the CR. If the votes are there, then why don’t they stop playing games and pass this already? The answer is Speaker John Boehner. The Speaker won’t allow the Senate bill to come to the House floor for a vote. Boehner is being guided by the whims of tea party Republicans, who have vowed to raise holy heck if the House passes a clean CR that doesn’t get rid of Obamacare. This isn’t the first time that Rep. Boehner has allowed himself to be guided by the extremists. The sequester cuts could have been avoided earlier this year, but John Boehner refused to allow a vote on a popular Democratic sequester replacement bill. Dozens of House Republicans would vote for the Senate bill today if it was brought to the floor. Democrats know this, which is why they aren’t going to budge. Eventually, Boehner will crack and allow a vote on the Senate bill. The House will pass it. The president will sign it, and the tea party will be defeated again. Republicans are working around the clock trying to blame Harry Reid for the likely government shutdown. The real responsibility for this mess rests with a series of terrible decisions that have been made by John Boehner. The Speaker is the one who decided to cave in to the extremists in his own caucus. It was Boehner who decided to let the House send the Senate passed CR back to them with the delay Obamacare language reinserted. Most importantly, it is Rep. Boehner who is shutting down the government by refusing to allow his own Republicans to vote on a bill that they would support. The bulk of the responsibility for the potential re-tanking of the economy rests with John Boehner.

By now you've probably overdosed on all the Google Pixel reviews (here's ours by the way), but one thing we wanted to focus on was an interesting change in the way the Camera app will handle photo viewing on the phone. Previously, whether you were on a Nexus or the first-gen Pixel, when you took a photo and tapped it from the Camera app, you'd be taken to a slightly barren interface like the one below: back button and All photos on top, sharing and editing and deleting and info on the bottom. The problem? This was a standalone gallery activity that only displayed local photos and didn't integrate in Google Photos. So if you edited an image or deleted it, it would only affect the locally saved version and wouldn't affect the Google Photos version (if it was already backed up). You can understand how frustrating this got. With the Pixel 2, Google tells us it's finally using something that it has offered other OEMs for a while: the "Google Photos filmstrip" capability that lets the Camera app open the last taken photo and browse through images in a Google Photos interface instead of a separate activity. That means any change you do after taking your photo from the Camera app carries over to Photos as well. Delete something here, it's gone there. Perfect. You can also start a slideshow, add a photo immediately to an album without backing out of the Camera to go to the Photos app, use the photo for wallpapers or contact photos, print it, and more. If you've used a Moto Z, an HTC 11, or a Nokia 8, for example, your device already does this even if it has your manufacturer's Camera app. That's because these companies are implementing the Photos filmstrip instead of creating a separate gallery. Very nice of them. It's weird that Google doesn't already do the same for the first Pixel, but what is weirder is that the Google Camera team tells us the function won't be coming to the first Pixel or Nexus though they're "happy to take feedback on that for the future." The team says they've "worked very, very closely with the Google Photos team to make this work especially well on Pixel 2, both visually and in terms of performance," so that could explain a little why. However,, if you have a first-gen Pixel, you must have noticed that installing the Camera 5.0 apk manually triggers the same interface and it works well. Puzzling, as with all things Google.

Discover Our culinary heritage When it comes to Pittsburgh foods, many of our favorite dishes are covered or smothered or dunked in red sauce. That’s in part because of who we are: Pennsylvania follows New York and New Jersey with the highest percentage of Italian-Americans, with over 1.4 million residents boasting Italian heritage, according to the National Italian-American Foundation. For this, we can thank immigrants mostly from Calabria, Abruzzi and Sicily who came to this region in the late 1800s as mill workers, masons and bricklayers. As the community took root, Italian families needed Italian markets, Italian taverns and Italian restaurants. And some of those restaurants have had remarkable staying power, feeding hundreds of customers at a time, in some cases, for generations. But those restaurants weren’t necessarily serving dishes you’d see on menus in Palermo or Naples. Instead, they made a mark offering their takes on Italian-American dishes for which red sauce is vital, such as chicken Parmesan — blanketed with red sauce. Or lasagna — layered with red sauce. And even fried zucchini — served with red sauce on the side. Today, we’re celebrating these Italian-American dishes and the restaurants that serve them with a series: The Pittsburgh Red Sauce Project, with a focus on family-run, Italian-American spots that have been around for a decade or more. Years into the restaurant boom, many of these mainstays can seem like throwbacks, whether or not their tables are dressed in checkered cloths and wicker-wrapped Chianti bottles. But the dishes they’re serving are part of our identity. And their ubiquity in the region reminds us that red sauce flows through our veins — and that’s why we love them. As we continue with the series, we want to hear from you. Nominate your favorite Italian-American dishes and tell us why they're great. Reminisce about family-owned places that you love, as well as those that you’ve lost. Send emails to redsauceproject@post-gazette.com and hashtag #redsauceproject on Instagram. From white-tablecloth stalwarts to updated classics, neighborhood BYOBs to wine-pairing destinations, there’s an Italian-American restaurant for every craving. --Melissa McCart

On today’s show, your hosts dive into the debacle that was the LA Galaxy loss to the Seattle Sounders and what that means for Head Coach, Curt Onalfo. CoG Studios, CA – The LA Galaxy played one of their worst games in recent history when they lost to the defending MLS Cup Champion, Seattle Sounders on Sunday. And in front of a national television audience, they were run off the field looking unprepared and tactically deficient. On today’s show, your hosts, CoG’s Josh Guesman, and LA Times Soccer Reporter Kevin Baxter discuss the sudden increase in pressure and heat that Galaxy Head Coach, Curt Onalfo is going to feel. They’ll also discuss who should be getting the majority of blame and so much more. What would it take to see the Galaxy pull the trigger on replacing Onalfo? It could be as simple as another home loss. But in all actuality, this isn’t about wins and losses, this is about whether or not Onalfo still has the support of the team. And as you’ll learn from Josh and Kevin, Curt might have lost that already. What will the Front Office do? And should Galaxy President Chris Klein, or General Manager Peter Vagenas also be taking fire from AEG? Where does the blame fall? And if the Galaxy were to pull the plug on the Onalfo Experiment, who would replace him? Are there some good options just waiting for a phone call? The guys will also be taking your numerous CoG Hotline (949.385.2641) calls, as well as your many, many questions coming in via Twitter (@GalaxyPodcast) and email ([email protected]). They’ll also throw in some more news about Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but all you’ll really care about is the continued conversation of the many reasons why Saturday’s loss was so much different than every other game the Galaxy have played. If you needed a reason to go to the game on Saturday, the implications could be huge! Music Provided by Back Pocket Memory SHOW INFO CORNER OF THE GALAXY ITUNESSTITCHERSOUNDCLOUDYOUTUBE MUSIC PROVIDED BY BACK POCKET MEMORY ITUNESFACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM Comments comments

As Twitchy told you, last night, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell managed to make a complete jackass of himself once again with this rock-solid argument in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment: Do you know how many times the word "Woman" is mentioned in the Constitution? Zero. That is unacceptable. Women must be equally represented and equally protected. #ERANow — Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) May 1, 2019 Talk about an epic self-own. Do you know how many times the word "Man" is mentioned in the Constitution? Zero. https://t.co/DUj702uNMe — jon gabriel (@exjon) May 1, 2019 “Man” isn’t in the Constitution either. — Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) May 1, 2019 Well, it seems actress Patricia Arquette has been drinking from the same hose as Swalwell, because she made a very similar argument before Congress: "Women have waited 232 years to be enshrined as full and equal citizens. Why? Because in 1787 women were left out of the Constitution intentionally." Patricia Arquette speaks in front of a House committee during a hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment. pic.twitter.com/RUNe1JgU5V — The Hill (@thehill) May 1, 2019 Wow. She so profound … ly ignorant. Forget acting; her real talent is clearly spouting off on topics with which she has absolutely zero familiarity (or credibility). I'm pretty sure "We the people" covers it — hsh 316 #NFB #tcot (@hsh316) May 1, 2019 This is painfully moronic. https://t.co/pQrDnvETQ8 — Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) May 1, 2019 Patricia comes with her own laugh track. — SmilingAssassin27 (@RJCHVZ) May 1, 2019 Whenever I want to have a serious conversation about the history of the Constitution, I call Hollywood actors. — Nuclear Herbs (@NuclearHerbs) May 1, 2019 I'm not a full and equal citizen? Who knew? She is such a great actress, but holy hell, is this ever ridiculous. — Original Sconnie? (@corrcomm) May 1, 2019

Bunning Q&A summary: more Mutual Assured Destruction, more of the same Racketeering that we have all grown to love and respect from the Federal Reserve, more obfuscations, more Colonel Jessup bullshit (aka "You can't handle the truth"). With Bernanke's reconfirmation vote coming on Thursday, all Senators should read the latest garbled and encrypted pamphlet from the Fed as to why nobody in America is smart or relevant enough to have an understanding of the key items that determine US monetary policy (except for Goldman Sachs and its alumni, of course). Also, we are happy to announce that the questions proposed by our friend, the Cunning Realist, were incorporated in Bunning's questionnaire. As Cunning submits: I just found out that Senator Bunning submitted to Bernanke that list of 15 questions I had for his hearing. Perhaps most interesting is Bernanke's reply to my question about covert intervention in the equity market...he replied only in terms of the government and the Fed, and ignored the part about a "proxy." Scroll all the way to the bottom of my post here: In other news, all major news organizations have filed an Amicus Brief on behalf of Bloomberg, and the initiative launched by the late and great Mark Pittman, urging Federal Court to uphold the decision that the Fed should disclose confidential information about loans made to financial institutions. From Dow Jones: The brief, which was filed in the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by several media companies including Dow Jones & Co., New York Times Co. (NYT), the Associated Press and Reuters America LLC, asked the court to uphold a lower court's decision that would force the central bank to give Bloomberg records about some of its "last resort" lending programs, including the discount window. Bloomberg originally requested the records under the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. A spokesman for the Fed said, "We will respond to the arguments in the amicus brief in our brief to the court." The news organizations' brief argues that "the substantial public interest" in disclosing the information outweighs any risk of harm, and that the Fed's appeal of the decision doesn't meet the requirements of a FOIA exemption that protects confidential information. "In this case, the enormous public interest in knowing how the Board implemented massive, unprecedented lending programs compels disclosure of the reports at issue," the brief says. Two more days until the fate of America is decided by one hundred largely corrupt politicians.

The ruling in California could have an impact on the nationwide debate California's highest court is to give a long-awaited ruling on the legality of the state's ban on same-sex marriages. The court's decision may have an impact on the nationwide debate on the issue. If the judges rule the ban - approved by voters in 2000 - unconstitutional, California could become only the second US state to allow same-sex marriage. California's legislature has twice passed laws to make gay marriage legal. State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed them each time. California currently offers same-sex couples who register as domestic partners the same legal rights and responsibilities as married men and women. Other states, such as Vermont and New Jersey, have similar civil union provisions. 'Huge impact' The judges on California's Supreme Court heard arguments for and against the legality of the ban in March. Their decision is due by 10am local time (1800 BST). The law, approved by Californians in a 2000 referendum and known as Proposition 22, states that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California". Geoffrey Kors, executive director of the gay rights group Equality California, told the Associated Press news agency: "What happens in California, either way, will have a huge impact around the nation. It will set the tone." Equality California joined nearly two dozen gay couples and the city of San Francisco in bringing the case after hundreds of gay marriages conducted in 2004 were ruled invalid. In early 2004, San Francisco became the first place in the US where gay couples were able to marry after the city's Mayor Gavin Newsom authorised same-sex marriage licences, claiming existing legislation was discriminatory. In August of that year, California's Supreme Court ruled the mayor had overstepped his authority and nullified the unions. That action prompted the lawsuit under consideration now. Ahead of Thursday's ruling, San Francisco chief deputy city attorney Therese Stewart told the AFP news agency that denying same-sex couples marriage rights would make California appear "indifferent" to how gay people are treated. California Deputy Attorney General Christopher Krueger said he believed there was "a rational basis for the state to adhere to the common and traditional definition of marriage" set out in Proposition 22. He told AFP that registered same-sex couples were given "all the rights and benefits associated with marriage" under the current laws. E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these?

Our pal and loyal Turdite, Dr. Dave Janda, took up the cause on Sunday and invited journalist/author William Cohan onto his radio program. Yes, that William Cohan...the guy who has written the expose on silver manipulation that, so far, has not been published by any "mainstream" outlets. If you don't know what the fuss is all about, I suggest you start by reviewing this post from last week: https://www.tfmetalsreport.com/blog/6157/time-take-action In short, it was brought to our attention that Mr. Cohan had been contacted by Andrew Maguire and his attorneys in the days following the sudden closure of the latest CFTC "silver manipulation investigation". Mr. Cohan then wrote a detailed expose and summary of the evidence that the CFTC had chosen to ignore. However, when Cohan began to shop the article for publication, he could find no outlets within the mainstream media that were willing to take it. Many of you chose to contact Mr. Cohan and ask him to address these issues. Partly because of your efforts, Mr. Cohan agreed to be a guest Sunday on Dr. Janda's weekly radio program, "Operation Freedom". (https://www.davejanda.com/operation-freedom) The 25-minute interview is wide-ranging and very interesting. Cohan was open and forthright while he discussed several items of interest including: Cohan's interpretation of the evidence that Andrew Maguire presented to him Former CFTC commissioner Bart Chilton told Cohan directly that he thought the silver market was manipulated After the CFTC closed it's investigation, Andrew Maguire took the material to two other government agencies but both agencies declined to investigate further Cohan shopped his completed article to two mainstream media outlets, both of which declined to run it Cohan has offered to take the story to ZeroHedge to get it published but Andy and his attorneys have yet to give him authorization to do it. And so here we are. If I can come up with any other details in the next few days, I will certainly let you know. In the meantime, please give this podcast a listen. The first half is the conversation between Dr. Janda and Mr. Cohan. The second half is simply Dr. Janda and his opinion on these and other current events. TF

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder of childhood, yet experts are worried by statistics that show very young kids are now getting powerful medications to treat the problem. Some 10,000 toddlers across the U.S. are being diagnosed as hyperactive and receiving drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced in a new report. The 2- and 3-year-olds — especially those whose families who are on Medicaid —are getting the drugs even though the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t even have guidelines for ADHD in children under 4. “We're giving Adderall to 2-year-olds? I mean, that's nuts,” said Dr. Lawrence H. Diller, a behavioral pediatrician. Trending stories,celebrity news and all the best of TODAY. This site is protected by recaptcha “There's no evidence that it works. There's no evidence that it's safe. These are desperate measures.” Doctors say drugs that treat ADHD can stunt growth or cause insomnia and loss of appetite even in older children. Diller also noted that while the U.S. makes up 4 percent of the world's population, it uses 70 percent of the world's Adderall and Ritalin. About 11 percent of American children 4-17 years of age have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the CDC. Kids with the disorder have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, or are overly active, which can cause trouble at school or at home. Some doctors say ADHD medications could be a last resort physicians turn to when toddlers might harm themselves, but others note having lots of energy and acting out is simply a part of being a young child. Many parents are disturbed by the CDC’s findings. “I don't get how you diagnose somebody. I mean, if they're hyper or all over the place then you probably have a 2-year-old,” said Craig Lewis, a dad. Doctors say more studies are needed on the effects of ADHD drugs on children so young. The CDC’s findings follow a recent survey that found 7.5 percent of U.S. children aged 6–17 are taking some sort of prescription medicine for emotional or behavioral difficulties. Follow A. Pawlowski on Google+ and Twitter.

Supporters of the seals say they are a popular draw for tourists. The Californian city of San Diego has been given 72 hours to remove harbour seals from a small beach area originally designated for children. They were ordered by a judge to comply with an earlier order to clean up the Children's Pool at La Jolla beach. But lawyers for seal activists are planning to file a motion to block the move in what has been a decades-long battle over the issue. The city plans to use the sound of barking dogs to scare off the seals. They cannot use force because the seals are a federally-protected marine species. "We can't harm the seals in any way. Any method we use basically has to be benign," said Andrew Jones, assistant attorney for civil litigation. He said the city planned to pay someone to walk along the beach with a public address system broadcasting the sounds of dogs - backed up by two police officers in case of trouble. "There's certainly a lot of emotions revolving around this issue," he was quoted by Associated Press as saying. "We expect that this person could be harassed, even physically attacked". City warning San Diego County Superior Court Judge Yuri Hoffman ruled on Monday that state law requires the beach be kept clean for children under a 1931 deed to the property. If [the seals] don't get their rest, their health will be jeopardised and the local community will also suffer a huge economic cost Dorota Valli Seal Watch He ordered the city to comply with a 2005 order by another judge to restore the beach to its original condition. However, supporters of the seals would like the area to be preserved as a sanctuary. "The seals need rest each day," Dorota Valli, Seal Watch campaign coordinator, told AP. "If they don't get their rest, their health will be jeopardised and the local community will also suffer a huge economic cost. It's an enormous tourist draw". The Children's Pool - created by a sea wall built in 1931 through a gift by a La Jolla philanthropist - was donated to the city on condition it became a public area. The seals began patronising the area in increasing numbers during the 1990s, AP reports. Despite a city warning in 1997 not to use the pool because of high levels of bacteria from seal waste, people still continue to swim there. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Last updated on.From the section Football Exeter City vice-chairman Julian Tagg has admitted the club is concerned by falling attendances at St James Park. The Grecians had just 2,798 through the turnstiles for Tuesday's League Two clash with Oxford, their lowest attendance since October 2007. "It is a concern but the reality is that it's the case across football generally, especially in League One and League Two," Tagg told BBC Radio Devon. The club are averaging gates of 3,886 this season. Exeter City average attendances 2008-09: 4,939 (League Two) 2009-10: 5,832 (League One) 2010-11: 5,392 (League One) 2011-12: 4,474 (League One) 2012-13: 4,141 (League Two) It is the first time since the club returned to the Football League in 2008 that average attendances have dipped below the 4,000-mark. As recently as the 2009-10 season, the club had an average league attendance of 5,832 in League One. Tagg said this season's fall in attendances was largely a result of Exeter City's struggles on the field, with a mid-season slump seeing them drop to 15th in the table after a promising start to the campaign. "Our form hasn't held up which is well recognised, but at least there's something to hold on to with the youngsters coming through the gates," he added. "I used to come some years back just to see Buster Phillips and I think we have something similar now. "There are some attractive things to watch and we're trying to do something different, which we hope will help make sure people want to keep coming back." Postponements meant Exeter had suffered a severe shortage of home games and the vital income which comes in through the gates for a fan-owned club. City had just one home game in December and one at the start of January, prior to Tuesday's game against Oxford. "It is very difficult financially, but we have a lot of experience of handling this kind of situation," said Tagg. "It's been a lot worse and our processes are much more efficient than they were, and we have weekly meetings anticipating what might happen and that has stood us in good stead."

in 2015 by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and his combined investment-purchase of 30,100,000 shares (5% of the company). It's possible you may recall an incident early this year in which bin Talal was held captive for two months (along with other influential and wealthy businessmen) on bin Salman's orders at a Ritz Carlton in Riyad. The New York Times reported they were subject to coercion and physical abuse, with 17 hospitalized and one dead in custody. " Skype dismemberment director and Hacking Team snuggler al-Qahtani "masterminded" this operation, too. To leave the Ritz," NYT wrote, "many of the detainees not only surrendered huge sums of money, but also signed over to the government control of precious real estate and shares of their companies — all outside any clear legal process." After over a decade of covering hackers and hacking around the world, I get the sense that a lot of people in the business who see themselves as "gangsters" and "hustlers" on the hacking scene rarely get the chance to see the real-life results of their work for people they know do horrible things. That's why I wanted to trace Hacking Team's role here. But it's been the same in Silicon Valley. Although at this point I suppose we expect to see smiling, friendsy photos like these of Mark Zuckerberg cavorting with Crown Prince bin Salman. On "Hacker News," the watercooler of the elite class who create and maintain our propaganda-soaked hellscape professionally, Khashoggi's untoward dismemberment presented techies with the topic of getting rich off Saudi investment money. Competition for Saudi money in the Valley to fund "disruptors" is, well, ruthless. For the most part, the overfunded pack of idiots who've re-shaped our world ended up praising dictatorships, equating values with legal limits, and defending Gaddafi. It was also a masterclass in whataboutism. Read it knowing Some expressed surprise that they can no longer be cavalierly apathetic in public to the years of copious information on the Saudi government's beheadings, kidnappings, and slow starvation of 14 million Yemeni people -- once they realize it's bad for "optics." Images: YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images (Khashoggi vigil); Jonathan Ernst / Reuters (bin Salman, Trump, Kushner)

TOKYO -- Sharp is gearing up for mass production of screens boasting the industry's highest level of resolution for smartphones and tablets, with picture clarity that enables viewing of even 4K broadcasts on a small screen. The Japanese company aims to further enhance the earnings power of its LCD business by promoting the technically advanced polysilicon panels along with its separate line of low-power IGZO panels, and in particular by leveraging its reputation for small, high-resolution LCD panels in China. Sharp has developed a way to coat polycrystalline silicon uniformly on glass substrates to fabricate LCD panels with extreme clarity. The displays it intends to mass-produce in this manner will boast a resolution of about 600 pixels per inch -- 10% higher than the current leaders, made by rival Japan Display. Sharp plays second fiddle to Japan Display in the global market of high-quality LCD panels for smartphones. Once mass production of the new panels kicks off as early as next spring, it aims to expand share by targeting such customers as leading Chinese smartphone makers. The company is spending several billion yen to repurpose lines at a Mie Prefecture plant so that they can churn out the new panels. It will initially make 5.5-inch panels for smartphones and later also produce 7- to 9-inch panels for tablets. Sharp's other main push is with its IGZO panels, which save energy but display only around 300 pixels per inch. The company plans a two-pronged assault, offering these panels for midrange products and the new high-resolution panels for high-end devices. Within the year, Sharp intends to double its exports of IGZO panels to China to a level equivalent to 5 million 5-inch panels a month. For the new high-resolution LCD panels, it plans to start out with shipments of several hundred thousand units a month. But the outlook for such panels appears good. DisplaySearch of the U.S. estimates that the global market for sub-9-inch panels for smartphones and tablets will grow 70% from 2013 to reach $56.4 billion in 2018, with overall demand getting a boost from panels offering picture quality at the high-definition level and better. Sharp's LCD business earned an operating profit of 40 billion yen ($387 million) on sales of 1 trillion yen in fiscal 2013, with 60% of the sales coming from smaller panels made at three factories in Japan. (Nikkei)

isn’t uniform. Crawford is also concerned that FiOS has not reached the outer boroughs. "Poorer people are often not served, or are served inadequately," she says. "‘Passing’ does not equal actually getting a connection into your home… where in form they may have met the requirements of the agreement, they absolutely have not met the spirit of the agreement." There is a greater problem John Bonomo, the spokesperson for Verizon who arranged for Caprio’s connection, says Verizon is still committed to providing fiber and other wired service to customers. "When we began the FiOS project in 2005 or so, we said that we would pass about 18M households," he writes in an email. "We are virtually there; so we have made good on what we said we would do." The company is "in discussions every single day with landlords" to get more FiOS availability in New York, he says. Some landlords don’t see the benefit in allowing Verizon to tear up the yard to install FiOS, and some buildings may already have agreements with one provider. The irony in all this is that the frustration with Verizon wouldn’t exist if it didn’t offer such an excellent product. Boston's mayor, Thomas Menino, has been trying for years to get Verizon to build in the city to no avail, so he was aggravated when the company aired a FiOS commercial using Boston as the backdrop. Verizon says it’s too expensive to install fiber in Boston, which means Comcast and RCN are the only two cable providers for its 650,000 residents. That sort of duopoly is typical, and it’s what’s keeping prices high and speeds low in New York and across the country. Unfortunately, being passed by fiber doesn’t help. Frustration with Verizon wouldn't exist if FiOS weren't such a desirable product The city seems satisfied with how Verizon has held up its end of the bargain. When asked whether Verizon had met its contract obligations, the mayor’s office first asked The Verge what Verizon had said, then referred us to DOITT, which actually has the contract. DOITT referred us to the mayor’s office. When told that the mayor wasn’t commenting, DOITT suggested we speak with Verizon. When pressed, a spokesperson said, "We just don’t have anything to add here."

your own private pool or hot tub, go at it. But if you’re in a public place (beach, resort or in this case hot spring), it is a big no-no! Don’t ruin it for others (including families) that may surprise you by jumping in the hot spring while the two of you are getting hot. Sorry, it’s not acceptable. So are you interested in trying a hot spring for you and your significant other? There are clothing optional hot springs in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon to name a few locations. There are a lot of reviews and locations. Some have been commercialized and you can rent your own private pool to be naked in or simply away from others. For the San Antonio Hot Springs, the address is: Forest Rd 376 (4 Miles N of FR 126) Jemez Springs, NM 87025. There is no cell phone service in this area. More importantly, since I’m new to hot springs, if you have been to one and would recommend it as a great first time place for others to try social nudity, please send us a review and your thoughts on why it was a great first time experience for you both. As anyone who has read our blog before knows, my wife and I are big supporters of enjoying nude vacations and getaways. For more than 20 years, we’ve found our clothing optional trips and adventures to be wonderful shared experiences for the two of us. To a couple who has never tried it before, it’s not what you would initially expect. It should be fun, exciting, freeing and relaxing. It is romantic too, but not sexual. We started our blog nearly three years ago to encourage, answer questions and provide honest information and support to other couples who are interested in taking a nakation or trading their bathing suits for their birthday suits on an upcoming trip. We’ve found our trips to be very relaxing, romantic and freeing. It really has been a wonderful experience for us and potentially for you too. Everyday our blog receives visits from 300-500 people interested in learning more. We invite and encourage you to ask questions. There are wonderful beaches to visit, clothing optional resorts to enjoy and completely nude vacations to discover. Please read our blog and let us know your questions and more importantly, share where you would recommend other couples go and what it was like for you. Enjoy the soak!

This story is a classic example of how quickly information can spread over the internet. Kerry Taylor was a wide receiver at ASU for four seasons. I met him when he was a freshman and I was a junior when I worked at the ASU student-athlete computer lab. He was actually very nice and genuine when other athletes were more abrasive. According to Taylor's twitter account, he recently completed an interview with channel 3 in Phoenix to discuss Dennis Erickson and other issues surrounding the Sun Devils. Take a look at the tweet below: Just did an interview about the problems of ASU football and why Dennis Erickson is NOT the right man for the job. Kerry Taylor K_Taylor5 Then, he goes on to say this: I want ASU to win Pac12 Championships, all us ASU fans do. But in order for that to happen we need a new Head Coach. That's all I'm saying. Kerry Taylor K_Taylor5 This type of distraction is hardly what the team needs, and after Taylor's younger brother plans to attend the University of Washington rather than ASU, you can't help but wonder if this is just a case of sour grapes or if his issues are valid. Until the interview airs, we cannot say for certain. In my opinion, it was poor form for Taylor to come forward on the internet before the full interview aired, as it would allow for us to draw our own conclusions based on his entire story, rather than just on his brief tweets. Years ago, this would never have happened. Taylor might have had his day on the news, but the rampant speculation and unwarranted attention would have been minimized. But still, a local product badmouthing his former team? It's never a good thing. UPDATE, 2:15 PM Sunday: Tim Ring of 3TV has tweeted about the interview as well: A lot of people are asking about the Kerry Taylor interview. This will NOT air on Ch 3 tonight. Coach Erickson will get time to respond. Tim Ring timring3TV And: The interview will be properly vetted with both sides getting a fair chance to have their say. The piece tentatively will air NEXT Sunday. Tim Ring timring3TV From the looks of things, Kerry must have made some strong accusations. Until this is aired, all we can do is wait.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 18th hole during the first round of the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 18, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. The 2020 British Open has been canceled due to coronavirus, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, or R&A, announced on Monday. It's the first time since World War II that the golf championship has been canceled. The British Open is the oldest golf tournament. It's one of the four majors, which also include the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and The Masters. "The Open was due to be played in Kent from 12-19 July but it has been necessary to cancel the Championship based on guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public services and The R&A's advisers," the R&A said in a statement. Also on Monday, the USGA announced it is postponing the U.S. Open, which was scheduled to start June 18, to Sept. 17-20. The R&A said tickets and hospitality packages for the 2020 British Open would be valid for use in 2021. People who don't want to attend next year will receive a full refund. "Our absolute priority is to protect the health and safety of the fans, players, officials, volunteers and staff involved in The Open. We care deeply about this historic Championship and have made this decision with a heavy heart," said Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the R&A. "We appreciate that this will be disappointing for a great many people around the world but we have to act responsibly during this pandemic and it is the right thing to do." The Augusta National Golf Club announced on March 13 that The Masters, the PGA Tour's first major event, which was scheduled to start April 9, was being postponed to a later date. It said on Monday that it has a target of Nov. 9-15. The PGA Championship was postponed on March 25. It was originally scheduled to begin May 11, and a start date is set for Aug. 3. In March, the USGA told GolfChannel.com it continues to "monitor all available guidance and regulations from the CDC, WHO and other federal, state and local authorities to do what is in the best interests of the community for the health and safety of all those involved." Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

Armistice Day: White House defends Trump WW1 no-show Published duration 12 November 2018 image copyright AFP/Getty image caption President Trump attended another scheduled visit to a US cemetery outside Paris on Sunday The White House has defended US President Donald Trump's decision to miss a memorial event on Saturday after he faced a backlash. Mr Trump, who was in France to mark the centenary of World War One's end, cancelled a visit to a US military cemetery because it was raining. Bad weather and "near-zero visibility" grounded the presidential helicopter, White House officials said. French, German and Canadian leaders attended memorial events on Saturday. However, Mr Trump was reluctant to bring extra disruption to Paris traffic for a last-minute motorcade, his officials said. "President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people," press secretary Sarah Sanders said, noting the trip was 60 miles (96km) north-east of Paris. Mr Trump spent much of Saturday at the American ambassador's residence, and visited another US cemetery in a Paris suburb on Sunday. Critics observed how Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had travelled 118 miles outside Paris to attend a ceremony - in the rain - at a cemetery in Vimy. media caption President Trump and President Putin were among the leaders at the ceremony in Paris Notable criticism came from British Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood, who took an apparent swipe at the president on Twitter, saying "rain did not prevent our brave heroes from doing their job". His comments followed a scathing rebuke from Sir Nicholas Soames, a grandson of the wartime British leader Sir Winston Churchill. The MP tweeted that Mr Trump was not fit to represent the US and said that he was a "pathetic inadequate" for not defying the weather "to pay his respects to the fallen". The US president also received backlash from Americans, such as former Secretary of State John Kerry, who said "raindrops" should not have stopped his visit. Ben Rhodes, who served as a deputy national security adviser under former US President Barack Obama, also hit back saying weather was not an excuse. A delegation of senior US officials went in the president's place to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, the White House said. The US president also opted to miss the Paris Peace Forum, which is run by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and began on Sunday afternoon.

If you love something, set it free and maybe it’ll come back as a cool app. So hopes city council, which today will give first reading to a proposed administrative order designed to release multitudes of imprisoned data from within the city’s towering servers. It’ll mean Halifax will finally formalize an “Open Data” program which will specifically outline the purpose, score, definitions and schedule of release for structured municipal datasets which have been created for the purposed of operating and managing the city. First to be liberated will be info on tax area rates, contour data, spot heights, parking metres and pre-amalgamation boundaries. Future entries in the open data catalogue will be released at least once per year, based on public requests. The move is a result of the Open Data Initiative the city enacted in 2012 that enabled the public release of a selection of HRM datasets free of charge. Seventeen datasets (featuring figures on trails, parks and recreation and solid waste collection) were released and downloaded close to 156,000 times between April, 2013 and January of this year. The city also hosted a “hackathon,” and an award ceremony in January for the best doing things with data the government didn’t think of. Blue skies then, as “free and equal access to government data previously unavailable” will be had by all—except that data which is “confidential, sensitive, or contains personal information.” The qualifications for what can and cannot be released to the public are mostly straightforward, but two items could prove themselves a future barrier to access. The data must be owned by HRM, or “for which the municipality has authorization from the owners of the datasets to release,” and the data must be “free of any legal or contractual obligations, or public safety restrictions, that requires it to be kept confidential.” Both of those clauses could easily be used to keep hidden any requested government data that private entities are involved in, as there doesn’t appear to be a mechanism for releasing part of a dataset. Such info would still technically be available under a Freedom of Information request, but that office’s a little swamped these days. The adoption of the open data program will also likely mean the repeal of Halifax’s geographic data dissemination policy. That 2006 item designated the classification and associated fees in requesting municipal data, and will now be redundant.

That morning, Times photographer Jack Gaunt was at his beachfront home when he heard a neighbor shout, “Something’s happening on the beach!” Gaunt grabbed his Rolliflex camera and headed toward the shoreline. His photograph appeared on the front page of The Times the next day. The image won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for press photography; the Pulitzer committee called the photo “poignant and profoundly moving.” But for Gaunt, the image was hard to bear at first, his daughter recalled in Gaunt’s 2007 Times obituary by staff writer Jon Thurber: ”...the image was hard for him to bear at first.” She noted that he was just 31 when he took the photograph and had a 3-year-old daughter at home. The couple in the photograph lived locally and, although Gaunt did not know them, he knew people who did. … In his years at the paper, Gaunt, who was known as Jack, worked primarily as the nightside news photographer, coming in at 3 or 4 p.m. and staying past midnight. He particularly relished the challenge of covering fires, his daughter recalled… The June 1955 Times employee publication Among Ourselves reported on how Gaunt heard the May 2, 1955, news: Notified of the Pulitzer award by Reporter Ted Sell, who had spotted it on the teletype, Gaunt’s first reaction was: “Gosh, fellas–I have to sit down.” He’d been printing pictures in the Editorial photo lab when Sell brought him the news. Jack was unbelieving at first, and wanted to see the wire copy himself. Moments later, Editor L.D. Hotchkiss and City Editor Bud Lewis marched in to shower him with official congratulations. Most of the Editorial Department was there, too. Amidst all the hullabaloo, Jack announced calmly:"I’m ill in my interior.” May 2, 1955: Los Angeles Times photographer Jack Gaunt, center, after winning the Pulitzer Prize, is congratulated by City Editor Bud Lewis, left, and Editor L.D. Hotchkiss. (Los Angeles Times) For more, check out Tribute to Jack Gaunt by former Los Angeles Times staff members. Also check out Los Angeles Times Photography Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists. This post was originally published in 2010.

Avaaz's "Before Monsanto uncorks the champagne" petition calling for an end to negotiations on the Trans Pacific Partnership trade talks mysteriously vanished today from the website prompting charges of deliberate sabotage. It has just been restored to its original location at www.avaaz.org/en/no_champagne_for_monsanto_coff/ just after 7pm GMT - but stripped of its count of signatories which had reached over 800,000 as of last night before it went down. Signatures are still being accepted - at a rate of a signature every 2 seconds - but Avaaz is warning: "Due to high traffic, not all Avaaz website functions are currently available. We are working hard to get the site back to its awesomeness as soon as possible." Stop Press: as of 10.30am GMT signature rate increased to 5+ per second = over 10,000 per hour. Keep it up! The petition is aiming to receive 1 million signatures for delivery to the governments negotiating the TPP in a final attempt to scupper the deal which campaigners say threatens food safety, health, environment and financial regulation, by allowing corporations to sue governments in secret tribunals for almost anything that infringes their right to profit. But around midday today the petition went offline. Meanwhile an anonymous post on Slashdot reported that Avaaz had been frantically trying to restore the petition. But that when they did around 3pm GMT all the signatures had been deleted and the signature tally was reset to zero. It then remained out of action until 7pm - by which time technicians had simply removed the signature count from the page altogether. The petition text reads: "As concerned global citizens, we call on you to make the TPP process transparent and accountable to all, and to reject any plans that limit our governments' power to regulate in the public interest. The TPP is a threat to democracy, undermining national sovereignty, workers' rights, environmental protections and Internet freedom. We urge you to reject this corporate takeover." The accompanying text also reports: "3 countries are wobbling, and if they pull back now the whole deal could crumble. If we deluge leaders in Chile, New Zealand and Australia with a global call to stand strong, we can stop this corporate takeover before Monsanto uncorks the champagne. Sign up now and share this with everyone!" Avaaz has yet to release any statement about the technical problems, which have not affected any other petitions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's July Fourth extravaganza — featuring tanks, a military flyover, and a Trump speech at the Lincoln Memorial — cost an estimated $5.4 million, according to rough figures Thursday. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt provided the latest share of costs, $2.45 million for his agency, in a letter to lawmakers, saying his agency pulled money from operating funds for national parks, recreation fees, and another source to help fund Trump's Salute to America. The event included donated fireworks, a military flyover, and Trump's speech to a rained-on crowd at the Lincoln Memorial. Trump announced Monday he would do it all again next year, calling the event "remarkable." Democratic lawmakers have condemned the extra expenditures for the Independence Day celebration, which came in addition to the traditional concert, fireworks and events held at near the U.S. Capitol. Arizona Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and one of several Democrats who had demanded a full cost accounting, said in response to Interior's funding estimates that the public funds were spent to "celebrate President Trump." Bernhardt called the use of public funds justified, and cited past administrations' spending for concerts, parades and other celebrations in and around the National Mall. Interior's costs included crowd accommodations such as temporary fencing and portable toilets. In addition, the Department of Defense says its costs came to $1.2 million. Despite repeated requests, the Pentagon as of Thursday refused to provide a precise breakdown. The military's efforts included positioning tanks on flat-bed trailers around the capital, meeting Trump's desire for tanks while minimizing damage to district roads from the heavy armor. Separately, Washington Mayor Muriel E. Bowser wrote Trump to say the district's costs for Trump's July Fourth event have drained a special fund used to provide security and protect the nation's capital from terrorist threats. Story continues The District of Columbia estimates it spent about $1.7 million — not including police expenses for related demonstrations. Bowser wrote Trump that the fund will have a $6 million deficit by September, reminding the president that the account was never reimbursed for $7.3 million in expenses from Trump's 2017 inauguration. White House spokesman Judd Deere says officials will respond "in a timely manner." ___ Lolita Baldor contributed.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Yemen’s newly appointed central bank governor said on Thursday he had inherited a bank with no money, a dysfunctional monetary cycle and no working database but salaries would be paid nevertheless. Monasser Saleh al-Quaiti told the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat that his appointment had come in time to prevent the rial currency from collapsing after mishandling had led to a depletion of reserves. He pledged to keep the bank independent. “We have to reverse the situation... I was handed over a bank empty of money, a monetary cycle that was incapable of circulating and a database that was not existent,” Quaiti said. “We will solve the salary payment problem, despite the (insurgent) Houthis keeping the database, through information stored in the branches of the central bank in the governorates.” President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi appointed Quaiti on Sept. 18 and ordered the bank’s headquarters be moved from the capital Sanaa, controlled by Houthi rebels from the north, to the southern port city of Aden, where his government is based. Hadi is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, which has been trying to roll back gains made by Iran-aligned Houthis since 2014 and restore Hadi to power. His government has accused the Houthis of squandering some $4 billion of central bank reserves on their war effort, though the Houthis say the funds were used for food and medicine. The bank has been keeping the country’s economy afloat after nearly two years of civil war that has destroyed its financial system, according to central bank officials and diplomats. Yemen resumed oil exports last month for the first time since the civil war began in March last year and relies heavily on foreign aid, mainly from Gulf Arab countries. On Sept. 22, the International Monetary Fund said managing director Christine Lagarde met Hadi and that they had discussed the situation “including preserving the operational capacity of the central bank system so as to improve the financial stability and economic and social outcomes for the Yemeni people”. Quaiti said in the interview: “We had a good meeting with the IMF’s Lagarde and she said the Fund would support the bank if the move paved the way for it to perform its duties, and the IMF and World Bank did not oppose our move.”

If you want to spend money wisely, consider paying someone to do your laundry or grocery shopping. Eliminating stressful things from your to-do list frees up time for more meaningful activities, like spending time with family or friends, which can lead to more happiness. That's according to a Harvard Business School professor, who says that many of us ignore this simple way to be happier because spending the money makes us feel guilty. We all want more time to spend doing things we enjoy. But according to Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, we aren't doing the one thing that can afford us more time: Spending money to eliminate our most stressful daily or weekly tasks. During a podcast with the Harvard Business Review's Curt Nickisch, Whillans says exchanging money for more free time can make us happier. Specifically, "using money to buy ourselves out of negative experiences," like washing and folding laundry or cleaning house. For Whillans, its opting for a pricier apartment close to work, where everything is within walking distance and there's no tedious commute, she said. Whillans' research shows that "buying time" in this way leads to greater happiness and less stress. But often, something is holding us back. "I find in my studies that people feel really guilty about outsourcing even though they're giving up money to have more time that they've earned," Whillans said. Paying someone to deliver meals, wash and fold our laundry, or mow the lawn makes us feel like a burden, she said. We also feel like it shows others we're not capable of doing our own chores. The best way to counteract those feelings of guilt, Whillans said, is to focus on the value you're gaining. The key to ensuring that free time leads to greater happiness is to make it meaningful, she said. Read more: A Harvard professor says most of us squander 5-minute opportunities to be happier every day "Just the simple act of thinking about giving up money to have more free time seems to make people plan their time a little bit better. If I’m going to incur this cost to have this free time, then I’m going make sure I really enjoy the free time that I have," Whillans said. Whenever we open our wallet, she argues, we should be asking ourselves "Is this money changing the way that I spend my time?"

Mr. Crumpton, who was in charge of the C.I.A. teams that entered Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks but who said he had not seen the draft report, said that Afghanistan was “bad and getting worse” and that officials in Washington were just beginning to wake up to the problem. “It’s taken them a long time to realize it, but now they know it’s pretty grim,” he said. A National Intelligence Estimate is a formal document that reflects the consensus judgments of all 16 American intelligence agencies. Although the Bush administration has made public the crucial findings from some recent N.I.E.’s on Iraq and terrorism, most remain classified. The assessment on Afghanistan is the first since the Taliban regained strength there beginning in 2006 and launched an offensive that has allowed them to seize large swaths of territory. The draft intelligence report was described by more than a half dozen current government officials who had read its conclusions. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the report remains classified and has not been completed. Richard Willing, a spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which produces the national intelligence assessments, declined to comment for this article. A White House spokesman, Gordon D. Johndroe, also declined to comment on the report’s conclusions but said: “Everyone understands that the current situation in Afghanistan is a tough one. That’s why the president ordered additional troops there. That’s why we’re increasing the size of the Afghanistan Army.” Both major presidential candidates, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, have called for American troop increases in Afghanistan even beyond those the White House has ordered. Mr. Obama has accused the White House of paying too little attention to Afghanistan as it poured the vast bulk of American military resources into the war in Iraq, while Mr. McCain has defended the administration’s decision, saying that Iraq remains the more important front in the battle against terrorism. In Tuesday’s presidential debate, Mr. Obama said he told Mr. Karzai during a visit to Afghanistan in July that the Afghan leader had “to do better by your people in order for us to gain the popular support that’s necessary.” “We have to have a government that is responsive to the Afghan people, and frankly it’s just not responsive right now,” Mr. Obama said.

The average person will have to save £260,000 over their lifetime to enjoy a basic income in retirement, climbing to £445,000 if they are unable to get on the property ladder, according to a report by a former government pensions minister. In a gloomy assessment of the outlook for today’s millennial generation, Steve Webb said most savers in the government’s auto-enrolment scheme were likely to accumulate only half the target amounts. The report, Will we ever summit the pensions mountain?, from the pensions investment company Royal London, where Webb is director of policy, assumes that the average person will need to generate an income of just over £9,000 a year to top up their state pension at 65. But to achieve that income – with some protection from inflation – the person will have to save £260,000. Worryingly, younger workers who fail to buy their own home and face a lifetime of renting will have to save far more. Royal London said it expected that around one in three retirees would eventually be renting, and would typically need to find £6,554 a year to pay private landlords. This additional costs means they will have to accumulate £445,000 to fund their retirement. “We can no longer assume that we will be mortgage-free homeowners in retirement. For those unable to get on the property ladder during their working life, a large private rental bill needs to be factored in to retirement planning,” said Webb. Data on amounts saved in pension plans is incomplete, with many people having different pots of money while working for different employers over their career, but Webb said the average sum saved into pension pots was around £30,000 to £40,000. Except for a dwindling number of people enjoying final salary pensions, the large majority of private sector workers now have to rely on whatever amounts are saved into their company scheme. Historically low interest rates also mean the income from savings is at rock-bottom lows. “The pension mountain has grown by about 75% in real terms since 2002/03,” said Webb. “This is partly because we are living longer and partly because interest rates are much lower, so a given pension pot generates a smaller income.” In 2002/03, a pension pot of about £150,000 would have delivered a private pension of £9,000 a year through retirement, but the target has jumped to £260,000 today.

Putin’s message is clear to the western world. He is ridding the Syrian area of all the terrorists the west has, under Obama’s leadership, sent into the region to kill Christians and topple Syrian President Assad. Putin is not letting up and all systems are go for “Operation Salvation”. Moskovskaya Pravda cited the Russian president as saying, “We have nearly two million orthodox Christians in the Levant—Syria and Lebanon— and approximately 5 million Christians across Middle-East. Regardless of America’s presidential election outcome, White House craves chaos in that oil-rich region by supporting fanatic Islamist organizations, i.e. ISIS and al-Nusra Front.” The establishment elite’s game is over. Putin is flexing his muscle against ISIS/ISIL aggression and ridding the strongholds Obama has created in the Syrian area. Meanwhile the western media continues to tell the people Russia is the enemy. Yet, the western world is sponsoring the terrorism that is killing Christians in an Islamic ethnic cleansing. Putin has vowed to stop the persecution of Christians in the world and is holding firm in his promise to the Russian Orthodox Christian Church to defend Christians in the world. Meanwhile the west is holding firm in their propaganda that the problems in Syria have caused a refugee crisis and continues to send it’s healthy young adult men with fresh cut hair, brand name clothes and clear voices that shout Allah Akbar throughout Europe and the United States. The refugees have been being sent since the crisis began and is now clearly seen by many European nations as a Trojan Horse mandated by the western controlled UN refugee agency’s mandate. The UN Refugee Agency, is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN. While the refugees shout Allah Akbar, Putin has declared, “It is morally incumbent upon Russia to change this terrible status quo in the Middle-East. Prepare for operation ‘Salvation’ and with God almighty’s aid, we shall cleanse Syria from Obama’s ruthless terrorists.” Dianne Marshall http://www.awdnews.com/top-news/putin-to-russian-army-officers-operation-salvation-shall-begin-soon,-you-must-prepare-to-cleanse-syria-from-obama-s-terrorists

The Jewish community of Hamburg elected a new chief rabbi on Monday, after the position had been vacant for three years. Rabbi Shlomo Bistritsky, who has been serving Hamburgs Jewish population for the last eight years, will be officially installed on December 1. In 1933, Hamburg had a Jewish community of 20,000 members, but after about half perished and almost all the rest were dispersed during the Holocaust, the community was left with only 1,268 Jews in 1947, according to Chabad Lubavichs Yaacov Behrman. Nowadays, he said, Hamburg has a Jewish population of about 8,000. Open gallery view Hamburg Chief Rabbi Shlomo Bistritsky. Credit: lubavitch.com With his appointment as chief rabbi – only a week after the birth of his sixth child – Rabbi Bistritsky said the only real change ahead is in his title. I have been fulfilling this role for a number of years already, he told Haaretz. Of course with the title comes greater responsibility and much work, he added. On the one hand I am nervous about the greater responsibility but on the other hand I am filled with strength and happiness from the opportunity. Rabbi Bistritskys appointment as Hamburgs chief rabbi comes at a pertinent time in his family history. It was at this exact time 73 years ago that his Hamburg-born grandfather fled Germany with his family to New York, via Rotterdam. Rabbi Bistritsky grew up in Safed, where his father, the late Rabbi Levi Bistritsky, was chief rabbi. After he married Jerusalem-born Chani (nee Havlin), the two looked for a place for Rabbi Bistritsky to do his shlihut (emissary). He consulted Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch (the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement), who directed him back to Hamburg. Moving to Hamburg seemed to be the most natural option, Rabbi Bistritsky told Haaretz. It had a double meaning. Roy Naor, a member of the Board of Directors of the citys Jewish community described Mondays election as an historic moment for Hamburg after the city-state had gone three years without a chief rabbi. Today constitutes a new beginning for the Jews of this city, he told Chabad.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s just signed up to reprise her “Cruel Intentions” role in NBC’s sequel to the 1999 cult hit film — in which her wealthy, diabolical character plots the demise of the innocent Reese Witherspoon. And Gellar really, really needs for this show (set more than 15 years after the movie) to work because her career’s in a downslide. When “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ended in 2003, Gellar was at the top of the heap as the lead on a pop-feminist phenomenon that earned both a hugely loyal following and critical love. Creator Joss Whedon could do no wrong — even pulling off a great musical episode! — and Gellar benefited. But Gellar’s been Hollywood kryptonite ever since, with the flops “The Crazy Ones” (a sitcom dud where she played Robin Williams’ daughter) and “Ringer” (a soapy action dud where she played a set of twins). As for her movie career, let’s just say it’s not quite as impressive as that of the Oscar-winning Witherspoon. Going back to “Cruel Intentions” — in which her smooch with Selma Blair won the MTV Movie Award for best kiss — may look like a retread for Gellar, but it could also be her smartest move in years. Now 38, she’s still struggling to establish herself as a bona fide, full-fledged woman in the eyes of Hollywood, which has clung to her image as teen-bait for way too long. Even when she played a real adult, it rang false — Gellar’s not a technically dazzling actress and needs the writing to be exactly tuned to her strengths, something Whedon always nailed. Another one besides Whedon who got her was the writer-director of “Cruel Intentions,” Roger Kumble, who hit that sweet spot of flighty pop attitude and style. The great news is that he’s behind the NBC pilot. This. May. Just. Work! If we can’t have Gellar and Whedon team up again — and some of us will wait forever, or until he gets that spandex-superhero nonsense out of his system, whichever comes first — this could be a pretty nifty alternative.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday said a missile attack in Syria ordered by President Trump Thursday isn't a sign of a change in U.S. policy. "This clearly indicates the president is willing to take decisive action when called for," Tillerson said shortly after Trump launched more than 50 Tomahawk missiles at an airfield in Syria. "I would not in any way attempt to extrapolate that to a change in our policy or posture relative to our military activities in Syria today. There has been no change in that status," he added. "I think it does demonstrate that President Trump is willing to act when governments and actors cross the line and cross the line on violating commitments they've made and cross the line in the most heinous of ways." ADVERTISEMENT Syria has been decimated by a civil war that began in 2011. Trump ordered the missiles launched in response to a chemical attack Tuesday that officials attribute to Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces. Dozens of rebels were killed in the chemical attack, including women and children. Late Thursday, Trump said the decision to order a missile strike was a "vital national security interest" and would "prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons." National security adviser H.R. McMaster, appearing alongside Tillerson Thursday, said the strikes likely won't eliminate the Assad government's capacity to carry out chemical attacks. "Obviously the regime will maintain a certain capacity to commit mass murder with chemical weapons we think beyond this particular air field. But it was aimed at this particular airfield for a reason, because we could trace this murderous act back to that facility," he said. McMaster also said the U.S. airstrike should communicate a "big shift in Assad’s calculus." Asked whether the strike is aimed at sending a message or damaging Assad's military capacity, McMaster responded: "This is the first time that the United States has taken direct military action against that regime or the regime of his father. So I think it was critical is with the president’s decision in response to this mass murder attack but also in the context of all the previous attacks that have occurred – I think is over 50 – chemical attacks previously, post 2013 when the UN resolution went into effect." "So I think it was both," he said."It was aimed at the capacity to commit mass murder with chemical weapons but it was not of a scope or a scale that it would go after all such related facilities.”

James O'Brien Ridicules Critics Of Lily Allen, She Calls In How dare Lily Allen go to Calais and meet people before reaching conclusions about them. Doesn't she know she can just get her opinions from the Mail Online, asks James O'Brien. Newspapers have criticised the singer after she apologised for the way Britain has responded to the migrant crisis as she visited the Jungle camp in Calais. Speaking on his LBC show, James said: "The Taliban are diametrically opposed to young women being independently minded and speaking their thoughts. "I could open up the phone lines now and form a queue of people here who also hate it and think that Lily Allen is disgraceful for speaking her mind. "'Goddamn Lily Allen for actually traveling to Calais to meet people and look at a situation before forming an opinion about it. Doesn't she know she could get all her opinions straight from the Mail Online? She doesn't need to actually go there and meet people and see things and demonstrate compassion." Soon after, Lily actually phoned in to James to set the record straight on what she calls the "xenophobic narrative" behind attacks on her. "You expect to get a kicking on social media," said James. "But have you been surprised to actually see so-called journalists joining in, actually proper professionals joining in this witch-hunt of you for having the audacity to look at things with your own eyes?" Lily responded: "No! I'm not surprised at all, in fact I expected it. What they seem to have picked up on is I apologised on behalf of the nation, but it was an emotional moment I was affected by. "Perhaps I could have chosen my words better and said: I apologise for the part the country I come from has played in the situation you're currently experiencing. But that was what I said. "It is being used to support the xenophobic rhetoric and narrative that we are currently experiencing, especially in the mainstream press." Would the reaction be enough to stop Lily doing it again? "No. Not at all. People are outraged, quite rightly, they're experiencing some horrific cuts and austerity in this country. I don't berate those people for having this kind of opinion, they're being fed a lie by the media. "There are desperate people in this country, but it's not refugees that are the problem, it's this government."

The banned substance Zeranol has been detected in Sharks hooker Chilliboy Ralepelle’s B-sample which means he will face another doping enquiry. Zeranol is widely used in the USA and other countries as a growth promoter in beef cattle and sheep. It is a non-steroidal anabolic growth promoter with potent estrogenic activity. A release issued by The SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport read: “The B-sample result of Sharks rugby player, Mahlatse Chilliboy Ralepelle, confirmed the presence of the banned substance, Zeranol. “During the sample collection process, the athlete divides his sample into an A-sample container (60ml) and a B-sample container (30ml) and seals both containers. The B-sample container, therefore, contains the same urine as the A-sample container. “Upon receipt of the athlete’s A and B-samples at the laboratory, only the A-sample’s seal is broken and the sample is then analysed for banned substances. When the presence of a banned substance is identified in the A-sample, the athlete is notified and has the option to accept the result or have the B-sample analysed to confirm or invalidate the A-sample result. Mr Ralepelle exercised his right to have his B-sample analysed.” “The athlete now has the option of accepting the result and offering a guilty plea, where after a reasoned decision will be issued explaining the doping sanction. “The athlete may also submit a plea for consideration of a reduced sanction by providing mitigating circumstances. Should the athlete opt to contest the sample result, a hearing of an independent tribunal panel will be convened to adjudicate over the proceeding and hand down a decision.” If found guilty, this will be the third time in his career that Ralepelle has earned himself a doping ban. Ralepelle had been on the comeback trail from a knee injury when he was informed of the positive test. He has played 25 Tests for the Springboks. The Sharks have something of a hooker crisis at the moment with Akker van der Merwe suspended for three weeks and Craig Burden, who came out of retirement as cover, injured. 23-year-old Kerron van Vuuren will start for the Sharks against the Lions on Friday evening while Under 20 hooker Fez Mbatha comes up to the bench.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The experience left Anthony Bryan "questioning his very identity" The brother of a man who was caught up in the Windrush scandal has written a BBC drama to tell his story. Stephen S Thompson's Sitting in Limbo is about Anthony Bryan, who moved from Jamaica at the age of eight in 1965, but discovered in 2016 there was no record of him as a British citizen. "As his brother, I saw what he went through first-hand," Thompson said. "Anthony has been severely traumatised by the experience. I couldn't bear the idea that he had suffered in vain." The drama will be a feature-length film, and the writer added: "For me, this is personal." Despite having lived in the UK since childhood, Bryan had never held a passport until he attempted to visit his elderly mother in Jamaica three years ago. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Between 1948 and 1970, almost half a million people moved from the Caribbean to Britain An estimated 500,000 people now living in the UK who arrived from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971 have been called the "Windrush generation", in reference to the ship that brought the first workers to the UK. They were granted indefinite leave to remain in 1971, but thousands were children travelling on their parents' passports, without their own documents. Changes to immigration law in 2012 meant those without documents were asked for evidence to continue working, access services or even to remain in the UK. The crackdown was blamed on the "hostile environment for illegal immigrants" promised by Prime Minister Theresa May while she was home secretary. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Windrush scandal: One year on With the onus on Bryan to prove his status to the Immigration Office, he was forced to leave his job and was unable to claim benefits before being detained as an illegal immigrant. "It has badly affected his confidence and left him questioning his very identity," added Thompson - whose first novel Toy Soldiers, a semi-autobiographical account of his adolescence, was published in 2000. Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, said Bryan's story was "incredibly important and one that needs to be told with urgency". Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

central committee named former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa as its new leader. It was Mr Mugabe's sacking of Mr Mnangagwa as his vice-president earlier this month — to pave the way for his wife Grace to succeed him — that triggered the army's swift intervention. Mr Mutsvangwa also implied Mr Mugabe, who spoke with a firm voice but occasionally lost his way in his script during the 20-minute address, was not aware of what had happened just hours earlier. "Either somebody within ZANU-PF didn't tell him what had happened within his own party, so he went and addressed that meeting oblivious, or [he was] blind or deaf to what his party has told him," Mr Mutsvangwa said. 'Mugabe must step down for the younger generation' Grace Mugabe has been expelled from ZANU-PF, while Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to become president. ( Reuters: Philimon Bulawayo, file ) On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Harare to celebrate Mr Mugabe's downfall and hail a new era for their country. Many heralded a "second liberation" and spoke of their dreams for political and economic change after two decades of deepening repression and hardship. But the same crowds who eagerly watched Mr Mugabe's televised address said they felt let down by his defiance. "The biggest thing we were expecting from the speech was for the president to step down," one man said. "He must step down and leave this for the younger generation. "We don't disagree that he has done a lot for the country but he must leave for the younger generation to carry on his legacy." The huge crowds in Harare have given a quasi-democratic veneer to the army's intervention, backing its assertion that it is merely effecting a constitutional transfer of power, rather than a plain coup, which would risk a diplomatic backlash. But some of Mr Mugabe's opponents are uneasy about the prominent role played by the military, and fear Zimbabwe might be swapping one army-backed autocrat for another, rather than allowing the people to choose their next leader. Sorry, this video has expired Crowds celebrate on Saturday at news President Robert Mugabe's rule could end (Image: AP/Ben Curtis) ABC/wires

Image 1 of 4 Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa) Image 2 of 4 Vincenzo Nibali getting ready for the stage (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa) Image 3 of 4 Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) won the 2016 Tour of Oman (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 4 of 4 Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) tried to go across to the move (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) has called on Peter Sagan, Fabian Cancellara and Greg Van Avermaet to attack with him during the finale of Milan-San Remo to stop the sprinters winning this year’s race. In a long interview with Gazzetta dello Sport on the eve of La Classicissima, the Sicilian talked about how he hopes to break the sprinters' defensive ‘catenaccio’ tactic but hints his attack will come on the Poggio rather than the Cipressa. Nibali seems inspired by the rare attacks that have succeeded at Milan-San Remo, revealing that the first edition of the race he remembers as a boy was in 1991 when Claudio Chiappucci won alone after attacking on the Turchino and then dropping Rolf Sorensen on the Poggio. Nibali gave the interview at his home in Lugano, Switzerland, revealing his dislike that a neighbour once spied on him with binoculars while he was riding on the turbo trainer. He also revealed that he is carefully considering offers for 2017 from Astana, Trek-Segafredo but also the expected new Bahrain team. Nibali revealed that an alliance with Sagan, to attack on the Cipressa in 2014, was stopped by the Slovakian’s team via race radio. He hopes the world champion and others will join forces with him this year but acknowledges that attacks on the Cipressa are futile. He lists Fabian Cancellara as the favourite for victory, followed by Sagan. Read more... Nibali’s future and his non-existent relationship with Fabio Aru To subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here.

1.23am BST Good morning. Fuelled by flat whites, Jane, Bethanie and me (Alex) are back in the bunker for another day at the Sydney writers' festival. We've got loads of great stuff coming up today including an interview with Alexis Wright, Adam Brereton on Malcolm Fraser and Bob Carr, and a review of last night's session on "humour and debauchery". I saw a very moving panel last night called What is normal, anyway? Andrew Solomon, Jo Case, Robert Hoge and AM Homes discussed identity in the context of family (being – or having – a child who turns out to be different from its parents). It was the end of a long day but I welled up several times, particularly when Hoge discussed the first couple of weeks of his life. He was born with a tumour in the middle of his face that distorted his features and badly disabled legs; his mother refused even to go and see him for the first week of his life. His parents didn't want to take him home, but finally decided to after asking their four older children (aged between ten and four), who had been to the hospital to see and hold their baby brother, whether they should. The kids all said yes. Solomon told several stories from his experiences interviewing the parents of "difficult" children for his book Far From the Tree. He had interviewed several women who had been raped and tortured during the Rwandan genocide. At the end of his interviews he always asks his subjects if they have any questions for him, to level the playing field. One asked him for his advice on how to love her daughter, who was conceived when she was raped. The woman said that she tried, but "every time I look at her, it reminds me of this terrible event". Floored by her words, Solomon said that it was only a couple of days afterwards that he realised how much love the question had contained. Some tweets: Dianne Masri (@media_pixels) Getting ready for writers' reflections in Glorious Sydney at #SWF14 pic.twitter.com/CwBwnVWYJ7 Bec Melrose (@becfrolics) Looking forward to Australia and the World with Malcolm Fraser and Bob Carr. What we need is better pyjamas. #SWF14 And this is great for Alice Walker fans – a link to a transcript of her talk on Wednesday night.

‘Dramatic’ shift in polar motion attributed to effects of global warming and the impact humans are having on the planet This article is more than 4 years old This article is more than 4 years old Global warming is changing the way the Earth wobbles on its polar axis, a new Nasa study has found. Melting ice sheets, especially in Greenland, are changing the distribution of weight on Earth. And that has caused both the North Pole and the wobble, which is called polar motion, to change course, according to a study published on Friday in the journal Science Advances. Global warming may be far worse than thought, cloud analysis suggests Read more Scientists and navigators have been accurately measuring the true pole and polar motion since 1899, and for almost the entire 20th century they migrated a bit toward Canada. But that has changed with this century, and now it’s moving toward England, according to study lead author Surendra Adhikari at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Lab. “The recent shift from the 20th-century direction is very dramatic,” Adhikari said. While scientists say the shift is harmless, it is meaningful. Jonathan Overpeck, professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona, who wasn’t part of the study, said that “this highlights how real and profoundly large an impact humans are having on the planet.” Since 2003, Greenland has lost on average more than 272 trillion kilograms of ice a year, and that affects the way the Earth wobbles in a manner similar to a figure skater lifting one leg while spinning, said Nasa scientist Eirk Ivins, the study’s co-author. On top of that, West Antarctica loses 124 trillion kgs of ice and East Antarctica gains about 74 trillion kgs of ice yearly, helping tilt the wobble further, Ivins said. They all combine to pull polar motion toward the east, Adhikari said. Jianli Chen, a senior research scientist at the University of Texas’ Center for Space Research, first attributed the pole shift to climate change in 2013, and he said this new study takes his work a step further. “There is nothing to worry about,” said Chen, who wasn’t part of the Nasa study. “It is just another interesting effect of climate change.”

“I DON’T know why I’m back here...”So said Sophie Monk, sitting down for a second round of ‘Hard Chat’ with comedian Tom Gleeson for his popular segment on the ABC’s The Weekly With Charlie Pickering. Monk and Gleeson first squared off back in April, with the former Bardot singer proving herself surprisingly adept at handling Gleeson’s barrage of withering put-downs disguised as serious questions. Second time around, Monk was in fine form once more. Gleeson said that after her success on The Bachelorette, he’d like to see her hosting The 7:30 Report and interviewing the Prime Minister — but notes she’d need to learn who the Prime Minister actually is first. “I like Bill Shorten, he follows me on Instagram. Likes my photos,” is Monk’s cheery response. “Australia fell in love with you in The Bachelorette … is it good that someone fell in love?” Gleeson asked, referencing the persistent rumours that Monk’s relationship with chosen winner Stu Laundy is just for show. And then, another stinger: “What’s more fake, your relationship with Stu or your face?” “Oh my god, that’s so mean! But … good question,” said Monk. Noting that their last chat went viral, Gleeson asked if any of Monk’s Bachelorette suitors were also “a bit viral.” She didn’t bat an eyelid, instead launching into a frank and animated discussion about STI testing procedures on the dating show that left Gleeson speechless. And in the end, Monk won round two, pulling out this beautiful non-sequiter when talk turned to personal grooming. “I’ve got a nipple hair that just won’t stop growing. I’ve called it Trevor, because it’s just part of me now. I pluck it and it comes back — people should study that for male pattern baldness.” With that, all a dumbfounded Gleeson could do was wrap the interview up. Hard Chat: Monk 2, Gleeson 0. Let’s see if he’s game for round three.

Moana type Movie genre Animated Phillipa Soo and Lin-Manuel Miranda are back together again, and they’re not even apart yet. Soo, who currently stars in Broadway’s Hamilton as Eliza Schuyler, the devoted wife of Miranda’s Alexander Hamilton, has joined the cast of Disney’s upcoming animated feature Moana, for which Miranda has been at work penning new music. EW has learned that Soo will be playing a villager of Motunui, Moana’s home island. The movie will mark Soo’s first animated voiceover role; her screen credits include Richard LaGravenese’s Dangerous Liaisons and a brief recurring role on NBC’s Smash. Hamilton, which earned her a Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, is the Juilliard-trained actress’ Broadway debut. Soo is also one of the original stars of the Off Broadway smash, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. WANT MORE EW? Subscribe now to keep up with the latest in movies, television and music. Moana stars newcomer Auli’i Cravalho as an adventurous teenager in the South Pacific who embarks on a mission across the ocean to prove herself a master navigator and save her people, accompanied by a once-mighty demigod named Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Somewhere between the waves and the monsters, Moana fulfills the quest of her ancestors — and sings a few Miranda tunes in the process. The film is described as “a sweeping, CG-animated feature film” and comes from directors Ron Clements and John Musker, who famously wrote and directed Disney classics like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and most recently, The Princess and the Frog. Miranda is working on the film’s music along with Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina. Moana sails into theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. Image zoom Disney Episode Recaps Previous 11 Disney live-action remakes we actually want to see By EW Staff The evolution of Disney Princesses, from Snow White to Frozen 2 By Sydney Bucksbaum Moana had brothers?! Lost storylines from the Disney hit By Patrick Gomez Disney Heroines Through the Years By Isabella Biedenharn Next

Microsoft is seeing a significant increase in demand for its cloud services during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This increase in demand includes Windows Virtual Desktop usage growing more than three times, and record numbers across Microsoft Teams, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Mixer. While the software giant originally reported “a 775 percent increase of our cloud services in regions that have enforced social distancing or shelter in place orders,” over the weekend, the company soon had to correct its misleading statement late on Monday. “We have seen a 775 percent increase in Teams’ calling and meeting monthly users in a one month period in Italy, where social distancing or shelter in place orders have been enforced,” explains a Microsoft spokesperson. Either way, cloud demand is growing and Microsoft has started tweaking its services accordingly. “To streamline moderation and ensure the best experience for our community, we’re making small adjustments,” says an Xbox support note. “We’ve temporarily turned off the ability to upload custom gamerpics, club pics, and club backgrounds.” Existing custom Xbox gamerpics will work just fine, but Microsoft is trying to lighten the load on its moderation team checking new uploads during an overall increase in Xbox Live activity. Microsoft is also making some changes to Teams Microsoft says it’s also working with Xbox game publishers to “deliver higher-bandwidth activities like game updates during off-peak hours.” Sony has also taken a similar approach by slowing down PlayStation game downloads to help preserve overall internet speeds. Microsoft revealed last week that it will prioritize cloud access for first responders and emergency services, and keep Microsoft Teams up and running. Teams usage surged by 12 million in just a week earlier this month, and Microsoft Teams initially suffered some outages as a result. Microsoft has now temporarily tweaked some aspects of Teams to improve overall capacity and reliability. “We made a few temporary adjustments to select non-essential capabilities such as how often we check for user presence, the interval in which we show when the other party is typing, and video resolution.” Correction: Microsoft’s original blog posted stated that the company had seen a 775 percent increase in cloud services demand in regions that have enforced social distancing or shelter in place orders. Microsoft later corrected this statement to clarify the 775 percent increase was limited to Italy and just Microsoft Teams calling, not overall cloud demand.

Home Depot, the US home improvement retailer, has stated that approximately 53 million email addresses were stolen in addition to the 56 million credit and debit cards that were compromised in an attack earlier this year. After weeks of investigation into the data breach, Home Depot has displayed its findings in a press release, which was published yesterday. New revelations in the Home Depot data breach: Criminals used a third-party vendor’s username and password to enter Home Depot’s network. Hackers then acquired ‘elevated rights’, which allowed them to navigate Home Depot’s network and deploy custom-built malware on its payment systems. The malware was designed to evade detection by antivirus software. In addition to the payment card data, hackers were also able to obtain separate files that contained 53 million email addresses. Home Depot has since deployed enhanced encryption of its payment data in 1,977 US stores, which required writing new software code and distributing nearly 85,000 new PIN pads to stores. Although the files containing the 53 million email addresses did not contain passwords, payment card information, or any other sensitive personal information, Home Depot is warning customers to be on guard against phishing scams. Phishing attacks try to acquire sensitive information like email addresses, passwords, and card details by masquerading as legitimate organisations. Individuals are duped into clicking on links in emails or entering their details on what they believe to be legitimate websites. The Christmas and holiday season has long been known as a time when hackers are most active. Increased numbers of consumers shopping online and less vigilant employees at work mean Christmas is a prime time to attack. According to a survey conducted by Tufin Technologies at the Defcon hacker conference, 81% of hackers said they operated more vigorously when people were on their winter vacation, and 56% said that Christmas was the most appropriate period to hack corporate computers. Conducting a penetration test is a relatively inexpensive, fast, and efficient means for organizations to identify any weaknesses in the security of their networks and systems. IT Governance provides fixed-price CREST-accredited testing services that can be deployed by any organization looking for better protection. To help organizations prepare for increased cyber threats during the Christmas period, we have a festive offer: book our Combined Infrastructure and Web Application Penetration Test – Level 1 and we will carry out an email phishing campaign to test staff awareness free of charge.

Nov. 1, 2001 -- As a green, one-eyed "scare assistant" named Mike who resembles a billiard ball with legs, Billy Crystal gets to sing, wisecrack, and woo the ladies in the latest Disney/Pixar computer-animated feature, Monsters, Inc. But Crystal might have been a Pixar player from the start, if he hadn't said no to playing Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. "I hate that this comes up," said Crystal, who nevertheless admitted, "It's the only regret I have in the business of something I passed on." But Toy Story, which became the top-grossing film of 1995, was then in its early planning stages. "Only Woody had a name then," he said of the cowboy doll that Tom Hanks eventually voiced. "It was at [former Disney executive] Jeffrey Katzenberg's house, and he showed me a pencil test of Buzz singing 'You've Never Had a Friend Like Me.' He said, 'Look at this different form of animation.' But also, it was a big business dispute," Crystal added. (Disney owns both Mr. Showbiz and ABCNEWS.com.) Crystal threw up his hands to gesture, 'Enough!' "This is many years ago." The Perfect Fit Still, Crystal admired the Buzz Lightyear test Pixar made, using his voice with their drawings. "It's hilarious, but I don't think I was right for that. Tim [Allen, who became Buzz's voice] is a beautiful guy with a resonant voice. Mike is a better fit for me." To convince Crystal to come aboard the Pixar fantasy wagon this time, the folks at the San Francisco-based computer shop took no chances: They had CEO Steve Jobs call Crystal with the offer. Then they showed Crystal his "audition" tape, which they always make to demonstrate how right an actor's voice is for their character. "They used a test from My Giant where I'm saying, 'Without Goliath, David is just a punk throwing rocks,'" Crystal recalled. Still, he didn't feel Mike should "sound like me. I'd done this character on Saturday Night Live, Willie, who was a masochist. For Mike, I edged him up and gave him espresso — he's Jiminy Cricket on speed. Once I had that and felt that was cool, it was very freeing." Monsters, Inc. opens Friday.

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Please enable Javascript to watch this video HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The company that owns Parkway Place Mall will be continuing a recent Black Friday trend, closing their doors on Thanksgiving. CBL Properties announced the decision that for the second year in a row, 62 of the company's locations will shut down for the holiday. "For a shopping center to close for an entire day is a very rare thing," said Molly Mitchell, the spokesperson for Parkway Place Mall. The decision to push shopping time back allows families to spend the entire Thanksgiving day together. Mitchell says CBL Properties took a risk shutting down on Thanksgiving 2016. "When you open at midnight or your open through Thanksgiving, you do see that spurt and rush of sales right when they begin," she explained. The sales trend continued last year but in a different way. "In moving everything to Black Friday and being closed on Thanksgiving, we saw the rush of sales back on Friday," said Mitchell. "It was the same amount of sales, the same amount of volume it was just within that day." Please enable Javascript to watch this video Those who work at Parkway Place Mall believe the decision brings back the excitement of Black Friday shopping. It's not just customers who are excited but also mall tenants. "If people have a wife and kids, it's really a special time for them to get off for any holiday. Thanksgiving, Christmas, it doesn't matter what it is. So we enjoy the opportunity because working is difficult because you have to pull away from that type of environment," said the President of Leaf in Creek, Curtis Stolaas. Stolaas says he's thankful that Parkway Place is starting a tradition that allows everyone to spend more time with the ones they love most. "The mall has been really kind to us with every regard. But the holidays, in particular, they're really focused on the family people instead of just the dollar amount," said Stolaas. It's important to note that the decision only impacts stores located inside the mall. Anchor stores like Belk and Dillards are able to make their own hours because they have outside entrances. You can find other stores that will be closed on Thanksgiving here. 34.707394 -86.587442

register as a foreign agent. Tony Podesta didn’t respond to a request for comment. Mueller decided that potential wrongdoing by Mercury and the Podesta Group was beyond his remit and referred the investigation to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, who haven’t brought charges yet. Neither Weber nor Tony Podesta is on the government’s witness list for the current trial, where Craig is charged with misleading the Justice Department about his dealings with the media in connection with a 2012 report on the prosecution of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of Ukraine. But a former Mercury staffer, Lucy-Claire Saunders, testified briefly at the trial on Wednesday. “At some point, we started to realize that it was not what it seemed,” Saunders, who left Mercury in 2015, said of the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. “We were told it was a nonprofit or nongovernmental organization,” she said. “Later, we came to believe that potentially it was funded by businessmen in Ukraine with close relationships to the government.” Asked who told her the group was a nonprofit, Saunders said it was Gates. Campoamor-Sanchez’s questioning of Gates seemed to be aimed a clearing up comments he’d made earlier in the day suggesting that Mercury and Podesta might have been in the dark about who was behind the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. Gates had told one of Craig’s lawyers, Paula Junghans, that the think tank was connected to a high-ranking figure in Ukraine’s government. “He served a role in the government,” Gates, a prosecution witness, said during cross-examination. “It was not a direct arm of the entire government.” Gates did not name the man behind the think tank, but the filing about Gates’ plea deal names him as Andriy Klyuyev, Ukraine’s first vice prime minister. The group “was associated with the Ukrainian government. It was not an independent nonprofit organization, right?” Junghans asked. “Yes, that’s correct,” Gates said. Junghans also asked whether Gates had misled Mercury and Podesta about the think tank. “You lied to them?” she said. “I did,” Gates said.

two groups of users. The first one consists of those who possess only a small amount of cryptocurrencies, have almost no free funds and often deny themselves current expenses, travelling, business trips, rest, because they believe that this asset will grow and try to keep it. The representatives of the second group mostly have big amounts of cryptocurrencies and they need to hedge their positions. The total amount of funds raised during the eCoinomic.net Token Sale shall be divided into two parts. $6 million will be spent on the launch: development of the platform, legal and technical audit, initial marketing. The rest of the funds are to form the Reserve. This part is estimated to amount at $100 million. The Reserve is required as a precaution against abrupt changes in volatility. The reason behind this measure is the sharp short-term slippage of price, which shows up in the market from time to time. Suppose that a client has deposited bitcoin and received a loan of $7,000 when the price per 1 BTC was equal to $10,000. With eCoinomic.net, the maximum period for which he can receive such a loan is 1 month. If he returns the funds during this period bitcoin gets unfreezed and gets back to the client’s wallet. But if the prices drop significantly, the client may face a margin call if the quotes drop below $7,000 per bitcoin. The client will receive a notification each time the price drops by 5%. He can reduce his risks if he increases his safety margin. If a margin call occurs, eCoinomic.net platform sells the collateral. If the prices fall sharply, it may be difficult to sell bitcoin at the needed price. This is when the insurance fund will help. This fund can buy the bitcoin in such a situation and sell it at the exchange when the price bounces back. The project representatives are now in the midst of negotiations with institutional investors that are ready to place the funds when the platform is launched and provides audited reports. Loans in eCoinomic.net are strictly regulated, 1 contract cannot exceed $10,000, the maximum term of one contract cannot be more than one month, the commission is fixed. One user can execute several contracts. A smart contract regulates the rights and obligations of all parties. If one participant fulfills the terms of the contract, the other party unambiguously fulfills it, too. Such approach will allow borrowers and creditors build relationships in a new way.